On Friday, the Eddie Vedder-curated Californian music festival Ohana kicked off. Seminal indie-rock band The Strokes capped off the night with a sterling headlining performance brimming with surprises.
Mid-way through The Strokes set, Eddie Vedder himself invaded the stage. The troupe performed a cover of Pearl Jam’s 1998 Chicago Cab track ‘Hard To Imagine’, as well as The Strokes’ 2006 First Impressions of Earth hit ‘Juicebox.’
During the performance, Vedder commandeered the microphone to address the crowd, “Julian [Casablancas] asked if I would join the fellas here. One of the reasons I accepted is because it would give me the opportunity to thank all the great artists here today, especially The Strokes,” Vedder shared.
Before launching into their performance of ‘Hard to Imagine’, Vedder —who donned a Moms Demand Action shirt —dedicated the track to gun control activists.
“They’ve asked to do a version of this song, and I’d love to dedicate it to all the people in Everytown, all the people in Moms Demand Action, all the people in Students Demand Action who are working so hard for common-sense gun laws that respect the right of ownership but also preserve our right to feel safe in our towns, in our communities, in our schools, in our malls, in our movie theaters, in our country.
“And as you’ve displayed here today and tonight, there’s so much power in a group of organized people, with good thoughts, hopes, dreams, and we will persevere.”
You can check out performances of both the songs below.
Watch: The Strokes and Eddie Vedder perform ‘Hard to Imagine’ at Ohana Fest
Watch: The Strokes and Eddie Vedder perform ‘Juicebox’ at Ohana Fest
