David Letterman will conclude his Late Show tenure this Wednesday, and a number of all-star musicians and actors have appeared on the show to say farewell. Among them is frequent guest Eddie Vedder, frontman of Pearl Jam, who delivered a rousing version of the hit song “Better Man” on the program last night.
Vedder’s first appearance on the show was in 1996, actually coming out as a surprise guest to sing “Black” with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra. Letterman had taken to incorporating the chorus of “Black” into his monologues at the time, so Vedder’s unannounced appearance played off of what was a recurring joke.
Vedder teamed with the orchestra once more, only this time it was the song “Better Man.” We can’t think of a better way for Vedder to say goodbye than with this serenade:
And here’s footage from that 1996 performance as well:
Letterman’s final program is this Wednesday night.