Take me out to the ball game, buy me some peanuts and...the new Eddie Vedder single? Indeed, the Pearl Jam frontman's support of the Chicago Cubs remains strong. Vedder's brand new 7-inch vinyl single will be given out to those lucky fans who buy tickets to the Chicago Cubs-Cincinnati Reds game at Wrigley Field on July 6.
Pressed on blue and red vinyl, the record features Vedder's Cubs anthem "All the Way" that he wrote back in 2007. The flip side features fan Steve Goodman's 1984 tribute "Go Cubs, Go." One record will be given out with each ticket purchased.
For anyone who's been following Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder (the onetime San Diegan who allegedly "won" the Casbah from owner Tim Mays in the mid-'90s in a friendly billiards game bet) over the last few years, this limited-edition gift to ticket-buyers should come as no surprise. Vedder's a massive, lifelong (and vocal) Cubs fan who was routinely spotted at the team's historic World Series-winning run in 2016 (he even led their Game 5 home crowd in the seventh-inning stretch sing-along "Take Me Out to the Ball Game").
Last year, the band also released "Let's Play Two," a documentary (and love letter of sorts to Chicago) and concert film that chronicled the band's two sold-out performances at Wrigley Field on Aug. 20 and 22, 2016 -- along with behind-the-scenes footage of the band, the fans, and of course, the Cubs.
Seems Vedder's latest gift to the team's fans is just another step on Pearl Jam's path to the release of their forthcoming studio album. The Seattle group released "Can't Deny Me," their first single in five years, in March and confirmed that a new record was, indeed, on the way. The 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band also announced a smattering of international tour dates which finds them eventually making their way back to -- where else? -- Chicago to play Wrigley Field once again on Aug. 18 and 20.
Associated Press contributed to this article -- Ed.
