Day 3 of ACL: Pearl Jam Takes it Back Old School

Back when ACL first started, one of the really cool things about it was how different artists always hopped on each others' stages and performed (G Love and Jack Johnson, Steely Dan's Skunk with Robert Randolph). After his stunt Friday, frontman Eddie Vedder returned the favor and brought Ben Harper on stage for a song.

Apparently the two hung out into the wee hours of the morning, and both talked about the other in their respective shows. The crowd loved Ben Harper, but it was nothing compared to Perry Farrell's surprise visit to the stage. He was as energetic as Vedder, a larger-than-life presence in a wife beater and skinny jeans. The Jane's Addiction frontman produces Lollapalooza with C3. Bringing guests artists on the stage was a definite throwback to old times, and everyone ate it up.

Vedder, as energetic and lively as he is, looked exhausted, though he gave the show his all. He really connected with the crowd, talking between songs and spreading a lot of messages of love--"I'm gonna check in on you guys. And you check in on each other." His best move, however, was running into the sound alley between the two sides of the crowd and diving into the mud. His slip-n-slide covered him and mud and epitomized how much he was trying to connect to the crowd.

Harper pulled a similar move in his earlier show, where a mud pit broke out and happy revelers were wrestling and dancing in the mud. Security let it go on and then started to try and shut it down when Harper issued a shoutout to the mud people and said that they were an example of people totally into the music.

I heard Dead Weather--another super group, this one with Jack White--was a good performance, I didn't catch it. Girl Talk and Passion Pit both drew huge crowds and got lots of buzz, but I was staking spots out for Pearl Jam and Ben Harper, respectively.

In the end, the rain cleared, the mud stayed, and another ACL has come and gone. Let's hope the cross-band tradition continues.