Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready honored Eddie Van Halen with a performance of “Eruption” during a May 9th concert in Glendale, Arizona.
Prior to McCready’s tribute, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder addressed the recent passing of some friends and family members including Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins and Eddie Van Halen.
“I don’t think we’ve played a show since Eddie Van Halen passed away, and he was another legend that we miss,” Vedder told the crowd. “And so we’ve been wanting to play one for him.”
Here’s what Guitar World‘s Michael Astley-Brown had to say about McCready’s performance:
McCready then kicks on his MXR Phase 90 and dives into the EVH classic – on a vintage Strat, no less. It’s a looser interpretation than some covers – with a somewhat shaky start – but soon settles into the Van Halen cut’s trademark pyrotechnics, including the palm-muted runs and marathon two-hand-tapping outro, with a cheeky tease of the You Really Got Me riff to close.
McCready has performed “Eruption” during several other past Pearl Jam shows. During a Hartford, Connecticut concert in 2013, he and his bandmates also performed “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”:
ALSO WATCH: Eddie Vedder On Meeting Eddie Van Halen (From Howard Stern Show Nov. 2020)