The Top 25 Moments of Pearl Jam’s 2025 Tour

The Top 25 Moments of Pearl Jam’s 2025 Tour

Introduction – Randy Sobel

Welcome back to another end of year list! Yes, this is pretty much every media platform’s content when it comes to December. Is it lazy? I wouldn’t call it that. I’d say that it’s something that’s always expected, because we all love to reminisce and take a moment to forget about whatever is on our mind in relation to holiday stresses to focus on the good things that have happened. Especially in a year where perhaps we may want to forget all of the bad things… more so than usual.

This is our fourth iteration of a year end list, and since we’ve started doing it in 2022, there seems to be a pattern. The first tour year of Gigaton was bold. We made a list of Top 100 moments. It was so heavily debated and picked apart that even some of the bottom songs were being argued about their entry (I wasn’t keen on Buckle Up making a top 100, but it was #99 and I lived to see another day).

The next year, we only had 8 shows, so it was an easy task to find the top 33 that worked for 2023. With a full world tour last year, we landed on 50 as an appropriate number and decided to cut that number in half for this year’s list. 25 felt right for this year. Every song on this list has some meaning behind it, and more than anything, I think it perfectly tells the story of Pearl Jam in 2025. The final year with Matt Cameron behind the kit.

That right there is the dominant storyline. Sure, we didn’t know what the hell was going on at the time, but hindsight is always 20/20. In retrospect, it may seem a little weird that they popped champagne bottles and all individually hugged Matt at the end of the second Pittsburgh show, but they did it when they celebrated him getting his second induction into the Hall of Fame, so it didn’t seem all that strange at the time. And then there were moments where Ed talked about how special it was to be in a rock ‘n’ roll band or times where he waxed poetically about the old touring days. These are normal things he usually brings up during shows, but again, hindsight tells us that maybe this time there was a deeper reasoning behind it. 27 years is a long time for a band to stay intact, especially one that buzzed through five different drummers in less than a decade’s time. That’s why the news came as such a shock when it happened.

While the next drummer or tour may be in limbo for the time being, there might be some people who are using this time to temporarily phase Pearl Jam out of their listening rotation for a while. In full transparency, that’s what I had to do for a stretch this year. I used to have their Sirius XM station on in my car constantly, but whenever it came on, I had to change it. Perhaps I’d get into a song for a minute or two before my mind would wander, and I’d tell myself this is never happening again. I couldn’t separate it, and for the first time in a long time (aka ever), I wanted to stay as far away as I possibly could.

But as time moves along, like it has in many instances in the past, I’ll find myself in need of a lyric or a riff to hit me in the right way that no other artist can fulfill. I think a lot of what helped me get back on track with it was developing this list and looking at 2025 from a new angle. Yes, this will always go down as the final tour with Matt Cameron, and there will always be something bittersweet about that, but instead of being upset that it’s over, just look at all of the amazing moments he went out on.

We got a performance with Peter Frampton, we got to honor his friend and bandmate one final time with a rendition of Hunger Strike. If there is anything to take away from this list, it isn’t the sadness of the situation that was announced a month or so later, it’s the fact that we still got to witness Matt Cameron in his true prime as that Lamborghini engine that Ed always equated him to. Let’s be thankful for it, because we never would have gotten to this point without him.

This year’s list wasn’t terribly challenging to put together. Short tours usually aren’t. But before we dive in, there are a few performances that just missed the cut this year that I’d like to acknowledge.

Honorable Mentions

Immortality – April 26, Hollywood, FL

In Matt Cameron’s last tour, it’s appropriate that this song would be heavily in the rotation. As I mentioned on a recent episode of the podcast, this band needs to use Immortality when testing out other drummers, and if they can’t rise to the occasion on this, say thanks but no thanks. Every drummer that got to play this absolutely capitalized on it, and although Jack’s will always be the stand out, Cameron’s command of the ending was always an unforgettable moment.

All Those Yesterdays – May 1, Atlanta, GA

This one just misses the list because there wasn’t really a big-time story attached to it. It’s just always extra exciting whenever it appears. Yield was one of the albums partially recorded in Atlanta, and although the opening scene of Single Video Theory I believe takes place at Studio Litho in Seattle, I’m still always reminded of Jeff riding his bike into the studio and clocking in while the montage with this song is playing. Perhaps it’s a slight nod, but again, any time it shows up there’s reason for excitement.

Tremor Christ – May 3, New Orleans, LA

This one we can definitively say is because of where the song was first recorded in the studio. While on the Vs. tour in 1993, they had a three show stay in New Orleans where they decided to lay down some future Vitalogy tracks at Kingsway Studio. Tremor Christ was one of those tracks. It’s been quite a while since the band played an arena show in New Orleans, opting for either Jazz Fest or Voodoo Fest in their last four shows there. Because the festival shows have the stigma of being greatest hits shows to appease a broader audience, it was cool to see a song that doesn’t get played very often get some recognition for connecting with their history.

Indifference – May 6, Nashville, TN

Even though the big shock moment of this being an opener happened a few years ago in St. Paul, this was still a fun and surprising way to kick off the Nashville run. As many times as we’ve seen Indifference close out a show with all of the house lights up, I don’t think it really compares to the allure of seeing this song in the dark. It’s a song about dark topics and metaphors, and although song meanings can change over time related to people’s growing connections with them, it will always feel more relatable to the original identity.

Leaving Here – May 13, Raleigh, NC

Ed invited Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, (or for you Righteous Gemstones fans, I’m gonna be as adamant as Baby Uncle Billy and call them TeenJUS!) to join the band on stage to do backing vocals for Leaving Here. This was something that Sleater-Kinney used to do when they toured with them back in the mid-2000s, and personally it was one of my least favorite things that I ever heard on a Pearl Jam stage. And I actually love S-K, but their backing vocals were grating and reminded me of awful 1950’s beach blanket bubblegum pop. TeenJUS filled the role much better. They are a happy bunch when performing on stage and they do a great job expressing that in their music. The band really seemed to enjoy them, inviting them to come all the way from Australia to show the states who they are and what they do, and it seems like they made a nice little imprint on Pearl Jam fans.

A lot of you may already know what’s on this list thanks to the YouTube videos that we’ve put together this year, but doing a written version isn’t about the list reveal. It’s about getting to know personal stories from these performances that impacted the fans in ways you may have never thought imaginable. We’ll get to hear from folks who got to be involved in the show, some who had their request granted and others who were inspired by the music.

And away… we go!

The Top 25 Moments of 2025

25. Waiting For Stevie – May 13, Raleigh, NC

When the Dark Matter era of Pearl Jam unfolded, I was cautiously skeptical. I was not a fan of Andrew Watt’s production style, and quite frankly that style does muddy some of the sonic ignition of the album for me. The oft over used paradoxically driven phrase applies, two things can be true at once. Dark Matter is both Pearl Jam’s most excellent album since Yield and it is buried in parts by a hazy production method. A style that champions an oddly compressed sound stage over open dynamics that you can crank. In short, loudness fatigue.

None of that matters when it comes to Pearl Jam in their most natural environment, live. At the end of the day it always comes down to how the music would translate into the live experience. In the early stages of touring for the record the band started out red hot with often 8-9 songs from Dark Matter being on the setlist each night. Curiously enough, we had to wait for Stevie. We all know the story at this point, while working on his solo album during the pandemic, Ed and Andrew Watt were waiting for Stevie Wonder to show up for a session to record Try, and in the process of waiting for Stevie, a Pearl Jam song was hatched. It maneuvered itself into the sets by night 3 of the May 2024 run.

Waiting for Stevie has some self-referential call back to the bands earlier material in the Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy era, but with more of the self aware confidence of Yield’s material. None of that should alter the fact that it is an absolutely great track with a huge guitar soundscape and soaring vocals on top of a raucous drum rhythm. It is in the most colloquial sense, vintage Pearl Jam. It seemed like a sure fire song to be played nightly and frankly the way the band would introduce the new record to fans and casuals alike. Alas, this is Pearl Jam, so that did not happen. Would there be Stevie openers, Stevie main-set closers, big Stevie encores? No, there would not, though one of those three happened twice.

The anthemic guitar assault with great hooks and chorus born to get a crowd singing out of key at the top of their lungs did make its way into the set about 50% of the time in 2024. Not bad by new song standards. Alas it completely faded away in 2025 sets, until a Tuesday night in Raleigh. Where we would wait for Stevie to make its only appearance of the tour nestled between Immortality and Untitled. A nod and dedication to Stevie Wonder’s 70th and 75th birthday! Ed couldn’t make up his mind, it was the latter.

