Seattle rockers, Pearl Jam, recently launched their South American tour and on Nov. 11, Eddie Vedder and company jammed through a rainstorm in Brazil, fighting nasty weather to dig into Pink Floyd's extensive repertoire for a first-time cover of The Wall hit, "Comfortably Numb."
The "Even Flow" musicians make their appreciation for Floyd known, having previously boasted tracks from the iconic psychedelic rock group with interpretations of more Wall classics like "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Mother," Rolling Stone reports. The chilling cut, "Comfortably Numb," made its live, Pearl Jam debut in the midst of inclement weather, giving the overall performance a fittingly eerie and dramatic tone. The innovative Floyd cover proved to be a hit, inciting a crowd-wide singalong and cheers of approval throughout the six minute version. According to Diffuser, Vedder previously teamed up with Pink Floyd veteran and bassist, Roger Waters, to play the popular track during the 12-12-12 benefit for Hurricane Sandy victims.
During the same Porto Alegre, Brazil gig, the group took on their go-to Pink Floyd jam, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn's "Interstellar Overdrive," having repeatedly tackling the numer since 1998. The fan-shot footage of the "Comfortably Numb" cut showcases Vedder's vibrating vocals in place of Waters' mysterious tone while guitarist Mike McCready ripped though the track's illustrious solo, mirroring David Gimour's enthralling notes while incorporating jubilant runs particular to the Pearl Jam member's own style.
Pearl Jam will continue along their South American jaunt with a string of dates steady through their gig in Sao Paulo on Nov 14.
In other Vedder news, the unique sounding vocalist joined "Drunk in Love" singer Beyonce for a soothing and hopeful rendition of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" at the 2015 Global Citizen Fest in New York City. The unlikely duo's performance harmoniously blended Vedder's grunge vocals with the pop star's pitch-perfect runs. Furthermore, the intense and long-time Chicago Cubs fan pledged to hold off on all Pearl Jam gigs in October to be able to attend World Series games, pending on the success of his home team. (They didn't make it.)
