Pearl Jam Covers Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” at Minnesota Concert

During a recent show at Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center, Pearl Jam played a cover of “Brain Damage” by Pink Floyd. The show, which took place on September 2, was one of the first concerts of Pearl Jam’s 2023 tour.

During the cover, which is a rare occurrence, Pearl Jam’s singer Eddie Vedder belted out the lyrics of the song with raw emotion. “I’m losing my mind,” Vedder told the audience prior to performing the classic song. This is the first time that Pearl Jam has played “Brain Damage” since 2010.

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During Pearl Jam‘s September show at Xcel Energy Center, the band played their songs “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” and  “Severed Hand,” as well as “Got Some” and “Pendulum.” During their encore, Pearl Jam performed two more covers which consisted of  “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, “Last Kiss” by Wayne Cochran, and “Purple Rain” by Prince.

Earlier this year, Pearl Jam released a statement that the 2023 tour would be “fairly priced.” “Pearl Jam has decided to make tickets non-transferable where permitted, and by selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium at the market rate to offset increased costs,” read a statement on behalf of the band. “Tickets on this tour will continue to be non-transferable in all states except Illinois where it is prohibited by law.

“We apologize in advance to Illinois fans who may be subject to increased ticket prices on the secondary market,” the band added. “Pearl Jam will use all-in pricing across this tour for the first time. This means the ticket price you see listed is the full out-of-pocket price inclusive of fees so there are no surprises at check out.”

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“Brain Damage” was originally featured on The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, which was released on March 1, 1973. Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has announced that he is releasing The Dark Side of the Moon Redux on October 6. Waters recently made a statement regarding the beloved album’s rerelease.

“The original Dark Side of the Moon feels in some ways like the lament of an elder being on the human condition. But [bandmates] Dave, Rick, Nick and I were so young when we made it, and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn’t stuck,” Waters said. “That’s why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80-year-old could bring to a reimagined version.”

“When I first mentioned the idea of re-recording The Dark Side of the Moon to [producer Gus Seyffert] and [creative director Sean Evans] we all thought I was mad, but the more we considered it, the more we thought ‘isn’t that the whole point?’” Waters added. “I’m immensely proud of what we have created, a work that can sit proudly alongside the original, hand-in-hand across a half-century of time.”

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage