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Pearl Jam's 2013 North America Tour Leg

Recap of Pearl Jam's 2013 North American Leg

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October 18, 2013 – Barclays Center, Brookyln, NY, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Dissident, Why Go, Swallowed Whole, I Am Mine, Infallible, Given To Fly, Sirens, Eruption, Spin The Black Circle, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Save You, Let The Records Play, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Oceans, Yellow Moon, Sleight Of Hand, Just Breathe, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Got Some, Porch

encore 2: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Alive, Sonic Reducer, Indifference

Show Notes:

This is the first time the band has played in Brooklyn after many, many visits to New York City. Release appears in the #2 spot for the first time ever, and features in the main set in a spot other…

Show Notes: 

This is the first time the band has played in Brooklyn after many, many visits to New York City. Release appears in the #2 spot for the first time ever, and features in the main set in a spot other than the opener for the first time since the Ten show in Munich in 1992! Ed addresses the crowd and thanks Jay-Z for building the place, and that they have

“99 problems, but a place to play ain’t one.” 

No Even Flow tonight, but Mike makes up for it by taking center stage on incredible solos in both Dissident and Why Go. After I Am Mine, Ed says that it was dedicated to the people of New Jersey, who lost a lot in the last year with floods and fires. Infallible is dedicated to Ed’s daughters Harper and Olivia. A few technical issues before Sirens kicks in, as Mike’s 12-string has a tough time getting going. Ed addresses the false start and makes a terrible dad joke, saying that the last one came close to making the record, but would be on a b-side album called ‘Pearl Jam’s Greatest Misses’ due out in February. More issues ensue during the song, which leads Ed to leave the stage afterwards to find out what happened, giving Mike a platform to go nuts on an Eruption solo. After Spin the Black Circle, Ed mentions that the next song:

“was written by a guy everyone up here knew. I never knew him, but I think about him a lot, a lot…a lot. His name is Andrew Wood”

leading to a rare main set rendition of Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns. Oceans opens up encore one, dedicated to all the east coast surfers. Ed is hesitant to explain the meaning of Sleight of Hand before playing it, but he goes on to describe it as a song written about a guy who had to work 60-70 hours a week and wear a clip-on tie. With the Ramones being from NYC, Ed starts the ‘hey ho! let’s go!’ chant from “Blitzkrieg Bop” during the tag of Daughter. The green orbs are lowered down and swing back and forth on the stage during Porch. Before they start the second encore, Ed toasts a guy in front, holding a sign saying he’s at his 100th show and says he owes him a drink. The set is closed out with Sonic Reducer and the first night in Brooklyn ends with a powerful singalong on Indifference.

October 16, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Mind Your Manners, My Father’s Son, Cropduster, Wishlist, Sirens, I Am Mine, Lukin, Not For You, Down, State Of Love And Trust, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 1: Other Side, Future Days, Gone, Black/(We Belong Together), Jeremy, Daughter, Even Flow, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Smile, Once, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed makes mention early on that his voice is still recovering from the raucous show the night before, they ease into the evening with a couple of slower-paced songs. Mike channels Jimmy Page, using a bow on his guitar for…

Show Notes: 

Ed makes mention early on that his voice is still recovering from the raucous show the night before, they ease into the evening with a couple of slower-paced songs. Mike channels Jimmy Page, using a bow on his guitar for Pendulum. The aforementioned vocal strain makes an appearance during Given to Fly and Mind Your Manners, Ed adding “we went pretty hard last night..” and asking for help from the crowd. My Father’s Son is introduced as

“…a thank you letter from a son to his father, thanking him for all his…mutant genes.”

Cropduster is busted out next and they start to hit their stride during the more anthemic songs that follow, Wishlist, Sirens, and I Am Mine. Mike and Ed face off during State of Love and Trust and Ed has some fun with the people up front. Ed lets the Lightning Bolt intro go for a little longer before starting to sing. He picks up the mirrored guitar during the Porch jam and reflects the spotlight into the crowd. They come out seated for the encore and Ed talks about how the Red Sox game is going (not well) and talks about their first visit to Boston:

“The first time we were ever here, first time, we played a little club called the Axis, we stayed at this Holiday Inn, it was right across the street, or right next door to Fenway Park…me and Jeff were [jokingly makes quotation marks with his hands] roommates, gettin’ weird looks from the maids all the time…and it was the All-Star Break, so there was no game in town, and there was no chance of getting in there, but I did, however, right before we left town I climbed this fence that had a barbed wire barricade on top, flipped over the fence, and this guard-type guy, or guy in a suit kinda called after me and then I started running, and he ran after me and then there were two guys in suits running after me, and I went down this hallway and then I turned down another, and I went up this thing, and I was right behind fuckin’ home plate. It was fucking beautiful, it was like seeing your friend’s sister naked when you were twelve or something…so I took three Polaroids, ran back out, jumped in the van, and we moved off to Hartford or wherever the fuck we went…and now cut to twenty years later, we’re sitting front row watching David Ortiz do a fucking baseball miracle like I’ve never witnessed before…”