Part of the reward of seeing this band live is being in the right place at the right time. I was fortunate enough to be at night 2 of Seattle back on May 30, 2024 when the song was performed and it ended up as a release for RSD Black Friday as song of the year. I was able to catch three shows on the 2025 run. At the two in Raleigh, I was with a good friend of nearly 35 years. Joe and I saw our first Pearl Jam show together back in 1996 and I was excited for him to experience some of the Dark Matter material live. Waiting For Stevie was 1 of 4 I absolutely wanted him to hear. It did not disappoint as Mike and Matt combined to generate the aura this song has to crush an arena. We went 3 for 4 across both nights in Raleigh, Got To Give was scratched for, wait for it, Waiting for Stevie. I may be chasing Got To Give for a long while if I ever get it at all. A song that felt natural to get a fair sure of plays from the album before the tour began. Alas, there is always one. We will never know until the next tour transpires. Maybe we caught the last glimpses of Stevie, if that is so, it was done with aplomb, thanks to Stevie being 70, er 75.

— Patrick Boegel

24. Green Disease – May 6, Nashville, TN

Nashville started my run of four shows this tour and man, what a trip. Being able to share so many great conversations with so many great friends, especially those I met for the first time was nothing short of spectacular. Ed also has some pretty incredible friends, and this was highlighted on this Tuesday in Nashville. After an unexpected mid set ripping Brain of J. which featured one of the coolest cameos of all time by a friend to many reading this, Ed began to strum this new almost semi-acoustic looking guitar. He then began to speak about one of his great friends, Jack White, and his owned and operated Third Man Records which was a few blocks away from the arena. He proudly shows it off to everyone in Bridgestone Arena and calls Jack a future Hall of Famer and a great human. Ed then tells a joke about having quality products and not making money, but you’ll make people happy. And boy, did he make me and many others happy after getting up to the mic, announcing this song is for “the fuckers that take all your money” and saying the title of the next song Green Disease.

You could have polled me and asked for 30 songs I thought they would play that night, and Green Disease would not have been one of them. Any time anything gets busted out from the early 2000s, it is a great moment in the show. Jeff is incredibly pronounced on the bootleg and they sound super tight for a song that only has gotten six plays since 2014. The Brain Of J./Green Disease combo was one of the highlights of the tour for me. Whenever they are out on the road next, anything from Riot Act is always welcome.

— Tim Figueiredo

23. Man Of The Hour – May 16, Pittsburgh, PA

For the final destination on the tour in 2025, Pearl Jam stuck with what’s worked when coming back from the encore break and treated the crowd to a solo Eddie performance. On this night in Pittsburgh, Eddie remained seated for a little longer. He told a heartwarming story of a “big sturdy Pittsburgh” man he had met the day before that used a Pearl Jam song at his mother’s recent funeral. Eddie called the guy’s brother and the three of them had a conversation that ended with Eddie giving the big guy a hug and the man crying his eyes out.

Eddie went on to talk about the power of music and the influence it has, and how fortunate they feel to be a part of people’s lives. With the spotlight on him and the stage dark, he started into Man of the Hour. As the first verse ended, the rest of the stage slowly illuminated to reveal the band had joined him, and they jumped right in without missing a beat.

I have a friend that recently lost her father, and upon hearing the news, I couldn’t help but think of moments like this where music can help us get through tough times. We all process grief differently, but on this night all 20,000 of us in attendance were able to help a big sturdy guy in Pittsburgh heal just a bit.

— Bradley Piasecki

22. Can’t Keep – April 29, Atlanta, GA

When Pearl Jam walked out of Music Midtown 13 years ago, no one thought it would take them 13 years to get back to Atlanta. When the lights dropped just as I had walked into GA in GA, I certainly wasn’t expecting the opening notes to Can’t Keep. With the lights still out and a silhouetted Ed subtly whispering “I wanna shake…” it was on! A rarer track from the Riot Act era was the perfect kickstart to the first of two nights in the A. As is with most PJ shows, a rare little ear nugget to start the night lets everyone know that in fact once again, everything is on the table tonight so buckle up.

— Ryan Bauer

21. Brain Of J. – May 6, Nashville, TN

It all goes back to 2024 in Manchester. At that show I wore a shirt honoring legendary Chicago Cubs commentator, Pat Hughes, that read ‘Pat Hughes Is A National Treasure.’ Ed took notice of it, and wanted to take a selfie while he was on the stage leaning back. I was standing kind of behind him, and he pulled out his own phone to take the picture. On top of him giving me a Corona on the day I got hit by a car in Austin two years ago, I think that was the defining moment that led to my interaction with him this year.

I was on a mission that night in Nashville that was months in the making. When they announced the tour, I saw they were playing in Nashville on May 6 and I immediately knew that it was a very special day in Cubs history. On that day 27 years ago, pitcher Kerry Wood tied a Major League record throwing 20 strikeouts in a game. Kerry lives in Nashville, and Kerry and Ed are pretty close, so I thought to myself, this has to be a thing. And if not, I’m gonna make sure it’s a thing.

So I had a plan. I was wearing my ‘Kerry Wood Is Still My Favorite’ t-shirt (which he is, he’s one of my favorite Cubs next to Anthony Rizzo and Ryne Sandberg), I had his jersey on over it and I was in my favorite spot right next to Ed’s perch on the rail. I even got these crazy Cubs sunglasses that I wore. I wanted to make this a thing and make him notice me and just see what happens…

Well, it happened! During Brain Of J., as he usually does between verses, he was checking out the rail and the crowd. He came over by us, he was reading and looking around, walked away for a minute and then walked back. And then next thing I know, he was right in front of me. I thought he was gonna reach for my cool sunglasses, but instead he insisted that I come up on stage. So I hopped over the rail and remember thinking that I’m just gonna take my time. This was 34 years of fanboying over this and decades of dreams of having this kind of moment was about to happen as I’m going step by step by step. But I was also thinking to go slow to avoid tripping over and making a fool of myself.

I remember there was a point where I kind of stood up there before putting my arm around him that I realized that I was even allowed to. You’re just not sure when you go up. What else was I supposed to do but rock out? There was a little moment where Ed kind of gestured for me to come by him, and that’s when I threw my arm over his shoulder and almost knocked his hat off. Two things I noticed: he was absolutely drenched in his own sweat, and he was built like a house. It was an incredible feeling being up there next to him and getting to look out into that crowd, and as you are able to see in the video, I went as hard as I could to make this moment count.

That wasn’t my last interaction with Ed that night. Not only did he pour a bottle of wine into my friend’s sequined Converse for me to drink out of (it tasted exactly like you’d expect), but towards the end of the night, I had my jersey up on the rail because I wanted him to see it. He saw it and went ‘Oh! Kerry! Give me that!’ So he swipes the jersey out of my hand and puts it on. It was cool to see him wearing it, but… then he took it. He walked off stage with it and never gave it back! If I’m gonna lose my jersey to Eddie Vedder, then that’s awesome I guess, but I don’t have my Kerry Wood jersey anymore! Who steals another man’s jersey?!

The story gets better though. Back in Atlanta, I met a friend named Matt and his son Tillman who are huge Cubs fans. At that show, Tillman brought a sign requesting to hear Wishlist, and they ended up playing it. The two of them were behind me, so I grabbed them and brought them to the rail to let them have their moment. I believe Tillman ended up getting a tambourine that night. From that point, we became great friends and bonded over our love of both Pearl Jam and the Cubs.

Flash forward to Nashville night two. We’re about ten minutes away from the band coming on stage, and I get a text from Matt asking me to come up to his section because he had something for me. It was crazy to consider leaving my spot, but if anyone could make it happen, it was gonna be me. So I ran up there as quickly as I could, and to my surprise, what he had up there waiting for me was Kerry Wood! I thought to myself holy shit, it’s Kerry Wood, but then i also thought holy shit am I gonna miss this show because I’m standing next to Kerry Wood?!

We spoke for a few minutes, and Kerry thanked me and told me how much he appreciated that I honored him at night one. His kids and entire family loved it! This was crazy! Did this really just happen to me?! He ended up giving me a signed jersey with a ‘keep on rockin’ inscription as well as a t-shirt that was given out when he got inducted into the Cubs Hall Of Fame.

Here’s the kicker – he brought me all of this stuff because he felt bad that Ed stole my jersey! He told me that he went backstage and confronted Ed about it, and Ed kind of brushed it off and didn’t think it was a big deal. I appreciate that Kerry stood up for me. Since then, I’ve gotten to see Kerry a few more times and even gifted him a bottle of Maker’s Mark with the date of the night two show engraved on it.

I’m incredibly grateful for the chain of events that took place that night in Nashville. To say that it changed my life would be a drastic understatement. A lot of this was possible largely in part to all the PJ fans that truly inspire me to keep going and work toward their goals and dreams of getting closer to the band. If anything, I hope my moment will inspire others, or at least give a feeling that they could feel what it was like up there through me.

— Jason Brown

20. Red Mosquito – May 3, New Orleans, LA

“Danny Clinch, will you come and play with this band right now?”

