Yet the most fitting people to pay tribute to Anthony is the band that, as she puts it, has come to define her career: Pearl Jam. She began working with its members in the late 1980s as the attorney for Mother Love Bone, the group that evolved into Pearl Jam, and later as their label executive at both Sony Music and currently at Universal.

Vedder took the stage and delivered one of his characteristically impressionist but vivid dedications. “I’m surprised no one has mentioned Michele’s monochromatic fashion sense,” he laughed of the eternally black-clad Anthony. “She’s the woman in black — you’d be more likely to find a picture of Johnny Cash in something floral.

“There’s a cool thing that happens, it’s almost like a parlor trick, when someone meets Michele,” he continued. “After she leaves, they say, ‘Who was that? She was amazing.’ I say, ‘Well, she’s actually one of if not the most powerful woman in the music business.’ And they’re always surprised — she has such great energy and she’s such a real person. And then I think, ‘Why do I have to say that? It’s not about her being a woman. It’s like Sleater-Kinney — they’re not he greatest all-girl band, they’re the greatest band. But until there’s equality I think it does have to be said. I can’t wait for the day when we don’t have to say it.”

Vedder then held up a ukulele. “So this here is a ukulele,” he said, “and this is an example of how supportive Michele is. I said ‘Michele, I have a record I wanna put out [2011’s ‘Ukelele Songs’]. It’s gonna be all ukulele songs.’ And she said [hesitantly], “Oh, great!” I pictured her hanging up the phone and saying ‘Motherf—er!’ So this song is a love song I wrote for my wife. I said, ‘Can I play it for Michele?’ and she said ‘For Michele Anthony? Absolutely!’ And the only other person she gave me permission to sing it to was Barack Obama.”

Vedder then performed “Without You,” and afterward was joined by Pearl Jam guitarist Gossard for “Daughter.”

He began with another dedication. “One of the reasons we still keep playing 25 or whatever years later is because of some of the sacrifices she’s made and her encouragement,” he said. “In those early times we were fortunate to have this steamroller of success. We did have an opportunity to do things in a way that we felt would be beneficial for us and for the listener and for even the industry, if they were able to break out of a certain mold or defined trench or concrete plan. But we couldn’t have done any of that, or even attempted any of it, without [her] support and intellect, and a captain to help us navigate a North Star to set our compass.

“I remember one day she came to where we were staying in this little hotel in Boulder, where was it? [he looked to Anthony in the crowd] — oh, it was a holiday inn in Amherst? [laughter]. And before soundcheck we had a great talk, it was very supportive and it kind of reset some things mentally and allowed me to get back on track and really think about the art and writing and singing. And then we wrote this one in the bathroom, and then we played it on the bus late that night. But if not for you, were might not have survived these times and those times. So uh, there’s just so much to say, we’ll just sing a song. Thank you, Michele — my sister, our sister.”

Anthony concluded the event with some heartfelt thanks.

And “one last thank you to my Pearl Jam family, to my dear Kelly [Curtis, longtime manager], my partner for 30 years. To Nicole [Vandenberg], who introduced us to Gloria and came into our world to strengthen our activism. To Stone, you set the example from the earliest days of Mother Love Bone with your work in music and activism, I love you and I’m so grateful that you’re here.

“And finally thank you to Pearl Jam. I wish that one day each of you in this room has the good fortune to have an artist enter your life who not only defines your career but also your humanity. ‘Music Visionary’ is a grandiose title — it really belongs to an artist and I’ve had the privilege to work with many great ones over the decades. But to me, Eddie Vedder is the artist who truly embodies it all. He has my heart. And I know Ed hates these kind of events and would rather stay in the background moving mountains. But as someone who’s had the honor of working with him and being his sister for over two-and-a-half decades, I can tell you he’s the kind of guys who shows up for people.

“He and Gloria taught me that work and activism are one,” she concluded. “Ed, for your work to help free the West Memphis 3, to your pro-choice and women’s rights fundraisers, your [Hurricane] Katrina and environmental activism, to protecting veterans’ rights — words can’t express how grateful I am that you are here today. I love you with all my heart.”

The McCreadster (Mike McCready) was on Fallon tonight and after the monologue the Roots with the McCreadster (Mike McCready) did the outro to Alive. Was fucking cool.

Somewhere on the eastern seaboard, stip rolls over in bed, clutching his eyes, almost as if a seizure was on its way. "McCready!" "Alive!" "Solo!" says his brain in quick succession. He doesn't know why, he doesn't know where, but he knows something is right in the world. He puts his Stickman sleep mask back on, tells his wife to go back to sleep ("it's nothing, honey") and falls into a deep slumber that won't be interrupted again until sun-up. Stip's wife, however, won't be going back to sleep on this night. Not content with her husband's hand wave of an explanation, she can't help but fixate on two neon words in her mind's eye: "RED MOSQUITO." Quietly, she slides out of bed to walk down the stairs to her beloved's office. She pushes away the REM memorabilia in front of the ergonomic Logitech mouse and gets to work. Shit: password protected. Of course. Her mind sprints, initially confused. Then the dawn of obviousness hits. Like a court reporter, she quickly types in "TheFixer17" and unlocks phase one. A quick breath and then a double-click on Firefox. Luckily the homepage is the dreaded Red Mosquito forum. Logged in, she sets about sleuthing for what her betrothed has been up to since they had their last "message board talk." What she finds is unsettling to say the least. An entire March Madness tournament followed by a tournament for something that looks like solos and outros? Then, the coup de grace. Stip has promised to conduct yet another March Madness style tournament for the songs of Chris Cornell. A sense of resignation slowly washes over her. Incapable of shock anymore, she instead takes solace in knowing what she now has to do. With graceful purpose, she walks to the foyer closet and crawls inside. By tapping the wall in the exact right spot it gives way and she reaches in to grab the handle of a pre-packed suitcase. Enough for a weekend away at her sister's to get her family started anew. Following a rehearsed evacuation strategy, she grabs the kids from their slumber and races them down to the Ford Flex, explaining all the while that Daddy's sickness has returned.

They question nothing.

The following morning, stip rolls over to the other side of the bed, but thinks nothing of the empty space. He rubs his eyes and puts on his glasses. The routine is certain by now. As he sits down in front of his computer, he notices a pink post-it on the screen with his wife's familiar handwriting scrawled across it in purple pen.

"I hope your next tournament is better than having a family."

Stip takes a breath with a sense of recognition, like the moment was pre-ordained. After three seconds, he opens Excel to double-check his trusty spreadsheet. "I knew it," he says to himself with no small amount of triumph. "Moonchild was on Euphoria Morning."

Vedder then held up a ukulele. “So this here is a ukulele,” he said

Pretty cool to see just Ed and Stone playing a song together.

That was the best Daughter has sounded in 20 years.

Pretty cool to see just Ed and Stone playing a song together.

That was the best Daughter has sounded in 20 years.

That was the best Daughter has sounded in 20 years.

Did sound really good.

Yeah, that was pretty fucking sweet. I'd like to see more Ed/Stone performances. Maybe with Mike providing some flourishes.