![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ev-06.18.2026-1.jpg\")
Ed Vedder live with Guitars Over Guns<\/p>\nEddie Vedder premiered Better Believe, a brand-new original song co-written with young musicians from Guitars Over Guns and created for the dedication of Chicago\u2019s Obama Presidential Center.<\/p>\n
Ed Vedder live with Guitars Over Guns<\/p>\n
The track made its live debut on June 18 during the official opening ceremony of the center founded by Barack Obama and was released simultaneously across all major streaming platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an honor to be here. What an honor for all of us to be here on this day,\u201d Vedder told the crowd before introducing the musicians sharing the stage with him. The Pearl Jam frontman went on to explain how the project came together through a partnership between himself, the Obama Foundation, and the young artists of Guitars Over Guns.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, President Obama was aware that I would be playing music with young musicians from the neighborhood. But when he heard we were writing an original piece, a song just for the occasion, he said, \u2018That might be a lot of work.\u2019 And, as usual, he was right. But it\u2019s been great work, and it\u2019s everything the center stands for. It\u2019s inclusivity, it\u2019s access to resources, it\u2019s mentorship, and opportunity. So, we thank you for this opportunity. The song is called Better Believe\u201d.<\/p>\n
The initiative was developed through a collaboration between the Obama Foundation and Guitars Over Guns, a nonprofit organization that uses music, the arts, and mentorship programs to create opportunities for young people. Students and alumni from Columbia College Chicago\u2019s Audio Arts program also took part in the project, which was recorded at the college\u2019s studios. The collaboration was coordinated by Andre \u201cAdd-2\u201d Daniels, Columbia College Chicago adjunct professor and Guitars Over Guns\u2019 Chicago regional director.<\/p>\n
The collective spirit behind the project is reflected in the song\u2019s credits. Alongside Vedder, Better Believe was co-written by Andre \u201cAdd-2\u201d Daniels, Joy Viltz, Giselle Castro, Naomi Owens, Michael \u201cMyskie\u201d Hightower, Mason Harris, Jeremiah Fristoe, and Iya Waters, all of whom played a direct role in shaping the song.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/eddie-vedder-better-believe-1.jpg\")
The studio recording also showcases the talents of the organization\u2019s young musicians. In addition to Vedder\u2019s lead vocals and guitar, the track features vocals from Joy Viltz, Giselle Castro, Naomi Owens, Michael \u201cMyskie\u201d Hightower, and Mason Harris, with backing vocals provided by Andre \u201cAdd-2\u201d Daniels, Jeremiah Fristoe, and Mark Anderson. Isabella Santillan plays guitar, Ayden Smith handles bass duties, Cassidy Lee is on drums, and Josh Klinghoffer contributes keyboards.<\/p>\n
Production was handled by Eddie Vedder and Andrew Watt, Vedder\u2019s trusted collaborator on both Earthling and Pearl Jam\u2019s Dark Matter, with additional production from Andre \u201cAdd-2\u201d Daniels.<\/p>\n
Perhaps most importantly, all royalties earned by Vedder and the song\u2019s co-writers will be donated to Guitars Over Guns, helping support the organization\u2019s youth arts and mentorship programs.<\/p>\n
Vedder\u2019s involvement in the Obama Presidential Center dedication didn\u2019t end with Better Believe. During the ceremony\u2019s star-studded finale, he returned to the stage alongside Stevie Wonder for a powerful performance of Higher Ground. Vedder and Bruce Springsteen joined Wonder on backing vocals, helping bring the celebration to a memorable close.<\/p>\n
More than just a commemorative song, Better Believe stands as the result of a genuine creative partnership between Eddie Vedder and a new generation of Chicago musicians, embodying the same values of inclusion, mentorship, and opportunity that lie at the heart of the Obama Presidential Center.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\t\tPost navigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eddie Vedder premiered Better Believe, a brand-new original song co-written with young musicians from Guitars Over Guns and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543299,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[264],"tags":[40512,4750,15387,18,117,19,17,337],"class_list":["post-543298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-activism","tag-barack-obama","tag-eddie-vedder","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116776218705991378","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/543299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=543298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=543298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}