Watch Eddie Vedder, Chris Martin’s Joint Global Citizen Set
The Chris Martin-curated Global Citizen Festival annually promises intra-lineup mingling to create unexpected collaborations, with the Coldplay singer providing this year’s big surprise as Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder joined him onstage for a brief set.
Together, the two singers opened things up with a piano-and-guitar cover of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” before delivering a stark, breathtaking piano take on Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy ballad “Nothingman.” Vedder and Martin’s joint set together wrapped with a cover of Patti Smith’s protest anthem “People Have the Power.” This year’s Global Citizen Festival, held at New York’s Central Park, also featured sets by Metallica, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Demi Lovato, Major Lazer, Usher, Ellie Goulding and more.
After performing with Vedder, Martin capped off the four-song set with a solo rendition of Prince’s “Raspberry Beret.” “We miss you Prince, we miss you David, we miss everyone we miss,” Martin told the crowd.
Vedder and Martin were also among the surprise collaborations at the 2015 Global Citizen fest, with Vedder performing Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” with Beyoncé and Ariana Grande joining Coldplay onstage.
Earlier on Saturday, Vedder also popped up during Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ set to perform “Father and Son” with the legendary singer/songwriter.
The free event aimed to “harness actions from millions of Global Citizens around the world to hold world leaders accountable to the progress made toward achieving the Global Goals set out by the United Nations last year,” the festival said in a statement. In 2015, Martin signed a 15-year deal to serve as the festival’s curator.
Among the festival’s successes this year, “After Global Citizens took 60,000 actions, the Netherlands committed $350 million over 3 years to reach 14.9 million people. This funding will enable them to deliver on the commitment they made to Global Citizens in 2015 to improve sanitation for 50 million people, and water for 30 million people by 2030,” organizers said in a statement.
“Global Citizens took 350,000 actions, achieving $40 million in new financial commitments from key donor countries.Canada committed $20 million and Denmark committed $11 million for Education Cannot Wait fund, supporting education for children in emergency and conflict areas. Australia committed $10 million to further girls education in the Asia-Pacific region.”