During a show at Wrigley Field in Chicago on August 29, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder changed a couple of lyrics while performing “Daughter.” The band added a bit of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)” in the middle of “Daughter,” and Vedder altered those lyrics to make an additional political statement within the protest song.
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Where the line usually goes “Teachers, leave them kids alone,” Vedder instead sang “Politicians leave our daughters alone / A woman’s right to chose is her own.” The addition of a pro-choice statement—a politically charged topic in the U.S.—is nothing new for Pearl Jam or Vedder, who have never shied away from expressing their views.
This year, the band released the song “Wreckage” from their new album Dark Matter. Vedder spoke about the politically charged song to the U.K.’s Sunday Times in April, saying, “There is a guy in the United States who is still saying he didn’t lose an election, and people are reverberating and amplifying that message as if it is true … So the song is saying, let’s not be driven apart by one person, especially not a person without any worthy causes.”
Pearl Jam Takes a Stand Within Setlist Choices As Opposed to Blatant Statements During Shows
“Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)” is already a protest song, railing against corporal punishment in schools. The inclusion of a snippet of this song within “Daughter” is pertinent, as that song also deals with corporal punishment in schools and at home, featuring a character who has a learning disability. Eddie Vedder simply took it a step further at the Chicago show, making pointed political choices within the setlist.
According to a review of the show in the Chicago Tribune, Pearl Jam addressed politics and injustice through songs like “U,” “Do the Evolution,” and “Immortality.” Those songs touched on themes of greed, obedience, irresponsibility, and privilege. Similarly, the band chose the songs “Why Go,” “Dark Matter,” “Wreckage,” and “State of Love and Trust” to rally against unjust internment, demagogues, intolerance, and inequity.
Pearl Jam ended the show with a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which is also a veiled protest song. According to the review, Pearl Jam used it as a call to action for fans. The band clearly knows where they stand when it comes to politics and topical issues, and they make that known through their setlist choices.
Featured Image by JOSE SENA GOULAO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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