Pearl Jam England Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in England

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June 25, 2024 – Co-op Live, Manchester, ENG

Main Set: Of The Girl, Present Tense, Why Go, All Night, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Scared Of Fear, React, Respond, Immortality, Even Flow, Wreckage, Daughter, Dark Matter, I Got Id, Once, Porch

encore 1: Inside Job, State Of Love And Trust, Do The Evolution, Black/(We Belong Together/Crown Of Thorns), Alive, Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed says a quick “Good evening” and Of the Girl opens in the dark. Mike’s in fine form already, Ed says “…just warming up,” and the stage lights come up for Present Tense. All Night returns for the first time…

Show Notes: 

Ed says a quick “Good evening” and Of the Girl opens in the dark. Mike’s in fine form already, Ed says “…just warming up,” and the stage lights come up for Present Tense. All Night returns for the first time since 2022. Ed’s not at 100%, giving more lyrics to the crowd and doing the best he can, explaining that he caught a bug in Dublin. Despite that, the band sounds great, tearing through Scared of Fear and React, Respond before Ed calls an audible, moving Wreckage back, needing the long instrumental sections of Immortality and Even Flow. Mike plays the first part of the Even Flow solo with his teeth. Ed acknowledges the vocal issues, saying “I feel like I’m doing damage to myself…” He mumbles something at the end of Daughter, but it never turns into a tag. Ed plays a slow, pretty intro to I Got Id and has the spotlight on him during the first verse until the band kicks him. He changes the lyric to “…where I’m not hurting and you’re looking at me…” The vocal issues creep up again during Once. Mike solos for nearly 3 minutes during Porch, at one point grinding his guitar neck against his mic stand, while Jeff and Stone lock down the rhythm face to face in front of Matt. Stone takes over soloing duties, and then Mike jumps back in and they go into co-op mode (in the Co-Op Live Arena), before throwing up his hands and going back to his side while Stone finishes off the solo. No Ed solo acoustic song after the break tonight, they come out with Inside Job, giving Ed an extra minute or two. State of Love and Trust is rough, Ed showing the effects of the sickness and fatigue, but they push through it. Before Black, he sees an issue in the crowd and has the lights brought up, and he gives them some water, joking “…I can turn wine into water…I can’t do it the other way.” Mike once again brings the house down with his Black solo, an unbelievable display of emotion. Ed does a subdued We Belong Together tag, then adds some lyrics (“…all the things you gave to me…I kept them in my pocket…”) before going into a short Crown of Thorns tag (“…Mr. crown of thorns…Mr. faded glory is once again doing time…”). Stone takes over Fuckin’ Up. Ed gets down on his knees and does the “we’re not worthy” arms up and down for Mike after Ledbetter. Upper Hand, Setting Sun, MFC, and Sonic Reducer were all on the setlist but not played.

July 9, 2022 – BST Hyde Park, London, ENG

Main Set: Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Deep, Wishlist/(Waiting On A Friend), Garden, Throw Your Hatred Down, Do The Evolution, Animal, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Not For You, Rats, Faithfull, State Of Love And Trust, Eruption, Black/(We Belong Together), Porch

encore 1: River Cross, Leash, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

After Small Town, Ed says that they’ll try to play everything that they didn’t play last night. Someone passes out in the crowd due to the heat after Deep and there’s a short break while they are attended to. The…

Show Notes: 

After Small Town, Ed says that they’ll try to play everything that they didn’t play last night. Someone passes out in the crowd due to the heat after Deep and there’s a short break while they are attended to. The Waiting On A Friend tag is extended, with lyrics. Following Garden, Ed gets very passionate talking about the recent active shooter alert incident with his wife and daughter in New York:

…it was a firework that went off in the crowd. And for other people to have these ‘freedoms’, of having a fuckin’ firearm…we’re giving up the freedom to walk out in the streets, to send our kids to school, to go to the movies, the library, the grocery store…

and continues, referencing the Highland Park shooting where a girl saw her mother get shot and had to run away to safety, pleading to address gun violence, adding

…if anyone doesn’t have empathy, or respect for the sanctity of life, their own and others, even their own…if they don’t have that, then that’s exactly the person that we DON’T want to have with a firearm in their possession…

Johnny Marr is brought on stage and takes the solo on an extended, epic version of Throw Your Hatred Down. Ed gives a nod to Josh after Dance of the Clairvoyants, saying he’s “elevated the intellect of the band.” During the songs when Josh isn’t playing, he has a camera and is taking pictures. Ed lets the crowd vote on whether Whipping or Not For You should be played next, and Not For You wins. Rats is another total surprise. Black has to be restarted, Stone had the wrong guitar. The first 16 songs of the set were not played the previous night, Porch ends the set and breaks the streak, still no sign of RVM anywhere. After the break, Ed dedicates River Cross to the people fighting for Ukraine. Johnny Marr returns for Baba, along with Andrew Watt, to close the show. Baba is extended, everyone on stage having a great time. The show closes with the crowd chanting “one more song, one more song…”