Other Side makes only its second appearance, by request, with Ed reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper. Gone returns for the first time since 2009, a strong version. The chairs go away for Jeremy. There’s some confusion on stage between Ed and Stone, and Mike takes the opportunity to play a tease of Little Wing, causing Ed to look over and exclaim “you’re fuckin’ with me, fuck you,” to which Mike throws his hands up innocently. As Daughter begins, Ed says “…we got it now, Robbie,” and does some vocal runs and breathing instead of a tag. Dick from the local event staff is brought out on stage and has a nice moment with Ed during the second break. Everything off of Lightning Bolt besides Getaway and Sleeping By Myself was played between the two nights.

October 15, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Release, Long Road, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Hail, Hail, Sirens, Even Flow, Nothing As It Seems, Swallowed Whole, Red Mosquito, Whipping, Corduroy, Infallible, Got Some, Save You, Leash, Let The Records Play, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Man Of The Hour, Yellow Moon, Fatal, Just Breathe, Spin The Black Circle, Unthought Known, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Crazy Mary, Alive, Sonic Reducer, Indifference

Show Notes:

Subbing in for Boston, scrappy Worcester becomes the two-night home for the band. The historic and underutilized venue and timeliness of the shows (with the Red Sox currently in the midst of a playoff run down the street in Boston)…

Show Notes: 

Subbing in for Boston, scrappy Worcester becomes the two-night home for the band. The historic and underutilized venue and timeliness of the shows (with the Red Sox currently in the midst of a playoff run down the street in Boston) underscored the lively setlist, which kicked off with an emotional 1-2 punch of an opener–a powerful Release followed by Long Road, the first time these two classic opening songs have opened a show consecutively! An anthemic Small Town serves as the logical follow-up, before a segue into a rotation of Lightning Bolt-era tracks that sustains the energy of the night. Hail, Hail and Whipping rip with furor, and Nothing As It Seems is atmospheric and moody. Ed frequently chats about the Red Sox and the band’s friendship with former GM Theo Epstein, who is referenced on Better Man. Corduroy anchors the back part of the set, a surprise at that part of the night. However, the biggest setlist highlight is, not surprisingly, Leash, played in response to Ed’s recognition of a sign-waving fan that had been following the band around for several shows. The encore features a poignant Man of the Hour opener and another fan request, the first Fatal since 2010! A blistering Porch closes out encore one before a unique second encore blends solo-driven stalwarts like Crazy Mary and Alive with an atypical closing pairing of Sonic Reducer and a big singalong on Indifference. Ed leaves the crowd with “it makes a difference, no matter what they say…thank you very much.”

October 12, 2013 – First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Immortality, My Father’s Son, Even Flow, Swallowed Whole, Sirens, Once, Comatose, I Got Shit, Infallible, Present Tense, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 1: Off He Goes, Yellow Moon, Future Days, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Rats, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Go, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The second night of the Lightning Bolt tour was the band’s fourth performance in the city of Buffalo. For the second straight night, they open the show with brand new track Pendulum. They also go back to the slow burn…

Show Notes: 

The second night of the Lightning Bolt tour was the band’s fourth performance in the city of Buffalo. For the second straight night, they open the show with brand new track Pendulum. They also go back to the slow burn open, following up with Low Light and Sometimes. Ed holds out the last note on Low Light for an eternity, while Sometimes gets somewhat of an extended intro. Do The Evolution caps off an energetic section featuring old and newer tracks with Ed engaging the crowd in a call and response similar to what the band receives on their South American tours. My Father’s Son is played for the first time live and gets off to a false start before the band figures it out. Also debuting at this show is Swallowed Whole. Ed tells the story of how I Got Shit was written during the Mirror Ball sessions, saying Neil Young told him to write a song and he responded:

“‘I don’t got one, I got shit.’ Neil said ‘I Got Shit, that’s the song!’”

This leads to an incredibly fun performance of the Merkinball track. Present Tense, State Of Love and Trust, and Porch are an excellent closing section to end the main set. In the encore, Ed compliments the Buffalo Sabres logo, leading to a ‘Go Leafs Go’ chant from the fans who traveled from Toronto. Ed jokingly responded, saying he couldn’t hear them because he lost his hearing in 1995. After a cool down featuring two brand new, melodic songs from the new album, the rest of the show is dominated by the Vs. record. Elderly Woman is played for the fans in the back and even has a separate drum kit facing their direction that Matt hops on, potentially the first instance featuring this setup. The rare Rats follows and the set finishes up with an atmospheric sounding Rearviewmirror. After pondering whether they should call the residents ‘Buffalonians’ or ‘Buffolites’, Go rips open the 2nd encore. Bread and butter closes the night, featuring Alive, Baba O’Riley, and another Vs. song, Indifference. Ed finishes things out saying “thanks for making it a great night for us, it’s all your fault!”