For the fifth time ever, Danny Clinch swapped his camera for a harmonica to play on the only performance of Red Mosquito in 2025. With its bluesy, groovy, swampy orchestration, it’s the perfect song for New Orleans Jazz Fest, and it’s always a treat to have someone help out the band to fulfill its ornate orchestration. Given that this was the only outdoor show of the tour, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between the weather and their performance. It felt uncanny and brought me to tears. The call-and-response dynamic between Danny’s harmonica and Mike’s guitar mimicked the heavy, humid, dense atmosphere of the day. The musical tension felt like the onset of a storm. The heaviness of the air, the threat of rain that was never more than a mist, only to be met with clear skies and sunshine as Danny pulled back his harmonica on the turnaround, letting the band soar to the end.

Red Mosquito is one of my top three favorite Pearl Jam songs, and I have now seen it in concert six times. The first time was the second time they ever played it in San Jose, California, in 1995. The sixth time is my first time witnessing it from the rail, which means yes, I spent an insane amount on a VIP ticket. This song made the experience and the money spent worth it for me, especially since it was their only time playing it this year. Spending all day in the heat and humidity was more exhausting than usual, so this felt like a reward to me.

Festival setlists are known to be shorter, mainly featuring radio hits. However, Pearl Jam is very good at peppering the setlists with a few rarities—IYKYK songs. Followed by Tremor Christ a few songs earlier played back-to-back with Love Boat Captain, the mid-setlist placement of Red Mosquito was definitely for the fans.

— Mar Vigil

19. Present Tense – April 24, Hollywood, FL

I instantly became a diehard fan when Alive premiered on MTV. I ran out the next day, bought the CD and dubbed it to a cassette so I could listen to it in my car too. I saw them for the first time in August 1992 and it was my EVERYTHING! Unfortunately, my friends didn’t share my love for Pearl Jam, so I’ve gone to most shows alone. This show however, I brought my 73 year old dad. We have been using music to try to rebuild our relationship which has been strained over the last 10 years or so. He’s never listened to them, he only knows that almost every time he sees me, I’m wearing a Pearl Jam shirt.

We found our seats, met the people around us and he watched as we tried to guess which song would be the show’s opener. The house lights went down, the silhouettes of the band emerged onto the stage as the crowd erupted in excitement and anticipation. Then with Eddie’s “good evening” and the strum of the first notes, the show began. As they started the second song, it was only Mike on the guitar, Matt on the high hat and I knew immediately it was Present Tense! A song I have somehow only managed to hear live once back in 2000.

I loved that this song focused so much on Eddie’s voice. For me the lyrics are a reminder that you can’t be present in the moment if you’re ruminating over the past or focusing on a future that’s not promised. As Eddie reached the chorus, he gave the fans the space to sing ‘to live in the present tense’ along with him. With the second verse, Stone joined with his guitar and as the song reached the chorus again, the drums kicked in, followed by Jeff on the bass. Suddenly the music is galloping towards the end and the crowd is an undulating mass jumping to the thunderous beat. As quickly as the song ramped up, the music died down and we were left with Eddie playing that riff in the outro that is as recognizably “Eddie” as the riff in the intro to Corduroy is, while Mike and Stone softly rounded out the sound as the song concluded. Present Tense really summarized where I am with my dad and I was so grateful that he was there that night and wanted to share that moment with me.

— Katherine Viera

18. Dissident – May 1, Atlanta GA

“30 years ago last year,” Eddie Vedder began. “We had done a radio broadcast from the historic Fox Theater here in Atlanta. And for some reason Mike McCready was absolutely on fucking fire that night. And I remember that this next song was put out – I believe as a single or something. And we don’t normally play it, but in honor of the timing and the history…”

There are few shows as iconic in the history of this band as that April 3, 1994 concert. Recorded and broadcast on Atlanta radio station WBCN, it was naturally recorded and redistributed on both official band recordings and perhaps more widely, what was at the time a booming underground bootleg marketplace, whether sold on unauthorized CDs in record stores or traded via cassette or “B&P” trades, where one fan would send another blank discs and postage in exchange for a copy (the B and P). For many Pearl Jam fans, however, and I would hasten to say most of the die-hards from the mid 1990s, this was the first – and for a long while only – complete soundboard recorded show they would have access to. There were a few live recordings available as B-sides or whatever, but this – this was a performance. And of all of the songs played that night, one stood out enough to receive its own official single release.

“… this one is called Dissident,” Vedder finished, and turned towards McCready.

The crowd erupted. Dissident has always been a fan favorite and a sing-along, and this was to be no exception. It was the first time the band had dusted off this one in the US in the last three years, and only the fourth time since 2016.

Now, it’s not a perfect performance by any means. There are some missed notes, an out of tune chord or two in the breakdown, and it’s in a key dropped down from the original. But nobody seemed to care. What it lacked in technical execution, it made up for in exuberance and spontaneity. The song seemed unrehearsed in a way that said “hey remember this old chestnut? Fuck it, let’s wing it.” The boys seemed to really be having some fun with this one…. McCready primarily, not playing it straight but throwing in some mini-riffs between the chords. The crowd was there for it – screeching along with every word from start to finish a song they’d been singing along to for over three decades.

On a personal level, I really wanted to be there to enjoy this show, but despite staying next door to the arena in a hotel, I was in the hospital a block away in the ICU with pulmonary embolisms. It was a pretty scary thing to face, not knowing the extent of it at the time, but thanks to surprisingly good hotel WIFI and some blessed soul in the upper deck who was live streaming the concert (and sir, whoever you are I did not mind you singing along the entire time) I could take my mind off my surroundings. I would love to buy you a beer or three to thank you for allowing me to enjoy the show I was a block away from but further away than I could have predicted.

— Mike Cribier

17. Rearviewmirror – May 8, Nashville, TN

On March 26th, 1994, I was a few days shy of my 17th birthday and on my way to school on a Saturday. Yes, a Saturday. We had a make-up half day for a snow day that morning. As I was listening to the radio on my drive in, the DJ said they were going to release some extra tickets for that night’s sold out Pearl Jam show in Murfreesboro, TN. Being in the days before smart phones, the only way to get tickets back then was to either call Ticketmaster, or go get them in person. They were my favorite band and I wanted to go, but here I was on my way to school. So once I got to school, I went straight to the office to ask to use the phone. Of course I told them it was an emergency and I called my dad and asked if he’d get me a ticket. He said he would try and I went about my morning and attempted to pay attention in class. When we got out around lunch time, I headed home immediately to find out if I had a ticket or not. My dad did not disappoint and had gotten me 1 ticket. I was going to my first PJ show that night!

Never having been to Murphy Center before, my dad said he’d take me and pick me up. Normally, I’d want to be an independent teenager and go by myself, but this time I obliged. When we got there, he pulled up on a side street that was getting blocked off by security and said “I’ll be parked right here after the show. You can come out those doors right there. They’re near your section”. I said thanks, flung the door open and ran into the show excited to see my favorite band and hoping they would play just a few of my favorite songs.

Fast forward 31 years later to May 8th for Nashville night two and the excitement is still there, but on this night, it was a different feeling. This was my 3rd and final show of the 2025 tour, but it was also my 40th show. And it was in my hometown. It was a different kind of excitement, but probably the closest feeling I’ve had to that first time. I was seeing the show with my friend Brandon, who has been a friend for over 40 years, and I’ve seen all but about 6 PJ shows with. His first show was the same Murfreesboro show, although we went separately. He had hit 50 shows in Atlanta the week prior, so this year was a big milestone year for both of us.

The show started with a great Long Road, followed by a fantastic version of Garden that always excites the crowd. Eddie acknowledged the crowd, the spotlight hit him and he started that familiar riff that we know as Rearviewmirror. Here in the 3rd spot? A song normally reserved for the main set closer or first encore song, was here to get the crowd going early.

I’ve seen RVM numerous times. Hell, they had even played it on night 1 in Nashville, and I love when they play it, but on this night, it got me. 31 years ago in Murfreesboro at my first show, as I waited to see what this band had in store for me, those same notes to start RVM rang out in the darkness to start the show. I leaned over to Brandon and said “First song we ever saw live”, and that’s when the emotions came over me like a wave. I guess it coming so early on just struck a chord with that first show.

They were tight, controlled, and being early in the set, Eddie’s voice was on point. He doesn’t have the gruff, gravely voice of the 90’s anymore obviously, but that night it wasn’t far off. Not ending a set, there was a good chance we wouldn’t get the extended jam during the middle of the song, but it didn’t matter as the crowd was gearing up to sing our part. The solo hits, and then all the band fades out and Jeff’s thunderous bass line rings out to a building crescendo. You could feel the energetic crowd was ready for their part and they delivered. With arms pumping and singing along, Eddie took a step back from the mic and raised his hands to let us do our part screaming out “Rearviewmirror” in unison. The crowd was loud and eager answering Eddie in the back and forth ending chorus just as good as it was all those years ago. As they wrapped up the song, the crowd was now eager for more. And boy did they deliver.

