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2014 Pearl Jam Concerts

Recap of Pearl Jam's 2014 Live Concert Tour

The 2014 tour was an extension of the previous year’s run to promote the Lightning Bolt record.

It was broken down into three legs that spread throughout three different continents for a total count of 32 shows. This year provided a plethora of unforgettable moments which included shows that became instant classics, and some shows in hindsight that signaled an important end of an era.

Just over a month after the conclusion of the 2013 US tour run, Pearl Jam began the year heading down to Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2009 to play a run of six shows headlining the now defunct Big Day Out festival. It has remained the last instance where they’ve played this part of the world through 2022.

After a few months to decompress from a semi-rigorous schedule since the previous October, the band set out for their first European run to promote Lightning Bolt. It was a 12 night run with stops in nine different countries such as Italy, Germany, Norway, Poland and more. The big highlight from this run happens to be the Leeds show where they paid tribute to The Who: Live At Leeds record playing a 36-song set with multiple rarities and Who songs. This show was followed up with another massive 36-song set in Milton Keynes to finish their stay in Europe.

The final leg of the year lasted for the duration of October and took place in America’s Heartland. Many of the cities visited were being played for either the first time or the first in a very long time. The major story from this leg generates from two shows that began a brand new trend for them – surprise full album shows. Although the Ten and Pearl Jam albums were performed in their entirety previously, the band had never dabbled with any of the other full albums live until this year. At Moline, a city they’d never approached before, they busted out No Code to the surprise of everyone. Three nights later in Milwaukee, they made another attempt at a full album and performed every track from Yield. On October 22nd in Denver, Pearl Jam celebrated the 24th anniversary of their first ever show. A nearly 3 1/2 hour long set featuring a whopping 38 songs, many of the rare variety.

2014 finished with a final goodbye to the Bridge School Benefit concerts. After a total of 17 appearances, the band would not play the benefit again before its disbandment in 2016. Both nights included performances of Hunger Strike featuring Chris Cornell. It would be the final time that he and Ed would collaborate on the song together.

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June 26, 2014 – Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, DEU

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Nothingman, In My Tree, Go, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, God’s Dice, Hold On, Given To Fly, You Are, Who You Are, Even Flow, Sirens, Jeremy, Immortality, Eruption, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Sleight Of Hand, Sleeping By Myself, All Those Yesterdays, Crazy Mary, Comatose, Blood, Porch

encore 2: Bee Girl, I Believe In Miracles, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The opening sequence is gorgeous, the crowd seems to energize the show right from the beginning, and Ed sounds outstanding. In My Tree soars just like it did in 1996, everyone locked in during the ending jam. Go flows seamlessly…

Show Notes: 

The opening sequence is gorgeous, the crowd seems to energize the show right from the beginning, and Ed sounds outstanding. In My Tree soars just like it did in 1996, everyone locked in during the ending jam. Go flows seamlessly into a ripping Why Go, not the first time on the night that two similarly-named songs would be paired together. Ed gives the Evolution break to the crowd and they run with it, even continuing to sing it after the song is over. He addresses the crowd, saying:

“I think this is the 27th time we’ve played in Germany, and maybe number 6 here…but I don’t think we’ve ever had a night as nice as this.”

Corduroy features a superb McCready solo. Mind Your Manners loses its way a little bit about halfway through, but they pick it back up before the end. Hold On is played, by request, for the first time since Wrigley the previous year. You Are is “a toast to all of you who are lucky enough, and strong enough, to be still in love,” paired up with Who You Are. Following Even Flow, Ed shouts out Stone for writing it, “he writes great songs and makes beautiful kids,”  leading the crowd to start a “Let Stone Sing” chant, with Ed and the band picking up on it and doing a little impromptu jam, with the following lyrics:

Let Stone sing, they say
You don’t understand
The reason being
We don’t insist
It’s nothing, it’s with me
I tried and i tried
Oh, but to no avail
It has to keep his voice clean
He don’t just sing anywhere
Let Stone sing

