Episode 390: Mansfield, MA – 6/28/2008 (YouTube Version)

When you add up all of the venues that Pearl Jam has played on multiple occasions, the amphitheater known to many as Great Woods outside of Boston is near the top of the all-time list. The highlight of their eleven visits is unquestionably the three night stay in 2003 known to fans as “The Experiment” where the band played nearly every song in their catalog. 2008 was their first time returning to Mansfield since the historic run, and while they didn’t achieve nearly the same goal as they did five years prior, it was starting to mark an end of a chapter. This would be their final year touring for their self titled record, and they’d head back into the studio to work on Backspacer shortly after the completion of this tour.

This night 1 show is a succinct effort, a below average 2 hour show due to strict venue curfews, but has a handful of unforgettable performances thanks to excellent crowd participation. This rendition of Better Man features one of the best mid-song responses that you’ll hear from a North American crowd. This show also features a version of Love Reign O’er Me that may go down as a top performance of the entire tour year.

Join us for this episode as we invite this week’s guest producer, Aaron Redmond, on where he’ll show you his power point presentations featuring some astonishing facts about playing at outdoor sheds, especially Mansfield, that you may not have known before.