The monthly tradition lives on! This month we drafted in a brand new format that might be the most exciting we’ve done thus far. Instead of drafting from start to finish (or if you listened to December’s show, from finish to start) we drafted this month based on fantasy football rules, so best song available. After everyone picks they’ll create a 30 song setlist in any order that they please. The results are interesting, the drama is prominent. Check this one out if you love the these drafts!
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This episode highlights one of our Horizon Leg Patrons Kirk Walton. You may have heard him on the Ice Bowl episode this week, now you’ll get to hear his story of how he became a Pearl Jam fan, what some of his favorite shows of all time are and how he and a bunch of friends did a Pearl Jam fantasy draft before we made it cool!
It’s evolution baybay! The Evolution episodes are easily some of our favorites to work on, and this episode was no different. Since you guys made your picks in a secret ballot, after tallying the votes Footsteps came out the winner! And you picked a great one! In this episode, we’ll go through the origins of the song, starting with its place on the Gossman Project demo, and how it got into the hands of Chris Cornell around the same time that Ed received the Mamasan tape. The song was played as a part of the Mamasan trio very early on and gained some notoriety with fans with its appearance as a b-side on the Jeremy single. As the song grew over time, we got to witness the addition of the harmonica and a grander, more theatrical performance of the song that was played on big stages in acoustic settings and ballparks. Don’t even think about reaching me, I’ll be listening to this episode!
Bundle up and put on your Bernie mittens because this episode will leave you freezing your ass off! This one covers the infamous Ice Bowl show from Alpine Valley on the 2000 tour. On an October night where temperatures dipped down to 28 degrees, the band took the stage and ripped through a 26 song setlist as if they were inside an arena. Joining us to share his stories is our Patron, Kirk Walton, who was there that night to witness all of it! After you see the band take the stage wearing jackets and blowing on their hands to keep warm, they burst through Of The Girl and Hail Hail before Ed greeted the crowd by welcoming them to the Ice Bowl. The nickname given to an infamous Packers/Cowboys game at Lambeau Field in 1967 where they played in -15 degree temperature conditions. From there on out, the band zipped through the set playing familiar songs in order to keep the crowd warm. From all this information shared, you’d assume the band would’ve struggled throughout this set, but quite the opposite! If you listen to the boot, there are small instances where you can tell what the conditions are (Ed singing “it’s too fucking cold to sing” during Corduroy) but aside from that, if you replaced this with an arena show bootleg you would barely be able to tell the difference. The band jammed through great versions of Insignificance, Dissident, Black, Porch and Smile to help make this memorable night unforgettable.
Welcome to the brand new Bridge School episode! We’ve made it to 2006 which means only 3 years remain. In this show we’ll get a little taste of a great Crazy Mary, an experimental Better Man and a guest role from none other than Neil Young to play the live debut of Throw Your Hatred Down. Enjoy the show!
Have you had your fill of Deprogrammed episodes yet? Because apparently we haven’t! Because it’s time to do another version of our insane Deprogrammed series and this is to determine the Top 10 songs of the forgotten songs… not the trash, they weren’t even good enough to go into the dumpster. So out of 47 songs, John andI pick 15 a piece to see where songs will fit into our ultra scientific top 173 list… From positions 127-136… yes, it’s come to this. No… it did not have to. So enjoy that maybe, but definitely stick around to check out clips of our interview with Jason Leung that didn’t make the Saskatoon episode at the end! Also, if you want to contribute some options to our next DEVO that we’ll do, we’re looking to score a film solely with Pearl Jam music. So pick a popular movie that everyone has seen and we’ll see if we can properly select the right songs for it! That’s what the comment section is for folks, have at it!
We’re runnin’ back to Saskatoon! In this episode we head to the prairies to tackle a show in an unsuspecting Canadian location from the big 2005 tour. Joining us for a chat is author of the book This All Encompassing Trip, Jason Leung. His book touches up on what it’s like for a fan to follow the band around for an entire tour and since he just dropped a brand new hardcover book, he’ll join us to talk about all of his experiences in 2005 and 2006, including this Saskatoon show! So ask mentioned above, Saskatoon is not a prime concert location or vacation spot. It’s located in the prairies of the Saskatchewan province, which would lead you to believe that maybe this would be a smaller crowd that they may not get the kind of reaction that you’d expect from larger Canadian cities. But as you’ll hear in this show, the crowd was on fire for this one the same way a crowd in Boston, London or Sydney would be. After 15 years of the band utilizing the city as a fly over, the fans were ready to erupt and show their love. There are some great moments from this one that we can’t wait for you to hear. Attempting to appease the crowd in the encore, the band takes the stage with an impromptu version of The Guess Who’s Runnin’ Back To Saskatoon which was played on the spot unrehearsed. There’s also great versions of I Got Shit, Whipping, Daughter, Porch, Present Tense, Alive and Off He Goes jam packed into a short but very fun show!
