EV Solo: New Song & Cover In Maui

Our singer Ed Vedder is wrapping up his 2009 solo tour in Hawaii this week, and he’s off to a great start.  At the first Maui show on June 29th, he treated the crowd to a beautiful new acoustic song (UPDATE: Einat tells us the song title is “Speed of Sound”)   with lovely arpeggiated notes meandering throughout the lyrics. Chatting about having been in Maui a few weeks ago  ”actually here hanging out with (Rolling Stone guitarist) Ronnie Wood”.   He introduced the new song,  mentioning that there was “no guarantee it will be perfect” and “it’s like a piece of fruit that just fell off a tree” but that the tree “just happened to be on this island. Let me try this thing.”  A remembered phrase from the tune: “Can I forgive what I can’t forget and live a lie?”  Title undoubtedly forthcoming.

Ed also treated the Maui crowd to couple of covers, both relating to water.  The first little musical gift was “Drive All Night”, a Bruce Springsteen song from his 1980 release “The River”.  Imagine Ed singing the refrain: 

“I swear I’ll drive all night just to buy you some shoes
And to taste your tender charms
And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms”

The other watery-themed cover (also done the other night in Atlanta) was  ”Til The Rivers All Run Dry”, a tune penned by country artist Don Williams that was featured on the 1977 Pete Townsend/Ronnie Lane collaboration “Rough Mix” – the same album containing the song ”Heart To Hang Onto”.  You remember Ed joining Pete on the David Letterman show July 28, 1999 for a rendition of  “Heart” of course; he  also performed “Rivers” with Pete at  Townsend’s private solo benefit  show in New York that same July night.  Liam Finn joined Ed on the Maui treatment of the song, after the two dueted on “Society” and “Throw Your Arms Around Me”. 

No Michael Jackson tribute songs were performed, however after the “Hard Sun” finale,  Ed could be seen moonwalking prior to leaving the stage and bowing his head briefly in tribute to MJ. 

Our keen-eared pals at the show overheard a Hawaiian promoter saying that Pearl Jam would return to Hawaii for a show in December, after they play Australia and New Zealand - likely at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu once more.  Dang!

Much aloha!

We’d be nowhere without the gracious reporting of BAW, AKM & DW…thanks!!!

UPDATE:  Here’s a shot of the poster from MessagePit user Kini via Flickr:

and here’s a nice shot of the Jersey and wallet (with signed pick, yahoo!)

Tagged as: Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam