Bradley Cooper recently joined Pearl Jam during the band’s headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley 2024 over the weekend.
On Saturday (May 25), Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder brought out Cooper to perform ‘Maybe It’s Time’, taken from the soundtrack of 2018 film A Star is Born. The Oscar-nominated film starred Cooper as tragic rock star character Jackson Maine alongside Lady Gaga‘s Ally.
The song – written by country singer-songwriter Jason Isbell for the film – had its acoustic arrangement retained by Vedder, who sat alongside Cooper for the performance.
Vedder introduced the song by talking about the film, which he praised as “very powerful” and “moving”: “Tonight is a very special occasion because [Jackson Maine] is coming back to life. Please, would you join me in welcoming to the stage: my great, great, great pal Bradley Cooper.”
Cooper returned to the stage at the end of the band’s set for their rendition of Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’, performing tambourine and backing vocals.
To the public’s knowledge, Cooper and Vedder have been friends since the making of the film – the actor had shadowed him for a few days in Vedder’s Seattle hometown to help with developing the character of Maine.
“[He] asked me a few questions and I told him things like, you know, ‘Make sure your guitar covers your balls at all times’,” Vedder said on The Howard Stern Show in 2020. “If the crowd throws anything, like an orange or tennis ball, you’ll be covered.”
Cooper also revealed that Vedder was initially against him taking on the role. “He thought it was crazy I was going to do this movie,” Cooper said. “He was like, ‘What? Bro, don’t do that.’