The crowd keeps the “Let Stone Sing” chant going throughout, and Ed adds “see, he wouldn’t even sing that…played the shit out of it, though…” and that Stone only sings if Jeff says it’s ok. Ed eggs Stone on to sing something, “maybe from the movie Frozen?”, singing a bit of “Let It Go.” Stone thanks the crowd for wanting him to sing, teasing “I’m not doing it, fuck you guys,” and Ed sings “…for the first time in forever…,” also from Frozen. The pretty Immortality intro transitions awkwardly into the song, but it’s a powerful version nonetheless, with an atmospheric crescendo at the end. Ed has to ask the crowd to take 3 steps back again, which he had done twice earlier, due to the surge of people at the front. Driving RVM jam with Ed and Jeff holding down the rhythm before Matt takes over. After the break, Ed points out some request signs in the crowd, and the one for Sleight of Hand is granted. Sleeping By Myself is dedicated to 20 drunk guys in the front, because it’s “what they’ll be doing tonight.” Boom adds the riff from the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” to the Crazy Mary solo, which ends up in a duel with Mike. False start to Comatose, but they recover. Afterwards, Ed jokes that the next one is “not dedicated to the tiny little girl in the front row who’s 4, maybe 5,” leading into Blood. Coming out after the second break, Ed asks if they can find out the name of the girl in the front, and after a few moments, gets everyone to say hi to Matilda, and plays Bee Girl for her. Stone takes a long solo in Rockin’ in the Free World. Mike finishes off Yellow Ledbetter with a harmonic, and Ed thanks the crowd with a little Hawaiian, leaving with “super shaka”.

June 25, 2014 – Stadthalle, Vienna, AUT

Main Set: Long Road, Can’t Keep, Black/(We Belong Together), Last Exit, Why Go, Spin The Black Circle, Hail, Hail, Got Some, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Severed Hand, I Got Id, Amongst The Waves, Rain, Even Flow, Sirens, Wishlist, Rats, Public Image, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Needle And The Damage Done, Speed Of Sound, Footsteps, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Daughter/(Atomic Dog), State Of Love And Trust, Brain Of J., Lukin, Porch

encore 2: Smile, Fuckin’ Up, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

Ed does a call and response with the audience at the end of Long Road. The early set Black run continues here, with the crowd erupting during the opening chords. A short “We didn’t belong together” improv by Ed leads…

Show Notes: 

Ed does a call and response with the audience at the end of Long Road. The early set Black run continues here, with the crowd erupting during the opening chords. A short “We didn’t belong together” improv by Ed leads into the crowd taking over the background vocals, and Ed saying “…it’s gonna be a good night.” Matt starts off the Last Exit beat quietly before kicking in full-throttle. Mike imitates a record spinning during STBC, taking a few laps around the stage. After Got Some, Ed delivers a speech in broken German to the crowd, following it up (in English) with “…and with the rain, the thunder, and the lightning” before launching into Lightning Bolt. Amongst The Waves is introduced as:

“about the ocean…it’s about love, it’s about the oceans…it’s not necessarily about loving the ocean…its not necessarily about loving love…its about learning how to live on the ocean of love when you’re in the middle of a hurricane, and the waves are big and it doesn’t seem like you’re gonna get out of it, but you might. Don’t jump ship…don’t become the man overboard. They may never find you.” 

The crowd cheers for Stone afterwards, and Ed points out the “Stone supporters,” adding that Mike requested the band play the next song, a full-band cover of The Beatles’ “Rain”. Even Flow is introduced as “an old Alice Cooper song called ‘Cold Ethyl’.” Following his usual amazing solo, Ed asks Mike when he learned to play like that, and Mike replies “one night after taking acid and seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan.  But kids, don’t do that. Don’t do that.” To which Ed replies:

“Hear that kids, don’t do that. Don’t take acid and practice for twenty thousand hours. And don’t mix it up. Don’t do twenty thousand hits of acid and then play guitar. If there are any Austrian journalists out there, make sure to get that right. Don’t do acid and play guitar. Mike wrote this next song, and I don’t believe there were any drugs involved at all, right Mike?”

Mike confirms drugs were not involved during the creation of the next song, Sirens. After the break, Ed mentions how bad the sound was in the building during soundcheck, “the worst or second to worst sounding” building that he’s ever been in, but that the band was happy to have a full and engaged audience. Ed breaks out the acoustic guitar for Needle and The Damage Done solo, a surprise, as it’s played for the first time since 2009! Not to be outdone, the rarely played Speed Of Sound makes an appearance in the first encore as well, played for only the 6th time. After Brain of J., Ed asks if he “should get an acoustic guitar for this…the 12-string? Mandolin, is there a mandolin?” A not-acoustic Lukin follows. An impassioned Indifference ends the night, after which Ed thanks the crowd, saying “so kind…we love you, thank you so much, so kind, we had a blast…good night, goodbye” and points out a “little dude” in the front, adding “thanks for taking care of each other.”

