Pearl Jam Welcomes Zach Irons For Live Debut Of White ‘Whale’ Deep Cut At Ohana Festival

Pearl Jam dug extremely deep into their repertoire on Friday during their first of two performances at frontman Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California. The band was joined by Zach Irons for the live debut of “The Whale Song,” an obscurity written by his dad and former PJ drummer Jack Irons.

Towards the start of the encore, Eddie Vedder spoke about the devotion of Pearl Jam fans and how some travel long distances to see the band. “They’re travelers, they’re family, they take care of each other,” he said. Vedder noted these folks “look to check off a song they’ve never heard before” and call some “the white whale” songs.

“It’s a song written by one of our great drummers named Jack Irons,” Eddie Vedder continued. “We asked Jack but he could not be here. But we didn’t just get the next best thing, we got something equally as good as his dad, it’s Mr. Zach Irons who’s gonna join us on this next song. He’s gonna play guitar, left-handed, and we’re gonna sing and we hope it connects and sends vibrations to our friends under the water.”

Pearl Jam and Zach Irons then lit into “The Whale Song” for the first time ever. Jack Irons was Pearl Jam’s drummer from late 1994 through 1998. He wrote “The Whale Song” for inclusion on the band’s 1998 album, Yield. While the song didn’t make the cut, PJ initially released the track on the 1999 compilation record Music For Our Mother Ocean Vol. 3 to benefit the Surfrider Foundation. “The Whale Song” also appeared on the 2003 Pearl Jam rarities collection Lost Dogs.

Watch Pearl Jam debut “The Whale Song” with Zach Irons via fan-shot video below:

Eddie Vedder kicked off the 2024 Ohana Festival with a solo ukulele version of “Can’t Keep.” The full band then took the stage to end Friday’s festivities with a 21-song performance.

Pearl Jam honored fellow Ohana performers Devo by tagging “Daughter” with “Beautiful World” and “Who Ever Said” with Devo’s version of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Vedder & Co. also brought out Liam Finn for “Habit” and offered the tour’s first cover of the Motown classic “Leaving Here.” Eddie Vedder went solo to start the encore with “Future Days,” which was last played at a Pearl Jam concert on May 1, 2016.

Check out more fan-shot video of Pearl Jam’s Friday night concert at Ohana: