A lot of people enjoy lists. Some don’t and they are the most outspoken about it. Know what I say? Screw ’em, let’s do another list! For the third installment of this series, the focus is squarely on Vitalogy. We of course began with two difficult ones, but Vitalogy was the toughest one to configure up until this point (you’ll have to tune into Yield to top it). So the discussion here is between an incredible starting 6 of any album, and then 3 incredible songs near the backend. And then you have your Mops and Prys and Davanitas that need to be discussed by proxy. Tough conversations to have, it’s very clear that some people will not agree, however, the point isn’t exactly for you to agree. It’s for you to potentially get some insight from a perspective of someone who’s been back n forth down their catalog studying live material from every era and understanding what songs have turned into in current day. No opinion is meant to be the same, but if we all respect that we all have one, then the world will be a better place!
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You may have seen the shirt, now it’s time to hear the show! This episode is about the show emanating from the Tivoli club in Utrecht. It’s continuing our 4-show mini-series highlighting the best of their March run from 1992. To help us out once again to discuss the bootleg aspect of the show is Patrick and Brian from Hallucinogenic Recipe (@elusiverecipe on Twitter). This show has a lot of very similar talking points as the Den Haag show did – it’s a very similar, near identical setlist structure, the band sounds great and there are countless amounts of stage divers and crowd surfers getting involved with the show again. It happens more often in here than in Den Haag, and the approach Ed takes is a little more relaxed this time. Even after Jeff has an issue with his pedals getting messed with. The crowd comes into play towards the end with an absolutely bizarre scene happening on stage. We’ll also discuss what we know of the origin of the famous Tivoli shirt, the bike girl who Eddie befriended at this show and would be reunited with 3 years ago, Ed’s off day tattoo and how Mike was able to get away with saying “suck my ass” and “jerkoff” in a Dutch interview.
We’re back for our second edition of the album song Tier List. If you know your Pearl Jam album chronology, then you know exactly what this is. We’re looking into Vs. to try and find the cream of the crop from their amazing sophomore release. Remember, the game we play is to create one ‘S’ Tier Song at the end so it will go into a final challenge when we come to the end. These lists are based off of three factors – 1. is how I personally attach to a song, 2. is how the fanbase in general attaches themselves and 3. is how the band sees the song 29 years after its release. Opinions are just that. If you agree on me with everything, that’s wonderful, but I would not expect that from the majority of you. Shouting and getting angry over someone’s opinion does not make your opinion better, it just makes it your opinion. I’m not saying this to protect myself from being harassed about it, it’s more about how we all want to see this community be reflected as. There’s no need for there to be infighting, I’ll respect people’s opinions as long as they are civil.
Ahh, our first Evolution episode of 2022! This episode features the evolution of our first cover, the Victoria Williams-penned Crazy Mary. We’ll talk about how it came to be that Pearl Jam recorded this for the Sweet Relief benefit and how early versions of the song included Victoria’s presence. While the song was held off on the live stage for a while after 1992, it started to sprout back up as tags and teases in 1998, including one of my favorites as a Better Man tag. In 2000, the song is brought back, but clearly without the presence yet of the man who would truly create this song’s identity – Boom Gaspar. When Boom joined the band in 2003, they were searching for a signature song for him. They had Love Boat Captain, but they needed to start integrating him on songs that were already setlist staples, and the rest is history. We’ll get into the duels, the long solos, sharing wine bottles, the jams, and a rather scary moment in Philadelphia. Many great versions are discussed and loved here! No L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G allowed, give it a listen!
This episode kicks off our run of 1992 shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of four classics. We go to The Netherlands and focus on one of the best and most notable shows from the first European run in February and March out of Den Haag. This was one of the first of the great soundboard recordings that circulated, and for that, we are bringing in our brother podcast Hallucinogenic Recipe to talk about the trading and collecting aspect that made this a popular show within the community. This show has everything you want from 1992, good Ed speeches, a dangerous Porch, one of the best I’ve Got A Feeling jams ever and the seldom played original improv built around Fugazi’s Suggestion in Saying No. We’ll talk about this rendition and why it doesn’t go down as one of their original songs in the same way an improv like Outta My Mind does. Though getting it here and almost no where else (that we at least have a recording of) gives this show a little extra weight and makes it timeless. “That’s my little brother!” Ed shouts when Jeff cedes his bass to his brother Jason during I’ve Got A Feeling. While it may take some time for Jason to catch up with the band, we also get a wild array of tags within this 15 minute (you heard me correctly) slobberknocker. One of the best versions that again can be directly traced to this show as a defining moment recognized by fans of all ages.
