Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder Salutes Queen Elizabeth II With ‘Her Majesty’ Beatles Cover
While much of the music world paid their tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II via social media on Thursday (Sept. 8), Pearl Jam managed to work a musical tribute into their performance in Toronto. Eddie Vedder took the lead, singing a bit of the Beatles' "Her Majesty" for the crowd.
The song, credited to Lennon-McCartney, is the final cut on The Beatles' Abbey Road album and features Paul McCartney taking the lead vocals. Though Lennon got a songwriting credit, McCartney is actually the only musician appearing on the song. He would later perform the track for Queen Elizabeth II at the 2002 Party at the Palace celebration.
Acknowledging McCartney's tie to the song, Vedder told the crowd at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, “This is just a little one I’m gonna borrow from Paul McCartney for about 90 seconds." And much like McCartney, it was just Vedder and his acoustic guitar while the band caught a little breather.
The nod came early in the band's set, performed as the fourth track of the night, which then led into "All Those Yesterdays." This proved to be the first time Pearl Jam had covered "Her Majesty," with fans also getting something fresh with "All Those Yesterdays" making its tour debut right after. See fan shot footage below.
Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday (Sept. 8) at the age of 96. She was Britain's longest ruling monarch, spending 70 years of her life as the queen.
Pearl Jam are currently winding down the latest leg of their North American tour. Get tickets for the remaining stops here.