An unexpected collaboration came to pass on Saturday in Shelbyville, TN when Eddie Vedder and Post Malone joined forces onstage. The two-song collaboration occurred at the Reportin’ For Duty benefit concert, where the Pearl Jam singer and pop chart-topper sang PJ’s “Better Man” and Tom Petty‘s “I Won’t Back Down”.

Though the sit-in seems a bit odd on the surface given the two artists’ fairly different musical outputs, there is some precedent. Malone has expressed his admiration for Pearl Jam in the past, covering “Last Kiss” during an acoustic set in Rome, Italy in 2022. That same year, the “Circles” singer appeared on The Howard Stern Show, where he covered “Better Man” and expounded on his Pearl Jam fandom. Speaking with Stern, Postie said that his older brother Jordan first introduced him to Pearl Jam.

“He was a marine, and he was stationed in Hawaii. I was 12, 13… and he played this song, we were driving around. He played it—I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” he said, adding that he thinks about his brother—who is still alive—every time he hears the song.

So it was a full-circle moment when Post Malone joined Eddie Vedder onstage for “Better Man” at the Humble Baron at the Nearest Green Whiskey Distillery, billed as “the world’s longest bar.” The two musicians sat side-by-side on stools, strumming acoustic guitars as they traded verses on the Vitalogy radio staple. They also harmonized beautifully on Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”, a Vedder cover staple for decades. After the show, both musicians posted clips of them rehearsing “American Girl” backstage.

Related: Watch Post Malone Cover Alice In Chains’ “Them Bones” With Full Band & Chorus On ‘Howard Stern’ [Videos]

The Reportin’ For Duty benefit concert began last year as a celebration of the late actor, comedian, and singer Leslie Jordan, who died suddenly in 2022. The concert also raises money for the EB Research Partnership, which Vedder founded along with his wife Jill to fund research for the skin disease Epidermolysis Bullosa. The 2024 lineup also included Jelly Rolly, The War and Treaty, Ruby Amanfu, Jake Wesley Rogers, and Dan Spencer.

Check out videos of the Eddie Vedder and Post Malone collaboration below. Pearl Jam last week confirmed its 12th studio album, Dark Matter, which the band will support on a massive world tour featuring stops at Wrigley Field, Madison Square Garden, Fenway Park, and more. For further information head here.

 

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