Eddie Vedder Hosts ‘Venture Into Cures,’ Virtual Event Supporting EB Research

Tonight at 8 p.m. EST, Jill and Eddie Vedder will host Venture Into Cures, a virtual event to raise awareness of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), and also raise funds through the stories of individuals and families living with the disorder and a series of celebrity performances and special appearances.

The event will include the debut of two new songs by Vedder.

EB describes a family of rare skin disorders in which mutations in genes involved in skin layer formation cause the skin to become fragile and easily blister. This has led to the term “butterfly children,” sometimes used to describe those whose skin appears as fragile as a butterfly’s wings.

“Butterfly wings are fragile, but they also help them fly,” said Eli Meyer, an 8-year-old with junctional EB, whose story is featured on the Venture Into Cures website.

Meyer’s story inspired “Say Hi,” one of Vedder’s new songs the artist will debut at the virtual event, according to a press release.

Vedder also will perform “Matter of Time,” another new song, and will present a new music video made with New York Times bestselling author and award-winning illustrator Jeff Lemire.

Both new songs will be made available on all streaming platforms immediately after the one-hour event. “Matter of Time” also will be released as a limited edition vinyl.

Other performances will include Andra Day‘s rendition of Eddie Vedder’s “Longing to Belong,” Adam Levine of Maroon 5 covering Pearl Jam’s “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” as well as performances by Jon Batiste, Alessia Cara, Glen Hansard, Adam Levine, Keb’ Mo’, and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real with Micah and Willie Nelson.

Celebrity appearances will include Bradley Cooper, Laura Dern, Billie Eilish and David Letterman, as well as Judd Apatow, Chris Hemsworth, Jimmy Kimmel, Gaten Matarazzo, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, Adam Sandler, and Renée Zellweger.

All proceeds will go to EB Research Partnership, a nonprofit co-founded by the Vedders and of which Jill Vedder is vice-chair. The EB Research Partnership funds several projects and has raised nearly $25 million to fund innovative clinical research to find treatments and cures for EB.

“When you see the intense pain that these kids go through, the baths and the bandages,” Vedder said, “it’s about as hard a thing to watch as anything I’ve ever witnessed in my life.”

“This is a big mountain that they have to climb every day and it’s hard not to want to dedicate a large portion of your life to doing whatever you can to help,” he added.

In Meyer’s story, he and his sister describe the difficult emotions felt when people see Meyer’s blisters and stare. Rather than stare, Meyer says that when people see someone who looks different, they should come over and say hi.

“A simple, small word like that, you know,” says Vedder, “two letters — it can smash down barriers.”

Venture Into Cures will stream live and globally on its own website; the Pearl Jam website; the following Facebook pages: Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, EB Research Partnership, and Nugs.net; and these YouTube channels: Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, EB Research Partnership, Nugs.net, and The Ohana Fest.

A limited edition event poster designed by Munk One will be available for purchase, and all funds will benefit the EB Research Partnership.