July 8, 2022 – BST Hyde Park, London, ENG

Main Set: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Low Light, Breath, Mind Your Manners, Save You, Quick Escape/(God Save The Queen), In Hiding, Retrograde, Light Years, Even Flow, Unthought Known, Daughter/(Good Woman/W.M.A.), Superblood Wolfmoon, Given To Fly, Public Image, Once, Porch

encore 1: I Am The Answer, Jeremy, Indifference, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

As the crowd sings along to the walk out music, the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”, the band takes the stage and Ed conducts the singalong for a minute before starting Better Man, the first time it’s opened a…

Show Notes: 

As the crowd sings along to the walk out music, the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”, the band takes the stage and Ed conducts the singalong for a minute before starting Better Man, the first time it’s opened a proper Pearl Jam show since 2007! He takes a moment to speak after, saying “Fuck! It’s beautiful here…love what you’ve done with the place,” and thanking White Reaper, Cat Power, and the Pixies, adding that when he and Jeff were in England while mixing Ten, they had gone to a record store in Camden and bought bootlegs, including the Pixies live at Brixton. There are 3 huge screens behind the band, leading to some incredible visuals during the show. Breath is a total surprise early in the set, making its 2022 debut. Ed says that the person who Save You was written for has not been saved yet, and that he thinks about them every time they play the song. Quick Escape returns to the set for the first time since Werchter, and as the song is winding down they pick up the pace and kick in to a little of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen”, with Ed repeating “no future…no future…” In Hiding is played by request. Light Years is played for a fan named Donna, who had recently passed away at a young age, and her picture is shown on the screens at the end of the song. Ed talks about lies after Even Flow, mentioning Trump, COVID, and social media. He forgets some lyrics to Unthought Known. The crowd is very into the Ten songs, and after the first performance of Public Image since 2014, Once and Porch end the main set on a high note. After the break, Ed brings out Simon Townshend and they play Simon’s “I’m the Answer” acoustic. Jeff comes back wearing the hybrid Pixies/stickman shirt. Tennis legend John McEnroe joins to play guitar on Rockin’ in the Free World. A memorable show, with 9 of the 11 albums represented.

June 18, 2018 – O2 Arena, London, ENG

Main Set: Of The Girl, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Animal, Brain Of J., Even Flow, Wishlist, Deep, Severed Hand, Love Boat Captain, Can’t Deny Me, Do The Evolution, Down, Daughter/(W.M.A.), You Are, Parting Ways, Porch/(Nobody’s Fault But Mine)

encore 1: Off He Goes, Sleeping By Myself, Footsteps, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Better Man, Last Kiss, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

After Small Town, Ed, looking at the upper tiers, says “You’re taller than I remember…you’ve grown! Or we’ve shrunk…” Ed’s vocals sound thrashed early on, but any thoughts that the band were taking it easy were quickly put to rest…

Show Notes: 

After Small Town, Ed, looking at the upper tiers, says “You’re taller than I remember…you’ve grown! Or we’ve shrunk…” Ed’s vocals sound thrashed early on, but any thoughts that the band were taking it easy were quickly put to rest with blistering renditions of Animal and Brain of J. After the latter, Ed addressed his vocal issues, saying that after over 25 years of being a band they’re getting deeper with honesty and truth, “although it’s not very presidential,” explaining that he’d seen two throat doctors earlier in the day. He jokingly says he offered one of the doctors “an extra £10,000 if I could sing like Adele” to which the doctor replied “fuck that, that’s a million dollar voice. But for fifty quid I can make you sound like Liam Gallagher.” He intimates that “the sad songs might sound a little sadder, the angry songs might sound a little bit madder” and that he might need a little help with the happy songs. During Wishlist, Ed changes the lyrics to “I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as JP”, a reference to Jimmy Page, who spent part of the show watching from a monitor on Stone’s side of the stage. After Deep, Ed talks about coming to the U.K. to mix Ten in Surrey, and how he and his brothers were so influenced by the music, film and literature of the U.K., citing Monty Python, The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Jam. While strumming the opening chords of Love Boat Captain, he takes aim at Trump’s immigration policies: “I’d like to send this one out to a guy in the White House back in the United States. I wish he’d hear it, but he doesn’t listen to music, he doesn’t read books. Can someone tweet this to him?” As Mike begins his intro solo, Ed is heard shouting “..Mike, get the aggression out!” before two shouts of “Fuck you!” WMA is tagged on Daughter, with the changed lyrics of “police man…border man” and “border man stopped my brother today”. After the break, Ed thanks the crowd and jokes that he’s drinking plenty of grape flavored cough syrup. He then speaks about the Given to Live charity, some of whom walked 160 miles to the show in order to raise funds, and dedicates Off He Goes to them as it’s a song “about travelling.” The crowd is understandably given the lead for the first two verses of Better Man, as Ed’s voice is getting worse. Following Last Kiss, which was performed to those seated behind the stage, Ed is clearly heard saying “Black, I want to do Black then the rest,” just as Jeff is being passed his 12 string bass, presumably for Jeremy. Despite the vocal issues, the crowd are still treated to powerful renditions of Black and Alive before a strained closer of Rockin’ in the Free World, where it is evident Ed is struggling to sing. Following the song, Ed thanks the crowd, and with his voice cracking he adds “I don’t know when we’ll be back, but we love ya. Goodnight.”