June 22, 2014 – Nereo Rocco Stadium, Trieste, ITA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Low Light, Black/(We Belong Together), Sirens, Why Go, Animal, Corduroy, Getaway, Got Some, Given To Fly, Leatherman, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Deep, Come Back, Even Flow, Down, Unthought Known, Infallible, Whipping, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Let Me Sleep, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Jeremy, State Of Love And Trust, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Porch

encore 2: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Once, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Another long, slow beginning section, with another early Black, eases the crowd into the festivities. “You ready?! You ready?!” Ed shouts before a torrid Why Go, and as Matt Cameron starts pounding the drum intro, the crowd is in an…

Show Notes: 

Another long, slow beginning section, with another early Black, eases the crowd into the festivities. “You ready?! You ready?!” Ed shouts before a torrid Why Go, and as Matt Cameron starts pounding the drum intro, the crowd is in an absolute frenzy, indicating their readiness. The crowd seems confused by Leatherman, even though Ed says it’s being played as a request. Mind Your Manners gets a HUGE crowd reaction. Mike reaches into his bag of tricks on a raucous Even Flow, and even after Infallible seems to sink the energy of the show, the set closing trio of Whipping, Do the Evolution, and Rearviewmirror is killer, each one building off the last. Let Me Sleep is played for the first time ever in Europe (and only the third time ever) to open the encore, right before a stunning version of Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns. Ed introduces the band before Wasted Reprise, highlighting that it’s Boom Gaspar’s second-ever trip to Italy. Porch packs a frantic punch to end the encore. Ed leads the crowd through a long, complex call and response during the Better Man jam, before an impassioned Save It For Later tag, stretching the song past the 10-minute mark. Once precedes Alive, but no Footsteps to complete the trilogy. Alive and Rockin’ in the Free World are straight-forward and powerful. Ed thanks the crowd before a somewhat somber Yellow Ledbetter closes the show – even McCready’s closing solo just seems to fade to black. The band sounds in good spirits, but the song selection and pacing of the set is totally hit or miss and seems to confuse the crowd into silence from time to time.

June 20, 2014 – San Siro Stadium, Milan, ITA

Main Set: Release, Nothingman, Sirens, Black/(We Belong Together), Go, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Pilate, Untitled, MFC, Given To Fly, Who You Are, Sad, Even Flow, Swallowed Whole, Setting Forth, Not For You, Why Go, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Thin Air, Just Breathe, Daughter/(W.M.A./Let It Go/It’s O.K.), Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Spin The Black Circle, Lukin, Porch

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

Show Notes:

80,000 fans packed into San Siro, home of European soccer giants AC Milan and Inter. Ed comes out to play Porch solo before the start of the actual show. The crowd is in excellent form all evening, singing along loudly…

Show Notes: 

80,000 fans packed into San Siro, home of European soccer giants AC Milan and Inter. Ed comes out to play Porch solo before the start of the actual show. The crowd is in excellent form all evening, singing along loudly to almost every song, aided by a Release/Nothingman opening, the extended outro to Sirens, and a very early, powerful, rousing version of Black. After its conclusion, Ed addresses the audience in Italian before asking, “Are you ready?!” They immediately shift gears, tearing into Go and not letting up until after Mind Your Manners. Jeff gets some recognition after Pilate, and the crowd chants his name. Following MFC, Ed proclaims “I was very high when I wrote that song…but not as high as those people back there! This one’s for you,” leading into Given to Fly, which has Ed translating the “…fuckers” line into Italian. Mike solos for over 3 minutes on Even Flow, and Ed introduces him as “Michelangelo McCready” afterwards, adding

“I was watching Mike play…and watching this great crowd, and I was wondering, what would be easier…if you all moved to Seattle or if we just moved here? Maybe 6 months we try it. Almost all of the band, we have our wives and family here, I think we might just stay.”

Following Swallowed Whole, he addresses the crowd again:

“There is a young man out there, his name is Michael, it’s his first concert and I would like to totally ruin him by saying Happy Birthday Michael in front of all the people, and have a great birthday, he will be 13 in a couple days. See, other bands…especially the singer, he would never fuck up a song like I’m about to fuck up this song…that’s a guitar solo right there. And Michael, the next time I see you you will probably be 15. And next time, maybe your dad won’t be around and we smoke a little pot or something.”

