Review: Eddie Vedder leads intimate, emotional concert in Seattle

You would think it’d be tough to distill the buzz of an arena rock show into a quieter (mostly) one-man performance inside a 2,500-capacity theater. But Vedder — and perhaps more importantly, the audience — was up to the task during the first of two packed benefit concerts on his home turf... There was no shortage of gratitude in the air as Vedder discussed EBRP’s work combating epidermolysis bullosa — a rare skin condition that causes intense blistering and can lead to fatal skin cancers among children with severe cases — and the connections made among the community of families, doctors and philanthropists coming together to try to find a cure. The night’s emotional centerpiece came midway through the set when Vedder introduced “my friend, my teacher, my hero,” Eli, a young boy with EB. “I figured all superheroes need a good theme song, so I wrote a little something for him,” Vedder said before a homey “Say Hi.” It was as heartwarming as a circle-time singalong as Eli, who was among the crowd with his family, received a standing ovation after the song. Glancing around the room, a kind-eyed Vedder continued shouting out a number of “EB kids” and families he’s clearly come to know intimately, including a Wisconsin boy, Charlie Knuth, who died this spring at 17. Vedder grew emotional talking about Charlie, whose sense of humor he jokingly likened to a mini Jeff Ross, Vedder’s comedian pal who was the surprise opener for Monday’s show only.

read more