Hello viewers, this is our first attempt at doing a tier list video, so I thought the best way to introduce it would be to start from the beginning and go with Ten. The plan is to have every album done in a few months time, and possibly some treats along with it. For the purpose of this tier list, the ‘S’ or Super Tier will be held for one song only. There is only one best. At the end of this series of videos we’ll go through all of the Super tiered songs and determine THE BEST. It will be subjective. all of this is subjective. You’re not going to agree with me and that doesn’t mean that my takes are bad, it just means we feel a different way. And nobody is wrong about expressing how they feel, but it’s the internet and you guys are the smartest Pearl Jam fans in the room, not some dude that researches lots of stories of theirs on a dumb podcast. Anyway, enjoy! And check out said podcast on any of your podcast platforms that you use, including on YouTube.
Welcome to another edition of the profile episodes! In this one we’re talking with Horizon Leg member Greg Schwab who requested this week’s East Troy 2003 episode. We’re gonna get into a bunch of different topics and show stories with him, but the one to look out for is the Eddie Vedder Chicago show from the mid-2000s. The show he had to quit the Ten Club after. Find out why, check out the show! If you subscribe to the Horizon Leg and haven’t done an episode yet, please reach out! We are close to having them all finished until we get more leg subscribers. PS to the Chicago show: Greg at the last minute bought a ticket (two, actually) to Ed’s solo Chicago show last week to bring that story around full circle.
One of our favorite Pearl Jam years to discuss on this podcast is the 2003 Riot Act tour. So many memorable moments from tons of shows spread across the map. In this episode we head to Alpine Valley where the band last played back in 2000 to freezing cold temperatures appropriately dubbed The Ice Bowl. They return to East Troy, Wisconsin during Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. In beautiful weather and a great mood, the band plays an inspired show in front of a top notch audience. Deep cuts were heavily infused from the beginning of the main set with songs such as Sometimes, God’s Dice, Faithfull, Immortality and Insignificance taking place within the new Riot Act songs while heavy hitters such as Better Man, Jeremy, Even Flow, Daughter and Rearviewmirror all hit in that order to end the set. On top of that, take the last two of that group, both songs from Vs., and add the first four played in the encore – Go, Animal, Elderly Woman and Glorified G and you have an extremely rare instance where six songs are being played off the record right in a row. We also have fun moments from this night, some that get a bit political, some that involve a random fan running out onto the stage during Crazy Mary. But as Ed says in the show, tune in to see ‘what American is gonna get a blowjob tonight.’ We’ll also discuss a little bit of the Earthling record as well as a special dedication that happened at the Chicago show
After a 12 year absence, Pearl Jam returned to Sweden in 2012 for the first time since the Binaural tour. Today’s episode will focus on that show and how a fanbase that had been deprived of their band came through and surprised a lot of people, basically forcing their hand to return in two years. This is a Patreon request from Michael Jonsson who was ecstatic to see them in his home country for the first time, and we’ll share his story here. This set defines a pretty typical Pearl Jam move whenever they play a play they haven’t visited in a while and that’s to hit the crowd with the Ten record. Eight songs off of Ten were played, but possibly considered the rarity of the bunch, Garden is a highlight in a set that was looking for a standout moment. We also get the second and last performance of Kinks cover Better Things that was released as a Ten Club single in 2011, but we’ll debate over whether or not their rendition is the best take on the song. In addition to the show, Randy and John once again discuss the Earthlings performances from the past week elaborating a little bit on the previous reaction episode. This time we’ll talk about why maybe we were a little bit too harsh on Andrew Watt who is set to produce the next Pearl Jam record, whenever that may be.