During the song, I thought of past shows, but none more so than that first show. My dad passed away two and a half years ago, and while he couldn’t have named one PJ song, I’ll always remember him at every PJ show I attend since he’s really the one who, inadvertently, got me started on this journey. I know I’m not the only person who has a story like that, or a special connection, but it is one of those things that makes this band special. Whether we’re standing in the GA line, or the merch line, or just meeting some other fans at a restaurant around town, we all share those memories we have with the band. The connection we feel with their music creates a bond that sticks with us. You never know when a special moment might occur. When they might break out one of your white whales, or play an album front to back. Or when a song you’ve heard many times just hits you differently. Like life, this band keeps us on our toes, and it’s what brings us back over and over again. For me on this night, with Rearviewmirror, it was a special moment. Remembering that first time long ago when I stood in amazement and just soaking it all in, not knowing I’d still be doing the same thing decades later.

— Tony Drinkwine

16. Better Man – May 1, Atlanta, GA

It almost goes without saying, but for one of the most-played songs in the Pearl Jam canon to make it into the list of Top Moments of 2025 means it was a special performance. Sandwiched between a riotous Hail, Hail and a blistering Porch it could have passed by with little fanfare, but the combination of band exuberance and crowd excitement results in the song being a worthy addition to the list.

There was even a sense of bringing the song home in Atlanta. Ed introduced it, “with a bit of a story, I don’t think I’ve told it before” prior to going on to explain that the band had recorded several records at Southern Tracks studio in Atlanta. Stating that one particular track he was thinking about was attempted several times, initially during the Vs. sessions, but the band couldn’t replicate the sound they had when they played it live. Having liked the recording of it from the fabled Fox Theater show in 1994, they removed the crowd noise and had Ed record the intro guitar and organ parts before clipping the tapes together. Having not mentioned which song he was referring to, many of the crowd were still wondering when he added, “then it sounded kinda like…” before playing the opening notes of Better Man.

The energy of the crowd is clear from the start, with Ed giving the State Farm Arena audience the “She dreams in color, she dreams in red” line before an extended “Ohh” link between the verses where Ed waves his hand for the crowd to continue making their voices heard. As the rest of the band burst into the song, each member is clearly heard making a mark, from Mike’s soloing to Boom’s intense showing on the organ. The enthusiasm of the band is clear, especially evidenced by Stone even joining in with Ed’s line of “back again” before taking his usual backing vocals role in the latter part of the song. The rendition is tagged with a full version of Save It For Later, which adds a further layer of dynamism to the already vibrant showing.

Such was the excitement in the arena that night, one friend said to me immediately afterwards he felt the arena shaking during the rendition of Better Man, with the band obviously wanting to pay tribute to the city that was so pivotal to the song’s very existence. Proving to be one of the standout moments of the night, and of the 2025 tour the combination of band intensity and crowd energy crowd resulted in another legendary performance of Better Man in Atlanta.

— Alex Hoggard

15. Sonic Reducer – May 8, Nashville, TN

So perhaps I’m a little biased for putting this in the top 15 on this list, but this is probably the only time in my life where I’ll be able to properly give a little bit of recognition to David Thomas. Thomas wrote Sonic Reducer in the band Cheetah Chrome, which would then morph into Rocket From The Tombs until the Dead Boys were formed. David Thomas never joined the Dead Boys, but they kept Sonic Reducer around and turned it into one of the most explosive punk anthems of all time.

Instead, David Thomas turned around and started the band Pere Ubu, an art rock punk band known for avant-garde lyrics with a garage rock aesthetic. They are an incredibly difficult band to categorize and even a bit tougher to get familiar with. You can’t just throw on one of their records simply to just enjoy their music, it’s kind of like a painting that needs to be studied and dissected into pieces. At first listen, they may come off as one of the most unintelligible things you’ll ever hear, but after you get over that aspect of it, you’ll start to find the beauty within some of their melodies and experimental surroundings. I’ll pitch you three songs to go listen to, and if you can’t get into them after hearing these, then it’s completely understandable, but at least now you’ll get them – Non-Alignment Pact, On The Surface and (PA) Ubu Dance Party. If you stray away from this fringe, it perhaps may get a bit weird for your taste.

Regardless, Pere Ubu was extremely influential to many artists who were, in turn, influential to Pearl Jam such as R.E.M., Pixies and Guided By Voices. On the second night of Nashville, Ed decided to pay tribute to Thomas by utilizing his original lyrics within a performance of Sonic Reducer. To the naked ear, it may not feel like that drastic of a change, because it isn’t. In the well known version of the song, the lyrics are “don’t need no good advice, don’t need no human rights” which had been changed from “don’t need no pretty face, don’t need the human race.” The other semi-significant change is the words ‘time machine’ were never written by Thomas, instead opting for ‘devil machine.’ Ed didn’t actually change that part, but the fact that he acknowledged the changes when the music industry as a whole were pretty silent about Thomas’ death speaks volumes and pays tribute to someone who certainly didn’t receive the praise he deserved when alive.

Another important note, Ed made an error in his introduction here. Detroit is home to many great punk bands, but the Dead Boys belonged to Cleveland, Ohio.

— Randy Sobel, Live On 4 Legs Host

14. My City Of Ruins – May 16, Pittsburgh, PA

While we all descended upon Pittsburgh for the final two shows of the Dark Matter tour, Bruce Springsteen had just kicked off his final leg of a three year tour in Manchester, England and there was a ton of news coverage over him coming out on the first show of the leg and retooling his show to be defiantly outspoken against Trump (heretofore referred to as 47). This became a national storyline and even elicited a direct response from 47. Bruce has a rich history of speaking his mind about what is going on in the world, and especially in the country. Over the last several years, he remained mostly silent in this realm. At a time when artists who have historically been outspoken were finding it too risky to do so in this climate, Bruce could no longer hold his tongue and came out on a mission, defiant, and with no fucks left to give. In fact, he came out and started addressing what was happening before playing a single note. Bruce NEVER starts a show like this! But this was not just him saying something at one point in the show, getting it out of his system, and moving on. He used a handful of moments throughout the show to address these issues that drove him to a breaking point (interestingly, with an international audience), and one of the key moments was during the song My City of Ruins.

Instead of losing something in the translation and/or oversimplifying Bruce’s message, here is what he said before My City of Ruins on that night:

“There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now. A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit President and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American. The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and, regardless of its faults, is a great country with a great people. So, we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, “In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough. Let’s pray.”

A song that was originally written about the state of disrepair of Asbury Park, New Jersey, which was so integral in Bruce’s formative years, took on a whole new meaning after 9/11, when the song was performed for the Tribute To Heroes telethon. Its “Come on Rise Up” refrain served as a beacon of hope and a call for not only action but for unity. Now, Bruce gave a whole new context and meaning for the song, with it taking on a layer of necessary defiance along with that unity.

As a massive Bruce fan, I typically hate when others cover Bruce, but Ed was always the one exception, and I generally think he can cover just about anything without issue. The band has done a handful of Bruce covers over the years (No Surrender, Growin’ Up, Open All Night, and Atlantic City). This would be the first tour proper cover of My City Of Ruins, although it was played in its entirety one other time at Sea.Hear.Now in 2021, and was actually tagged in Daughter at Seattle 1 in 2024. So there was a foundation for the choice of song from Bruce’s catalog. However, Ed didn’t just randomly pick this song because he felt like covering a Bruce song to show his support. Picking this particular song, two days after Bruce used this as one of his strongest moments of the night to speak his mind, was clearly purposeful. Plenty may have missed the context and simply looked at it as simply a new entry into the rotation of cover songs we’ve grown accustomed to watching them take on, but Ed picked THIS song for a reason. This was Ed expressing his solidarity in an understated way and picking up the baton to reinforce Bruce’s message. Ed did not speak on the matter before or after the song; he merely let it speak for itself, which was powerful in its own right if you knew the significance. Even if you didn’t, it was still a great moment that was a curveball in the Ed solo slot at the top of the encores. Ed definitely did the song justice, and it was packed with emotion.

Although not attached to the My City Of Ruins performance, it should be noted that on the second night of Pittsburgh, after the news outlets gave plenty of coverage to Bruce speaking out and 47’s subsequent response attacking Bruce, Ed felt the need to address it more directly right before Rockin’ In The Free World. Ed pointed out that the response had nothing to do with the issues Bruce raised, just personal attacks and threats to anyone else who uses their microphone. Ed was impassioned about how antithetical to the America we all know all of it was, and defended Bruce and how pro-American his values have consistently been. It was a great moment where Ed was very vocal in his support for Bruce and was one of the first of several artists (though still not close to enough) to come out and do so in the aftermath. If you have not heard Ed’s comments, it is an absolute must.

— Jason Weiss

13. Grievance – May 16, Pittsburgh, PA

For many reasons, the Dark Matter tour was my first PJ tour even though I have been a fan since 1991. When the spring 2025 tour was announced I decided to attend the last four shows, got the tickets and was elated. Then in February I sent the band a letter. It was a letter 33 years in the making, in which, among other things, I explained why Insignificance was so important to me and requested they play it in Pittsburgh. They played it in Nashville. I was not there, but listened on Sirius XM, and was quite disappointed.

