Pearl JamfrontmanEddie Vedderwas filmed soaking up the moment as ‘Alive’ rang out during the hydration break at the World Cup.
The incident took place during the 2026 FIFA World Cup last-16 match at Seattle Stadium yesterday (July 6), where theUSAwere beaten 4-1 by Belgium.
During the second-half hydration break, the stadium PA blasted out Pearl Jam’s 1991 classic ‘Alive’, with cameras cutting to hometown legend Vedder in the stands as the crowd joined in with the song.
In the clip, Vedder can be seen raising a drink, conducting thecrowdand then downing a can of Stella Artois, letting it pour down his shirt as those around him laughed and cheered.
‘Alive’ was Pearl Jam’s debut single, later appearing on their landmark 1991 debut album ‘Ten’. Written byVedder andStone Gossard, it has since become one of the band’s defining songs and a staple of their live shows.
Watch the moment here:
The game itself ended in disappointment for the co-hosts, with Belgium running out 4-1 winners to knock the USA out of the tournament. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice for Belgium, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also found the net. Malik Tillman scored the USA’s only goal.
The match had also been overshadowed by a controversy around USA striker Folarin Balogun, who had initially been due to serve a one-match ban after being sent off in thepreviousround against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Donald Trump later called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for the red-card ban to be reviewed, with FIFA subsequently suspending the ban and allowing Balogun to play against Belgium. The decision drew criticism from across the football community, although FIFA maintained that its judicial bodies had operated independently.
Belgium will now face Spain in the World Cupquarter-finalsat SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday (July 10), with the winners of that match set to face either France or Morocco in the semi-finals.
As for Vedder,he recently shared the inspirational new single ‘Better Believe’, made alongside Chicago-based non-profit Guitars Over Guns, which uses music to support young people by pairing students with professional musicians and artists.
Vedder wrote the song with a number of audio arts students from Columbia College Chicago, with royalties going to Guitars Over Guns. The track also received its live debut at the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago last month, where Vedder appeared alongside the students.
Earlier this year,it alsoemergedthat Vedder could be working on music with Yungblud, afterthe two met at a corporate Christmas party last year. “Eddie’s such an inspiration to me, especially vocally,” Yungblud said afterwards. “I think we might write together in the future.”
Pearl Jam’s latest album ‘Dark Matter’ arrived in spring 2024,withNMEgiving it a four-star reviewand praising it as “some of their strongest work in recent memory”.