A surprise at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, sparks memories: Eddie Vedder celebrates the moment by changing the lyrics to a song on stage.
It was one of those full-circle moments that gives you chills.
Backstage at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 2025, Jeff Ament was reunited with an old friend. Not a bandmate, but something just as special: the bass he rented and played during the recording of the iconic Vs. album back in 1993.
After over 30 years of searching, thinking, and blurry memories, fate stepped in. A guy named Chris had the bass waiting for Jeff in his dressing room — an absolutely surreal and emotional moment that quickly turned into music.
During the show, Eddie Vedder paid tribute to the moment in his own way: in the middle of Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town, he jokingly changed the famous line to “I seem to recognize your face… that bass!”.
The crowd went wild, and Jeff’s smile lit up the room.
In the photo below, that smile says it all: it’s not just about finding the bass, it’s about reconnecting with a piece of his musical history. Instruments like this aren’t just things — they’re travel buddies, keepers of sound, ideas, and unforgettable moments.
An epic moment for the fans, a piece of history rediscovered, and a love letter to timeless music.
Welcome back, old bass. Jeff’s been waiting for you.
THE LOST (AND FOUND) BASS OF JEFF AMENT
The day after this article dropped, Jeff Ament took to Instagram to share a story that sounds like it could’ve come straight out of a movie — or maybe a Pearl Jam song. On his feed, he recounted the wild, winding journey of his 1961 Fender Jazz Bass, the same one he used to record Rats, Animal, and W.M.A. during the Vs. sessions back in ’93.
At the time, producer Brendan O’Brien asked Jeff if he had a Jazz Bass. He didn’t — so Brendan hit up Norman’s Rare Guitars and they rented him a beautiful black ’61 stack knob model. The price to buy it was $4,000, which was way out of reach at the time (since the Ten royalties were still tied up in the Sony pipeline). So Jeff rented it for $200 a week.
Three months later, they realized the bass had accidentally gotten stored with their gear after the Seattle sessions — and by then, they’d racked up $2,500 in rental fees. Not long after that, Norm sold the bass to Hard Rock Café, and it ended up in the New York location, hanging on a wall for more than 25 years.
Jeff never forgot it. Around 2000, he visited the Hard Rock in NYC, saw it on display, and thought, “Damn… that’s the one that got away.”
Fast forward to a recent hang at the new Seminole skatepark in Florida. Jeff was there with Chris Osceola from the Seminole Tribe and casually brought up the story of that lost bass. The very next day, Osceola showed up with it — and handed it over as a gift, just before the first show of the Dark Matter Tour.
“It might be the happiest I’ve ever been about a material thing (and kind of a spiritual thing too),” Jeff wrote. “The bass I played on Rats, Animal, and W.M.A. was back in my hands, saved from a freakin’ display case.”
A full-circle moment, just in time to kick off a new chapter – with that deep, punchy tone right back where it belongs.
Michael’s first offical photo pass was given to him by Team Chris Cornell in 2011. Shortly after that (in honor of his dad who had recently passed away) Michael launched WATERMRK Studios (2012), his freelance design & photography company based in Monmouth County, NJ. Since his first offical gig in 2011 Michael has had the pleasure of working with Blind Melon, Chris Cornell, Pearl Jam, G. Love, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Ohana Music Festival and the Sea Hear Now Festival, and many more.
Michael’s photographs have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Variety, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Daily News, Time Out NY, The Asbury Park Press, Artists Websites, Artists Newsletters & National Marketing Campaigns.