Photo: Press
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder performed a special acoustic set in Chicago last night, as part of President Barack Obama's farewell. Check out footage of the performances below.
Vedder - who has been an Obama supporter throughout his presidency - took to the stage to perform acoustic cover versions of Neil Young's 'Rockin' in the Free World', Patti Smith's 'People Have the Power' and Labi Siffre's 'Something Inside So Strong'. The rockstar also performed his own track 'Rise', which features on the Into The Wild soundtrack.
The Voice Of Chicago choir backed Vedder's stripped-back and emotional performances. The 24-piece choir are just a small part of Chicago's Children's Choir, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. Being no strangers to the limelight and showbiz world, the group also lent vocals to Chance The Rapper's 'Colouring Book'.
Vedder performed previously for the President in 2012, in support of an Obama re-election fundraiser. Politics aside, Obama briefly visited Vedder's family while they were both on holiday in Hawaii and The White House described him as 'A friend of the Obama family".
Speaking in 2009 of Obama's Presidency win, Vedder said: "“The night he was elected, I wanted to go out and dance in the street. The next day, Seattle had a rare day without rain, the sky was clear.”
Addressing the nation for the final time, President Obama walked out to U2's 'City of Blinding Lights' before making his exit to Bruce Springsteen's 'Land of Hopes and Dreams'.
Eddie Vedder kicks off #ObamaFarewell in Chicago https://t.co/i8QAwYRjhC
— Weijia Jiang (@WeijiaJiangTV) January 11, 2017
"People have the power." Eddie Vedder and the Chicago Children's Choir begin the program at #ObamaFarewell. pic.twitter.com/EZ2Q4Bi9YK
— Emily Miller (@emmillerwrites) January 11, 2017
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