Pearl Jam gave a nod to local-ish legends Cheap Trick by closing its show last night (Sept. 5) at Chicago’s United Center with a cover of the latter’s 1978 classic, “Surrender.” The Eddie Vedder-led group hadn’t performed the track since its Aug. 20 and 22, 2016, shows at nearby Wrigley Field, which followed a version that May at New York’s Madison Square Garden featuring Cheap Trick’s own Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson.
“We’re going to send you home with a Chicago song, and it ain’t Chicago,” frontman Eddie Vedder said beforehand. Last night’s show also sported the first performance of Pearl Jam deep cuts “Gods’ Dice” and “Comatose” since 2018, plus Vedder’s rare solo cover of the Hunters & Collectors’ “Throw Your Arms Around Me” to open the encore.
The band returns to the same venue tomorrow as part of a short fall tour, which wraps Sept. 18-19 in Austin, Tx. As for Cheap Trick, it has shows on tap through Oct. 22 in Reno, Nv.