Welcome to a brand new series that puts the spotlight squarely on you and your Pearl Jam fandom! As one of the perks for the brand new Horizon Leg tier, we’re giving those who donate to that leg the opportunity to talk about their story of becoming a Pearl Jam fan. This episode profile’s Chris Everett who was featured on our Jacksonville episode this week. He’ll talk about how he was converted from Dave Matthews traveler into one of Pearl Jam’s. In these episodes we’ll ask everyone for their live track that means the most to them so you’ll get to hear Chris’s favorite live cut from the Night 1 Fenway Park show in 2018.
This episode takes us down to Jacksonville, Florida where the band kicked off their 2016 tour playing four dates in a state that they hadn’t played four years prior, but outside of festival shows hadn’t played since 2008. Joining us to help tell the stories from this show is Horizon Leg Patron Chris Everett! As the tour was happening 3 years after the initial Lightning Bolt touring leg, the band was at liberty to utilize pretty much anything in their catalog without the necessity of promoting an album. All 10 studio albums are accounted for at this show, this is including some of the more obscure in their catalog. Representing Binaural is the seldom played deep cut Rival, Army Reserve made an appearance as a dedication to veterans down in Jacksonville and Riot Act’s contribution was the rarely heard song Ghost dedicated to well known super fan Dimitri. But potentially the best of the rare cuts that night has to come from a version of Of The Earth because any time that that song graces our presence live its a special moment. A booming performance in the middle of the set plopped directly after Even Flow was absolutely a highlight of this night. There’s also the appearance of Glorified G which, if you’re looking at the date of this show, is only 3 days prior to the Greenville show where Vs. was performed in full. The band probably knew what they were doing for Record Store Day and used the song as practice. Speaking of RSD, we also get the lethal combo of Let The Records Play and Spin The Black Circle which was also brought back in Greenville.
So I know we released kind of a clip show/best of episode a week or so ago, but we thought it would be a great idea to release this idea as a Devo ep. We’re gonna talk about some of our favorite episodes this year from the regular show selection. If you’ve been a fan of this podcast for a short amount of time and are looking to go back and find the best of the past episodes to listen to, this is a really good start. And for some of you, an episodes you were featured on may have been mentioned! What was your favorite Live On 4 Legs episode in 2020? Comment down below, show some love!
This episode begins our 2021 year-long series featuring important shows from the band’s hometown in Seattle. We kick it off with a great show from the Mural Amphitheater right outside where the Space Needle resides. This show is notable for so many things. It’s their final show they played before the official release of Ten, it’s the first show that drummer Dave Abbrusezze joined up with them and it’s the first performance in an outdoor venue. In this episode we’ll talk a little bit about this time period and has the turbulence of going through two drummer changes within a 3 month span didn’t seem to deter them from going out and playing shows. Although this might’ve been Dave A’s debut, you would’ve never been able to tell by the way the band presented themselves. It’s a Ten era show and maybe the unofficial kickoff of the Ten era, but it felt like the band was destined for bigger things at this point. Getting their own spotlight on a stage right in front of the Space Needle was exactly what they needed in order to grow and evolve into the superstardom that would develop in the following year.
olleh dna emoclew ot rehtona noitide fo eht tsiltes tfard! Does that look weird to you? Well it should! Because in December’s setlist draft we took a backwards ass approach to coming up with sets.. literally! Instead of opening at number 1 like every normal draft, we begin at the absolute bottom. Song #30, the closer song is the first pick as the drafters work their way upwards through the 2nd encore, the 1st and then all the way through the main set finish up on the song they open with! Competing in this upside down version of the draft from the host side will be John, and then joining him is Ryan Morden who pitched the backwards draft idea, Randy Morgan drafting for the first time and our reigning champion Tom Gregory looking to defend his title. Check out the contest, tomorrow there will be a poll up where you can vote for your favorite setlist and the winner will go on to compete in next month’s draft! Enjoy, and if you want to participate, please let us know and we’ll put you on the list for a future episode!
For this installment of the Bridge School Series we’re doing something a little different – covering Ed’s solo shows from 2004. They are quick sets featuring some rarely heard songs, a few popular hits and covers and one children’s tune that gets a little out of control. Enjoy the show and happy new year!
Hello fellow human friends. We had some time to record a new DEVO episode this week before you are crushed with Deprogrammed episodes and holiday stuff, so since we covered Toronto and the Binaural album show, we decided to take a shot at retracking the Binaural record to our best ability. Who did the better job at retracking the album? comment below! Also, a little bonus because it’s the holiday and everything, we had some clips that were left off the last month and a half of episodes that were sitting around collecting dust so we figured this would be a good time to share some bonus clips with you all. Enjoy, and hope to see you at the holiday party tomorrow!