Happy tour! Hey, it’s not technically Pearl Jam, but it’s live music within this realm. So we’re taking the time doing exactly what we were built to do on this podcast and that’s react to what we heard live. Randy ventured out to see the supergroup for their first official night at the Beacon Theater, and although Dirty Frank and Timeless Melody were reserved for a night, it was still an extremely rewarding experience when the expectations, with the new songs being fairly underwhelming, were better than we ever could’ve anticipated. We’ll talk about the new stuff, some of the old stuff, and we’ll track a little bit of what was going on in Newark in real time. This episode poses the question: is this a once in a lifetime tour event? Should we take advantage of it before Chad Smith goes back to the Chili Peppers, where maybe the only opportunity that we’ll get to see them in the future is at best during Ohana Fest? Let’s discuss!
This episode takes us to Cleveland for a show on the massive 2006 tour supporting their self-titled record. The big story at the time was coming off of a huge show in Grand Rapids where a slight shake up led to an inspired performance filled with rarities and a different set-up. This show has a few things shaken up itself with the two most notable being Better Man in as the opener and no appearance of Even Flow. The latter of which at the time was turning into a song that long-time Ten Club members rebelled against because of it’s frequency. How do they fill in that gap? Well, immediately you lose a big McCready moment, so we have Immortality to help with that, but you also lose a big crowd participation song, which in this case Daughter steps in for. We also get to see a few requests taken in encore 2 that led to some songs you almost never see, including one in which a certain Gossard sings. Along with Cleveland we’ll also talk about what’s going on with the presumed 2022 tour and get you a little prepared for the upcoming Ed and The Earthlings shows.
Berlin is an important city in Pearl Jam’s history. There’s no questioning that. From the 1996 radio broadcast show to the Roskilde tribute on the 10th anniversary of the incident at the show in 2010, there are no lack of major moments that have happened in Deutschland’s capital. The show we cover in this episode certainly fits into that category. At the famous Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide venue, the band pulls out their bag of tricks and creates a plethora of memorable moments for one of the best shows in 2009. The show may seem dominated by rare tracks with four songs from Binaural being played and four off of Lost Dogs, but some of the regulars will make for the biggest moments of the night. Even Flow was a show stealing moment, Daughter had incredible energy and crowd interaction, Small Town, flanked by a short tease of Stones song Angie, has a big anthemic vibe. The band simply came to play on this night, but it was the crowd that helped elevate this show to elite level status. And don’t sleep on this version of Insignificance either, possibly the highlight of the night. As mentioned, yes, there are tons of rarities! God’s Dice, Nothing As It Seems and Light Years rounded out the Binaural representation, but we also hear the Untitled/MFC combo, Glorified G, Unemployable, Bee Girl, an amazing rendition of Hard To Imagine, and the ultra rare early era song, Brother.
We go back in time to the beginning of the second leg of 1998 in this episode covering the first show out of Noblesville, Indiana. The first leg of the North American run had it’s ups and downs and learning curves seeing as it was the first tour that Matt Cameron took over at the kit. Which meant that Matt had to learn over 60 songs in an extremely short amount of time in order to make this work. Having a month to rest and refocus in between legs, there is a renewed energy at the start of this leg. We’ll talk about how Matt was able to find his organic style and how it was interpreted into Pearl Jam songs different from Jack Irons. We’ll also talk about good versions of Immortality, Brain of J, Wishlist, Alive, and a mention of the Bill Clinton scandal that was all over the news in 1998.
Not Boston, but Woostah! This episode hits up an early show from the Lightning Bolt tour in which the band was playing their first of two nights in the Massachusetts town. Most Boston shows are going to give you something memorable like a special crowd or a deep dive into the back catalog. This show has all of those things. It’s a great crowd, and Fatal is played for the first time in years. But with the hosts not having attended this one in person, it is a bit of a struggle to grab onto an overall narrative for this 32-song set. Is it the brand new album songs that the band continues to adjust to on the live stage? Is it the 20-song main set that lasts about a dollar short of 2 hours? Is it Ed being so drunk that he forgets how to spell L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G in Crazy Mary? Those are all nice talking points, but when you put everything together, what kind of show are you looking at in hindsight? Don’t let that detract you from what this episode has to offer, because although we struggle with pieces of it, we ultimately enjoy this one. So listen in for discussion on great versions of Crazy Mary, Yellow Moon, Lightning Bolt, Unthought Known, Corduroy and Sonic Reducer.
