Podcast Episodes

Moosejaw, Broadview, Moosamin too! We’re running back to Saskatoon! After covering the 2005 show in Saskatchewan over a year and a half ago, just like The Guess Who, we’re running back. This time thanks to a request from long time Patron, Danielle Tatlow, who lives up near those parts in a town of 350. We’ll tell her story on this episode to prep you for the last show they’ve played up in these parts up north. While this song has a great mix of album representation and rare songs such as God’s Dice, In My Tree, Untitled/MFC, In The Moonlight and more, it’s primarily remembered for one big moment. In 2005, the band did a rough take on Running Back To Saskatoon by The Guess Who, and while the results pleased the locals, it did not go over smoothly. Take two, and yet again the rendition is filled with flubs and forgotten lyrics. Ed doesn’t like how the performance went, so he invites a fan on stage to help them sing it and finally, the song gets played properly.

We’ll also talk about the 2011 tour and how it sometimes gets lost in the mix within the other tour years, especially 2005 which is a very similar, albeit longer Canadian leg.

Red Rocks, Mansfield, Santa Barbara, The Gorge, Telluride… and now Amsterdam. These six shows have something special in common that no other Pearl Jam show can claim. The band walks out and takes a seat to start the show, warming up with a collection of slower tracks and easing into a set more than the typical night. In the beautiful, mountainous evening sky up in a ski resort town in Colorado, the band took their seats in a fantastic mood thanks to these surroundings and started the night with 10 tracks played acoustically.

All of the shows mentioned above have a few things in common. They’ve been to go to spot for the band to break out debuts, rarities or songs that went completely into hiding. Take Angel for example. A Dave Abbruzzese song that was released as an A-side on the 1994 fan club Xmas Singles that had only been played four prior times in their history. Not once since 1994. It took them a record setting 699 times in between shows before they’d play it again at this show! Also, for all of the Into The Wild fans, Society was debuted directly after Angel and it was one of two performances of it in their history. Later in the show, we’d receive another Xmas Single rarity from 2008, Santa Cruz, which lyrics were changed to fit their current location.

A great show with lots of memorable speeches from Ed, and a cameo from a young woman standing stage side who wanted her 15 second of fame. Joining us to tell her stories is Horizon Leg Patron Jenni Gee!

After a memorable show in Krakow on the 2022 European tour, we’re set to go back to Poland to cover the Heineken Open’er Festival show from 2010. The show was a day after the Berlin show from that year, which had a touching tribute to the Roskilde victims being the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. That theme was on their minds at this show as Ed has to deal with some early crowd rambunctiousness that he had nearly no patience for.

This was in the middle of touring for Backspacer, so we’ll be able to catch up on songs from that album for the first time in about 6 months. This is including The Fixer, where we try to make sense of the recent infatuation that blew us away after it was crossed off a setlist earlier in this tour. Great versions of Hail, Hail, Even Flow, Amongst The Waves and Rearviewmirror are all discussed, but perhaps most importantly, we get a version of Just Breathe with bass!

Joining us to tell her story is our Patron Anita Stelmasiuk who had a long journey before making it to her first show. Get to hear her stories about joining the Ten Club at an early age, the challenges she faced in order to get to this show and some of the moments that impacted her that night.

This show has been on our radar for quite a while and we’re happy to finally get it out to you in this episode! In the summer of 1993 prior to the release of Vs., Pearl Jam was doing some touring opening up for U2 and Neil Young getting at most around 45-60 minutes of set time. That was until they hit the middle of the prairies in Manitoba, Canada to headline Sunfest. However, nobody knows this show under that name. This show has properly been dubbed, Mudfest. A rainy evening up in Gimli caused for slippery conditions and a misty drizzle that followed the band around the whole night. But the legend of the show doesn’t end there. We got a racous, inebriated Eddie Vedder at his absolute best firing up the crowd and letting his voice growl and shred the entire night. The early performances of six Vs. songs are eye opening, especially Go, Animal and Indifference, which had the same show closing vibe that we are known to see nowadays.

