Gear Garage: Ep. 2 – Deconstructing an Anthem (Pt. 1)

In episode 2 of the Gear Garage, our Guru breaks down three of Pearl Jam’s most anthemic songs – Alive, Corduroy and Given To Fly, and talks about how the band is able to translate very powerful studio album tracks into cathartic live anthems. It’s another fascinating example of Javier’s ability to read and recognize the sum of a song’s parts and narrowly focus on the different elements that make it special. Give this a listen!

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Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 8 – Austin Night 2

Ladies and gentlemen, Pearl Jam fans, listeners of the podcast – It’s finally come down to this. An 8-show tour was never going to last forever, but the memories that this band has created throughout this stretch of shows has created a lifelong imprint in our minds and hearts. We’ve talked all tour about the band mixing up their setlists busting out songs from bygone eras and albums that never get the respect they deserve. That setlist management set the bar extremely high for the final night of the tour in Austin. But since so much has already been played, what was left for them to do?

Wash opener? Check.

One last ride with Gigaton? Perhaps Never Destination’s swan song. Check.

2000s album representation? Riot Act, 1/2 Full. Check. Avocado, Unemployable. Check.

More deep cuts, No Code? Habit, check. Who You Are, good lord… Check.

A semi-deep cut with local ties? Pelicans, check.

A new cover? Imagine, bleh.

Okay, how about Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Throwns? Land of 1,000 checks.

There were no lack of unforgettable moments that happened on this night. Once again, we invite Hallucinogenic Recipe co-host Patrick Boegel along with Patron Eddie Quintana to share their instant reaction analysis. We’ll talk about the tone that was set with Ed doing Throw Your Arms Around Me in the pre-set, the power of songs like Black and Rearviewmirror, the many surprises as mentioned above and most importantly, the end of the Gigaton tour with a new album on the horizon.

We’ll also pay tribute to a dear friend who couldn’t get a fair shake this tour. We must seek justice.

Thank you all for tuning into these reaction episodes. We wanted them to feel like you were getting the best and most detailed analysis of what was happening right before our eyes and the only way to do that was to involve the folks who lived it all to share it all. Thank you for the many of you who signed up to Patreon for this very reason. We hope you all can stay around for a while!

This was a legendary tour. I’m just glad that we all got to be a part of it!


Episode 251: Lawrence, KS – 5/2/1992

With a busy weekend covering the final three Pearl Jam shows of the 2023 tour, we’ve decided to make this week’s episode a little bit on the shorter side so we could focus our attention on the Texas shows rather than spend nights heavily editing. So to do that, we had to go back to an era that had significantly smaller sets. Which is why we chose a show from the University of Kansas campus that took place as Pearl Jam was firmly on the rise back in May of 1992. With this little gathering marketed as “Day On The Hill” by the University, they paid the band $3,000 to play this show. It was booked back in January of 1992 when Alive was their only song in circulation, but as the next five months rolled around, no one in Lawrence, Kansas expected this show to be this huge. 18,000 students took over the little outdoor park venue as the band continued their meteoric ascension.

Now it’s pretty clear that what was documented from this day is actually an incomplete show. We’ll get into the details of all that in the episode, but what we do get to see is your classic 1992 affair – the band bouncing around the stage at high energy, crowd surfers galore, songs played at full intensity and of course, stage climbing antics from one Eddie Vedder. The scene is very similar to one set a few months later at home in Seattle for the legendary Drop In The Park show. When Porch breaks into it’s solo, Ed assesses the situation and climbs all the way up to the top of the stage to go swinging. It’s always a sight to behold, and we’ll break down every step of the journey.

We’ll also go through a summary of the tour up to the point of recording, and for those of you who like to study up beforehand, we release our entire rest of the year episode schedule for 2023! But most importantly, our Gear Guru is back! Javier will check in on versions of Why Go and Porch from this day.


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 7 – Austin Night 1

Our last stop of the tour is for two nights down in Austin, and night 1 had no lack of memorable moments. We talk to Patrick Boegel and friends from site only minutes after the show ended to get their take on how it all went down. From a Vitalogy heavy night, to two Riot Act tour debuts, to the inconceivable Out Of My Mind making it’s return for the 5th time, this conversation will cover everything from top to bottom.