After the break, he mentions the first time they played in Milan, at a small club called Sorpasso on February 18, he can’t remember the year but eventually lands (correctly) on 1992. Just Breathe is beautiful, just Ed and Boom. Daughter transitions into W.M.A, with Jeff laying down the full W.M.A. bassline and Mike adding some strummy guitar, and then when it sounds like It’s O.K. is imminent, Ed starts singing “Let It Go” (yes, the one from Frozen) before going into the Dead Moon tag, finishing triumphantly, a standout version. Prior to Better Man, everyone sings Happy Birthday to April Cameron, “‘cause I know it will freak her out,” adds Ed. The Porch jam is very guitar-heavy and less jammy, reminiscent of the early 90’s. Ed thanks the wonderful crowd before Alive, taking a few moments to add:

“I want to say before we leave… you have cities in this country that are eternal…we are now in the greatest age of science, and knowledge, and technology, and discovery, the greatest age our world has ever known. And at the same time, war, and people’s mental health, and corruption and the government, keep all the people from living in peace. And so, we agree on this, and again, it’s such a beautiful thing to go anywhere in the world and see this many people agree on anything. It’s fucking beautiful, so thanks for letting us witness this, because it gives us the hope that, as long as the sun keeps fucking burning, that we won’t keep trying and trying together to make this a world, where peace, and joy, and love, and health, that we can win, we will win, we can win!”

June 17, 2014 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NED

Main Set: Hard To Imagine, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Life Wasted, Mind Your Manners, Last Exit, Do The Evolution, Severed Hand, Getaway, Dissident, Lightning Bolt, Even Flow, Immortality, Marker In The Sand, Rain, Sirens, Let The Records Play, Unthought Known, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Just Breathe, All Or None, Mother, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), My Father’s Son, State Of Love And Trust, Alive

encore 2: Black/(We Belong Together), Blood/(Atomic Dog), Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Hard To Imagine is an unexpected opener. Halfway through Mind Your Manners, Ed appears to be having issues with his microphone. He motions to the crowd to keep singing as he takes the mic stand and slams it to the…

Show Notes: 

Hard To Imagine is an unexpected opener. Halfway through Mind Your Manners, Ed appears to be having issues with his microphone. He motions to the crowd to keep singing as he takes the mic stand and slams it to the floor angrily, then tosses it and the microphone off to the side of the stage. A crew member runs a new mic out to Ed and he finishes the song. Following Getaway, Ed tells the crowd:

“…that was a nice little love song about religion…could have been called ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.’ We would like to dedicate this one to an American named Edward Snowden,”

The band goes into Dissident. During Even Flow, Ed is noticeably having some pain in his right leg. As Mike begins his solo, Ed limps off stage for a few moments, but limps back in time to finish the song. He then talks about how he hurt his leg:

“trying to jump buses like Matt Cameron and Evel Knievel…moral of the story is you’ll never be as cool as Matt Cameron so don’t even try!”

Marker in the Sand is prefaced with:

“this is a song Mike McCready wrote. We haven’t played it in a while and if I were a betting man, I think we might fuck it up.”

After completing the song with no issues, Ed speaks to the crowd, comparing the similarities between Amsterdam and Seattle: coffee, beer, lots of music venues, and rain, leading into a cover of Rain by the Beatles, only the second time the band has played this song in its entirety, After the break, Ed dedicates Just Breathe “for a great player, number 5.” A makeshift “family trilogy” is played, with Mother, then Daughter, with an intense ABITW tag, Ed shouting “…leave your fucking guns at home, bury your FUCKING guns in a hole….,” and My Father’s Son. He tosses the microphone to someone in the front row to sing during SOLAT. Before Black, he tells the crowd:

“I feel like we have a friendship. I hope that you don’t end our friendship because of the shit way I pronounce your language”

He then addresses the crowd in Dutch. Mike’s Black solo is soulful and emotive. Ed sees some flags in the crowd and calls out a few, saying that “…Black is all the colors…” before a crowd singalong of We Belong Together. Before Yellow Ledbetter, someone in the crowd yells to Ed, and he responds, laughing

“Oh! He wants me to jump in the crowd. Oh fuck yeah! Sure, no problem, I feel fine. Yes, let me drink three more bottles of wine.”

