Not many musicians earn a standing ovation before they even pick up an instrument. On Friday night at Benaroya Hall, Eddie Vedder proved to be one who can. This show marked the end of Vedder’s month-long tour throughout the United States in promotion of his latest solo album Ukulele Songs. But to Vedder and his fans, this was more than just another last stop on a tour — it was a homecoming worthy of celebration. “It sure is good to be home,” Vedder said with a smile as the packed seats of Benaroya Hall howled in agreement.

Seated on a stool in the middle of the stage with an ukulele in hand, Vedder launched into a series of solo songs starting with “Walking the Cow,” “Can’t Keep,” and “Sleeping By Myself.” After the opening songs, Vedder jumped back and forth between instruments, often turning to an acoustic guitar for Pearl Jam covers, and even breaking out a banjo and harmonica for songs off his Into the Wild soundtrack. The ukulele seemed the least effective at delivering substantial sound to effectively fill a large auditorium, especially in comparison to the acoustic guitar’s rich, booming sound. The rest of the set was a good mix of Vedder’s solo work, acoustic versions of Pearl Jam favorites such as “Better Man,” and famous covers including Cat Stevens’ “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” and The Beatles’ “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” The entire set lasted two and a half hours, complete with multiple encores.

Besides being a talented musician, Vedder exudes confidence and charisma that engaged his audience throughout the entire show. He’d then have them roaring and singing along during songs such as “Dead Man” and “Fourth of July,” yet dead silent for numbers including an unplugged ukulele song. He also brought a number of guest musicians to the stage, including Irishman Glen Hansard of The Frames, cellist Chris Wordworth, and a string quartet.

Between songs, Vedder was full of amusing tidbits, often prompted rather randomly. “It’s been a bad week for male genitalia,” he remarked midway through the set. He went on to describe a recent case involving male genitalia and a garbage disposal, prompting laughs from his audience. “I’m not sure how that relates to my next song,” he mused before breaking into a grin. “Oh wait, I do — the next song is called ‘Rise.'”

Unlike a seasoned Pearl Jam show, this solo performance was not without flaws. Vedder made blatant errors while playing several songs, but laughed them off along with his audience. It’s not as if he is without practice, having had a month of live performances, so perhaps this was an indication of his apparent ease and comfort with his ever-adoring home base.

After two and a half hours of delighting his fans, Vedder played a double encore –triple if you count his brief stage exit midway through the show. Before launching into his signature closing songs “Hard Sun” and “Dream a Little Dream,” the house lights were ablaze, and as Vedder wistfully gazed out at the packed house, he said, “If you could stand inside of my mind right now, it would blow your fucking mind.” Anyone who was there could tell you their minds were already blown, because there’s nothing quite like experiencing Seattle welcoming home one of their most beloved icons.