And once again our saga continues with our friends Will and Jo… is the third time a charm? Did they get to enjoy Outback Steakhouse yet? The suspense must be killing you! Tune in to find out the answers to all of the tough questions.

One more show tomorrow. If only this could last forever…


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 6 – Ft. Worth Night 2

With Matt back on the team tonight, the moment was ripe for there to be a memorable night 2 show in North Texas. We got another bevy of tour debuts from songs that some people maybe NEVER expected to be played again, and plenty of amazing moments involving fan interactions. Anthony from Touring Fan Live was on site yet again to help us break it all down with a cast of characters that had a blast. Including our returning New Zealand friends. Have they tried Outback yet?! You best bet they get asked about that!

I promise that there will not be a lot of complaining from yours truly. Yes, most of you that are in the know understand that the reason why I had planned to go to these shows circled around one singular song that was played this evening. Covid can seriously go fuck itself. When this band goes out on tour next year, we all need to write a letter to the 10 Club to ask if they can make Brain Of J happen at a show we’re all at together. For real, I need to hear this song before this all goes away. Just once. But yeah, not a lot of complaining, I promise!

There are a few audio issues sprinkled throughout, they are manageable, but I just wanted to make you all aware that this was unfortunately the hand we were dealt with. And of course, it was all on my end. What a fucking night, right? Enjoy the coverage.


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 5 – Ft. Worth Night 1

A newsworthy show took place down in Ft. Worth, Texas last night as for the second year in a row, Matt Cameron is sidelined by Covid and Josh Klinghoffer jumps in to replace him. Randy joins John from the Live On 4 Legs headquarters as he also sat out Ft. Worth due to his own Covid diagnosis, but we have Anthony Krysiewicz from Touring Fan Live joined by friends of the community direct from site to share their full reaction to the show. They’ll rundown the set, shared where Josh excelled and struggled, talk heavy Yield and no Gigaton songs, and a random appearance from Cat Woman.

We’ll also discuss some of Ed’s cryptic phrasing at the end of the show that may cast doubt on a second show happening Friday night.


Episode 250: Austin, TX – 9/16/1995

As the 2023 tour continues to move from north to south, we’re gonna get you prepared for the Austin shows by covering the last non-festival show that was played in the Texas capital way back in 1995. This was a make-up show for the postponed date that stemmed from Ed’s bout of food poisoning back at the Golden Gate Park show. This show in Austin had it’s own fair share of controversies, including a set time change that threw a large portion of the fans off that thought that 7pm was the start to the show.

This barnburner of a set will have two major talking points – Mike and Jack. Jack Irons was clearly in a groove after nine months of playing and traveling with the band, and while not every song had been fully polished just yet, you can see what spots Jack was having a major influence on and where he thrived the most. Mike on the other hand had numerous moments where his guitar solos shot out of the amps like a cannon on fire. We’re gonna gush over Mike’s presence on songs such as Go, Animal, Corduroy, Why Go, Even Flow, State Of Love And Trust, Immortality, Black and Porch. No shortage of conversation there!

We’ll kick off the episode addressing the recent Indianapolis show postponement and what this may mean for the rest of the 2023 tour.


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 4 – Chicago Night 2

Randy (again live from the United Center) and John break down everything that happened on night 2 in Chicago right after the show ended. An emotional Come Back, Present Tense, the returns of Tremor Christ, Green Disease, and Marker in the Sand, Chris Chelios getting his jersey in the rafters, and a hell of a lot of songs from Ten! Lots of guests on this one, thanks everybody!


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 3 – Chicago Night 1

Randy (live from the United Center) and John go live immediately after the show to discuss an epic night in Chicago, from Release to Corduroy, Light Years to In My Tree, RVM for Frans, and all the stories and sounds from one that will be hard to top. Thanks to all our special guests for joining in!


Episode 249: Live On 4 Legs 5-Year Anniversary Special

There are only about 20% of podcasts that make it past 14 episodes. 12% of all podcasts end after their first episode and another 6% don’t make it past two. Which is why we are extremely proud to be here with you on the 5th anniversary of our podcast coming to life! As we started in 2018, it took a long time to develop a following and catch the ear of the Pearl Jam fan. While our resume with the show is lengthy, the only thing we need to be proud of is the support from those who have impacted this show throughout the duration it’s been around.