June 16, 2014 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NED

Main Set: Pendulum, Nothingman, Breakerfall, Corduroy, All Night, Animal, Got Some, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, Who You Are, Lightning Bolt, Even Flow, Swallowed Whole, Sirens, Light Years, Evacuation, Wishlist, Porch

encore 1: Low Light, Thin Air, Sleeping By Myself, Footsteps, Come Back, Jeremy, Better Man, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Go, Why Go, Supersonic, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Indifference

Show Notes:

Opening night of the European tour, and the band is in a great mood to open the night. Ed forgets some of the lyrics to Nothingman, but the crowd picks him up. He says that he “really fucked up his…

Show Notes: 

Opening night of the European tour, and the band is in a great mood to open the night. Ed forgets some of the lyrics to Nothingman, but the crowd picks him up. He says that he “really fucked up his knee,” and a little wine would be “the best medicine.” He speaks in English, saying:

“you don’t want to hear me speak Dutch…I don’t want to be disrespectful. It’s only been two years since we have been here last. This was very evident when we got off the plane, direct from the United States, and we walked into customs and they just said ‘Oh, hey.’ That’s a good way to start a trip. We got here just in time to see you for the first game of the World Cup. So this song is off a record that at one time was called Five Against One. We are playing it now because that was pretty much the score in the game the other night,” 

The speech leads into Animal. Who You Are is played for the first time since 2011, and for the first time in Europe since 1996! Even Flow is prefaced with Ed:

“Alright, this here one features the guy on the right here. He’s a dad three times over now. And his youngest just got his passport stamped for the first time the other day. And the head of his penis cut off about 8 weeks ago…I digress, but Happy Father’s Day, Mike. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers…Happy Motherfucker’s Day. I mean it’s true. You can’t be a father unless you’ve fucked the mother…I’m sorry, don’t quote me on that. Especially in front of your kids…or mine. Ok, this song’s about baby bottles…”

Light Years is dedicated to “someone we know…the dear and lovely Antoinette.” Afterwards, he continues, adding

“this next song…the reason we have come up with to play this one is that most cities have one or two big bridges, but I believe you have 1,432 bridges here within the five circles…1,432 bridges. Most songs you see have one bridge, so this song which is written by the great Matt Cameron…his other group, the really good one, they, way back in the way back when, they played a festival and were introduced as ladies and gentlemen, Songbird [referencing the controversy over the use of the Soundgarden name]. Songbird kicked ass that day…can’t believe how intense this band was…what was the name of it…Songbird. Here is the drummer of Songbird and his incredible song that doesn’t get played very often. It’s got three bridges and it’s called Evacuation.”

It’s the first performance of Evacuation since the Spectrum shows in 2009. Wishlist lyric is “I wish I was the full moon shining off your bicycle’s hood…” After the break, Ed says he read that PJ was the first foreign group to play the Ziggo Dome, and said:

”we are really happy to be a part of the foundation of this place, even in a very small way…it could’ve been Shakira…it would have been equally important. I mean, I like Shakira. Well I don’t. I don’t really…one way or another. I mean I’ve watched enough where I can belly dance too.”

Low Light opens up the first encore, almost mirroring the opening of the main set with a slow and melodic tone. Before Come Back, Ed addresses the crowd:

“you know, we’ve wrote a few songs over the years that talk about life and how fucking precious it seems…it’s kind of incredible how you forget how fragile it is, and how we are able to take it for granted and don’t feel like we are going to be shot every time we go to school…well that’s America. Anything can happen and there might be…we’ve been through some things recently and it’s one thing to play the songs and to have written the songs and to have felt them, and it’s another to have just experienced it again in the last few days. We’d like to play this one for Johnny, for Tam, and anyone and everyone who might have felt the loss recently. We’re with you.”

There’s some symmetry in the second encore as Go leads into Why Go, then Supersonic is followed by Sonic Reducer. Ed wishes the crowd luck in the World Cup and picks his preference to win:

“We are actually going for the underdog…the Tibetan National team. The Dalai Lama…he supports it. I think he plays all forward positions and the goalie at the same time. One day, I hope they get to win.”

With the house lights up for Indifference, Ed signs off with:

“wherever you came from…local…or if you had to get your passport stamped to get here. It’s great to be here with you. It’s great to be alive. It’s great to be in a group still. From there, to there, to there. You look great from here all night. Have a great life…thanks so much for everything.”