Then in Raleigh on night two I was, for the first time, in the GA line. When asked what song I’d like them to play, I knew I should find an alternative and intuitively came up with Grievance. It’s just the right song for the moment in time we’re in. Grievance did not happen in Raleigh.

I was in the pit again for Pittsburgh. A fantastic show, with the hand trilogy played for the first time. Then, midway through the show, Ed decided to stray from the setlist and ask the audience what song we would like to hear next. 20,000 loud requests ensued. Then, all of a sudden, he just looks straight at me. I thought at first it was my Citizen Dick shirt. Then he asked me to choose a song. Without hesitation I yelled ‘Grievance’ (amplified by the sweet people around me). Matt was the first one to get it and quickly teased the drum intro. Ed did his banter (“if we fuck this up, it’s HER fault”) and they proceeded to play my song. Matt did fuck it up in the end, so everyone – my sincerest apologies for that!

After the song and just before Stone started the first chords of Daughter, Ed came close, fist-bumped me, and put his Clemente 21 guitar pick in my hand. For the next 24 hours I had to ask my friends if any of it really happened or if my inner 16 year old hallucinated the whole incident.

Oh, and they played Insignificance on night two!

— Noa Shaindlinger

12. The “Hand Trilogy” (Sleight Of Hand, Severed Hand, Upper Hand) – May 16, Pittsburgh, PA

“There’s a lot of people that have seen…maybe this is their 30th show, or their 20th show, or their 100th show. So, if you don’t know this one it’s only because it’s a rare one that we don’t normally play and, umm, but it’s one that I think about often. So this is for all the working class heroes.” – Eddie, before Sleight Of Hand

I’ve got to hand it to the band, they continually surprise us after all these years. But to set the stage, we first have to look at a moment on the tour from a few days earlier. Raleigh night one: Pearl Jam plays Upper Hand and Severed Hand back to back. Those of us that follow setlists perked up a little. Severed Hand in particular is not exactly commonplace these days. I remember thinking that was a pretty cool back to back run of songs.

Now fast forward to Pittsburgh night one. In a show filled with special moments on this list (including the song request that you just read about), the first sign that we were witnessing something special in Pittsburgh after a great opening run of songs came in the form of a trio of songs with something in common. Building on what occurred in Raleigh, the band not only played the aforementioned “Hand” songs, but they also included Sleight Of Hand. Sleight Of Hand, Severed Hand, Upper Hand. The “Hand Trilogy” made its debut and joined the historical grouping of songs with a theme to be played at a show along the lines of the “Man Trilogy” and “Mamasan”.

Pittsburgh got a proper Hand job.

— Brian Horwitz

11. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town – April 26, Hollywood, FL

I seem to recognize your… bass?

I want you to take a second and think about your favorite toy you used to play with as a child. It could be a truck that lights up or a video game that you spent countless hours trying to conquer. Every time you think about it, you get a sense of nostalgia that brings you back to a moment in your life of a much simpler time. Over the years, we’ve perhaps lost or misplaced pieces of our lives, whether it be in between moving to new homes or cleaning out to reduce clutter, it’s rare that we re-acquire everything that gave us comfort in our youth.

All of the reasons above are why this story of Jeff being reunited with his 1961 Fender Jazz bass that he used on Vs. is nothing short of astonishing. As the band received an invite to play Hollywood, Florida’s Hard Rock Casino from the Seminole Tribe, they were treated with immense respect with a ceremony prior to the shows, receiving special jackets given to them by the tribe. Ed made mention of Jeff’s work with indigenous tribes to build an estimated 42 skateparks on reservations in Montana. He was even given the nickname “Holds Water” by the community for his efforts. With Jeff giving back so much to the indigenous groups over the years, it was time for them to return the favor.

That 1961 Fender Jazz bass was returned at the end of the Vs. sessions, and for over 30 years, they had no idea where it went. But as Ed would mention, the Seminole Tribe members are custodians of history and kept the bass in pristine condition before reuniting Jeff with it in April. It’s a beautiful instrument, black with a shiny red, tortoise shell textured pick guard. It looks lighter than most of the basses he tends to use. Watching Jeff play this during Small Town looked like he was seeing an old friend for the first time in many years and picking up right where they left off. Seeing the look on his face as he held it in his arms was priceless. That’s the same look I’d assume any of us would have if we were reacquainted with an object from our youth, pure bliss.

The fact that he played it on Small Town, which he presumably used on the recording, has even more significance if you relate it to the lyrics. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is trying to recollect a memory of someone whom they used to converse with, but as time moves forward and age catches up with us, our memories fade and it becomes more difficult to reconnect. In the past I’ve loosely connected the character as someone stricken with Alzheimer’s disease, or at least in its earliest stages. I have seen first hand how that disease affects people and how it slowly deteriorates their brains to the point where they don’t even remember themselves. However, what’s fascinating to me is that music therapy has been said to be a calming influence on Alzheimer’s patients, even in some cases allowing for memories to be triggered just by hearing a song.

I believe that to even be the case in a more generalized sense. We are extremely lucky as a fanbase to have quality tracks from Pearl Jam’s live performances that we can go back to at our convenience to relive moments that can trigger a special memory. But it even goes beyond that. Hearing a song can bring you back to a certain point of your life where you remember where you were and what you were doing. For example, Into The Wild will forever be a special record to me. When my wife and I were in our first year of dating, we decided to go on a road trip of New England during the foliage season in early October. I just remember putting that album on as we were driving on secluded roads looking out towards the White Mountains of New Hampshire and feeling a sense of calmness and freedom from the world. Songs like Setting Forth and Guaranteed will always take me back to that moment as a happy period of my life.

For Jeff Ament, the fact that he was creating new music at such a young age at a time where so many people were excited to experience it, I’m certain that being reunited with his bass triggered back memories from those recording days in Northern California. In a recent video reveal posted to the Pearl Jam social media accounts, Jeff was nearly speechless when it was gifted back to him. He went on to say “it’s about as excited as I can get at this point in my life. If there’s one thing that was out there, this is it.” Even after all of these years, the music can still bring out the best in all of us.

If you were able to catch it, Jeff would bust it out from time to time on this tour during the end of set songs like Rockin’ In The Free World and Yellow Ledbetter. A musician’s instrument is a vital part of who they are and how their talents and sound have evolved over time. Being able to pick one up again after a long absence must’ve given Jeff a feeling of warmth, and a sense of coming full circle on his long, accomplished music career.

— Randy Sobel, Live On 4 Legs Host

10. Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing – May 18, Pittsburgh, PA

The crew had been thanked, the opening act back out for an encore, family members on stage to wave to the crowd, the crowd and city were thanked, the band members all given a chance to take a bow. All that was left was to cap the evening off in what started as the most traditional way one would expect. Mike McCready strumming on his well-worn 1960 Strat, the notes so reminiscent of yet legally distinct from Hendrix’s Little Wing, the song that inspired it. Yes, Yellow Ledbetter would once again close out a show, close out a tour, and unbeknownst to most in the room at the time, close out a career with the band. Sort of.

Stone Gossard, nothing to do really for the start of the song, just watched, his hand shading his eyes as he looked out into the crowd as McCready played lead on the tour’s coda. Nothing really out of the ordinary as the crowd, many linked in arms or slowly waving them over their heads suddenly stopped and realized McCready wasn’t just tagging Little Wing as he had done countless times before, but the band was joining in. Once Vedder’s vocals start, the mood shifts as people realize this is something special (but not Something Special).

This is far from a tag. The song progresses, and McCready, his eyes closed, his head back as if channeling Jimi’s spirit from beyond, treats that solo with as much love and reverence as he ever has for a piece of music. He takes very few liberties with it – often McCready makes a solo his own. But don’t think this is just a straight cover, either. Yes, there’s a LOT of Axis Bold as Love, but it’s also parts Albert Hall 1969 and Winterland 1968, but all played at the much faster tempo that Pearl Jam has always employed for Ledbetter. Not done, McCready tags in some Voodoo Child (Slight Return) licks as well at the end. The solo is a full, heartfelt love letter to one of Mike’s long-time idols. I remember seeing him perform as part of the Experience Hendrix tribute at San Diego’s Street Scene back in 2001 (cannot find a set list from then to save my life, but my mind remembers him doing “Killing Floor.”)

But if one looks past Mike for a moment (which isn’t easy), Jeff especially but also Stone and Eddie spend sometime jamming by Matt’s drum kit, facing him. Mike even joins them for a bit. It leads one to wonder in hindsight whether they all knew this was likely the last time they’d all be together on a stage, at least in this environment.

Vedder pops the champagne, and they all come out for a toast and some hugs. The crowds don’t budge, even as Eddie and Jeff spray them with bubbly. It should be noted that Jeff and Eddie drink from a bottle, while Stone takes a proper champagne flute, which is pretty indicative of their personalities.

