Pearl Jam Tour Preview: 2022 North American Leg #2

By: John Farrar | August 31, 2022

Co-Host John Farrar Breaks Down the Upcoming North American Tour Dates

It’s that time again. After one of their more eventful years in recent history, including having to cancel shows on both previous legs due to COVID and vocal problems, Pearl Jam returns to the road September 1st for 3 weeks of shows, the final leg of the 2022 tour. Quebec City will kick off the leg, the first of 4 Canadian shows, followed by Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto.

The band hasn’t played in Canada since 2016, and these shows will be highly anticipated, not only for the fact that the original 2020 tour was supposed to kick off in Canada, but also to see if the band continues what we saw in Amsterdam at the last show on the European leg in an attempt to save Ed’s voice for the rest of the year. It would be a huge lift to the fans, and I’m sure the band as well, if they were able to make it through September without having to cancel any shows, so look for them to play with that in mind. With a rumored new album in the works, a positive ending to this tour could give them confidence to get back on the road in 2023 and beyond, which is what we’re all hoping for.

After Canada, Pearl Jam will head to New York City for the rescheduled SiriusXM Small Stage Series on September 10th at the historic Apollo Theater, and the following night at Madison Square Garden. The band has never played the Apollo before, although they have done smaller theater shows in NYC, going back to 2008 and 2006. Who knows what surprises the band has in store for this night, but expect a deep cut or two, and maybe a new cover we haven’t heard before. The September 11th show at MSG has been circled by many as the show to watch, not only because of the significance of being in NYC on that date, but also the band’s history on that date in that venue, going back to the classic 1998 show where the fans’ campaign for Breath was answered by the band. Live On 4 Legs will be looking to pay homage to that night 24 years ago by bringing some Breath signs of our own, so if you’ll be there that night, be on the lookout for us!

Following the 2 shows in New York City, the band will stop off in Camden, NJ for the first time since 2008 before heading south to Nashville. The last time the band was in Nashville was for the intimate Third Man Records show in 2016, where they were joined by Jack White for Of the Earth. Nashville is Music City, and we know that Pearl Jam likes to acknowledge the history of the city they’re playing in, so I would expect a special guest or two and plenty of references to the musical lineage of the city. Nashville kicks off a 3-show-in-3-night run, with the band heading to Louisville the next night to play the Bourbon and Beyond festival, a show that was added late, after the tour had been announced, and then jumping over to St. Louis on September 18th. Knowing now what happened in Europe, it’s interesting that the band chose to forego the day off in-between Nashville and St. Louis. I’ll be very curious to see what the sets look like, they could be very different and very unique.

The band will then head west to Oklahoma City (for the first time since 2013) and Denver (not since 2014) for the final two shows of the year. Assuming that everything has gone smoothly (please, please), the band should be on a huge high for these shows, wanting to end the year on a positive note. I can see them throwing everything they’ve done so far out the window and wanting to make these shows as memorable as possible. Could we see a new song make its debut? We’ll have to wait and see. Ed has said on stage before that it’s not the last show of the tour that you want to be at, but the next to last. If that holds, Oklahoma City could be one of the sleeper shows of the year. As for Denver, the celebration will be on and then we’ll look forward to Ed’s Earthling shows, and then hopefully more shows in 2023! Keep checking liveon4legs.com and following the podcast, we’ll be breaking it all down and getting the Concertpedia entries for these shows up as soon as we can.

John Farrar

Content Editor & LO4L Host

I was obsessed with Pearl Jam in the early 90's, and then became a collector of their live bootlegs in the 2000's. I’ve seen them 12 times in 8 different states. I’m continuously blown away by their ability to create transcendent moments in concert. I owe them for my love of vinyl, live music, and so much more. I’m happy to have the podcast and this website as an outlet for that obsession.

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