April 8, 2016 – BB&T Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

Pearl Jam Show Notes 4/8/2016:

With little fanfare, the band walks to their instruments, fiddle through the intro to Go and then roar into the song with an eruption of sound and green light, and just like that, the tour has begun. Ed teases the audience early with, “I can hear you, but barely!” As Corduroy rips through, the crowd answers, taking over a verse. Mike is burning through guitar picks like notes, filling the fans’ treat bags early and often. Help, Help makes its first appearance since 2011. After Small Town, Ed tells a funny story about brushing his teeth in his hotel room, saying “toothpaste with flavor crystals…it might not just be flavor crystals, it might be a little more…” Ed announces that it’s Mike’s birthday and the crowd decides to do an impromptu Happy Birthday singalong, but Ed stops them, imploring “if you are going to do it…all together!” and then the crowd and band sing Happy Birthday. Ed continues: “When you are Mike McCready…you get Cheap Trick to play at your birthday party!” With this, the band plays a little over a minute of Surrender, the first time they have done so, and then follow up with a fantastic version of Even Flow. Mike’s guitar work is on fire here, taking center stage. After I Am Mine, Ed acknowledges some of the local adult establishments nearby, saying “We’re just trying to be as good as the fucking Booby Trap!” Who You Are is bumpy but they find their groove. After the break, Ed hits both ends of the age gap, as he points out a 5-year-old and two gentlemen, Frank and Joe, who are 90 and 91. Band is seated for Yellow Moon and Footsteps, then Last Kiss is played to the back. Mike comes in scorching on the Black solo, the long quiet outro captivating the crowd, but Ed wakes them back up with “a loud one,” Comatose. Mike kicks into overdrive on Porch, with Jeff showing off his ninja lantern-dodging skills and Ed leaning down to the rail. After the break, Ed addresses the recent loss of friend and crew member Tim “Scully” Quinlan, leading to an emotional Light Years. House lights come on for Baba and stay on through the rest of the show. Ed comments how there are more veterans in Florida than anywhere else in the country, and bemoans the lack of care and support they receive when they return. I Am A Patriot is played solo acoustic, the first performance since the Vote for Change tour in 2004. Mike breaks out the bow for Indifference, closing the opening night of the tour.