Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder performs emotional set at Barack Obama’s farewell address

Last night saw Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder perform an emotional set for President Barack Obama at his farewell address in Chicago.

While President-Elect Trump came to face allegations of paying women to urinate for various reasons, the current President gave his thanks to the nation. Playing before Obama took to the podium, Vedder – backed by the 24-piece Voice Of Chicago choir – performed Patti Smith’s ‘People Have the Power’, Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’, and Labi Siffre’s ‘Something Inside So Strong’ before singing his own ‘Rise’ from his Into the Wild soundtrack.

Vedder has been an outspoken supporter of Obama throughout the years. As well as performing at a fundraiser for his re-election in 2012 and once being visited by the POTUS while on holiday in Hawaii, the grunge icon said in 2009: “The night he was elected, I wanted to go out and dance in the street. The next day, Seattle had a rare day without rain, the sky was clear.”

See fan-shot footage from Vedder’s performance last night below:

"People have the power." Eddie Vedder and the Chicago Children's Choir begin the program at #ObamaFarewell. pic.twitter.com/EZ2Q4Bi9YK

— Emily McFarlan Miller (@emmillerwrites) January 11, 2017

Eddie Vedder w/ @voiceofChicago at @POTUS farewell address. #chicago #PJ @PEARLJAM pic.twitter.com/RFd0Mac5kG

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) January 11, 2017

Eddie Vedder kicks off #ObamaFarewell in Chicago https://t.co/i8QAwYRjhC

— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) January 11, 2017

One segment of Obama’s speech in particular has gone viral – that in which he thanks his family.

“Michelle – for the past twenty-five years, you’ve been not only my wife and mother of my children, but my best friend,” he said. “You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. You’ve made me proud. You’ve made the country proud.”

Obama continued: “Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two amazing young women, smart and beautiful, but more importantly, kind and thoughtful and full of passion. You wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily. Of all that I’ve done in my life, I’m most proud to be your dad.”

Read Obama’s full speech here, and see clips from his speech below.