Eddie Vedder opened up about his experience with Covid during his February 25 show at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.
Vedder addressed the crowd following being joined on stage by his daughter, Olivia. She performed her song “My Father’s Daughter,” which was written by her Dad and Glen Hansard for the Sean Penn-directed film Flag Day.
Captured in the fan-shot video below, Vedder says following Olivia’s performance around the 3:30 mark, “I just wanted her to take a quick second to look at this, because it’s very rare. It’s incredible. I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing, about five or six weeks ago, and literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes. I wasn’t quite sure [what would happen], because I’ve done some very good things for my body and I’ve also had a lot of fun. I’ve done some things that… would be termed ‘some abuse,’ but nothing really clinical or…yeah. I won’t get into the details; just use your imagination!”
He continued, “But it felt pretty serious. And to get through that and then be back in a room like this, facing this many people facing this way, listening to us… really, truly, it’s been a gift and an honor. Thanks for listening. We’re so grateful.”
Vedder wrapped his tour last night (February 27) in support of his new solo album Earthling, which was released earlier this month.