It’s a fitting send-off for the longest tenured drummer the band has had, who had been behind the skins for 7 of their 12 albums (8 albums if you count Temple of the Dog). Matt had been around from the start, part of Gossard’s original demos that made it to a young surfer in San Diego via Jack Irons.

Nobody in that building knew if this was going to be the last time we’d see this band perform, the last song they’d play together. A hiatus was certainly ahead but when your band members are over 60, things can change quickly. I remember saying that exact thing after the show on the instant reaction podcast, unaware that Yellow Wing (as Vedder has appropriately dubbed it in the set lists) was to be.

Cameron’s swan song. It’s a bittersweet memory, but one to cherish. The Mighty Matt Fucking Cameron laid down his Pearl Jam sticks for the final time.

— Mike Cribier

9. Light Years – May 11, Raleigh, NC

A persistent theme that carves the river of the album Dark Matter is that of coming to terms with the life we are living through the lens of the life we have led. Perhaps no lyrical element resembles that more than “the distance to the end is closer now than it’s ever been.” On Sunday May 11th, Mother’s Day, the band paid tribute to a name that fans of back in the day and real old school bootleg tape traders would recognize, Tim “Skully” Quinlan.

Skully split time as Ed and Stone’s guitar tech from 1991 through 1996. After moving on from working in Pearl Jam’s crew he spent time doing tour work for a handful of bands before setting down permanently in Raleigh North Carolina in 2009, where he had lived off and on since 1981. From there he began to work with Live Nation events as the production manager for venues throughout North and South Carolina. Skully passed away unexpectedly on April 8, 2016, a mere 12 days before his 52 birthday, April 20th. Coincidentally, the 20th was the original show date for the cancelled Raleigh 2016 show.

As the band so often does, a spotlight was shone on an old friend by way of dedication to his wife Debra, and his two children Adah Pearl and Oliver, who were all in attendance. The band does not forget that they stand on the shoulders of a crew that is more a family than simply people in a traveling road show carnival of life. As a perfect nod to Skully, the band plays Light Years, poetically this calls back to April 8, 2016 where Light Years was a last minute add to encore 2 after the band learned of Skully’s passing. A gesture in person nearly a decade in the making, Skully remains with us though gone from this material world as one of the many lights that made the members of Pearl Jam stars.

— Patrick Boegel

8. Daughter – May 11, Raleigh, NC

Sometimes you have to draw the line when things are not right or just. Pearl Jam has never been averse to doing that. With a show of solidarity in a statement on April 18, 2016, the band announced it was canceling its concert two nights later in Raleigh, NC, in part because the “HB2 law that was recently passed is a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination against an entire group of American citizens. The practical implications are expansive and its negative impact upon basic human rights is profound. We want America to be a place where no one can be turned away from a business because of who they love or fired from their job for who they are.”

Later that same evening, I was in attendance at the band’s show in Hampton, VA, and was proud to hear Eddie’s thoughts on the decision to cancel.

“We just couldn’t find it in ourselves in good conscience to cross a picket line when there was a movement,” the lead man told the crowd as he dedicated the first song of Encore 1 — I Am A Patriot — to the LGBT military community in Hampton Roads. “So, we apologize to those in Raleigh; we apologize to those who were going to Raleigh; we apologize to the locals who probably believe in the same things we do. They have a reason to be pissed, and we’re pissed off too, but we have to be pissed off at the right people and get them to change their minds because they made a mistake, a big mistake.”

Pearl Jam eventually played its first show in Raleigh since 2003 earlier this year on May 11. Eddie had not forgotten, not about the canceled show, the perverse bill that attacked personal freedoms, or those who were most affected. During a 2-minute segue near the end of Daughter, he said, “I’m thinking about all the people who want to choose how they would like to be identified. And if this is indeed a land of the free, you gotta know that those folks, those folks are brave.”

The band wasn’t just siding with those who are just looking to be identified in the way they choose. It was hopeful that over time the naysayers would come around too. If they didn’t, well, they may need to be told how it was going to be.

“At some point they may need to demand, ‘Look I will identify you the way you would like to be identified. Please respect my heart; please respect my being; please respect my instinct. I’m trying to love myself,’ is what they’re saying,” Eddie said. “And they cannot love themselves unless they are themselves. We have lots of freedoms. It’s obvious that should be one.”

Damn right, Eddie. Let everyone be free and live how they choose. I was proud when my favorite band of all-time took a stand with the LGBT+ community and just as proud they wouldn’t let anyone forget about it years later.

— Jerry Trickie

7. Untitled/Carolina In My Mind – May 13, Raleigh, NC

My fist trip to North Carolina did not disappoint. After a random travel opportunity led me to catch half of an otherwise unplanned trip to attend the night one show, I was eagerly anticipating GA at night two with my show mate, Randy Sobel. And what a show it was, including a brief but memorable PJ moment. With a never before heard opener of Setting Sun, we knew we were in for a different set list that night. Carolina was definitely in our minds earlier in the show when Ed shared stories of how long it’s been since they played there (22 years), memories of previous venues played, bike rides etc. They shared regret that it had been so long since they’ve been back. It seemed like a definite tease to lead into a cover of Carolina in My Mind, in some shape or form, that was probable to occur. It wouldn’t be Ed’s first time covering a James Taylor song, but it would be a first for this. It seemed inevitable that he would appropriately take the opportunity to do so in Taylor’s home state. (Note: James Taylor is widely known for attributing Boston, MA as his hometown, but he had spent his formative years in North Carolina)

However, it wasn’t quite time yet. Six songs later, after a Waiting For Stevie variant dedicated to Stevie Wonder’s birthday, we got the Carolina In My Mind chorus attached to a partial Untitled. This was Untitled’s only appearance on this mini tour, and for me personally, only my second time catching it. Carolina, technically considered a tag, fit beautifully adjunct to Untitled. Ed invited everyone to join him in song to wrap it up as well. For two awesome minutes we reveled in the melding of the two songs that evoked a bittersweet and reflective mood before delving into the final, and arguably most energetic, portion of the main set list. Untitled/Carolina’s place in the setlist might have seemed like an interesting choice at the time, but looking back, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

I don’t necessarily share Ed’s comments about potentially living in North Carolina (I’m a western US kinda gal these past several years) but the two Raleigh Pearl Jam shows have definitely been in my mind a lot since May, and I would have no hesitation to catch them there again. And hopefully much sooner than another 22 years!

— Lori Jernberg

6. Hold On – May 11, Raleigh, NC

Back in 2022, I was lucky enough to win an incredible Pearl Jam experience through The All In Challenge. As part of it, I had the chance to meet Ed backstage and help create the setlist for the Camden show. My guest was my son and forever concert buddy, Dermot, who was 22 at the time and a musician himself. During our time with Ed—talking about how he builds a setlist and prepares for a show—Dermot handed him a letter. Inside was a simple request: the song Hold On. Ed took the note, smiled, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

At the very next show in Nashville, Dermot and I were in the pit about a dozen people back, fully caught up in the energy of the night. Near the end of the show during Alive, Ed climbed onto a speaker, scanned the crowd, spotted Dermot, and shouted, “Dermot! Hold on, hold on—we’ll play it next!” while miming the gesture. We were stunned—not only that he saw us, but that he’d actually read Dermot’s letter. How incredible is that? Though Hold On ultimately didn’t make it into that night’s encore (Ed even ran to Matt after Yellow Ledbetter to try to squeeze in one more), it was an unforgettable moment all the same.

In the years that followed, Dermot and I went to nine more shows together. Quietly, I made it my mission to get Hold On played for him—writing multiple times to the Ten Club, messaging Ed on Instagram, even reaching out to his wife Jill. Finally, after the 2025 Nashville night one show, when Ed mentioned a small venue called Dark Matter (DrkMtter), I sent one last email to the Ten Club, noting that Dermot’s band would be performing there in just a few weeks. And then it happened—at the Raleigh show on May 11, 2025, the band played Hold On. Once again, we were in the pit, and Dermot was in total disbelief. Ed mentioned that he didn’t think many people would know the song—but the crowd did, and they loved it. It was only the sixth time the song had ever been played live, and hearing it that night made it even more special. For me, seeing Dermot’s face at that moment was the best feeling in the world. After years of waiting and hoping, it came true—and as Tom Petty said, the waiting really was the hardest part.

— Richie Berg

5. Setting Sun – May 13, Raleigh, NC

One of the common discussions that we get into with friends as we’re waiting for a show to begin is coming up with a prediction as to what the opener is gonna be on any given night. If it feels like a greatest hits night, Release or Small Town might be the pick. If we’re feeling rarities, maybe we get Long Road or Can’t Keep. If they are playing at a location near the water, perhaps we’d get to hear Oceans kick it off. And on some occasions it can be based on weather as Wash has been known to open on nights when it rains. Every now and again, you get someone making an outlandish prediction that everyone has a laugh at. “What if they opened with Yellow Ledbetter or Dirty Frank?” It’s a ridiculous notion, but there have been enough times where Pearl Jam can play that card to shock the entire audience. Night two from Raleigh, North Carolina was one of those nights.