February 2, 2014 – Arena Joondalup, Perth, AUS

Main Set: Go, Do The Evolution, Last Exit, Animal, Mind Your Manners, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Faithfull, Even Flow, Deep, Unthought Known, Sirens, Getaway, Jeremy, Lukin, Satan’s Bed, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Crazy Mary, Comatose, Given To Fly, Black/(We Belong Together), Porch, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

After Animal, Ed, appearing to focus on someone specific in the crowd, says to not be pointing down on someone else or the show will stop, reminding the crowd to take care of themselves and to mind their manners, leading…

Show Notes: 

After Animal, Ed, appearing to focus on someone specific in the crowd, says to not be pointing down on someone else or the show will stop, reminding the crowd to take care of themselves and to mind their manners, leading into…Mind Your Manners. Mike has a unique solo on Lightning Bolt. This show was full of dedications, the first of which is a toast to some of the other bands playing on the same bill, Arcade Fire and Primus. Someone is holding up a copy of Ten in the crowd, so Ed introduces Deep by saying this is “the opposite of shallow.” Prior to Unthought Known, he dedicates the song to a young man he met who went by Edwin IV, mentioning he had never met an Ed IV, only Ed III, including himself. After Jeremy, he mentions a school shooting that occurred in Australia several years ago, and the country taking quick steps to put laws in place to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again, very different than in the U.S. Satan’s Bed sounds great, with the band locked in. Staccato, harmonic intro to RVM, and the jam soars, Stone and Jeff playing well together, and Ed adds the “forgive/forget” lines.

After the break, Ed brings a couple on stage, toasting their love as an example of what love should be, and plays a tender, acoustic Throw Your Arms Around Me. Then, he leads the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Boom, leading into a long Crazy Mary, with Mike and Boom dueling back and forth playfully. Mike lets it all go on the Black solo, and after a short We Belong Together tag, Ed adds “…nothing like young love…” Win Butler (Arcade Fire) joins for Rockin’ to close out the night.

January 31, 2014 – Bonython Park, Adelaide, AUS

Main Set: Why Go, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Blood, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Got Some, My Father's Son, Eruption, Even Flow, Sirens, Daughter/(It's OK), Given To Fly, World Wide Suicide, Once, Red Mosquito, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Mother, Jeremy, Lukin, Porch

encore 2: Alive, Kick Out The Jams, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

Second to last Big Day Out show features seven tour debuts, and some rarities thrown in that had not been as prevalent in the earlier shows on this leg. The band opens again at full throttle from the get go,…

Show Notes: 

Second to last Big Day Out show features seven tour debuts, and some rarities thrown in that had not been as prevalent in the earlier shows on this leg. The band opens again at full throttle from the get go, with Why Go opening, just like Melbourne, and the earliest Blood has appeared on a setlist for quite some time. Ed addresses the hot weather, saying “I’m not quite sure how you can be in the part of the continent that’s closest to the Antarctic and still have it be this fucking hot.” In a nod to the early days, Ed says “We’re in shorts and it’s not out of nostalgia, it’s because it’s really fucking hot.” Small Town is dedicated to the people at the front who had arrived very early in the day. Following Got Some, Ed describes the next one as “a Father’s Day card if your dad is a fucking asshole,” and My Father’s Son is played for only the 4th time. Ed needs to catch his breath afterward so he calls on Mike to “entertain” the crowd with Van Halen’s “Eruption” before Even Flow. Sirens is dedicated to the Seattle Seahawks, who are playing in the Super Bowl two days later. Daughter features the first ever Australian appearance of the “It’s O.K.” tag, and Ed and the crowd can’t seem to get on the same page. Prior to Given to Fly, Ed references the constant stream of planes flying over the event on their way into Adelaide Airport. Ed refers to World Wide Suicide as a song that used to be about war, but now is about climate change, yet this would be the last time they would play it to date. After a very quick encore break, Ed treats the crowd to an “Aussie song,”  the Hunters and Collectors classic Throw Your Arms Around Me. Low Light and Nothingman were listed on the setlist to start the encore but not played. Ed introduces Mark Arm as “one of the greats, if not the greatest” before a screeching Kick out the Jams. Mike closes out the show with Little Wing after a spirited Ledbetter.

