Pearl Jam's 2018 Home Shows

Night 2 of The Home Shows, a two-night fundraiser supporting the homeless in Seattle. Many references to Seattle and ‘home’ through the night, starting with an “I’ll be home once more” lyric change in Oceans. Ed speaks after Corduroy: “Hello family, hello friends, hello neighbors, hello visitors, hello Seattle.” Rats is dedicated to any “old Seattle residents that still might be residing.” After Whipping, Ed predicts that the world will be altered if people don’t show up in the elections. He then predicts that Mike will play out of his fucking mind, like always, but especially when he’s pissed off – he’s pissed off they are trying to tear down the Showbox, an iconic Seattle music venue. Later, during Even Flow, Ed starts a ‘Save our Showbox’ chant. Missing, a song from Chris Cornell’s Poncier tape, is debuted with no acknowledgement of Chris before or after. After Immortality, Ed introduces Matt and allows him to take a bow. He then tells a story about being excited about being in Rolling Stone for Temple of the Dog for the first time, even though Madonna was on the cover, and then intimates that Madonna even slapped his ass in front of his wife, and then tried to slap her ass as well, “but it didn’t work out.” He then shows Stone on the cover of Real Change magazine, saying “I’d take him over Madonna, he’s my kind of guy.” Ed is out solo after the break for I Won’t Back Down, saying he  wants to play the song to get Tom’s attention, so he can tell Tom that he misses him. Kim Thayil joins onstage prior to Kick Out the Jams. Kim shows his Chris Cornell t-shirt to the crowd and gets a huge crowd reaction. Spin the Black Circle is dedicated to Sub Pop Records. Rearviewmirror starts immediately after, and is aborted. Ed admits fault, saying he’s played the song “at least a couple times,” and drinks two huge pulls of the wine bottle, then continues: “I think I was playing the correct notes, but all I could hear is,” going into a few bars of Fernando by Abba. This seems to really amuse the rest of the band, all of them are seen smiling and laughing, as is most of the crowd. Before Search and Destroy, Kim Thayil is invited back, along with Mudhoney’s Steve Turner and Mark Arm. Lots of interaction between the guys during these two songs, the band all playing next to the guests, laughing and playing grab-ass. Lots of hugs as Ed acknowledges them again after Sonic Reducer. Before Yellow Ledbetter, Ed speaks again about local businesses contributing to the cause and giving portions of their sales, and again mentions homelessness, saying ”We want to be part of the solution…just don’t give up…this is not the time to give up, this is the time to rise up.”

Written by: Curtis Hames

First hometown show in almost 5 years. Huge cheer following Corduroy is met by Ed commenting, “We are Pearl Jam. We are from Seattle, Washington. I guess that must mean we’re home.” Ed later jokes that Safeco is beautiful, unlike the old Kingdome, quipping “The old concrete gray lady…she was kind of a bitch.” Former Mariner Randy Johnson is in attendance, and Ed jokes that Randy’s favorite band is actually Soundgarden (at which point Mike busts into a Superunknown riff). Before Even Flow, Ed tells a story about the song’s origin: a homeless man Ed used to see in town way back in the early days named Eddie, a Black Vietnam vet who used to walk around in a strange blue tarp and a shopping cart. Ed used to talk to him while he was out getting lunch and coffee, and eventually, he couldn’t find Eddie anymore. Later he found out that the man passed away and never got to hear the song written about their conversations. After a stirring Black, Ed talks about how Jeff moved from Montana to Seattle in the early ‘80s and met a guy working at the local coffee joint by the name of Andy Wood. A slowed-down, Ed-only, vocals and guitar rendition of Help! serves as an intro to Help, Help. Patriot is full band, very energetic. Ed brings two of his daughter’s teachers on stage after the break and dedicates We’re Going To Be Friends to them. Let Me Sleep is introduced as “a song we wrote a long time ago, and it was one of those things about where you wrote about what you know.” Brandi Carlile joins for Again Today, exclaiming “This is a dream come true!” Before the second encore kicks off, Ed talks about the $11M raised by the 2 shows to fight homelessness, and encourages the crowd to keep the momentum going and get out and vote, and that we can do it together. He mutters “It could have been me” before Wasted Reprise. Betterman has the cool, extended Save It For Later tag. I’ve Got A Feeling is played in Seattle for the first time in 25 years.

Written by: Brian Horwitz