One of the hot button topics coming out of the 2024 tour was the placement of Setting Sun in the setlist. Nearly everyone that I spoke with resonated with the song, and thought that the utilization of it in the closer role was a perfect fit. But it wouldn’t continue in that spot past the first leg on the west coast with the band opting to use it in an earlier part of the encore on the other legs. The majority of fans that I’ve interacted with were disappointed, and thought that the song’s profound message gave shows a sense of finality. When it came back as the closer at the first show in Hollywood, there was hope that this would become part of the routine again, but it didn’t quite play out that way.

As the Raleigh show was about to begin, I livestreamed to the Pearl Jam Podcast Community group to build the hype and asked some people around me what they thought would start the night. I received some interesting answers, but none came close to reality. As the band took the stage, I heard this sort of ambient sound coming from Josh’s position. I racked my brain trying to think of what song this could possibly be, because it’s so unconventional to begin a night without a guitar strumming or drum beat. Before those drums kicked in, I had the code cracked. I looked to my friend Lori next to me and shouted “SETTING SUN?!?” and sure enough, it was.

It was an interesting feeling, maybe one that I had never felt from hearing an opener before. I was elated, excited and perplexed all at the same time. Setting Sun as an opener was so out of left field that I couldn’t make heads or tails as to why this was happening. There had to have been a reason. No Dark Matter songs had opened up a show since the run began last May, perhaps because the new graphics packages were heavily designed for those songs and the openers were all featured with a white background on this tour. The graphics were an essential part of Setting Sun’s stage presence.

After the show ended, it kept bugging me. I kept asking myself …why? While the answer didn’t come to me right away, I think it’s safe to say that with some hindsight it’s easier to create a hypothesis. Think about the lyrical content of the song. There are metaphors in there about getting older, seeing your friends and music brethren starting to leave this world and looking around and realizing that you’re one of the only ones still standing. The song may suggest that it may not be long before you join them, so hold on for dear life if you don’t want to lose it. Knowing what we know now, this feels like it’s a response to the knowledge that Matt Cameron had only three more shows left with this band. It’s possible that a lot of those feelings were going through Ed and the rest of the band members’ minds as the tour was winding down. What was going to happen next? How were we going to continue after this man gave us his heart and soul behind the kit for 27 years?

We didn’t know it at the time, but looking back at the tour, there are so many subtle hints that this would be the end of an era. Ed would say at this show that they didn’t like to have long goodbyes, but it was certainly appropriate given the nature of the situation.

— Randy Sobel, Live On 4 Legs Host

4. So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star – April 24, Hollywood, FL

Covers within the last couple of years have felt a little harder to come by since the setlists have significantly been reduced. You’ll still get the obvious ones; Baba, Rockin’ In The Free World and Crazy Mary are always gonna be there. But it’s become tough to hear some of the old school covers that were played a long time ago when they were a huge factor in why collectors sought out certain bootlegs. To find Pearl Jam covering this classic from The Byrds (which Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also famously performed) back in the day, you’d have to pick up the popular bootlegs from the November 1995 run in San Jose and San Diego. The San Jose version was one of the first appearances of Ben Harper on a Pearl Jam stage.

The song has only been played eight times with the previous one coming fifteen years ago at Jazz Fest. So if it feels kind of random to pop up in this small theater in south Florida, I guess on the surface you’d be right. However, there’s a reason for it that makes total sense, just like Setting Sun, in hindsight after we know what we know now.

Back in 2009, they played this in Ed’s hometown of San Diego. During the bridge, Ed tells this fantastic story about how he knew he wanted to be a rockstar. He spoke about telling one of his former bosses that he wanted to shave his head into a Mohawk because he was doing the whole punk band thing while working as a supervisor for midnight shift security and gas pump detail (his exact words). The boss was seemingly cool with it as long as he wore a hat on the job, but the story explained some of Ed’s journey that got him to where he is today.

The origin of the song comes off as a warning to young kids who aspire to pick up a guitar and play that it’s not as glamorous as it may seem. It paints the record industry in a realistic light with a blunt message that you’ll need to sell your soul in order to make it. But when you’re Pearl Jam and you’ve been around for 35 years, playing the song takes on a new meaning. It’s a celebration of being thankful to have paid your dues, and throughout all of the bullshit that you’ll have to endure, being in a rock band is an absolute privilege.

In this version, Ed once again takes the bridge to address the crowd, but this time he encourages all of the young kids in the audience to go out and start a band with their friends. He takes a moment to recall how doing this has allowed him to see the world, meet people from all walks of life and get to do something that he genuinely has so much love and passion for. Once again, we know what the theme of this tour was about in hindsight. This was Ed’s first subtle message of the tour that was part of a long goodbye to friend and longtime bandmate, Matt Cameron. The entire band is thankful to still be doing this into their 60s, and without Cameron’s sheer force behind the kit for 27 years, who knows how long this band would’ve continued to wreck havoc on the stage.

Thankfully, it wasn’t just this year that Ed showered Matt with his appreciation and admiration. For years we’ve heard Ed wax poetically about the man after a song like Even Flow saying something along the lines of him being the Lamborghini engine that ignites this band, and on some occasions, he’d mention that they wouldn’t be there without him. We don’t know what the future may bring with a brand new drummer in 2026, but it’s guaranteed that they will have massive shoes to fill as the band approaches a brand new era.

— Randy Sobel, Live On 4 Legs Host

3. Wishlist/Comes Then Goes – May 18, Pittsburgh, PA

Coming off an otherwise-typical Once that ended in a nice flourish from Matt, the band quickly kicks right into the opening plucks of Wishlist and it quickly settles into a comfortable, familiar groove. Ed acknowledges both the grateful crowd (“I wish I were the sound, of all the Steel Town’s hands open and up towards the sky… oh, it’s beautiful!”) before yielding to a glimmering, ethereal bridge. Jeff’s bass tone resonates beautifully, very Jeremy-like.

Mid-song, things start to stretch out and slow down a bit. I wish I was the verb to trust, and I never let you down… oh, oh down, down, down, down, down… into by some gorgeous, bluesy licks. Then, Ed improvs:

I wish you could come back again…
Climb more trees with you old friend…

Those three little words contained so much: much of our group’s conversation that day was, of course, surrounding the fact that today was the anniversary of the passing of Chris Cornell. It was impossible to not speculate, to not wonder – would Ed make mention? Would the band pay homage? Unsurprisingly, Matt was wearing his Chris-bucks (Starbucks) shirt, putting a smile on all of our faces. But for all of the conjecture, none of us saw a reference to the Fenway Park In My Tree story coming, much less what was next.

In the basement we turn it up loud…
Take more long walks under the cloud…
Hear the sound of your old crow…
We want more of your old crow…
Send a sign… make you proud… send me a sign…

It seemed that we were getting more of Ed’s heart, more of the Fenway story… but what he closed with, was anything but improv – and our jaws dropped.

…comes… comes and goes…. comes and goes… comes and goes…….

Then the song fades out, and they move on to start Rearviewmirror, as though one of the most important moments of the entire Dark Matter tour hadn’t just happened. To be honest, I don’t even remember the first third of Rearviewmirror. Can’t say that’s ever happened before.

— Aaron Redmond

2. Black -May 8, Nashville, TN

Pearl Jam’s concert in Nashville was an extraordinary event that will linger in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to attend. The band, known for its electrifying performances and deep connection with fans, truly outdid itself this time, especially with the special guest appearance of guitar legend Peter Frampton during the performance of one of Pearl Jam’s most iconic tracks, Black.

From the moment the lights dimmed, and the first notes reverberated through the arena, it was clear that this was going to be a night to remember. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement, and a palpable energy felt throughout the venue. From the first song, fans erupted into cheers, knowing they were in for a treat. As the band launched into their set, each song resonated with the audience, creating a powerful communion between Pearl Jam and their loyal followers.

But the real magic began when Peter Frampton took the stage. The very second his unmistakable guitar playing joined Eddie Vedder’s in the opening lines of Black, the crowd collectively held its breath. Frampton’s soulful guitar work intertwined seamlessly with the emotional depth of the song, creating a moment that felt almost surreal. For many, including myself, it wasn’t just a guest performance; it was a heartfelt collaboration that transcended the music itself.

The interplay between the band members was nothing short of mesmerizing. You could see the joy in Mike’s eyes as he and Peter exchanged smiles and nods of mutual respect. It was a poignant reminder of the shared journey of musicians, the struggles, the triumphs, and the singular passion for music that binds them. The audience’s appreciation was evident in their shouts and applause, and you could sense that the band was feeding off this energy, enhancing the performance with every chord change and lyric sung.

