Eddie Vedder and Paul Shaffer, Letterman’s longtime bandleader, teamed up at the Kennedy Center Honors to perform a thoughtful cover of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” in tribute to David Letterman, who received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The choice of song and performers felt entirely right. Vedder and Letterman share a long and genuine friendship built across multiple Late Show appearances, including a special visit during Letterman’s final week on air, and Letterman later returned the gesture by inducting Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.