Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder helped raise $1.7million at a fundraiser for US President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. The singer performed two Pearl Jam Songs, "Rise" and "Without You", along with covers of James Taylor's "Millworker" and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", at the $20,000 t...
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder helped raise $1.7million at a fundraiser for US President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
The singer performed two Pearl Jam Songs, “Rise” and “Without You”, along with covers of James Taylor’s “Millworker” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World”, at the $20,000 ticket event at the home of singer-songwriter Don Miggs in Tampa, Florida.
Vedder, who played the gig in a suit, then made a short speech – which you can watch below – slamming Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for his recent “47 per cent comments”, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Speaking to the 85 guests who paid the hefty ticket price, Vedder shared his own story of how a government program helped him, saying: “I’m an example of someone who never made it to university. I did have this dream to be a musician. I felt that this dream had an expiration date.”
The front man then went on to recall signing up to a government program, which led him to a job as a security guard in a petroleum company prior to Pearl Jam.
He said: “It was that job which allowed me to keep affording to guitars and microphones. For me, it all began with that ability to get the proper training for a decent job.”
Vedder then introduced President Obama, who thanked the singer for playing at the fundraiser and for sharing his story which “speaks volumes not only about you (Eddie) but about this country”.