October 11, 2013 – CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Pendulum, Of The Girl, Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Got Some, Given To Fly, Untitled/MFC, Faithfull, Sirens, Unemployable, Why Go, Daughter, Infallible, Let The Records Play, Unthought Known, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Speed Of Sound, Yellow Moon, Footsteps, Whipping, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

On the first night of the North American leg of the Lightning Bolt Tour, 5 new songs make their debut. Mike is holding a bow a la Jimmy Page to begin the show, and he uses it to create the…

Show Notes: 

On the first night of the North American leg of the Lightning Bolt Tour, 5 new songs make their debut. Mike is holding a bow a la Jimmy Page to begin the show, and he uses it to create the otherworldly effects on Pendulum. Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners ramp up the energy early on. Untitled is changed slightly to honor Roberto Clemente (Pirates legend who died in a plane crash while performing humanitarian efforts): “I could be there in 21 minutes or so.” Ed adds “…there’s a lot to be said for Pittsburgh…” into MFC. Faithfull sees Ed check on the crowd for the first time, and he dedicates Sirens to a guy they knew from earlier in their careers who did a radio interview with them on a bridge, they were sitting with their legs dangling over the bridge, and he died in a tragic accident soon after the interview. Ed mentions that he still thinks about him even if he isn’t right there in front of them. Unemployable is played for the only time on the North American tour and for the last time to date, and dedicated to members of Congress, in hopes they would soon be unemployable. Daughter is played without a tag, but Ed tells a great story about Franco Harris:

When I grew up, the best running back at the time was a guy named Franco Harris, and everyone loved him and wanted to claim him as their own. Not just the African-American community, but also the Italians, since his dad was Italian. What I loved the most was the Irish community here took him in but called him Frank O’Harris!

Infallible and Let the Records Play are debuted, and both sound very crisp in the same vein as they are on the album. The main set closes with another great Unthought Known and Rearviewmirror, as the crowd catches a much-needed breath. After a shaky Speed of Sound, Ed jokes that they’re not going to split the band up in Pittsburgh, we’ll get through this, leading into the debut of Yellow Moon. After a beautiful Footsteps, Jason Grilli (pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates) is invited on stage and gives a passionate, increasingly unhinged speech about how much he loves Pittsburgh and how he will pitch his balls off for them next year. His intro song during the games is Whipping, which follows, and he stays on stage and dances like a maniac. The first encore comes to an end with Porch leading the crowd to another crescendo. The second encore starts with Ed saying:

 I was getting nervous about our first gig, but I happened to be talking to Bruce Springsteen about a few things, he said, ‘It’s Pittsburgh, you’re going to have a smoking crowd’ and he was right, the Boss was right! Maybe when you only come once every 7 years, maybe that’s why.

The run to the finish starts with another mighty rendition of Black, with the crowd helping out on vocals. Ed goes and stands behind Mike during his solo, even putting his ear to Mike’s amp at one point, soaking it all in. Rockin’ In the Free World lyrics are changed to “there are colors in the street, all black and yellow…” Mike ends the night with a tender Ledbetter outro.

July 19, 2013 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: All The Way, All Night, Do The Evolution, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Faithfull, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, State Of Love And Trust, Wishlist, Even Flow, Leatherman, Eruption, Bugs, Why Go, Unthought Known, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Future Days, Mother, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Porch, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Black, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

The band makes their first appearance at the ballpark where Ed spent his youth watching games. The weight of the moment is not lost on them, as you can see Ed getting choked up as he sings the “oh dear…

Show Notes: 

The band makes their first appearance at the ballpark where Ed spent his youth watching games. The weight of the moment is not lost on them, as you can see Ed getting choked up as he sings the “oh dear dad” lyric in Release. Hold On is played for only the 3rd time. Ed addresses the crowd after Low Light:

“It’s one of those shows that was getting organized around this time last year, but it feels like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for it. Of all the places in Chicago…this isn’t just the crown jewel of Chicago, it’s the crown jewel of the whole planet Earth. It’s exactly as I pictured it, including some potential weather that we’ll have to get through as a team tonight. So we’re pacing ourselves and we hope you do the same. With all due respect to the gentleman who plays here tomorrow, they’re gonna have to kick us off the stage tonight.”

