Since the author of the book commemorating Pearl Jam’s twenty years together is a booking agent for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, it really came as no surprise when Fallon tweeted that Pearl Jam would be appearing on the show September 8th and 9th. However, with no album to promote, no one knew what songs to expect, and on the 8th, rumors of a new song and a Pink Floyd cover were rampant.
In the wee hours of September 8th (technically the 9th) Jimmy Fallon treated us to a brand new Pearl Jam song, Olé! Shortly there after, the Ten Club offered up a download of the studio version. Later in the show, Eddie trotted back out for a duet with Jimmy on Balls in Your Mouth, a satirical warning about swimming in the Gulf of Mexico following last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Fans had barely stopped drooling when, on the September 9th show Jimmy Fallon’s house band, The Roots, took the stage to provide Mowtown-style backing vocals for the Lost Dogs rarity, All Night.
Just when we thought this rumored Pink Floyd cover was just a treat for Fallon’s live audience, Fallon announced a Pink Floyd tribute week that featured The Shins, Foo Fighters, MGMT, and ended on Friday with Pearl Jam’s first-ever full performance of Mother.
Clearly, Pearl Jam’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was their most exciting 3-song set of the year.