Vedder to perform at movie premiere in Toronto

By Jonathan Cohen

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will perform at the world premiere of the documentary "Body of War" at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11.

"Body of War," directed by talk show legend Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, chronicles the travails of Tomas Young, who was paralyzed by a bullet during his first week of military service in Iraq. Vedder contributed two original songs to the film, "No More" and "Long Nights," after meeting Young.

"No More" has been played live at a number of Pearl Jam shows, including the band's sole U.S. show this year, when it headlined the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago on August 5.

After the September 11 premiere, "Body of War" will screen over the next four days in separate sessions for the media and general public. Another film with original Vedder songs, the Sean Penn-directed "Into the Wild," is also screening at Toronto but it was not known if Vedder would be involved with any related events.

In other Pearl Jam news, Seattle band Brad, which features Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, is expected to play a few local shows in October, according to frontman Shawn Smith's blog.

Reuters/Billboard