As a guitar player, witnessing Peter Frampton’s artistry live was profoundly inspiring. His technique and expressiveness are unparalleled and watching him play brought a renewed sense of purpose to my own musicianship. Each note he played during Black seemed to tell a story, capturing the raw emotion that the song embodies. For aspiring guitarists like myself, seeing a master at work reinforced the idea that music is not just about technical ability but also about conveying emotion and connecting with others.

The song’s lyrics, coupled with this unexpected collaboration, took on a deeper meaning. Black has always been a poignant reflection on loss and longing, but with Frampton’s guitar solo soaring through the song, it transformed into a celebration of connection and resilience. You could feel the audience collectively reliving their own experiences with love and heartache, all while being uplifted by this moment of unity on stage.

As the song concluded, the applause was thunderous, echoing the profound impact it had on everyone present. It was as if the venue had become a sanctuary where emotional walls melted away, leaving only the music and shared experience behind. The moment encapsulated why live music is so powerful—it has the ability to bring people together, heal wounds, and create memories that stay with us long after the lights go down.

Pearl Jam continued their set, but the energy from Frampton’s appearance lingered, enriching the entire performance. Each song thereafter felt infused with new passion, as if the band had been reminded of the magic that occurs when talented artists come together to share their craft.

In reflection, attending this show was not just about watching a concert; it was an experience that resonated deeply on both a personal and collective level. For me, as a guitarist, it reinforced the notion that the heart of music lies in collaboration and connection. Each strum and each note played during Black served as a reminder of the beauty of live performance—the shared moments that turn into lifelong memories.

Thank you, Pearl Jam and Peter Frampton, for an unforgettable evening. It will undoubtedly be etched into my memory as a testament to the transformative power of music and the enduring bonds it creates.

— Javier Hervas, Live On 4 Legs Co-Host

1. Hunger Strike – May 18, Pittsburgh, PA

When the 2025 tour dates were announced, one of the first things I noticed was that the final night fell on the anniversary of Chris Cornell’s death. Since Cornell’s death, there had been a show scheduled in 2022, which was canceled, and there was one last year in Vegas, in which the only real acknowledgement was Matt wearing a Chris Cornell/Starbucks shirt. Knowing that there was a ton of emotion tied into this, and it was understandable that Ed wasn’t necessarily ready to address it, even in a subtle way, that night.

But it felt like this year was going to be different, as there were various points as the tour unfolded after that Vegas show, where Ed started addressing personal losses. He stopped Long Road in Los Angeles to address the loss of his Uncle John. He generally addressed those he wished were on the guest list in Seattle, clearly referencing the (too many) friends who left us way too early. But the one that was most explicit was at Fenway night one, where Ed told an emotional story about how he and Chris would climb trees together in Lincoln Park (in Seattle) and how it was great to enjoy the quiet and isolation, being able to hang out alone and talk. He talked about how he had recently gone back to climb the tree (which they called The Green Monster) again on his own, the first time without Chris, and it wasn’t as fun, but it brought back a lot of memories. Ed said he started to tear up (and he did so on stage as he was saying it), and then, as if Chris was on the branch next to him, he heard “It’s okay,” and then he launched into In My Tree. It was a significant and emotional moment that represented the first time that Ed had directly addressed the loss of Chris since his death.

So with this show falling at the end of the tour, it just felt like there would be SOME kind of acknowledgment of Chris, whether directly or not. If he did, my unrealistic hope was for Hunger Strike, which was well beyond being a white whale at this point. I missed it by one show in 2009 in Los Angeles, when Cornell came up to join to play the song and I had long since come to terms with the fact that I’d never see it live. If they hadn’t done it for the first time since Cornell’s death in Sydney to end the tour last year, it would be crazy to think this could be on the table. But there’s one thing that I DID know. If I wasn’t there, the chances of Hunger Strike being played was 100%. If I was there, there was probably only a slightly higher than the normal 1%. There was no way I wasn’t going to be in the building for this show!

Before the tour started, I had a plan, but one that was unlikely to have any success, as I didn’t know if I’d be close enough for it to have any impact. I wore a shirt for Night 1 that had the Wonder Bread typeface and said, “Don’t Mind Stealing Bread.” Well, it turned out I not only ended up in GA for that night, but on the rail on Stone’s side. But honestly, I didn’t think I had a shot in hell that anything could happen, and I’d have to get incredibly lucky to get Ed’s attention at some point. I didn’t give it much though once the show started, as I wasn’t going to allow any focus to be taken away from being fully present on the show.

A few songs after having an incredibly emotional moment during Man of the Hour, I had a moment where Ed locked eyes with me and smiled. This was a moment that was a combination of “Is he looking at ME?” and total paralysis. I smiled back and then instinctively drew his attention to my shirt. I’m well aware that the request is an asshole request, given the emotion that is baked into that song. Ed read what my shirt said and reacted positively, giving me a hand gesture (no, not that one) and shook his head affirmatively. It was either him conveying that it was a good idea and he was taking it under advisement, or it was him saying that he was already on it. Regardless, just having that moment was cool enough, and if it didn’t get played at night two, that would stand as a win, getting him to see and acknowledge the shirt/request. I would always remember that.

On night two, during Wishlist, Ed shocked us all when he tagged Comes Then Goes, which is the only Gigaton song to never be played live, in clear acknowledgment of Chris, which was preceded by other ad-libbed lyrics of Ed speaking to Chris, which also included a reference to the Boston In My Tree story, with him saying “I wish you could come back again. Climb more trees with your old friend…” Comes Then Goes was highly speculated whether Ed was going to acknowledge Chris tonight, too. If not tonight, then it surely would never be played. Tagging it onto Wishlist seemed like this was going to be a singular occurrence as far as anything for Chris for the night. It was a special and emotional moment, and at this point, I (mostly) felt like the ship had sailed on Hunger Strike. At this point, I was convinced that the one big remaining knockout punch instead of Hunger Strike would be Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, which would’ve been amazing since Javi flew in last minute for this show and it is HIS white whale (sorry Javi!).

After Future Days, which Ed did solo at the top of the encore, the band started to ready themselves to play the next song and you could hear Stone play 3 notes, and I immediately had the holy shit moment before the holy shit moment, after recognizing that they were indeed about to fucking play Hunger Strike and instinctively yelled, “No fucking way!” Then the band launched into the song and I just about lost my shit along with everyone else in the building. During the song, they had the aforementioned Chris Cornell/Starbucks symbol up on the screens, which happened to be on the shirt I was wearing that night. The crowd was fully appreciative of getting the song and what it meant that night in paying tribute to Chris. When I heard the Sydney version, I was surprised at the lack of reaction from that crowd as a whole, but this moment was not lost on the Pittsburgh crowd, who were highly engaged and singing every word of the song, and particularly strong when Ed handed it over to the crowd to sing “I’m going hungry” part that would normally be sung by Chris. It was a special moment and one of the absolute highlights of, not just the two Pittsburgh shows, but the entire tour. At the time, we had no idea we had just witnessed Matt’s last show, but the inclusion of this song on what THEY knew was his last night and on the anniversary of Chris’s death would certainly seem to make sense that this song was always in the cards for this occasion.

Last year, we had two moments in Ohana with Whale Song and Gremmie Out of Control, that had NEVER been played and showed us that there really aren’t any songs that are definitively off the table. Up until Sydney, Hunger Strike was one that still felt like it may be off limits given the emotion and the difficulty of how to handle Chris’s part. But this is what is so great about this band. Whether a song has this emotional weight that would potentially shy away from it or is just obscure, nothing is truly off limits. It is a testament of how much they love their fan base that they find a way to pull something like this off that isn’t easy emotionally, nor is it easy to execute.

Hunger Strike has always been one of my favorites, but it never was necessarily one that was emotional for me the way other songs do, I just love the song. However, on this night, it brought out the emotion, as it has every subsequent time I listen to it, perhaps from the overall emotion of the night and the entire Pittsburgh experience. It will go down as one of my favorite moments that I’ve witnessed at a Pearl Jam show.

— Jason Weiss

Closing Thoughts on Pearl Jam’s 2025 Tour

And that’s a wrap for 2025! I hope you all enjoyed this list and were able to relive some of these memories that we should be talking about for years to come. A big thank you goes out to everyone who contributed their write ups to this list. We are thankful that every year we keep finding talented storytellers to recount their memories and share them for you guys. This year was one of the best yet!

A big thank you also goes out to Jake Malone who took time out of his life to help out with preparing the videos in order to share with you all. Please follow his channel Jakeflix and check out the playlist he created for all of the performances on the list.

And in case you missed it, check out the playlist featuring the video countdown that we did on YouTube revealing this list!

Well, while there may be some uncertainty in the future of Pearl Jam for the time being, anyone who’s been following for a long time knows that when faced with adversity, the band doesn’t back down from a challenge. We may not know our drummer at this current moment, but once everything falls into place, this band is going to thrive. Just like they’ve done for the last 35 years. Hoping for a great tour in 2026 and more memories to cherish that will live on for a lifetime!

Top 25 of 2025 Playlist