September 15, 2011 – Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, CAN

Pearl Jam Show Notes 9/15/2011:

The city was buzzing in the build up with being the fourth and final Ontario show. Eddie speaks often throughout the show about how great the crowd is that evening. The date also marked the 7th anniversary of the passing of Johnny Ramone, which will become an overarching theme in the set. The crowd roared as the band took to the stage and opened with Given to Fly. Lyrics are changed to ‘made it to the hammer, had a smoke in a tree’, which is the affectionate nickname for city Hamilton. Severed Hand was roaring, and Mike’s solo got the crowd fired up for Corduroy. After Hail, Hail, Ed compares the crowd to a wave and the band as a surfer and says they are continuing to paddle and catch waves tonight. He then mentions that he was talking to Uncle Neil back in Toronto who said ‘just so you know what people are saying behind your back, you will have fun in Ottawa but Hamilton is going to go off!’ After Immortality, Ed introduces Matt Cameron and declares he picked the next song, Setting Forth. This transitions excellently into Not For You. During the bridge, a snippet of Bang the Gong by T-Rex was blended in. Daughter has a Blitzkrieg Bop tag that begins the nod to Johnny Ramone. Ed’s voice was strong during a rocking version and rare appearance of Habit. There is a bit of a false start during Push Me, Pull Me as Ed states he always gets nervous before it. The main set ends with a strong Why Go.

Ed again compliments the crowd’s excitement to start the encore. After, Nothingman Ed speaks about the anniversary of Johnny Ramone’s passing. He tells heartfelt story of being with Johnny at the end of his life:

“I’m grateful I got to be there with a few other friends and his wife, at one point later in the night he took his last breaths sitting in this chair that kinda reclined, and by the end of the night he was just lying in the chair. He looked like he was sleeping. My little daughter, my first daughter, was only 3 months old and she was bundled up in her little chair and she was sleeping. It was like you look up at the sky and saw John and saw my daughter on the other side of me and said like ok, I fucking get it, ok. Like the circle of life, the cycle of life. I get it. I mean… does it have to be so painful? But that’s the thing with John and friends and relatives, people close to you, still live on inside of you. And in Johnny’s case, inside the great music of the Ramones.”

This leads into an OTOTO cover of The Ramones I Remember You. Better Man features another Ramone tag, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, into a strong Black with a We Belong Together tag, once again referencing the Ramones.

Encore 2 begins with a fan request via a large sign for Brain of J. After Crazy Mary, Ed conducts band introductions and speaks to the 20th anniversary. Mark Arm and Steve Turner of Mudhoney are brought out to cover Search and Destroy for the first time this tour. The show is wrapped up with Alive into Ledbetter providing a perfect ending to their run in Ontario.