The vital advice Neil Young gave to Eddie Vedder
Reaching the top of the mountain is an achievement only a select few will achieve in the music industry. It’s a challenge that depends on many factors, with luck and good fortune equally crucial as the quality of art. Staying at the pinnacle is even more challenging than the climb, which makes Pearl Jam‘s three decades at the top mightily impressive.
Within the blink of an eye, there’s a new band to emerge on the scene with sights set on dethroning the status quo and taking their crowns. Over the years, Pearl Jam has outlasted countless new kids on the block to cement their position in the rock world, and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon, partly due to Neil Young’s sage words of wisdom. It doesn’t take much for heads to get turned, courtesy of the glitz and glamour of musical success. Typically, lead singers allow this lethal cocktail to fuel their ego, which can see bands lose that special formula that catapulted them into the hearts of fans. However, while Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder has made solo albums, his band has always remained his number one focus.
Thanks to 1991’s Ten, they went from virtually unknown to festival headliners within the space of a year. Their sound enthralled Young, and he became a father figure to the grunge group, whom he wanted to help steer on the right path. By this time, he’d accumulated a fountain of knowledge and was keen to share advice.
Young became a mentor figure to Vedder after they shared the bill at various benefit concerts during the 1990s, which stoked up a friendship that remains today. The Canadian had seen groups in a similar position to them squander everything, which he desperately wanted Pearl Jam to avoid. “He took our whole band under his wing, I guess it was right around that second record,” Vedder once explained to Howard Stern.
The singer elaborated on the birth of their relationship: “Then we ended up getting closer and closer over the years. It started by playing Bridge School, the first time, I think, was ’92. And then he really tapped into the energy of our group.”
Following the benefit shows, the two musicians stayed in contact, and Vedder was invited to Young’s ranch for a day that he’ll never forget. It was here that he had a quiet word with Vedder about his career decisions and, in no uncertain terms, advised the singer from making a solo record. “I do remember one time we were at the ranch, at his place, and we took a walk,” Vedder recalled. “It’s kind of that famous fence line. Smoking a joint, we sat down near this little pond. This was right before the second [album, Vs.], somewhere in that time.”
He continued: “He said, ‘Hey, just so you know, there might be some people that’ll try to pull you away from this group but you guys, the sum is greater than the parts. Remember that. I’m sure that’s probably already happened to you. I thought no, I’m good with these guys. Actually, no, no one’s singled me out yet.”
Vedder eventually went solo in 2007, but it’s always been another arm of his creativity that he couldn’t express within Pearl Jam rather than a priority. If he had chosen to fly solo at the height of the band’s popularity in the 1990s and made music within their DNA, it could have had devastating repercussions for the band. Thankfully, with Young’s words ringing in his ear, it wasn’t even a consideration. Now, Pearl Jam stand as one of the few remaining bands from the grunge era, which is drenched in tragedy, and their position is not one they have ever taken for granted.
