September 25, 2011 – Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC, CAN

Pearl Jam Show Notes 9/25/2011:

The evening begins with the lights going on and a relaxed Elderly Woman. The crowd chimes in with exuberance when Ed belts “I just want to scream….hello”. The crowd does such a great job that Ed hands them the reigns for “hearts and thoughts…”. The band moves into Hail Hail with a decidedly classic rock vibe. Ed’s voice wavers and cracks in all the right places, and he’s so into the jam that he backbends with the mic stand. Save You is a passionate stand-out with raw, desperate screams at the end. Mike gets his first featured solo of the night, and the PJ20 backdrop gets a light show during a raspy Animal. Jeff switches out his “Green Noise” bass to back Ed on a very physical Got Some. Ed throws out a nod to the locals “smoked a joint in BC” during Given To Fly. A brief break has Ed talking to the crowd about this being the last stop on the North American tour as well as it being their tenth show in Vancouver. Their first time in Vancouver happened to be their fifth ever show in January 1991 at the Town Pump. He says it’s “Been a great ride and thanks for the fuel in our tanks”. Pilate slows the vibe and Ed grabs his guitar for Unthought Known complete with Canadian Flag sticker. There’s a warmth and richness to the song with Mike and Jeff playing off each other and Matt on backing vocals. The energy gets a bit dark, literally and figuratively with Garden. Ed swigs wine, the lights go out and back on to feature Stone’s playing and then Mike plays a soulful solo with his eyes closed and channels his inner Hendrix. Even Flow has an indescribable prominent twang at the opening, and Stone’s baseline rhythm is unfaltering. We get a signature Ed jump with Mike joining the gymnastics. Mike looks up at the rafters as if looking for early PJ inspiration before taking over for a near four minute solo. Ed hands the last chorus and outro to the audience. Ed points out Mike and references passing through NY en route to Toronto on the anniversary of 9/11 and the ten year anniversary of being at war. He then checks in with the Americans in the crowd, then the Canadians and makes a joke about dual citizenship being a smart move. He continues to reminisce about the last tour East to West through Canada and states “We learned to walk with a limp but it was nice to see people walking freely”. This is a segue into a straight forward World Wide Suicide. Ed pauses to reflect on Chris McCandless (actor and naturist that Into The Wild is based on) and states that Setting Forth is a “request by Matt and the guys”. The tempo picks up with Corduroy with some added echoing to Ed’s voice. Matt is mentioned again and dubbed “one of the greatest drummers” before Unemployable and mentions Matt’s co-writing. The performance is dedicated to “Olivia and her mom” (presumably Ed’s family). The lights go down and Present Tense is sung in near darkness until midway through. Ed introduces crew member Ricky Ramone, spits mid-sentence and doesn’t miss a beat with a dirty joke opportunity re: spit not swallow. We get another studio sounding song with Wishlist, but a wailing Glorified G with Matt and Stone on backing vocals. Lukin is dedicated to “Matt Lukin…if you’re out there…”. The set comes to an end with Porch. Jeff, Stone and Mike have a guitar party while Ed uses his fender to create light beams bouncing off the Canadian Flag.

Encore 1 starts with Jeff and Ed performing an acoustic Bee Girl. We get a glimpse of Boom who helps with a gentle lullaby version of Just Breathe. Ed’s voice is on point for Off He Goes. There’s a campfire feel with the guys taking turns with guitar spotlights. We get a Mankind from Stone and Jeff. SOLAT sounds a bit strained, but Ed stirs up needed aggression for Ole. We get a standard Alive with Ed really trying to get the crowd to step up. A complaint follows where Ed points out the lack of energy in the front row and wishes the wild ones in the back were up front “but it’s okay, we’re all friends”. After taking stock of the audience, Ed issues a big thanks to those that travelled to multiple shows. He dedicates Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns to Andy Wood, and the band joins up in the center to jam together. The stage gets busy as Ed introduces Bruce Fairweather from Green River and Mother Love Bone and George Webb, a road crew member since Day 1, and sings Happy Birthday. There are some cake dodging antics before playing Smile. Ed states his appreciation of the Seattle music scene and “top of the heap” Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney for Search And Destroy. Steve Turner and Mudhoney bassist Guy Maddison add more dimension staying on for Rockin’ In The Free World, and it ends with a wicked solo from Stone. Stone continues with the spotlight by taking the drumkit for Ledbetter with Matt grabbing an acoustic and a classic closing solo from Mike.