At the grand opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Eddie Vedder performed the original song “Better Believe” that he had written with children in the Chicago advocacy group Guitars over Guns.
“What an honor for all of us to be here on this day,” Vedder said before introducing his collaborators, who sang, rapped, and ripped solos on their instruments. Were all of the kids perfectly on pitch? If they had been, the performance wouldn’t have been half as charming.
Watch it below, with the Vedder performance kicking off around 90 minutes into the livestream. The event has already given us a few memorable moments, including Stephen Colbert in a tan suit. Update: The song is now available on DSPs; royalties will benefit Guitars Over Guns.
Eddie Vedder recorded all his vocals for Pearl Jam's Ten in his San Diego apartment after the band mailed him a cassette demo. He basically invented grunge's most iconic voice in what was probably a one-bedroom with questionable acoustics. pic.twitter.com/yYeAjZARLE
— 🇺🇸Real News Hub🇺🇸 (@USAAlertNow) June 18, 2026