Written by: Alex Hoggard

July 11, 2014 – Milton Keynes Bowl, Milton Keynes, ENG

Main Set: Pendulum, Wash, Nothingman, Black/(We Belong Together), Go, Brain Of J., Comatose, Save You, Hail, Hail, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Got Some, Lightning Bolt, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Sirens, Corduroy, Even Flow, Let The Records Play, Spin The Black Circle, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, I’m The Answer, Footsteps, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns/(Believe You Me), Better Man/(Save It For Later), Jeremy, Lukin, Porch

encore 2: Rain, Daughter/(War), Blood, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

Ed opens the evening with an acoustic, pre-set Porch before the opener, hardcore band OFF!. Perhaps inspired by them, PJ opens with quickfire versions of Pendulum and Wash. Ed acknowledges the crowd during Nothingman with “I can see you in…

Show Notes: 

Ed opens the evening with an acoustic, pre-set Porch before the opener, hardcore band OFF!. Perhaps inspired by them, PJ opens with quickfire versions of Pendulum and Wash. Ed acknowledges the crowd during Nothingman with “I can see you in the sun”. Black returns to the early part of the set for the first time since Stockholm, tagged with Ed questioning “Did we belong together? Did we belong?” During Brain of J., Ed says to the crowd “Look out for your neighbor,” and after the song he again checks on them, adding “…it’s getting a little tight up here. It’s all good if you’re all good. Is everybody looking out for their neighbor? Please.” Comatose is cut short, with Ed pointing something out in the crowd to security, “right here, right here. We’re going to have to stop for a second.” Trying to settle things down, he says:

“I’m gonna say hello, good evening and cheers. I was going to do it in a minute after some fast songs. Is everybody okay there?”

He then pokes fun at the local crowd, asking:

“Would you like some tea? How many lumps?”

Save You is for “to a friend of ours called Rabbit”. During Hail, Hail, Ed is again heard sounding concerned for the crowd, shouting “Look out!” during the song. He compares the weather in Milton Keynes to Seattle; having rained earlier in the day, he now thinks it’s turned into “a beautiful Seattle day” and thanks the crowd for coming out. Again turning his attention to crowd trouble, he observes:

“That gentleman there has no business doing that on top of the crowd, when you’re heavier than three or four of the people under you it’s a problem,”

This prompts chants of “you fat bastard,” leading Ed to tease:

“‘You fat bastard’? Is that what you’re saying? Hey dude, you don’t need to insult him, we’re just trying to tell him to keep his feet on the ground, his head in the sky…and his food on his plate.”

Toasting Chrissie Hynde, he declares:

“tonight will be a long one, but work with me, maybe let females be the ones to float on top, no big giant with the boots. If you’re small enough to think I could kick your ass, you’re fine!”

He then shouts, “all I’m saying is mind your manners!” which leads the band into…Mind Your Manners. After Lightning Bolt, Ed asks the crowd “a man told me you can get four pints for £20, is that true?” which is followed by booing. Attempting to explain the cost, Ed says “you’re paying extra because a man carries it to you…it’s a posh gig, this one!” Before Nothing As It Seems, he says “a stranger told me we haven’t played this song in Europe for fourteen years, so here’s to a total stranger!” He tells a story about the band’s first visit to the U.K. to mix Ten. He explains how a woman who worked at the studio told him she thought Black was “brilliant” after discovering Ed had written it, he was pleased with the praise until she told Stone he was “brilliant” after cutting a slice of bread, which proved to be a lesson in humility. He then thanks Stone and Jeff, “who were the bosses at the time, still now!” Before Even Flow, Ed jokes “this song was written in ancient times”.