Come for the mud, stay for the belittling of SetlistFm.

In this month we’re going to be touching up on some of Pearl Jam’s past festival dates, starting with the first touring festival that helped make the band at Lollapalooza in 1992. Two shows at the Shoreline Amphitheater kicked off this tour, and we’re gonna cover the second night because it’s the only one that has a bootleg attached. We’ll share a clip from our Horizon Profile episode with Amy Wynn, who was at the first night of the two-day kick-off. We’ll also get to talk about an entertaining interview that exists on the internet featuring Stone and Jeff on MTV’s 120 Minutes. They discuss how they met, how they felt about touring at the time, and a word that you can say on TV that absolutely caught the attention of Stone. That’s probably the big moment to tune in for!

Is this gonna be a good episode? You’re darned tootin! With many Cohn Brothers movie quotes aside, this is our final episode of our OTOTO states month emanating from Fargo, North Dakota in 2003. This is the first instance in 188 official episodes and 224 shows in total that we’ve covered that we get to talk about Arc. Arc is one of their more fascinating songs due to the weight that it holds being the tribute written for the Roskilde victims. The band would go on to play this nine times, the same number of victims from the tragedy, and none of the official bootlegs include any performance of this. We’ll get into the unique presentation that it had live and how impactful it was, even as a show opener, in it’s short stay that year.

Another big point of conversation from this one is a version of In My Tree being played for the first time in 69 shows. This song having not been played for that long mixed in with an illness from Ed meant it was never going to be as crisp of a version that we would’ve heard in 1996. This became a little bit of an improv where the lyrics and music weren’t exactly linear. Ed has some things on his mind and comes up with some beautiful improved lyrics for the end. We’ll talk about how this set the tone for other versions of In My Tree that year, especially the version that everyone remembers from Madison Square Garden.

All this and good discussion on 1/2 Full, I Am Mine, Better Man, Thumbing My Way, Rearviewmirror, I Am A Patriot and Crazy Mary.

This episode is about promises. Promises broken, promises kept, and promises broken yet again. The band has had a bit of a rocky relationship with Idaho’s state capital, and while this episode will focus on all of the above, it will mainly be dedicated to the positive memories. If you go back to the beginning of their relationship, it began with disappointment as Pearl Jam had to cancel a date on the 1995 Vitalogy tour. They would finally set foot there in 2000 experiencing an unforgettable show that we’ll go into in full detail here. As Ed states multiple times during this show, it was an amazing crowd and one that he promised to return to. Alas, as sequel was initially planned for the Riot Act tour in 2003, but due to circumstances that we aren’t quite sure of, they had to cancel this show as well. The band has never been back to Idaho, and that’s why it’s a part of our OTOTO States Series!

This show was given the high honor of being an “apeman” bootleg, which meant it was one of 18 shows in 2000 that the band thought very highly of. It’s easy to tell why. The energy is palpable at this show, the band played extremely tight on a consistent high-tempo pace and the crowd ate it up the whole way. We’ll talk about great renditions of Go, Grievance, Small Town, Better Man with the Romanza intro, Daughter, Rearviewmirror and Parting Ways. How high will this one be rated? You may want to tune in to find out!

Our fourth OTOTO state this month has us heading to South Dakota early on the first leg of the Yield run. It was only the sixth appearance that Matt Cameron was making for the band at the time as a replacement drummer. Of course, no lack of confidence with playing this hefty catalog. Cameron throws in all of his patented flourishes and unmatched speed to create performances that at the time was a major change with some of these songs that have become major staples of the Pearl Jam set. We’ll run through it all and focus on some of the moments that Matt made special.

Speaking of special, this show features the debut of a grouping of songs that have become a rare instance that people chase from show to show. This night in South Dakota was the first time that they ever performed the “man trilogy” songs back-to-back-to-back. We’ll dig into how special this trio has become and how the grouping elevated Nothing Man to become one of the best singalongs in their catalog.

We’ll also preview the upcoming European tour, and find a way to get off topic a bit with in reference to wedding songs.

