A MARTINEZ, HOST:
Good morning. I'm A Martinez. A Bay Area teen stepped in for Pearl Jam's drummer after he caught COVID.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EDDIE VEDDER: Everybody, this is Kai. Kai, this is everybody.
MARTINEZ: It had to be on Kai Neukerman's wish list to play with Pearl Jam. Frontman Eddie Vedder made him the man of the hour after seeing a clip from his band, The Alive. Kai left the Oakland Arena saying it felt surreal but also with a little bit of immortality. If it had been me, I swear I would have forgotten to just breathe. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
