Eddie Vedder Honoring David Letterman at Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize Gala
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will give good pal David Letterman a payback for inducing the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year at an even where Letterman is being honored.
Vedder has signed on to be part of a Kennedy Center gala to present Letterman with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on October 22 in Washington, D.C. The announcement was made on Pearl Jam’s web site, saying Vedder will be joining Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Jimmy Kimmel, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney and Jimmie Walker in honoring Letterman.
The ceremony will be filmed and broadcast November 20 on PBS. The event is also a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center’s year-round educational programming and artistic initiatives.
Pearl Jam, of course, is one of Letterman’s favorite bands and guests on his former late-night talk shows, and Vedder was one of the last performers on Letterman’s Late Show on CBS. Letterman stepped in to inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock Hall during April when original inductor Neil Young had to bail out due to health reasons, and Letterman’s speech was considered a highlight of the ceremony.
Tickets for the Mark Twain Prize gala go on sale August 9 to the general public.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
