Pearl Jam Celebrating 20th Anniversary at Bridge School Benefit

Pearl Jam will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a performance at Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit this October, guitarist Stone Gossard has revealed. Speaking to Billboard, the band's co-founding member -- who was plugging 'Best Friends?,' the fourth album by his side outfit, Brad -- also disclosed that the band is in the early stages of the follow-up to 'Backspacer' and may embark on a tour of South America.

"The only thing we've got going on in October is Bridge School, which is really special," Gossard says. "So that's our 20th anniversary, which is fitting. It's perfect: not too blown up. It's not about us, it's about all those kids that are on stage with you and about Neil Young and his commitment, his influence." Tentatively set for the Shoreline Amphitheater on the weekend of Oct. 23-24, Pearl Jam's appearance will be its eighth overall at the benefit since 1992.

The first-ever Pearl Jam gig occurred at Seattle's Off Ramp club on Oct. 22, 1990. At the time, the band was named Mookie Blaylock, in honor of the former basketball player.

As for a new album, Gossard announced that members of Pearl Jam will likely reconvene ahead of the Bridge School appearance to pool ideas and record. "The band is definitely going to get together probably [initially] without Ed [Vedder] and start to hammer out some more demos and get some stuff to the point where he can hear it," says Gossard, who will also be busy with Brad opening for Band of Horses.

Aside from the Shoreline show, certain Pearl Jam members like frontman Eddie Vedder and drummer Matt Cameron are otherwise occupied. Vedder will appear Saturday night at a West Memphis Three benefit at the Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark., alongside Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines. Meanwhile, Cameron is rumored to be hitting the road again with Soundgarden, although no dates have been announced.