Toward the end of Pearl Jam's huge 20th-anniversary celebration on September 4th, Eddie Vedder returned to the stage alone with an acoustic guitar and began playing a sweet little tune he'd written just hours before. "Couldn’t have told me back then that it would someday be allowed to be so in love with life, as deeply as we are now," he sang, his voice full of genuine gratitude. "Never thought we would, never thought we could/So glad we made it/I’m so glad we made it/I’m so glad we made it to when it all got good."

Those words summed up the feel-good vibe at PJ20, a two-day lovefest that celebrated everything Pearl Jam has accomplished over the past two decades. Tens of thousands of devotees descended on East Troy, Wisconsin's famed Alpine Valley Music Theatre to spend their Labor Day weekend with the band. They came from all over the world, waving the flags of Japan, Mexico, Peru, Italy and other far-flung nations over their heads in the enormous outdoor amphitheater. They queued up all day to get a chance to see band artifacts housed in an on-site Pearl Jam museum, and they cheered their lungs out when their heroes took the stage.

Pearl Jam rewarded the faithful with two days and nights of top-notch guitar rock. The lineups for Saturday and Sunday were the same: Hand-picked openers including Glen Hansard, Joseph Arthur, Liam Finn, John Doe and thenewno2 played on two small side stages in the afternoon, followed by hard-charging performances from Mudhoney, Queens of the Stone Age and The Strokes on the main stage – all leading up to a killer three-hour Pearl Jam set each evening.

Each night also featured a previously unannounced Temple of the Dog mini-set in the middle of Pearl Jam's show. Twitter rumors beforehand had indicated that Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell might join the band to reunite their beloved pre-Pearl Jam project – and Cornell got possibly the loudest crowd reactions of the weekend each time he swaggered on stage and ripped through dusty 1991 classics like "Hunger Strike," "Say Hello 2 Heaven," "Call Me a Dog" and "Reach Down." But Pearl Jam gave the audience two very distinct experiences each night, completely switching up the set lists in their usual fashion.

After a long day of rain on Saturday, Pearl Jam opened their set with "Release," as super-pumped fans sang along to each and every word. After that they spent most of the night digging into rarely played deep cuts like 1998's "Push Me, Pull Me" and 2000's "In the Moonlight." Anyone who came to Alpine Valley on Saturday hoping to hear the big hits probably picked the wrong night. But the set list was surely a treat for the true believers who know every B-side and outtake by heart – and that description seemed to apply to most of the people in attendance. That said, the crowd absolutely lost it when they heard the opening lick of 1994 smash "Better Man," calling out the entire first verse and chorus while Vedder looked out in wide-eyed wonder over the teeming lawn. "[People said] this ain't gonna happen," he said of the band's 20-year milestone a bit later. "That it's a dream, against the odds. I'm glad we didn't listen. "

Special guests abounded on Saturday – the Strokes' Julian Casablancas wailing on "Not for You," Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme livening up "In the Moonlight," thenewno2's Dhani Harrison rocking out on "State of Love and Trust" and more. The biggest cameo of all, of course, came from Cornell. After Temple of the Dog's Saturday set, whose highlights included a cover of Mother Love Bone's "Stardog Champion" and a monumental Vedder-Cornell duet on "Hunger Strike" (watch video below), Pearl Jam returned for a cover-filled encore including the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" and a rowdy spin through the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" with help from members of Mudhoney. "Let's do this again tomorrow!" Vedder said to close out the night.

Pearl Jam's members seemed to be everywhere on Sunday afternoon, when sunnier weather meant big audiences for the sidestage openers. PJ bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron and guitarist Mike McCready all came out to back Joseph Arthur on tunes including a strong new Ament-penned rocker called "When the Fire Burns" and Arthur's signature "In the Sun." A grinning Vedder popped up to play drums with Liam Finn, dashed off stage, then reappeared later to duet with Glen Hansard on "Falling Slowly," drawing packed crowds.

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First off - Happy 20th Anniversary to Pearl Jam - 1990, Pearl Jam played their first ever concert when they appeared at the Off Ramp in Seattle. It's been a great ride. Here's to another 20 years!

Pearl Jam is marking the occasion by launching a Sirius XM radio station at 6 p.m. (ET) with a broadcast of the band’s 10th anniversary concert on October 22, 2000. Selections from Pearl Jam’s first concert at Seattle’s Off Ramp Café will also be aired.

Regular offerings on Pearl Jam Radio will include rare and previously unheard songs from the band’s vaults, live performances, and tracks by band member’s side projects and pre-Pearl Jam groups. The station also will host a fan roundtable show called “An Encompassing Trip,” hosted by fan club manager Tim Bierman.

Also in celebration of their 20th anniversary, this weekend Pearl Jam will be performing at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit.

