Pearl Jam to open for U2

Pearl Jam has opened for legends like Neil Young and Tom Petty, and now the group will open for U2 for the first time since 1993. According to Billboard.com, the Seattle band will warm up the crowd for the Irish superstars in Hawaii on December 9th, capping a brief run of rescheduled dates for U2 that includes shows in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Pearl Jam itself just completed a U.S. tour on Sunday, July 23rd, with the second of two concerts in George, Washington.

U2's upcoming Pacific jaunt is making up for dates that were postponed this spring due to an unspecified serious illness in the immediate family of one of the band members, believed to be a daughter of guitarist The Edge.

U2's Vertigo tour, which got underway in spring of 2005, is the top-grossing trek in history with over $333 million in ticket sales.

Pearl Jam will begin a European tour in late August that will extend to the end of September, before the band heads to Australia itself in November.