Pearl Jam comes out swinging on Conan O'Brien

Pearl Jam had a grand coming-out party Monday night, performing a cut from its forthcoming fall album, tentatively titled "Backspacer," on Conan O'Brien's debut as host of "The Tonight Show." O'Brien's official site tells us the song is called "Get Some,"and it packs a punch.

The band has reason to come out swinging -- this is the first time in nearly 20 years that it's without a record label. It was confirmed Monday  via Billboard that Pearl Jam will be working with Target, but manager Kelly Curtis has promised media outlets that   that's not the full story, as the album will still be available at Pearl Jam's site and from independent retailers. 

In the meantime, we have a new song.

It's in and out in about three minutes, and thanks go to the NBC site for identifying the title, as much of Vedder's other hastily scratched vocals are hard to discern. Jeff Ament's bass provides the core, and Mike McCready and Stone Gossard streak and scorch around the verses before a tension-releasing chorus.

"Launching a show like this takes a lot of hard work, and one of the things that has sustained me over the past three months was knowing that at the end of our first show I'd get to watch a performance by one of the greatest rock bands in the world," O'Brien said to introduce the '90s-rock survivalists.

It sounds like the start of one of the more visible marketing campaigns of Pearl Jam's career, as heading out on its own has not only led the band to Target, but has also seen the group recording a commercial for the retail giant.

Video after the jump.

Spin the red circle: Pearl Jam partners with Target

A band that long shirked doing music videos, and once took a stand against Ticketmaster, has now linked with big box retailer Target for its upcoming album, according to reports. Target is said to be just one of Pearl Jam's multiple partners on the album, as the band goes without a label after working inside the Sony system for nearly 20 years.

The news hit the Web on antiquet.com last week, and Billboard's Bill Werde posted details today.

But fans, relax! Unlike some other artist-retail partnerships, Pearl Jam's linking with Target won't be an out-and-out exclusive, which should lessen the sting for those upset at the corporate pairing.

Werde quotes Pearl Jam's long-time manager Kelly Curtis as saying, "Target ended up allowing us to have other partners." He also quoted Curtis as saying that the big-box retailer was "cool enough to realize that little independent record stores are not their competition."