PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 10: Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs live on stage at Moda Center on May 10, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)

On the second night of their two-night stint at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Wednesday (May 22), Pearl Jam delivered a powerful, no-frills rock show packed with hits.

More than 30 years after their breakthrough with the diamond-selling, grunge-era classic “Ten,” Eddie Vedder’s voice remains a vital instrument—imitated but never duplicated—while the rest of the band, including guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, and drummer Matt Cameron, showcased the tight, well-oiled chemistry of a lineup that has remained consistent since Cameron joined in 1998.

The roughly two-and-a-half-hour set was imbued with a melancholy undercurrent. Vedder paid homage to several iconic rock drummers who have passed away in recent years, including Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, The Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts, and Rush’s Neil Peart, before performing “Dark Matter’s” title track.

Later, Vedder honoured Tom Petty, revealing that the red guitar he was playing had been a gift from the late rock star. “The day before we left to start the tour, I went into a back room of mine, and I had space to take one more guitar on the road. This guitar was screaming out, ‘Pick me, pick me,’” said Vedder before launching into a cover of Petty’s 1989 hit single “I Won’t Back Down.”