Pearl Jam frontman hit the bullseye at the Rideau Sports Center

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You’d think Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder would get enough exercise at the band’s legendary high-energy shows.

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But there he was at the Rideau Sports Center last Friday night in skateboard shorts and high-tops, looking for a court and racquet he had borrowed from RSC founder and CEO, Nicki Bridgland.

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Bridgland said on Wednesday she still feels a pleasant afterglow from the encounter.

Once Bridgland spoke to Vedder; he apologized for speaking softly as he wanted to protect his voice.

“I said, ‘Oh no, are you okay? she said, knowing the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over.

“No, no, I feel great,” the singer said. “I just need to protect my voice. I give it my all… at the shows.”

Vedder gifted Bridgland a set of show tickets and Bridgland – who described Pearl Jam’s music as central to her when she was at university – saw what he was talking about. She compared the Pearl Jam show at the Canadian Tire Center on September 3 to popular dramatic rock icons like U2 and Coldplay. “Eddie Vedder’s voice originally feels like he’s singing from the core of the earth. It’s one of my favorite voices of all time.”

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Vedder also scored plenty of bonus points when he reminded CTC audiences that one of the band’s first tours took them to the fabled Center Robert-Guertin (aka “Le Bob”) in Gatineau.

Gatineau has a new arena for big shows, the center Slush Puppie, which would probably look interesting on a band itinerary.

But how was his tennis game?

“I would have liked to play with him. It looked like he was having fun out there and our levels would match,” she said over the phone, laughing.

Overall, Bridgland said she was probably most impressed by the star’s down-to-earth nature.

Bridgland said the center agreed with the withholding of the visit.

“We wanted to protect Eddie Vedder’s privacy,” Bridgland said. “Even with the photos I took with him, I told him we wouldn’t be sharing them on our social media until he left the property… so he could play in peace.”

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The first photos hit Bridgland’s social media 12 hours later and didn’t appear on RSC’s websites until four days later.

Although Vedder is a superstar, his visit largely fits RSC’s business philosophy. Everyone is welcome, membership is not required.

“The thing about a sports center like this is really the glue of social connection. I say the sporting side is 50 percent and the social side is 50 percent,” Bridgland said of taking over the facility in 2017 and founding start-up Rideau Sports Center and on-site restaurant The Bridge Public House.