Pearl Jam Invite Fan Onstage to Play “Yellow Ledbetter”

Eddie Vedder helped make a Pearl Jam fan’s dreams come true by inviting him onstage to perform “Yellow Ledbetter.”

The moment happened at Pearl Jam’s recent two-night residency in Barcelona, Spain. The fan — a Chilean named Carlos — flew over 7,000 miles to attend the shows, and arrived prepared with an offering of Chilean wine and a hand-made sign reading, “Pls let me play Y.Ledbetter on guitar. P.S. hope u liked the Chilean wine.”

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According to the story relayed by the fan on Instagram, Vedder noticed the sign on the first night, and even took it from the fan’s hands at a certain point. Later, a security guard found the fan and returned the sign with a new, hand-written note from Vedder on it, reading “Keep playing.”

At the next show (two nights later), the fan returned with the sign, and this time Vedder not only recognized him, but explained that he had a dream about him and his sign. As the show approached its conclusion, and the band prepared to play their final number, “Yellow Ledbetter,” Vedder locked eyes with the fan and asked “You really know how to play guitar?”

The fan said yes, hopped on stage, and Vedder had a tech hand him a guitar — from there, the band launched into an impassioned version of their 1992 classic, with Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament giving the fan warm looks of approval as he tastefully delivered the iconic riff. Between the heartwarming magic of seeing dreams come true, the excitement and appreciation on everyone’s faces, and the sheer bliss of the music (because, yes, Carlos really did know how to play guitar), the moment is truly special. Watch clips below.

Pearl Jam will soon return stateside for a run of US shows in support of their new album, Dark Matter. Check out the full list of their upcoming dates, and grab tickets here.