January 26, 2014 – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney, AUS

Main Set: Do The Evolution, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Hail, Hail, Getaway, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, In Hiding, Even Flow, Severed Hand, Sirens, State Of Love And Trust, Unthought Known, Insignificance, Let The Records Play, Spin The Black Circle, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Footsteps, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Throw Your Arms Around Me, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Kick Out The Jams, Alive

Show Notes:

Getaway is “for all the fucked up missionaries who may have fucked up some of the planet.” Plenty of early dedications, including In Hiding to surfer Mark Richards, who helped with the set list, and Even Flow to a little…

Show Notes: 

Getaway is “for all the fucked up missionaries who may have fucked up some of the planet.” Plenty of early dedications, including In Hiding to surfer Mark Richards, who helped with the set list, and Even Flow to a little Aussie girl “whose initials are in the beginning of this song.” Stone has a stunning lead during the quiet part of Insignificance. Ed thanks and shouts out all the other bands that played the festival that day, and the ode to vinyl duo follows, he introduces Let The Records Play with:

“this is a song for records….not breaking records, but making records…listening to them at loud volumes, and something that gets you through the bad days and lets you know there will be good days.”

Mike ends the song with a searing, face-melting solo. Ed struggles with lyrics for Spin The Black Circle, but like always, effortlessly finds his way back. Stone gets melodic during the RVM jam before Matt thunders in with a tom-heavy rhythm. After the break, he quotes the great Australian poet laureate/singer, Bon Scott of AC/DC, saying “it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.” Someone hands Ed a koozie for his wine. As Boom starts Chloe Dancer, Ed says this one is “for all our old friends, for some of the friends that are still here, but only because they’re in here,” pointing to his chest. He then thanks Stone and Jeff, always a poignant moment, and talks about if he were to come to Australia, “if we had a campfire, I would think they would play this song,” leading to a solo electric Throw Your Arms Around Me, played for the first time since 2009! Better Man stretches out to 10 ½ minutes, with a long jam, a call and response, and Ed getting theatrical with the Save It For Later lyrics, adding:

“…don’t be like every other FUCKING THING on this PLANET, that always FUCKING lets me down…”

It’s all Ten-era hits to open encore 2, including a nod to Andy Wood during Black. Ed prefaces Kick Out the Jams by saying:

“I know a couple of other people who aren’t going home either…from Mudhoney, people we look up to, we follow in their path, but ladies and gentlemen, on guitar, Mr. Steve Turner…and on vocals, Mr. Mark Arm!”

Arm and Turner stay out for Rockin’ in the Free World, a high-energy closer to a high-energy night.

January 24, 2014 – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, AU

Main Set: Why Go, Do The Evolution, Save You, Getaway, Got Some, Mind Your Manners, Low Light, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Dissident, Even Flow, Sirens, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Jeremy, Given To Fly, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Pendulum, Nothingman, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), Go, Porch

encore 2: Kick Out The Jams, Alive

Show Notes:

Why Go into Do the Evolution kicks the show off with a bang. After Save You, Ed sings “I’m dreaming of a Big Day Out” to the tune of “White Christmas.” False start on Got Some, and Ed teases the…

Show Notes: 

Why Go into Do the Evolution kicks the show off with a bang. After Save You, Ed sings “I’m dreaming of a Big Day Out” to the tune of “White Christmas.” False start on Got Some, and Ed teases the band, saying “I thought we were saving that one for Sydney,” before restarting the Backspacer rocker. Mind Your Manners is dedicated to the children at the show (Ed’s family is side stage). Melbourne had been beset with a heatwave in the weeks leading up to the show, but show day dawned with drenching rain soaking the venue. The rain persisted until mid-afternoon before clearing to a beautiful evening, Ed stating “this is perfect…here’s to the weatherman.” He adds “it seems we have more friends in Melbourne than we do in Seattle,” to cheers from the crowd, and to be on a bill with Mudhoney and the Cosmic Psychos is a “dream come true.” Setting Forth segues straight into a blistering version of Corduroy. During the intro of Lightning Bolt, Ed says “look at the sun,” which was setting directly on the horizon in front of the stage. Even Flow is dedicated to Ross Knight, lead singer of the Cosmic Psychos. After the break, Pendulum is played for the first time as a non-show opener. Matt’s drumming at the end is a highlight. Due to the looming curfew, Black is scratched from encore 2, with a raucous Kick Out the Jams, featuring Mark Arm, kicking things off instead. Alive closes a show for the first time since 2010, and Ed tells the crowd to “have a bitchin’ summer” as he leaves the stage.