Pearl Jam fans, save the date: guitarist Stone Gossard says the closest thing to a 20th birthday gig for the band will be a slot on the bill of Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit in northern California on October 23 and 24.

"The only thing we've got going on in October is Bridge School, which is really special," Gossard told Billboard while in New York to support the new album by his side-band, Brad. "So that's our 20th anniversary, which is fitting. It's perfect: not too blown up. It's not about us, it about all those kids that are on stage with you and about Neil Young and his commitment, his influence."

It will be Pearl Jam's eighth Bridge appearance. The group first played the benefit, which supports Young's school for children with severe physical disabilities, back in 1992.

Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Jack Johnson and many more artists featured in past years’ Bonnaroo festivals are donating their music to a Best of Bonnaroo compilation, to encourage Americans to speak out on climate change. All of the featured tracks are original songs, with the exception of My Morning Jacket’s performance of The Velvet Underground’s Oh! Sweet Nuthin‘.

Organized by the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, HeadCount and the NRDC Action Fund, this collaboration marks the first time free music has been used to prompt Americans to contact their elected officials.

Best of Bonnaroo isn’t your run of the mill compilation, pulling the hits from each artist in a patchwork attempt to appeal to the masses. The 17 different live performances were hand-picked and represent powerful works from each artist. Ani DiFranco’s Fuel is a gripping, immensely gravitational re-telling of a fan favorite, while Pearl Jam’s Animal is more celebratory than furious, a buoyant romp through formerly dangerous grounds. The Decemberists’ The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid is perhaps the most powerful track off their most recent Hazards of Love album, taken to new heights here, while Death Cab For Cutie turn in a shimmering rendition of Cath…

“This generation has an opportunity to be remembered as one that confronted environmental challenges and took responsibility for the future,” said Jack Johnson, whose song “Inaudible Melodies” can be heard on the compilation. “With that opportunity comes the responsibility to speak out.”

With climate change legislation now at a critical juncture, several organizations teamed up to use the gift of music to inspire citizens into action. HeadCount – a nonpartisan civic engagement organization best known for registering voters at concerts - conceived the idea as a way to point new voters toward being informed and active citizens. The NRDC Action Fund – an advocacy group committed to passing legislation that jump-starts the clean energy economy and reduces pollution – stepped in with resources, research, strategic guidance and a base of 250,000 supporters.

“The musicians we work with are very passionate about this topic and have great power to drive change,” said HeadCount’s Executive Director Andy Bernstein. “Their music will serve as a soundtrack for action.”

To download the album for free or just a few select tracks from the festival, head to www.Musicforaction.org. Before downloading the music, visitors are asked to email their Senators, the President or their local newspapers about climate change. The music is free no matter what, but the artists hope all their fans join them in taking action on this issue. The clicking around to get the free music may drive you a bit nuts, but once you get there, you’ll be happy.

The Best of Bonnaroo tracklist:

Wilco – Bull Black Nova Pearl Jam – Animal Jack Johnson – Inaudible Melodies Dave Mathews Band – Rapunzel Death Cab for Cutie – Cath… Ani DiFranco – Fuel Phish – Kill Devil Falls Gov’t Mule - Banks of the Deep End O.A.R. – Delicate Few moe.- Not Coming Down Raphael Saadiq – 100 Yard Dash Bob Weir & RatDog – Throwing Stones The Disco Biscuits – And The Ladies Were the Rest of the Night The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid My Morning Jacket – Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ Guster – Happier Phil Lesh and Friends - Box of Rain

With Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots back in action, it was only a matter of time before fellow Grunge veterans Soundgarden followed suit. Finally, after an acrimonious split in 1997, singer Chris Cornell announced via Twitter on New Year's Eve that the band is primed to rock again. "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session," Cornell wrote. "Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"

The announcement linked to the website www.soundgardenworld.com, which features a picture of the group and a place for fans to enter their e-mail address to get updates on the reunion. Entering that information unlocks an archival video for the song "Get On The Snake" from the 1989 album Louder Than Love.

The full lineup of Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron has not played live since splitting up in the spring of 1997. In the past they had said that a reunion was unlikely, but all four members were present at an October 6, 2009 Pearl Jam show in Los Angeles where Cornell reprised the Temple of the Dog song "Hunger Strike" with the band, and sources say reunion plans began to take shape shortly after that. Although no details have been set, Billboard.com says the group is weighing offers from several major U.S. and international festivals. However, a touring schedule is still a work in progress, due to Cameron's prior commitments to play with Pearl Jam in the spring and summer of next year.

It is also still unclear whether Soundgarden will finally release a B-side or box set collection. Thayil and Shepherd have long discussed compiling a box set, which would include a wealth of unreleased material, and Cornell told Rolling Stone in July that the band was considering releasing a B-side album and a box set.