Eddie Vedder built his career on standing out rather than fitting in, which is precisely how he came to front Pearl Jam. When the band's earlier incarnation, Mother Love Bone, lost singer Andrew Wood to a heroin overdose, the remaining members refused to trade on his memory and instead sought a genuinely different voice, rejecting a string of hopefuls who simply tried to imitate Wood's distinctive style.

Bassist Jeff Ament said reusing the Mother Love Bone name or hiring a Wood soundalike would have been "total prostitution", while guitarist Stone Gossard recalled being relieved when Vedder's audition tape sounded nothing like the imitators, prompting the band to move quickly. Although Vedder later released solo albums from 2007 onwards, he remained best known as Pearl Jam's frontman, only rarely performing under his own name. He singled out a run of shows in New Zealand backed by the band Betchadupa as a standout moment, calling it "one of the greatest musical experiences of my life".