Bradley Cooper Joins Pearl Jam On Stage in Real Life ‘Star is Born’ Moment

Bradley Cooper left Leonard Bernstein behind this weekend, trading the Maestro for another iconic Cooper character: Jackson Maine. The actor and eternal awards hopeful took the stage at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival Saturday, where he joined Disney cover band Pearl Jam on stage for two songs. The star (is born) turn followed a weekend of Cooper sightings at the event, including a slow dance with Gigi Hadid as Stevie Nicks sang onstage, and a cooking demonstration with NBA great Steph Curry. (Hmm, maybe that means he’s revisiting Burnt, too?)

Stephen Curry and Bradley Cooper attend a culinary demonstration during the 2024 BottleRock at Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California

Miikka Skaffari

Bradley Cooper attends a culinary demonstration during the 2024 BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California.

Miikka Skaffari

Bradley Cooper’s BottleRock weekend began Friday, Us reports, when social media users spotted him “dancing throughout” that night’s headlining act, Stevie Nicks. It’s the second NorCal jaunt for the couple in about a month, as the pair—along with a little-known duo named Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce—visited the coastal community of Carmel for an April couples getaway.

The “music/food/wine/brew” festival continued for the sobriety proponent on Saturday with a scheduled onstage appearance at the event’s culinary stage. The SF Chronicle reports that the trifecta of Cooper, Golden State Warrior point guard Curry, and World Central Kitchen’s José Andrés drew the largest crowds the fest’s food-focused stage has ever seen, with a 45-minute performance that included Philly cheesesteaks tossed into the crowd, a basket contest between Curry and Cooper (Curry missed three shots), and an “impromptu duet” of Star is Born signature song “Shallow” between Andrés and Cooper.

Did that quickfire turn back into rock star life whet Cooper’s Maine whistle? Maybe that’s why, in a surprise appearance, Cooper joined Saturday night headliners Pearl Jam to perform “Maybe It’s Time,” another song from the 2018 movie.

NAPA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 25: (L-R) Bradley Cooper and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam perform onstage during 2024 BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Kevin Mazur

Actor Bradley Cooper (L) and singer, songwriter and guitarist Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam perform a duet live on stage during BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California.

Jim Bennett/Getty Images

“There was an absolutely beautiful film a few years ago about a singer/songwriter named Jackson Maine,” Spin quotes Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder as saying from the stage. “At the end of the film, he passes away, and it’s brutal and very powerful and very moving. But tonight is a very special occasion, because he is coming back to life. Please, would you join me in welcoming to the stage, my great, great pal Bradley Cooper.”

What Vedder didn’t mention is that he provided a lot of the groundwork for Cooper’s Oscar-nominated role. Vedder “gave me minor, little things that only musicians know about what to do, just aesthetically and the inner workings. . . . He was wonderful,” Cooper said while promoting the film in 2018.

Hilariously, Vedder also attempted to dissuade Cooper from singing his own songs in the movie. “He was like, ‘What? Bro, don’t do that,’” Cooper said.

Clearly, Vedder has had a change of heart since. One can see in a video captured from the show that the real rock star allowed the pretend one to take the lead on the Jason Isbell-penned song, which Veder typically performs solo.

NAPA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 25: (L-R) Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Bradley Cooper perform onstage during 2024 BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Kevin Mazur

NAPA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 25: Bradley Cooper performs with Pearl Jam onstage during 2024 BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Kevin Mazur

Cooper returned to the stage one last time Saturday night, tambourine in his hand, for Pearl Jam’s final song. This time, the cover was of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” According to the SF Chronicle, the actor “energetically moved around the stage, holding a single drumstick and behaving pretty much like any other fan who crashed the stage.” All in all, a far cry from 2019, when Cooper admitted he was “terrified” of singing live and in public. Perhaps after facing a world enraged by your prosthetic nose, singing in front of a bunch of tipsy Californians feels like comparative child’s play.

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