Cooper sang “Maybe It’s Time” with the band from his hit 2018 movie ‘A Star Is Born’
Last night in Napa, California, Pearl Jam took the stage for their headlining slot at BottleRock. Other featured acts that weekend include Stevie Nicks, Maná, Queens of the Stone Age, St. Vincent, My Morning Jacket, The Offspring, All Time Low, Cold War Kids, Pete Yorn, The Record Company, Chevy Metal, and Foo Fighters’ guitarist Christ Shiflett. In a surprising moment for fans, Oscar-nominated actor and GRAMMY® winner Bradley Cooper joined Pearl Jam on stage to perform the Jason Isbell-penned song, “Maybe It’s Time,” from the 2018 film A Star Is Born in which Cooper starred. Check out the fan-filmed footage below.
Later in the set, Cooper returned to the stage to accompany Pearl Jam during their cover of Neil Young‘s classic anthem, “Rockin’ In the Free World.”
Pearl Jam released their latest album, Dark Matter, back on April 19 through Monkeywrench/Republic. Produced by GRAMMY® Award winner Andrew Watt (The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop), the album is available on digital download, CD, and vinyl, with several variants including a Ten Club Exclusive Red Galaxy Vinyl with 24-page booklet, Indie Exclusive Crystal Vinyl with 24-page booklet, standard black vinyl, standard CD, and Deluxe CD/Blu-Ray with HD audio and Dolby Atmos Immersive Mix. All vinyl packages include one of three uniques sticker sheets with five center label tickets, plus a logo sticker. The title track is available on a 7-inch vinyl single.
Back in 2021, Pearl Jam began working on Dark Matter at Andrew Watt’s studio in Beverly Hills. With Watt at the helm, it’s safe to say that fans can expect a heavier, more guitar-driven outing, given his previous success with acts like Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones. Pearl Jam recorded a bulk of their new record at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California.
On January 31, Pearl Jam held an ultra-exclusive album reveal of Dark Matter. The event took place at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles, California. Band members Eddie Vedder (vocals), Mick McCready (guitar), and Jeff Ament (bass) were on hand, as well as producer Andrew Watt.
“We’re still looking for ways to communicate,” Vedder said at the event. “We’re at this time in our lives when you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful. No hyperbole – I think this is out best work.”
Bassist Jeff Ament added, “I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band.”
Pearl Jam released their eleventh studio album, Gigaton, in March of 2020. It was the group’s first all-new studio outing in seven years. The critically-acclaimed album hit No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 and No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock and Alternative album charts. The band finally got out not the road to support the record in 2022.
After touring sporadically in 2023, Pearl Jam are currently in the midst of an extensive tour around the globe. The multi-platinum rockers kicked off their 2024 campaign back in March, with dates scheduled across North America, Europe, Australia, and more. Included in the new batch of shows is the Ruoff Music Center in Indianapolis, which was previously postponed due to illness back in September.
Last August, Pearl Jam set out on a brief run of U.S. shows. The band performed in Chicago, Austin, and more. Their Indianapolis show was postponed, and is set to be rescheduled imminently. Frontman Eddie Vedder also played two intimate solo shows on October 23 and October 24 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, in addition to his performance at Ohana Festival on September 30.
Pearl Jam released a special 30th anniversary reissue of their seminal album, Vs. last November. With Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, the band will commemorate three decades of the their seminal sophomore outing with releases on vinyl and cassette configurations. Pearl Jam’s own Ten Club featured an exclusive 2-LP Dreamsicle (translucent orange with white swirls) color variant vinyl and clear cassette. Target offersed its own 1-LP exclusive clear vinyl, an international clear vinyl, and a new black 2-LP vinyl will be available in participating retailers. Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings also unveiled a brand new Atmos Spatial Audio Mix of the album through Apple Music alongside new visualizer videos for each track on the album.
Moving 10 million units worldwide, Vs. has since gone 7-times Platinum in the States. Meanwhile, “Daughter” just reached RIAA Platinum status, while “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” has gone Gold.
Last year also saw the 10th anniversary of Pearl Jam’s tenth full-length LP and fan favorite, Lightning Bolt. It originally dropped on October 15, 2013 and became the group’s fifth No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. The Brendan O’Brien-produced Lightning Bolt is now also available in Spatial Audio.