January 19, 2014 – Metricon and Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast, AU

Main Set: Do The Evolution, Animal, Hail Hail, Got Some, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, Big Wave, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Even Flow, Unthought Known, Sirens, Down, Lukin, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Let The Records Play, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mother, Daughter/(Androgynous Mind), Jeremy, Sad, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

The first Australian show since 2009. The crowd is buzzing before the band takes the stage, launching straight into Do the Evolution. Ed asks for the lights to come up, “Let me see ‘em Kille, let me see ‘em!” Before…

Show Notes: 

The first Australian show since 2009. The crowd is buzzing before the band takes the stage, launching straight into Do the Evolution. Ed asks for the lights to come up, “Let me see ‘em Kille, let me see ‘em!” Before Mind Your Manners, he toasts “to whoever invented the light bulb…Edison…to whoever invented electric guitar…Les Paul…to whoever invented religion…,” but he doesn’t answer that one, he just trails off. The song starts and as it’s about to kick in, he growls “…MAN…” Given to Fly has a “…made it to the Gold Coast…” lyric change. Mike solos for nearly 3 minutes on Even Flow, fluid and expressive, playing behind his head and walking the circle. Stone accents the last half of Lukin with a one-note mini solo. RVM is a showcase for Matt Cameron from start to finish. Beautiful rendition of Pink Floyd’s Mother in the encore, and Sad makes its 2014 debut. Ed says if anyone wants to smoke, you should go see Snoop Lion (performing at the same time on another stage). Following Sad, Ed mentions surfers and invites Mick Fanning, a local world-renowned surfer, on stage to have a sip of his wine, then brings out another famous Aussie surfer Mark Occilupo aka “Occy,” who’s standing on the side of the stage, and dedicates Better Man to them. As the song starts, he implores the crowd to “…sing it for me, make me look good,” and they oblige. Both surfers join in, throwing tambourines and drinking wine, and the song stretches out to 8 ½ minutes. Porch intro is bouncy and upbeat, Ed’s in a great mood and swinging around on an orb for half the song. Mike jumps down into the front barrier for Alive, leaning in and letting the crowd reach out for him. Quick transition from Alive to Rockin’, Ed says “…hope we don’t get in trouble for this one…” as Rockin’ starts.

January 17, 2014 – Western Springs, Auckland, NZ

Main Set: Release, Go, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, Brain Of J., Even Flow, Sirens, Let The Records Play, Infallible, Black, Unthought Known, Save You, Habit, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Footsteps, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Nothingman, Daughter, Why Go, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 2: Baba O'Riley

Show Notes:

The Southern Pacific portion of the Lightning Bolt tour begins with a stop in Auckland. The Big Day Out festival takes place in six different cities over three weekends, and Pearl Jam takes the stage with a warm and welcoming…

Show Notes: 

The Southern Pacific portion of the Lightning Bolt tour begins with a stop in Auckland. The Big Day Out festival takes place in six different cities over three weekends, and Pearl Jam takes the stage with a warm and welcoming version of Release. The next four songs were played with high energy and no breaks in between. Ed yields the mic to the fans during Mind Your Manners. With a short pause between songs, he addresses the crowd and mentions that they have been in town for a few days, saying “We’ve had some big days off; now we are up for a big night out!” He reminds everyone to look out for one another before rushing into the next song. Mike continues his wizardry with Given to Fly, Brain of J., and Even Flow. Ed takes time to shout out some of the other bands playing the festival, and reminisces about the first time they played New Zealand, telling the story about how he was almost lost at sea while surfing before being rescued, adding that at the time he had “nothing to lose,” but now that he has a wife and two daughters he’s even more grateful for the rescue that day. That sets the stage for a poignant Sirens. A rare main set Black is punctuated with an Ed improv:

Wasn’t that long ago
You were by my side
I still feel you by my side
Four years ago
You were by my side
I feel you here
Here tonight

Liam Finn joins the band to sing on Habit. Afterwards, Ed praises the whole musical Finn family, many of which are in attendance. Footsteps is played by request, and the band is seated through Nothingman. Ed goes down to the front row for Porch, sharing his wine and giving high fives. He starts the last chorus while swinging from a globe and almost misses the first line. The band waves goodbye, but hurry back to the stage, saying they have five more minutes, and cap off the evening with a thunderous Baba O’Riley.

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