We’ll share a little bit of our history, discuss our favorite accomplishments and talk to our wonderful friends who are vital to this podcast’s existence. In this episode, you’ll hear from:

Matt Helbig – Original Co-Host

Patrick Boegel and Brian Horwitz – Hallucinogenic Recipe

Javier Hervas – The Live On 4 Legs Gear Guru

Dave JanTausch – livefootsteps.org

Aurelien Moureaux – LO4L Superfan

Martin Higgins – Pearl Jam Scotland

Tanya Kang – Pearl Jam Fan Portraits

Chris Everett – liveon4legs.com Builder

Kevin ORourke – Fundraiser For Cystic Fibrosis

Enjoy the walk down memory lane, and more importantly, enjoy the shows!


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 2 – St. Paul Night 2

Our first double show run is complete! Let’s look at night 2 from St. Paul and see what the LO4L Faithfull thought. A bold statement was made from our own Patrick Boegel – this was the best main set that he’s seen since 2006. There’s a lot of weight to that statement, and we asked some of our friends on site if they agreed. The answers and the story of the experiences shared here are very interesting to break down.

We have a ton of stories from the GA and rail, and yet again our good friend Mar got to connect with a band member for the second night in a row. From big moments such as the Brain Damage intro into I Am Mine, Purple Rain to close the show and a song from every album played, we’ll learn what everyone’s favorite moments were here. See you in Chicago!


Pearl Jam 2023 Tour Reaction: Ep. 1 – St. Paul Night 1

Well now, we’ve got one show under our belt and plenty to discuss here! Randy and John are joined by correspondent and Patron Kirk Walton and friends live on site in the Twin Cities to react to everything that went down on a very memorable night one. We’ll get the reaction to the improbable opener of Indifference, the stories and emotion that Ed displayed during powerful performances of Wildflowers and Love Boat Captain (dedicated to Maui) and big moments such as the return of Insignificance after 7 years of absence! We’ll also get to hear how two fans with sequin jackets got to be a part of the show, and how Ed recognized a sign held by our Patron, Mar Vigil. Enjoy the first episode! 1 down, 8 to go!


Episode 248: Birmingham, AL – 9/3/1998

It’s tour time! We’ve been hyping it up for the last few months, and this episode is the last before the 2023 tour kicks off! We’ll begin the episode talking about the possibilities of what may happen and whether or not there are new songs tossed into the mix. For up to date tour instant reaction episodes, please direct to our Patreon where that content can be found – http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

But let’s not bury this excellent show out of Alabama! Highly regarded as one of the best sounding bootlegs of 1998, it’s a great show to have available in this high of quality. Having never been to this part of the deep south before, the band puts together an inspired performance where we argue the difficulty of choosing an MVP between Ed, Mike and Matt. Stellar performances here. We’ll spend some time breaking down the laser show eminating from the Porch solo, a very aggressive Immortality, Footsteps in an unusual spot played middle of the set, and a powerful Given To Fly that sounds like a 2003 or 2006 version rather than 1998. But the moment that everyone will remember from this show is the Dueling Banjos intro leading way to Corduroy. Was it a little too on the nose for the location?

Sad to say that we won’t be hearing from Javier this week who needed to rest before making his way to St. Paul. But we do have Patrick and Brian from Hallucinogenic Recipe who will take a glimpse into the background behind this bootleg, and the switchover from cassette to CD-R that took place in the trader circuit during this year.


Gear Garage: Ep. 1 – Deconstructing Avocado (Pt. 1)

LO4L Patrons, it’s my pleasure to introduce to you the first episode in a brand new series featuring the Gear Guru Javier Hervas’ very own show! He’ll take you inside his Gear Garage and go through some of his favorite aspects of songs and break down how the band created the recognizable tones you’ve grown to love.

In the Pilate episode, Javier will be deconstructing the Avocado record, or as we like to say around here – the JAVocado record! Join him as he’ll isolate the guitars on Life Wasted, Army Reserve and Come Back to show you guys some of the band’s thought processes on the record. Give us a holler, if you enjoyed this and would like to see more, shoot Javier a comment down below!

