Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, performing together in 2014.
The news that Eddie Vedder is releasing an acoustic version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Growin’ Up” on his new EP, Matter of Time, brings to mind the fact that the two have quite a bit of history together, having first performed together in 2002. Vedder was also one of the guests on Springsteen’s recent “Letter to You With Bruce Springsteen” series that was heard on Apple Music and SiriusXM satellite the week that Letter to You was released.
Here are 20 videos chronicling their history together — mostly, the times that Vedder has sung with Springsteen, or covered a Springsteen song — in reverse chronological order. In other words, the videos start with the new “Growin’ Up” video, and end all the way back in the ’80s.
(Note: This is not intended as a complete list of relevant performances; when there were multiple performances of the same song, I usually picked just one. For instance, I didn’t include the 2002 “My Hometown” because no video was available, but did include a 2012 “My Hometown, instead.)
Here are the videos:
“Growin’ Up.” From Vedder’s just-released Matter of Time EP, also featuring the two songs of his “Matter of Time” single and three acoustic Pearl Jam covers. This version of “Growin’ Up” also was included on Steven Van Zandt’s recent “Stand With Teachers” virtual fundraiser for his TeachRock program.
Vedder talks about Springsteen on “The Howard Stern Show” on Nov. 2 of this year.
Springsteen interviews Vedder and Dave Grohl on his “Letter to You With Bruce Springsteen” internet and satellite radio series, which first aired on Oct. 20.
Vedder covers “Bobby Jean” at a benefit concert at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 28, 2017.
Springsteen and Vedder sing “Bobby Jean” together at an E Street Band concert at the KeyArena in Seattle on March 24, 2016.
Vedder and Pearl Jam perform “Open All Night” at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 9, 2014.
Vedder guests with Springsteen and the E Street Band on a cover of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall, Australia, on Feb. 26, 2014.
Springsteen and Vedder duet on “My Hometown” at an E Street Band show at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2012.
Springsteen and Vedder duet on “Darkness on the Edge of Town” at the same Wrigley Field show.
Vedder joins the band for the “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out” encore at the same Wrigley Field show.
Vedder joins the band for the “American Land” encore at the same Wrigley Field show.
Springsteen and Vedder duet on “Atlantic City” at the first of two Wrigley Field shows, on Sept. 7, 2012.
A bit of “Twist and Shout,” featuring Vedder, from the Sept. 7 Wrigley Field show.
Vedder and Glen Hansard sing “Drive All Night” together at the MEO Sudoeste Festival in Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal, on Aug. 3, 2012.
Vedder sings “Open All Night” at the Voices for Justice concert at the Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock, Ark., on Aug. 28, 2010.
Vedder talks about Springsteen at the same August 2010 concert.
Vedder performs “My City of Ruins” at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony honoring Springsteen and others at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, 2009.
Vedder and Springsteen perform Pearl Jam’s “Better Man” together at a Vote for Change concert in support of presidential candidate John Kerry at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford on Oct. 13, 2004.
NOTE: This video cannot be embedded but can be seen here.
“No Surrender,” from the same show.
A cover of the Nick Lowe-written, Elvis Costello-popularized “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” from the same show featured Springsteen and the E Street Band with Vedder, John Fogerty and Jackson Browne.
Springsteen, Vedder and members of the E Street Band were among those performing Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power” as the grand finale of the Vote for Change concert at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11, 2004.
In the late ’80s, before he was in Pearl Jam, Vedder was in a San Diego-based band called Bad Radio that recorded this cover of “One Step Up.”
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