An emotionally charged Come Back is dedicated to a woman named Sarah who died at the age of 30. With the threat of thunderstorms impending, Ed addresses the crowd again:

“We’re gonna do this next one, and then the next one, and another one, and then three more, four more. More and more and more. But there might be shifts in weather that could hit us hard. There’s electrical equipment on the stage that doesn’t make it safe to be out here, but we’re gonna do one more and then take a little break and be right back.”

Lyrics of Elderly Woman are changed to “…glad I saw this place, thank you John for taking me…” as a nod to his uncle who brought him to Cubs games as a child. Ed says that the bad weather will only last a half hour, but it will take a half hour to get everyone to safety, reassuring everyone that the curfew has been extended. After three grueling hours of hard rain, the band finally takes the stage again around 11:45. Ed comes out wearing a Jose Cardenal jersey and puts a twist on a famous quote used at the friendly confines:

“Ernie Banks used to say let’s play two, I think we can say let’s play ‘til two!”

He tells a story about how Banks asked him to write a Cubs anthem, All The Way, which he then plays. Memorable Cubs highlights are played on the video screen during the performance. At the end of the song, Ed brings out Mr. Cub to sing along. Ernie Banks speaks:

“It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two! I’m happy that you’re in my house, it’s the most beautiful place. I love it, I could sleep here. This is Eddie’s glove he had when he was five and I’m taking it because I’m gonna keep it.”

The band comes back out and rips into All Night, a tongue-in-cheek way of foreshadowing what’s to come. Ed implores the crowd to sing Do The Evolution “South American style” and they comply. Corduroy’s bridge is extended, with the crowd singing “everything has chains…” while the band jams straight through it. Two brand new songs off the forthcoming Lightning Bolt album are played, Mind Your Manners and Lightning Bolt, with the latter making its live debut. Lightning Bolt is an instant hit with the crowd, featuring a powerful, long lasting solo off the axe of Mike McCready. After cracking a few jokes about Mike’s testicles, Ed asks “Four Balls Michael” if he wants to try one out, leading to an overpowering rendition of Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption solo. Naturally, the only way to follow that up would be to break out an accordion to play…Bugs! Ed has fun with it, as the crowd remain in disbelief of what they are seeing. Rearviewmirror ends the main set in a big way, the bridge guitar parts are reminiscent of Pete Townshend and Matt Cameron caps it off with an incredible drum solo.

To begin the encore, Ed introduces Brendan O’Brien to play keys on the debut of Future Days. The Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns combination is a special moment, only the third time they’ve been packaged together by PJ. McCready is once again a major highlight, providing a soul crushing solo. Over the Wasted Reprise bed, Ed mentions watching the Cubs on a black and white TV, adding that when he went to the stadium for the first time, he saw all the colors of the field and it was like his field of dreams. Strapped for time in the wee hours of the night, much of the back end of the set is cut. Black segues into Rockin in the Free World to cap off one of the most memorable shows in Pearl Jam’s catalog. A show that began at 7:30 PM and ended at 2 AM.

July 16, 2013 – Budweiser Gardens, London, ONT, CAN

Main Set: Present Tense, Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, (London Calling)/Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Got Some, Given To Fly, Sad, Alone, Even Flow, I Got Id, In Hiding, Lukin, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Black, Porch

encore 1: Last Exit, Last Kiss, Parachutes, Man Of The Hour, Just Breathe, Daughter, Unthought Known, Do The Evolution

encore 2: Smile, Brain Of J., Better Man, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

This pre-Wrigley warm-up gig, at the relatively intimate Budweiser Gardens Arena (formerly the John Labatt Centre) where they first visited during the ’05 Canadian jaunt, ratchets up the energy with the first Present Tense opener since 2005. Things stay relatively…

Show Notes: 

This pre-Wrigley warm-up gig, at the relatively intimate Budweiser Gardens Arena (formerly the John Labatt Centre) where they first visited during the ’05 Canadian jaunt, ratchets up the energy with the first Present Tense opener since 2005. Things stay relatively mellow early, as the band follows up with a heartfelt Nothingman and crowd favorite Elderly Woman. Gears shift with a brief intro tag romp of The Clash’s stomp London Calling into a Corduroy that features an extended jam in the bridge and the first of several excellent Mike solos of the night. The first and only debut of the night is the bottom-driven Mind Your Manners; despite a couple of mic problems for Ed, it gets a solid reception. The remainder of the main set includes back-to-back rarities of Sad and Alone. Mike rides the band’s collective energy with some emotionally rich solos on Even Flow, a passionate Black, and some dueling guitar with Stone on Porch. During Porch, oversized light bulbs in a red and green glow are dropped from the rafters. The first encore kicks hard and fast with Last Exit, and quickly moves into a mellower zone with Parachutes and Man of the Hour.  The second encore features a terrific Smile, backed by a surprise late show Brain of J. The night comes to a close, lights up, with Indifference. A fun and energetic warm up, setting the table for the rest of the year.

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