Our final stop of the 2020 Around The World Series leaves us in Canada to talk about a show from Toronto where they did they inconceivable and played the Binaural record in full. The band at this point is coming off two full album shows in 2014 as well as two earlier in 2016 with Vs. in Greenville and Ten in Philadelphia. Since Toronto was the last spot on the tour and a city that the band has such rich history in, they busted out the album with possibly the rarest songs they’ve ever played live. While this is such a huge treat to all the Pearl Jam lifers, Binaural isn’t an album that resonates that well with the casual crowd. So 13 songs in a row that they almost never play live will leave you a mixed reaction no matter how you slice it. But the situation was of course unique and a service to the many late era fans who probably checked off a lot of serious collector boxes this night. God’s Dice, Evacuation, Rival, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways are songs that were barely consistent in their set when the album came out in 2000 so to get them here, and as a podcast we don’t get to cover these songs too often, it’s a treat break these songs out of the back catalog. Along with the entire album we’ll discuss the rest of the set, the hits and misses and what made this show so hard to construct a set for.
This is the penultimate episode in our Around The World series as we dip into this great Mexico City tour closer from 2003. There are many ingredients in the recipe for a perfect show, but the integral pieces from this set are so unique and unlike any other of its kind. First off, it’s a tour closer. Second, it’s a lucrative night 3 show, those don’t come around too often. Does it have rare songs? You bet! Guest appearances? Hell Yeah! Well, it can’t possibly happen to have all of that AND be on the birthday of a band member, right? Oh, you are in for a treat my friend! The band says goodbye to the far traveled and controversial Riot Act tour by throwing a massive party to celebrate. It happens to be the founding member, Stone Gossard’s date of birth, so what’s a better gift than to bring out a mariachi band to sing Las Mananitas, La Bamba and Guantalamera? You can tell from the energy on the stage how good a mood everyone is in for this show as they play up to a red hot crowd and hangout with friends and tour opener Sleater-Kinney. Big highlights from this night include an opener of Wash, Hunger Strike feat. Corin Tucker, Black, Rearviewmirror with an improv, Mankind for Stone and a phone call to none other than Johnny Ramone before a performance of I Believe In Miracles. It’s a show more than worthy of a high spot on Pearl Jam’s all-time lists!
I’ll wait up in the dark for you to speak to meeeeee! Welcome to the newest edition into the Hall of Evolution episodes as we now add Release to the pantheon! Are you new to Patreon and haven’t listened to an Evolution episode before? The premise is quite simple. We take a deep dive into a song and look at how it’s grown from the original debut up until how we view it in our current era. This episode will be a little bit of a different storytelling presence than say an Immortality or Rearviewmirror, where so much of the discussion was based off of how performances of the song changed musically. We don’t really get much change to the arrangement of Release: no tags, no “fast Release” like you had with a song like Wash. But what you do get is a change in emotional connection. From Ed’s connection to his father bringing a spiritual aspect to the song that many have held a similar connection to, as well as the song being many people’s first that they’ve ever heard at a Pearl Jam show, the song might have only been played 172 times at this point, but it feels like almost each and every one of those performances is significant in some manner.
In this episode we’ll focus on the one and only time the band took a trip down to Central America as Ed and Boom were able to catch some waves down in Costa Rica. If your expectations for this show are as high as any show in Argentina, Brazil or Chile, do yourself a favor and lower them immediately. You cannot go into this show thinking that the crowd is going to be red hot for everything. They had their moments where they came through and sounded pretty good on the boot, but this should not be lumped into the same category as shows from those other nations. With that being said, this show coming towards the end of the 2011 run which was still promoting an album that many people deemed unspectacular doesn’t raise a lot of eyeballs. Some nice moments such as a Vs. opener combo of Go into Animal, a great Daughter/Why Go transition that was completely dictated by the crowd and a nice little surprise Oceans in the encore are enough to raise eyebrows, but some strange setlist decisions and way too much from Ten doesn’t set this show enough apart from others. We’ll dissect what worked and what didn’t and we’ll also mention a mini riot that occurred near the beginning of the show.
Sandwiched in between Benaroya and Santa Barbara, the band stopped over at The Bridge School for 2 short acoustic sets in 2003. After a lackluster night one, could they recapture some of the magic on night two? And what exactly did Ol’ Dick Cheney have? We talk about the range of covers (Masters of War, Crazy Mary, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away) and even a Bridge debut (Down). There might even be an appearance from Young Neil himself. Enjoy this Patreon-exclusive episode and check back later this week for our Evolution Series episode on Release! Thanks everyone!
In this episode we discuss one of South America’s finest performances down in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2013. This continues our Around The World Series that only has 3 more episodes that remain after this! We’ll hit up Costa Rica, Mexico and Canada to close out 2020. The Argentinian crowds… hoo boy! They are something special. This show being a part of a festival set was nothing on the rare side, but in every single song they played you could hear and feel the crowd’s reactions. From the opening of songs like Even Flow, Given To Fly and Hail Hail the crowd sings the patented guitar parts and at some points does it louder than the band. It happens all night, even on the songs you least suspect. Even something more quiet like Just Breathe has a massive crowd response. You won’t want to miss this episode if you love the way the band interacts with the crowd. As we’ll share, you’ll hear in two separate instances where Ed will have to completely stop a song in order to collect his thoughts. On a highlight such as Daughter, you’ll get to hear Ed tap into his inner bi-linguist as he sings the entire It’s OK tag in Spanish in what’s a massive highlight.