Aug 012025
 

‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

Pearl Jam Covers

Earlier this month, Matt Cameron announced he was leaving Pearl Jam. He wasn’t their first drummer—or their second, or third, or fourth—but he’d been there longer than all the rest combined. So it felt like the end of an era. Or, at least, an opportunity for us to celebrate their catalog through covers.

As big as Pearl Jam was, and is, they don’t get covered as much as you might expect. No doubt they’re sick of constant comparisons to Nirvana, but, in this respect, Kurt and co. get ten covers for every one of Pearl Jam. But that means the artists who do bother to cover Pearl Jam really care. Find 30 such artists below.

Photo by Danny Clinch

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Feb 112011
 

Live Collection brings together every live cover we can find from an artist. And we find a lot.


Hailing from Chicago, IL, the Smashing Pumpkins helped blaze a trail for the wave of apathy that infected most ’90s alternative rock. They also gave hip kids from the Midwest the first nationally-recognizable band they could take pride in since Cheap Trick. Formed in 1988, the Pumpkins enjoyed over a decade of fame and influence until noted in-fighting brought about their dissolution at the turn of the millennium. After numerous side-projects and member-shuffling, the Pumpkins have once again taken to the stage under the leadership of Billy Corgan, perhaps one of rock music’s true auteurs.

The Pumpkins have celebrated their diverse influences via cover songs throughout their career. A quick scan of their recorded catalog reveals studio takes of tracks originally by acts like the Cars, Van Halen, Alice Cooper, the Cure and Missing Persons. Their live shows are similarly peppered with covers that one might not expect to hear from these iconic slackers. Some of these do seem like a natural fit though: it’s not too hard to draw a line to the Pumpkins from Neil Young, Depeche Mode or Pink Floyd, for instance. Continue reading »