Eddie Vedder

"Better Man" (live on 'Letterman')

BY Gregory AdamsPublished May 19, 2015

David Letterman's Late Night run winds down later this week, but ahead of retiring, he's been celebrating in style. Last night (May 18), he welcomed Eddie Vedder into New York's Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Pearl Jam vocalist treated the crowd to a unique rendition of Vitalogy classic, "Better Man."

While Vedder wasn't performing with the rest of Pearl Jam, this wasn't exactly a solo performance. He was backed by a gospel organ intro from Paul Shaffer on a heartwarming intro, while the rest of the CBS Orchestra jumped in a little bit later. There's some extended soloing, Vedder snaps a string on his sparkly black Telecaster, and then he shares a tender hug with Letterman.

The lyrics' conflicted love theme may not have lined up perfectly with the feel of the evening, but it's clear that Vedder thinks, as far as late night hosts go, there's no better man than Letterman. You can see him mouth as much down below.

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