Eddie Vedder’s Amsterdam Tour Opener Was A Subtle Chris Cornell Tribute
Eddie Vedder gave his first performance since the death of Chris Cornell during the kickoff of his solo European tour in Amsterdam on Saturday night. Vedder didn’t cover any Soundgarden songs or mention Cornell by name, but he still found subtle ways to pay tribute to his old friend, opening the show off with a performance of Pearl Jam’s “Long Road” that changed the lyric “But still/ Something is missing” to “Without you/ Something is missing.” He also played Neil Young’s “The Needle And The Damage Done,” a song about heroin addiction, and covered Fugazi’s “I’m So Tired,” a song about depression and suicidal ideation, for the first time. When one fan shouted out “I love you,” Vedder responded with an emotional speech about healing:
Thank you. I need it. We all need it. I’m thinking of a lot of people tonight. And some in particular and their families. And I just know that healing takes time if it ever happens. It takes time, and that means you have to start somewhere. So let it be music. Let it be love and togetherness. And let it be Amsterdam.
Watch below.