Even though it was Bruce’s stage and he’d never played it before, “Better Man” was recognizable from its opening notes. Released on their Vitalogy album in 1994, the song was a smash hit for Pearl Jam despite never being issued as a single.
It topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for eight weeks and stopped one spot shy of the top of the Modern Rock Track chart. It reached #13 in the Top 40 Mainstream chart and went on to amass accolade after accolade over the years.
So when Eddie Vedder joined Bruce on stage in 2004 to perform it, “Better Man” already had a decade of fan-favorite status under its belt.
However, it’s actually a much older song than most of Bruce’s fans likely realize. Written about his mother’s relationship with his stepfather while Vedder was in high school, “Better Man” dates back to 1980(ish). It’s a searing indictment of an abusive relationship and a scream of frustration over the fear of leaving it. (Vedder often dedicated the song to “the bastard that married my momma” after the couple finally divorced.)
Eddie first recorded “Better Man” in 1988 with his pre-PJ band, Bad Radio.
He performed it live with Bad Radio, too, so by the time he recorded it with Pearl Jam years later, “Better Man” was both time- and road-tested.
When Bruce and Eddie performed it together in 2004, “Better Man” was a quarter-century old. The setting was the final show of the Vote for Change Show, just weeks before the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
At first blush, it might have seemed like pure fan service: two of rock’s greatest frontmen teaming up on one of Vedder’s signature songs. But a careful listen to the lyrics of “Better Man” reveals a deep (if unintentional) resonance to the evening’s theme. Embroiled in a costly, deadly war they didn’t want and suffering the erosion of their civil liberties, Americans had largely soured on the leadership of President Bush (his approval rating was 46% just prior to the election).
And yet, for many, the fear of changing leaders at such a volatile time was reason enough to stay the course. What if we can’t find a better man? Senator John Kerry positioned himself as one, but voters ultimately decided not to take the chance.
As a political cause, Vote For Change was a failed endeavor, but it produced some memorable moments along the way. Bruce and Eddie’s “Better Man” performance was chief among them.
Who would have thought the E Street Band was so perfectly suited for a song so strongly identified with the harder, edgier Pearl Jam? Yet they were, right down to Clarence’s smoking sax solo, one of his best post-Reunion on-stage moments. Bruce brought his A game, too, especially on a guitar solo of epic length and power we rarely saw from Bruce at that point of his career.
Bruce and Eddie would go on to perform together several more times over the years, but never again would they play one of Vedder’s own songs. Their one-time-only “Better Man” team-up remains one of the most exciting on-stage team-ups of Bruce’s career.
Better Man
First performed: October 13, 2004 (East Rutherford, NJ)
Last performed: October 13, 2004 (East Rutherford, NJ)
I don’t know, a few days earlier Bruce did “Man on the Moon” with REM, and it *smoked*…