For our second installment of Hallucinogenic Recipe, join Patrick and Brian and they’ll talk about one of the earliest shows they discovered on bootleg – Zurich 1992. Such an important show from the aspect of learning about this band’s origins. While not the only show to have the Mamasan played in June of that year, it tells the story of how Ed received the tape and essentially wrote the mini-opera that became Pearl Jam’s first three songs. They’ll discuss how important learning that was as a fan, but also intricate aspects of the bootlegs’ production such as versions that didn’t have the whole show, and versions that incorrectly labeled Footsteps and Leash. They’ll also go into an in-depth discussion of Porch from this show, one of the best renditions you’ll hear. Have an idea for the next episode topic? Want to be on the show to talk about your bootleg trading/taping experience? Comment down below!
The 2022 season kicks off with a Patreon request straight from the 2005 Canadian tour leg. We go to Canada’s biggest city in Toronto to cover a show with a clear narrative from top to bottom that had the ultimate payoff at the end. Pearl Jam arrived into town as U2 completed a four-night stay to kick off the third leg of their Vertigo Tour, which meant an opportunity that allowed for Ed to appear on stage with them opened the door for Bono to make a guest appearance during this show. Make no bones about it, we let it be known our thoughts and feelings of U2 and Bono as a whole. You may share them or you may not, but ultimately a night packed with deep cut tributes to the pioneering arena rock titans is going to be memorable for many. But after about 83 or so U2 references weaved in and out of songs and speeches, it had to end with Bono blathering in some sort of self-inspired religious tongues during Rockin’ In The Free World. Would you expect it any other way? When U2 isn’t the forefront of conversation, we’ll get to talk about a strong show of mainly hits that features a special performance of Harvest Moon in the encore. And for all of you Jeff Ament fans, we kick off our year with a lovefest to the greatest bass player around.
Happy New Year everyone! What’s a better way to kick off 2022 than to relive one of two occasions where the band has played on New Year’s Eve. As a matter of fact, the 1992 NYE show was the first Patreon exclusive we ever did so it makes sense that we tackle the 1991 show for this year! This was one of the very few shows where Nirvana was on the bill instead of the Smashing Pumpkins on the RHCP tour. If you were wondering if there were a rift between the bands having to deal with each other backstage, you wouldn’t be wrong. We’re gonna spend a good chunk of this episode discussing how Pearl Jam and Nirvana’s trajectories at this point in time were very different, yet Pearl Jam would end up rising faster than you’d think. It’s a 7-song set with a ton of energy, possibly the largest crowd PJ had played in front of in their year and change long existence.
It’s the end of the year and time to relive the things we’ve accomplished in 2021. This year we are introducing a new end of year event that will enshrine the highest rated shows into our brand newly curated Pearl Jam Live Show Hall Of Fame! Every show that was rated a 10/10 from both hosts this year will be inducted in this episode. We’ll also go back and officially induct some shows from past years that received 10/10’s and give them their posthumous honor. Along with those, we’ve put together a veteran’s committee that have voted to select past episodes that might’ve been deserving of the ranking but just fell short to get honored in this make believe prestigious class we’ve created. Check this out to hear great full versions of songs we spent a lot of time talking about this year!
Welcome to a brand new Live On 4 Legs mini-series that will be taking an in-depth look into the culture of the early tape trading and collecting days of Pearl Jam fandom. Join hosts Patrick Boegel and Brian Horwitz as they discuss everything from hunting for bootlegs to taping shows on the radio and beyond. The first episode will be an introduction to what the bootleg scene was like in the early 90’s. They’ll discuss how difficult it was to get your hands on tapes and getting your foot in the door into the trader community.
Happy Holidays! Bet you didn’t see this coming. I know we promised that Crazy Mary would be next on the list, but we figured we’d take a festive detour to cover a song that’s only been played 8 times in their history. Believe it or not, Let Me Sleep does have a pretty interesting Evolution. A story of lore will tell us that the song’s creation happened earlier than we anticipated, and that is a story we re-tell here. The song would be played once in 1994, and then not again in 2006, when it was featured on the Immagine En Cornice DVD, however that version wasn’t actually live in front of an audience! It would go 613 shows before being legitimately played again. The story of the song actually has a lot of depth, and a big piece to this episode is hearing that story unravel as time passes on. It isn’t just a Christmas song, but a look into what life is like for others who aren’t as fortunate to be celebrating the holiday in the presence of loved ones. We’ll talk all 8 versions and watch it evolve!