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Episode 247: Pittsburgh, PA – 8/25/1998

It’s time for our third trip to the Steel City this year! After covering 2000 and 2003 in the spring, we’re going to focus on the tour year that preceded those shows in 1998. Want to hear something kind of shocking? This was their first show in Pennsylvania since Lollapalooza 1992! With the 1994 and 1996 tours that traveled through the northeast, it’s kind of insane that they never hit Pittsburgh or Philadelphia during that time frame. But they make it up to all of yinz by putting together an energetic show where Ed’s intensity is all full force. And we get the live debut of No Way!

With the 2023 tour now a week away, we’ll spend some time discussing some of our thoughts about what could go down, suggesting that perhaps the Metallica method that was popularized this year may be an influence. But tying that into Pittsburgh, what’s great about this show is that we have a soundcheck in our possession. We’re discussing it at the right time because listening to it and hearing the rain and thunder rumbles makes you a little bit homesick for the live Pearl Jam atmosphere. Especially when Ed performs Throw Your Arms Around Me in the pre-set. The rest of the show features classic versions of songs like Black and Do The Evolution, as well as a Rearviewmirror that has a bridge unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time. We’ll also talk about an Easter Egg from this show that’s made the rounds over the years featuring Ed in a different perspective.

Gear Guru segments this week will focus on Stone’s vibrant solo on Brain Of J, Mike’s energy on Alive and a glimpse into why No Way may have never worked out live as well as you’d might think.


Hallucinogenic Recipe: Ep. 6 – November 1995

It’s time for another first look at a brand new episode of Hallucinogenic Recipe! In this show, Patrick and Brian discuss the one of the best weeks of shows in Pearl Jam history from November of 1995. All dates being made up after weather postponements and the Polo Fields incident saw the band starting off with two show in Salt Lake City, then heading down to San Jose for one, and finishing up with two shows in San Diego. They’ll talk about the recordings and their time collecting these shows and will focus on the best performances from this run. Great stuff as always, so enjoy!

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Episode 246: Barrie, ONT, CA – 8/22/1998

We’ve done extensive coverage of the 2003 Riot Act tour celebrating the 20th anniversary this year. Now it’s time to celebrate the anniversary of another major tour in Pearl Jam history – 1998! We kick off a 3-episode Yield tour stretch with an outdoor festival show that took place in Barrie, right outside of Toronto. With Cheap Trick as the supporting act on tour at this time, there are multiple instances where the band gives a subtle nod to their rock heroes, including Mike using Rick Nielsen’s guitar for State Of Love And Trust.

Our Patron Alex Sink joins us for this episode to tell his story of what went down that day. For a bootleg that had a tough time capturing the identity of the show and with no visual aides available, Alex is able to take us back to what that scene was like. A rowdy crowd of over 30,000 created dirt clouds and mud as the mosh pits were in full force on this one. And the band was clearly in a good mood after watching Cheap Trick on the side stage. Ed makes multiple mentions of how great this crowd was, and even addressed some of the craziest fans he had ever seen in the parking lot during an extended version of Leatherman. We also have the world debut of the Do The Evolution music video that happens at this show with the band performing while the images are shown on a screen behind them.

If you love Matt Cameron, this may be the episode for you! Get ready for five moments that we’ve dubbed the ‘filthy fills’ that will be featured throughout this show! Our Gear Guru segments will featured Javier talking about the lack of overdrive pedal from this tour and how Mike would make adjustments on Even Flow and Yellow Ledbetter, and he’ll also discuss Mike’s using Rick Nielsen’s guitar during State Of Love And Trust.


Episode 245: Chicago, IL – 8/23/2009

We are less than a month away from seeing Pearl Jam take the stage for nine shows in September, and there’s possibly no bigger stage than the one set for Ed’s hometown of Chicago. As Wrigley Field has dominated the tour runs for the last ten years, the band is finally returning to the United Center for the first time since 2009, which is the show we’ll be digging into in this episode. It was right before the Backspacer record came out, and while not every song had been released yet, it was somewhat of a showcase for songs such as The Fixer, Got Some and Supersonic. With Randy in attendance for the night two of this back to back, he gives some insight as to what was going on this weekend and some of the buzz coming out of night one.

