Pearl Jam joined by Peter Frampton in Nashville for epic performance of ‘Black’
Pearl Jam were joined at their Nashville concert by none other than guitar visionary Peter Frampton for a version of beloved grunge ballad ‘Black’.
On May 8th, the Seattle-based band took to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville as part of their ‘Dark Matter’ world tour.
After only six songs of their 25-song setlist, Eddie Vedder introduced the 1970s guitar master Frampton. He ushered on Frampton’s presence with some kind, reflective words: “This gentleman was someone we looked up to,” he told the crowd.
He continued: “Before the Ramones, some of our first guitar heroes, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, he was right up there. It was one of the reasons why you loved live records, and later we decided to release bootlegs because of his influence.”
Before the guitarist joined the stage to an outrageous cheer from fans, Vedder finished: “He’s such an incredible human being on top of it. It is our honour, because at this point, he’s become a good friend to the group. He’s recorded with Mike [McCready] and [drummer] Matt Cameron and we get to play with him tonight.”
Their live take on the track from the classic 1991 debut album ‘Ten’ somewhat reinvented the wheel. Frampton added some signature shreds and the band threw in a riff from his 1973 track ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’.
This will be somewhat of a trial run for Frampton, as he embarks on a North American tour later this month, despite announcing a farewell tour six years ago. Although Frampton suffers from inclusion body myositis, he still appears able to perform well. The former David Bowie collaborator recently said it was “humbling to feel their special love for me” when discussing his fans, and also labelled them as “pretty incredible.”
Pearl Jam’s next stop is two nights in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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