Let’s dive into another episode in our OTOTO States Month Series! In 1996, Pearl Jam was still dealing with their Ticketmaster strike, so they found that options for venues on the east coast were limited. Big cities such as Philadelphia and Boston couldn’t provide a proper place for the band to play without the usage of Ticketmaster, so they had to get creative in finding locations to play. One spot happened to be Augusta, Maine – a state they hadn’t played before nor after. While it may seem as though this is just another bump on the road, something special happened in Maine’s capital that the fans who were there still talk about today.

Leaving his cozy vacation spot on the Mediterranean, Dennis Rodman took a flight out to the America’s north most state to witness a band and a front man that meant the world to him. Rodman and Vedder had become friendly around that time. Ed was seen joining Dennis in the locker room during the Chicago Bulls 1996 Championship win, and there’s a story passed around that they sporadically took a flight from Seattle to Vegas in order to go see Jane’s Addiction. Rodman got to celebrate with the band on stage for the first of many times throughout the years. We’ll talk about Ed’s relationship with Rodman as well as the visual of Ed taking a ride on the 6’7″ basketball player’s shoulder.

Also in this episode, we’ll talk about two moments that take place during this show that weren’t definitive of the 1996 era, but have been cornerstones of Pearl Jam’s live set in the past decade.

For the entire month of June, we are digging in to a collection of shows that may have gotten lost throughout the shuffle over the years. Why? Because it is the only time that Pearl Jam had ever played in the states we’re covering. First up is Casper, Wyoming. Not at all a hot bed for music fans. But Pearl Jam on their quest to reject Ticketmaster venues had a limited amount of options to turn to. With the original show being set up in Boise, Idaho, another OTOTO state, Wyoming ended up being the home to the kick off of an incredibly memorable 1995 tour.

We’ll have some fun with this one. On the YouTube video for this show, there is a section where a guy named James Lane is seen in a van and explains that after the show they’re going to be broadcasting a show on pirate radio. This of course is Monkeywrench Radio, something that Ed broadcasted for the entirety of the 1995 tour on the road. We’ll talk about that era and why this caused a divide within the band. We’ll also get into some of the performances including the live debut of Long Road, and great versions of Corduroy, Why Go, Not For You, Immortality and Blood.

Surprise! It’s a bonus episode to kick off a new series for June, we’re covering shows in states that Pearl Jam has only played one time, one time only. Randy gets a break for this one, as John is joined by Hallucinogenic Recipe host Brian Horwitz to discuss the band’s only show in Vermont, Burlington 11/2/91. Brian talks about going to college in Vermont in the mid-90’s and some shows he attended in this historical venue. The show itself is only 7 songs, but there’s plenty to talk about, including a Wash opener and all of the side A Ten rockers. Stick around to find out what gift Eddie brought for the crowd!

To finish our Vault series, we turn to the final Vault on our list – the Missoula 2005 show. This comes at an unfortunately opportune time a week after Jeff tested positive for Covid-19 forcing Pearl Jam to cancel the rest of their tour, but also we take the time to honor him and send our best wishes while covering a show in his home state. This was the first of a few Montana shows that doubled up as a campaign for US Senator John Tester, who in 2005 was looking to win the seat. This was the first show of the 2005 tour featuring legs in Canada and South America, so it could be seen as kind of a tune up in a way. But this was also a good indicator for some things that would happen during that tour year. There were some rarities broken out on this night that hadn’t been played since the mid-90’s. Bee Girl made an appearance for the first time since 1994 thanks to Jeff’s song writing prowess on it, and Black, Red, Yellow is played for the first time since 1996 thanks to Phil Jackson being in the crowd. This show also gets highly political with the climax happening in Daughter getting some aggression out against Fox News.

