Rockin’ against Republicans
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has always made it clear that he’s not a fan of Republicans. When the Seattle band’s debut CD – “Ten” – burst onto the scene in 1991, one lyric summed up Vedder’s views best: “Never vote Republican.” Since that time, Vedder has campaigned for Ralph Nader, performed on 2004’s pro-John Kerry “Vote for Change” tour, and received a lot of flak after a 2003 report in the Rocky Mountain News that Vedder impaled a mask of President George W. Bush on a microphone stand during a concert.
So, for the 2000+ audience members huddled into the Warner Theatre Saturday night to see Vedder’s solo show, it was assumed that politics would come up in this political town. A Yeas & Nays spy was in the crowd and gave us the low down.
Conceding his close proximity to the White House, Vedder told the crowd, “I hope they can hear us tonight. … This is the first time I have performed this close to the White House.”
And that Bush mask that got Vedder in some hot water back in 2003? Well, it made another appearance on stage, courtesy of a fan who tossed it Vedder’s way. Vedder spoke his political views to the mask in between songs and he – gently – put it on yet another microphone stand in order to make it look as if Bush was standing right behind him.
“He’s looking over my shoulder,” joked Vedder. “He’s making me very nervous.” So it was, then, that Vedder couldn’t resist another Bush bash, knocking the mic stand and Bush mask to the ground, much to the crowds’ delight.
But Vedder claimed he wasn’t just talking the talk; he could walk the walk, too, arguing that he’s visited 25 countries in his lifetime and has always been welcomed warmly. (Not sure that’s a fair comparison, Mr. Rock Star.) “25 is 24 more than Bush has visited before he became president.”
“When people try to make this race about experience, let’s all just remember that,” said Vedder.
Speaking of the current presidential race, Vedder – who’s backing Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy — covered the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” and prefaced it by saying: “Looking back at the Civil Rights Movement and the firehoses, to have a man of color in a position to become the next president says two things to me: First, it means that we have made great strides as a country and that we have leveled the playing fields in our minds and hearts and, even more importantly, it means everything that now race means nothing.”
