Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder says Paul McCartney left him bloodied after punching him in the face
Eddie Vedder has fondly regaled the story of when Paul McCartney hit him in the face leaving him with pain and swelling.
The Pearl Jam singer and Beatles legend were wetting their whistles in a Seattle bar when Sir Paul began telling an anecdote about when he punched someone.
Re-enacting the incident, Sir Paul threw a punch and accidentally caught Eddie in the face leaving him “tasting a bit of blood.”
Speaking to US radio station SiriusXM, Eddie said: “(Paul) kind of was illustrating how he hit this guy and when he did that he kind of shot out his left arm as if he was hitting this guy and I was standing there, and I got hit. He hit me! He didn't quite pull back the punch you see...
“As I was listening I was thinking, Paul McCartney just hit me in the face and it hurt. I think I remember tasting a bit of blood, he got me right on the side of the face. And he apologized quickly so it wouldn't get in the way of the story.
“I remember it hurt for a few days and I remember when it went away and the pain subsided and the swelling went down, I kinda missed it.”
Eddie Vedder performed two shows at London’s Eventim Apollo last week with the first gig featuring a cover of The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and a version of George Harrison’s ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ in the 30-song setlist.
At the same show, Eddie also spoke about the death of his friend Chris Cornell for the first time saying he was “someone I looked up to like my older brother.”
Telling the audience he was struggling to coming to terms with Chris’s death, Eddie said he was “fortunate” to have so many memories of Chris.
“I didn't want to be sad (about Chris’s death), I wanted to be grateful not sad. I'm still thinking about those memories and I will live with those memories in my heart and I will... love him forever.”