When Kings of Leon pulled out of Eddie Vedder's Ohana Festival to say goodbye to their dying mother, the Pearl Jam frontman was nothing but empathetic and supportive. Although he was already planning to headline Saturday (September 25) solo and Sunday (September 26) with Pearl Jam, Vedder stepped up and put on a memorable show Friday night (September 24), in the slot that was meant for the Kings.
As Spin points out, Vedder put together an all-star backing band that included producer Andrew Watt, bassist Pino Palladino, Glen Hansard, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and ex-RHCP guitarist/current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer. Together, they created a set list of Vedder's solo material, Pearl Jam songs, and covers.
The supergroup dedicated "The Long Road" to KoL members Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill's mom, Betty Ann Murphy, who passed away that same day.
"I just wanna say that the earth lost a wonderful, beautiful, energetic, strong, incredible woman named Betty Ann today, and I had the privilege to get to know her and spend time," Vedder said before beginning the song. "You would know how magnificent she was just by the young men she raised, who turned out to the be the men who make the music in Kings of Leon. That's an illustration of what a great job she did. So we're missing them tonight and we're sending all our energy down to Nashville."
Vedder followed that up with a cover of KoL's "Molly's Chambers."
Watch "The Long Road" performance above.