Let’s kill two birds with one stone here as May’s Vault series continues and we start to get prepping for the upcoming Vegas show! We’re going back to 1993 on the Vs. tour to talk about one of the most recognizable shows that year from the Aladdin Theater on 11/30. This show is know for being the reunion for Stone and Jeff’s former pioneering Seattle grunge band, Green River. Along with former Green River members Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney, the reunion is much more than getting a band back together and more so a group of friends being reunited after six years. We’ll also get a crooning Eddie with a very special Vegas-related guest. We’ll hear some stories from two different parties in this show. First, Patrick and Brian from Hallucinogenic Recipe stop by to go over the history of why this was such a highly circulated boot before becoming a Vault show. Then we’ll play a byte from Given To Live’s Tom Pugh who sat with young Reece Jones to chat about his experience at the Oakland show, a story you do not want to miss! That and plenty of Vs. tracks including a phenomenal version of Go, and most importantly, the live debut of Tremor Christ.

**Warning** This episode touches up on the topic of depression and suicide. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, don’t be afraid to call for help. For immediate assistance, dial 1800-273-8255, or dial 988 to reach the suicide prevention hotline. Please, take care of yourselves.

It’s been five years since we’ve lost Chris Cornell, a death that has shook up this community and a life that is dearly missed to this day. To celebrate his memory, we’ll be talking about one of the most memorable moments where he and Pearl Jam linked up at a show, the Lollapalooza tour closer in 1992. It came at a time where Temple of the Dog was discovered a year after the release of the album due to the collaboration between Pearl Jam and Soundgarden members. Performances of Hunger Strike at that time almost never happened, so looking back on it now and what we know, the moment is that much more special.

We talk a lot about Cornell’s life, his talent and the impact he made. This episode pays tribute to everything he provided for music, art, and the fans who cherish it.

We’re opening up the Vault again for the second of four times in this series! This episode focuses on Vault release #4 that took place in the intimate Mt. Baker Theatre up in Bellingham, Washington. Coming two days before the record came out, this show that amassed no more than 1,500 fans was meant as a preview for the Binaural record with seven songs being played live for the first time. We’ll gets to talk about all of the song debuts – Of The Girl, Breakerfall, Light Years, God’s Dice, Evacuation, Insignificance and even a few from the record that had already been played in some capacity on television or a Bridge School show. How did these songs sound on first listen? Did we get a sense for what they’d become right away, or did they need time to figure out the right comfort zone for playing these songs? All that, and a story about how Binaural may have been considered a dirty word to some fans back in the early 2000s, specifically someone who may host a Pearl Jam podcast you’re currently listening to!

Lots of things happening in this episode! Not only is it the beginning of tour week, our entire month of May we’ll be tackling a new series focusing on Pearl Jam’s Vault show releases. This happened to fall into our laps perfectly as one of the Vaults happens to be the Great Western Forum show from 1998, which is exactly where Pearl Jam will be playing shortly after this episode airs. We’ll get everybody prepped and hyped for tour time and go over some of the great features that will be available to follow along with on liveon4legs.com and Patreon. This show was a fantastic choice for the Vault collection. It can be considered one of the best shows of the first US leg in 1998 and there are many reasons to back that up. For one, The Forum is a massive, historic venue in Los Angeles where hundreds of legendary music acts have performed as well as many Lakers championships won. Ed and the guys are juiced to be playing there and right off the bat it shows. The bulk of these performances could be considered some of the very best renditions. The Yield songs especially. Brain Of J, In Hiding and Live On 2 Legs compilation addition Do The Evolution are major highlights along with excellent versions of Given To Fly, Present Tense, Rearviewmirror and Corduroy.

We’re another week closer to the start of the tour, which means that we’re continuing to build up the hype to highlight some of the cities they’ll be dropping in. This week features the Sacramento show from 1995, a show sandwiched between a fan favorite (Red Rocks) and an infamous (Polo Fields) show, inadvertently making this one overlooked. As far as 1995 shows go, this one is right in that wheelhouse where the Vitalogy era shows thrived in. Ed’s voice is at its peak, Jack is a madman at the kit, and the crowd as rowdy as you can imagine. We have not one, but two guests joining us for this episode. We welcome in our Patron Dylan Sumpter to tell his story about being at his first show, and we get to hear from Branden Palomo of the Better Band Podcast who talks about his experience at the show. There’s three historically notable moments that happen at this show – we get the second performance of the alternate version of Jeremy dubbed “No Jeremy” which was debuted two nights earlier in Red Rocks, we get a performance of Lukin over a year from the release of No Code as well as Habit being played for only the second time. You get to see the evolution of the band throughout the duration of this show. Considering what would happen two days later, this show could be seen as the end of an era. Things wouldn’t quite be the same afterward.

