Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder Says Taylor Swift Shows Remind Him of Punk Rock

Photo Credit: Tammy Lo / CC by 2.0

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder says his experience at a Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ concert reminded him of punk rock crowds — ‘It was galvanizing and powerful.’Since Taylor Swift’s brand of fame has practically redefined what it means to be a superstar, many celebrities have weighed in with their thoughts. The latest long-time star to do so is Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder — who made an intriguing comparison that shows an endless stream of pop hits doesn’t mean a star like Swift can’t still be punk.

In a recent interview with Mojo focused on Pearl Jam’s latest album, Dark Matter — of which Vedder said, “No hyperbole, I think this is our best work,” — Vedder told a story about the surprisingly profound experience of taking his daughters to a Taylor Swift concert in Seattle.

“The run-up to [the concert], making friendship bracelets with [his daughter] and the generosity of these young girls and boys, trading these bracelets with different messages on them — lyrics, song titles, just acts of good will on these little bracelets,” Vedder said. “They had found their tribe; they were all agreeing on something.”

He continued: “The craziest thing was it reminded me of punk rock crowds, of being aligned with all of the misfits in our town, back in the day. It was galvanizing and powerful.”While Vedder didn’t share any videos or photos on social media from his Eras Tour experience, many fans spotted him at the show and shared clips on TikTok. In one video, a friendship bracelet-covered Vedder is seen taking a selfie with Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds — further evidence of the power of Swift’s reach.

Pearl Jam’s latest album follows their 2020 release, Gigatron, of which the band’s guitarist Stone Gossard said, “The five of us made demos for ages,” but that it was “individual efforts with people adding on.” Gossard agreed with Vedder that Dark Matter was a much more organic experience; the band played together in sessions across two separate studios to record the album.