As all Chicago shows are, this is a true homecoming for Ed where he will reference fond memories of his youth on multiple occasions. He ties it in nicely when classic Who songs Love Reign O’er Me and The Real Me are played due to spending lots of cold nights listening to them on his walkman waiting for the L train. He’ll also tie in a story about some of his earliest loves of music coming in the form of listening to Motown and idolizing Michael Jackson, who had died that summer. There is a nice dedication to Michael during Ed’s rendition of Needle and the Damage Done, and a version of Rats featuring a short intro tease of the Michael Jackson song that’s referenced at the end, Ben. And of course, he’ll give nod to the Bulls championship banners in the rafters. As Ed would deem this show to be an emotional ride from the very beginning, we’ll get to hear those kind of songs such as Long Road, Come Back and Man Of The Hour utilized in this set.

Many thanks to Patron Andy Lore who requested this show! Our Gear Guru segments this week will get into a buzzy Mike solo on Sad, how Given To Fly and other songs guitar tone on this tour felt flat, and how Stone’s rigged strumming was the backbone for a fantastic version of Love Reign O’er Me.

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Episode 244: Saratoga Springs, NY – 8/27/2000

Toga! Toga! We’re heading to upstate New York to cover Pearl Jam’s last show to date at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, aka SPAC. It’s a widely popular venue, one in which jam bands such as Phish and Dave Matthews Band have frequented, and as Ed would mention in this show, it was an early Lollapalooza tour venue back in 1992 when they played alongside Soundgarden. Glad he kept the shirt.

This show comes right off the heels of a major turning point from the Binaural tour – The Jones Beach shows. The legendary Daughter performance with the It’s OK tag, forever enshrined on the Touring Band 2000 DVD, marked as a healing moment for the band during the toughest period in their history. This show getting off to a hot start was a sign that the band was starting to loosen up and learn how to have a little fun on stage again. Breakerfall, Whipping, Spin The Black Circle, Hail, Hail, Corduroy and In My Tree are the first six songs of the night, and they absolutely do not disappoint. Add in an experimental Rearviewmirror to close the main set and a combination of Black/Yellow Ledbetter to this night, there are a lot of signature moments that make this show stand out. Oh yeah, and the nudist lava lamp inventor… him too.

We’ll hear stories from our Patron, Andrew Famulare, as well as Patrick and Brian from Hallucinogenic Recipe who were both at this show in the same section, but didn’t know each other at the time. They’ll share their hilarious memory from this show from both perspectives. And our Gear Guru segments this week look into Stone’s Rickenbacker impact on Breakerfall, an interesting octave change in the Spin The Black Circle chorus, and why the combo of Black and Ledbetter worked so well, including love for the Nobody’s Fault But Mine Led Zepplin tag.

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Episode 243: London, UK – 6/18/2007

In this episode, Randy and John go where this podcast has (almost) never gone before… to the 2007 tour! While we covered Vic Theater in this podcast’s infancy, we’ve never done the full dive into what’s sort of a forgotten year in Pearl Jam history. Outside of the Vic and the Lollapalooza Chicago show, there were only 12 shows played on a European run that included mostly festival dates. The show we cover here happened in London, and was the first arena show there since 2000. Thank you to friend and Patreon, Simon Pountney, for requesting this!

This show took place in the aftermath of a massive tour supporting the Self Titled record, featuring many songs from the album that don’t get heard often today. We’ll go in depth on Marker In The Sand, Parachutes, Comatose as some of the highlights from this night. We’ll also address how in this era, the band turned up the RPMs and started playing many of their songs faster than usual. We’ll talk about where it benefits and suffers inside this setlist. A show with a Ten Club heavy presence on the floor leads to a set chock full of fan favorites leaving songs like Even Flow, Black, Jeremy, Better Man, Daughter, Rearviewmirror and Corduroy off the setlist entirely.

For our question of the week, we had something unique happen in this show where World Wide Suicide was played in the usual Alive spot. We asked you guys what other songs you thought would work well in that role before Rockin’ In The Free World. And for the Gear Guru, it’s time for some Javocado! Javier breaks down a trio of songs from the record including Comatose, Marker In The Sand and Inside Job.

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