Continuing our preparation for the upcoming May tour dates, we’re looking back at a show from Phoenix during the Binaural era. The show is placed during a very strong stretch for the band as the following night would become an all-time classic – their 10th anniversary in Las Vegas. But Phoenix has been a rather quiet stop for Pearl Jam over the years. A lot of people remember the Open Road improv that they did back in 1995, but there were shows that happened there during every album tour from 1998 til 2003, although they’d wait 10 years before they showed up again during Lightning Bolt. Is Phoenix an undervalued Pearl Jam city? Should the shows from there be discussed more often. We do our best to answer those questions with the hope that this year’s show can change the impression of the city. A lot of great performances here including a few that were extremely rare during the Binaural era. Timeless Melody shows up in the middle of the main set, a song by the La’s that was covered thanks to Matt Cameron’s suggestion. We will also get the rarely heard Romanza intro heading into Better Man. Get ready for great versions of Grievance, State Of Love And Trust, Given To Fly, Insignificance, Do The Evolution and I Got Shit scattered throughout the episode!

The theme of this show is the importance of family. This being a hometown show for both Ed and Matt, there are a lot of band member relatives taking in the performance – Ed’s mother and three brothers are in attendance, Matt’s mother, siblings and son Ray are all there, and Mike’s dad Roy is in attendance as well. As much as this is a family show for the band, it was a bonding moment for those who witnessed this on the rail. We invite our long-time friends Debra McMurtrey and Dukes Wooters onto the show to talk about how their friendship developed on this night and to discuss the special bonds that we share with each other through our connection to the band that makes it all so special. This is our first show in the next handful of weeks that’s going to zero in on some of the locations that Pearl Jam will stop at on the upcoming tour in May. This night was the last time they were in San Diego and the purpose of the show was to create a hometown party type atmosphere. They played a 34-song, 3 hour and 20 minute set on this night that’s memorable for a lot of reasons. Not just because we get to see Ed’s mother Karen take down a bottle of wine in the same way her son is known to do, but this set was filled with so many audibles and surprises that would make for special moments in any Pearl Jam show. Some of those surprises include Tremor Christ, Army Reserve, Speed Of Sound, In My Tree and the live debut of Sleeping By Myself. We’ll get into all that and more good stuff from Deb and Dukes, including a breakdown of Ray Cameron’s lackluster Rockin’ In The Free World performance.

Thanks to our wonderful listeners and followers on social media, after a grueling two months worth of polls to select this week’s episode, the people have spoken and selected the legendary Katowice II 2000 show as the winner! The people chose well. This show is considered the cream of the crop of the official bootlegs from the Binaural tour and was sealed with the elusive Apeman logo as a show that the band thought of fondly. This show is unique for its era, both in story and in setlist. After playing the same arena, Spodek, the night prior in front of a sold out crowd of 8,000, the original tour route was going to bring them to Budapest, Hungary. That show was canceled for unknown reasons, leading the band to play a second night in Spodek to a crowd less than half the size as the previous night. They came onto the stage with a setlist mapped out, but after taking one look into the crowd and seeing a completely different atmosphere, they decided to make up the setlist on the fly instead. This led to a 4-song slow burn opening, some rare songs for the time spread all throughout the set, and many Binaural songs in their prime. We’ll run down the entire set and gush over some of the extremely rare placement of some of their most common songs. We’ll also get into a discussion about the recent premium ticket sales for the upcoming 2022 North American leg, and how the average Pearl Jam fan is having an extremely difficult time being able to afford them at the prices offered.