Almost every band has started their career by performing at small venues in their hometown before gaining recognition as worldwide rock stars. In Pearl Jam’s case, all band members already had a fanbase when they founded the band since it wasn’t their first project.
However, that doesn’t mean the band didn’t perform in relatively small venues before becoming one of the best-selling bands of all time. Their loyal fans have been following their concerts since those days, and in fact, there’s a fan that has witnessed everything first-hand.
Let’s dive into the one-of-a-kind story of how frontman Eddie Vedder met one of his fans in their early days and ended up seeing him once again after 22 years. Furthermore, the singer gave his word to that fan and kept it after all those years despite the initial misunderstanding.
Eddie Vedder Made A Promise In 1992
Pearl Jam performed at a 1,500-capacity club in Cincinnati called Bogart’s twenty-two years ago. As he revealed during an interview with Diffuser in 2014, a fan named Joe Wolfe spotted the band at the local movie theater following their performance at the venue.
The fan approached the band members but didn’t have the camera to capture the moment as there weren’t cellphones with cameras everywhere back then. However, Eddie Vedder promised Wolfe to take a picture the next time they encounter each other.
In his own words, Wolfe said:
“I ran into Vedder and the band when they all went to the theater to see ‘Wayne’s World.’ There weren’t camera phones back then, and he said he would do a picture with me the next time I saw him.”
Although it may sound crazy to you, they ended up seeing each other once again many years later. While Vedder almost backed down from his promise, their story ended happily.
Eddie Vedder Kept His Promise To Joe Wolfe
In 2014, Joe Wolfe ran into Eddie Vedder again in Cincinnati before their show at the U.S. Bank Arena 22 years after their first encounter. However, the singer refused to take a photo with his fan for some reason, which initially disappointed Wolfe.
Vedder revealed during the show that he initially didn’t want to take the photo because of a misunderstanding. The Pearl Jam frontman told the entire story to the gathered crowd and apologized for mistaking the fan with a guy that stole his joint at the club.
Wolfe was invited backstage by Vedder after the concert. The rocker and his fan took the photo, and Vedder even gave Wolfe an autograph and a guitar pick while thanking him for being a part of the show that night. Despite a minor confusion, Vedder kept his 22-year-old promise to Joe Wolfe after all.
You can watch the video below.