Returning to stage after the break, Ed makes a “special toast” to his younger brother who turned 40 the day before, then saying “my tallest brother turned 45 today.” He explains how Simon Townshend “came to Seattle and we played this song, and we’d like to play it for you”. He then invites Simon onto stage to play I’m The Answer, making its PJ debut. Before the song, he adds that Matt Cameron’s brother Pete is 54 today and leads the crowd in a rendition of Happy Birthday. During the intro of Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, Ed remarks “the moon, the sky…you know Andy would’ve loved it”. Bad Radio’s Believe You Me is played for the first time since 2005, tagged onto Crown of Thorns. Porch returns for a full-band performance, after which Ed introduces the band and jokes “thanks for keeping us up so late”. He adds:

“We paid the rent, but we will be evicted – we’re staying until we are!”

Rain is prefaced with “we learnt this song in case we needed it, we didn’t but we’ll still play it anyway,” Dhani Harrison joins on stage to play along. Daughter is tagged with War, during which Ed makes a passionate plea that people stop engaging in wars:

“We don’t pay our taxes for them to spend it on dropping bombs on children.”

Rockin’ In The Free World closes the show with assistance from OFF! and Ray Cameron. Ed thanks the crowd for “giving us wings so we could fly” and shouts “Mookie Blaylock!” twice, before leaving with “thanks for all that energy, use your powers for good.”

July 8, 2014, First Direct Arena, Leeds, ENG

Main Set: Pendulum, Of The Girl, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Breakerfall, Hail, Hail, Once, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Tremor Christ, Wishlist, Who You Are, Ghost, Even Flow, Sirens, Push Me, Pull Me, Do The Evolution, Don’t Gimme No Lip, Army Reserve, Present Tense, Given To Fly, Setting Forth, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Man Of The Hour, All Or None, Fatal, The Real Me, Porch

encore 2: Smile, Leaving Here, Black/(We Belong Together), Jeremy, State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Baba O’Riley, All Along The Watchtower, Indifference

Show Notes:

Ed, with a huge grin on his face, greets the crowd with “Good evening!” There’s an incident in the crowd during Once that Ed alerts security to during the song. Following Mind Your Manners, a smirking Ed jokingly begins reading…

Show Notes: 

Ed, with a huge grin on his face, greets the crowd with “Good evening!” There’s an incident in the crowd during Once that Ed alerts security to during the song. Following Mind Your Manners, a smirking Ed jokingly begins reading from a sheet in Dutch, mentioning Werchter, before ripping it and saying “Ah, fuck this, it’s good to be here in Leeds.” After Wishlist, Ed takes a phone from a fan, and a basketball is thrown up on stage, which he passes back to Matt, saying “We’re getting all kinds of gifts tonight!” He compliments a t-shirt he has seen in the crowd and a “nice blouse” that his wife “would look good in…Mike McCready would look good in that blouse!” Turning to take aim at Mike, Ed asks:

“Did you ever get naked in Leeds? I know there’s a bunch of places you used to get naked in…”, Mike takes to the mic and says, “Only in Germany…maybe in England…Dublin for sure!”

This goes down to much laughter from the band and crowd. Ghost is given its European debut and is followed by an apology as Ed states, “I fucked that song up, I went into the last verse quicker…it’s my fault, so I’m going to take a picture of me fucking up”. He takes a selfie of him and Jeff, who also gets some of the blame for “fucking up”, on the fan’s phone he placed on the stage earlier and jokes, “My daughter will like that one.” Present Tense is followed by a crowd chant of “Let Jeff sing!” Ed suggests Fernando by Abba as “all you’ve got to do is start it then they’ll sing”. He theatrically breaks into Fernando, and the crowd do take over while Jeff shakes his head no. Following Given to Fly, Ed tells the crowd he “spent a thousand hours in Leeds with the headphones on,” listening to Live At Leeds by The Who. After another chant for Jeff to sing, he takes to the mic to shout “Abba at Leeds!” to which Ed responds, “it wasn’t as popular as The Who’s!”

The band are seated when they return after the break, and Ed begins by introducing his guitar tech Simon to the crowd. He continues, talking about cancer, paying tribute to doctors, nurses, and affected families, stating how it is often “not a fair fight” and explains how he lost his uncle John days before the tour started. Mentioning his Chicago Bears #34 shirt, a regular sight on the tour, he explains that he was wearing it as his uncle passed away, which is why he had been sporting it so often. Man of the Hour is dedicated to a young man called Jonathan who had lost his battle with cancer. Fatal is added to the set after Ed sees a sign from someone who requested it to celebrate their 30th show. The Real Me is the first of the inevitable Who covers of the evening. Porch is nearly 10 minutes long with an extended jam, the band really in a groove. Ed thanks some of the crew, and brings Karen Loria and Matt’s drum tech Neil Hundt on stage and leads the crowd in Happy Birthday for them. Black is transcendent, everyone leaving it all on stage, and Ed gives some insight before the tag:

So crazy, all the incredibly beautiful faces…

from someone who is the loneliest person on Earth,

then all of a sudden this song gets you to all these beautiful faces, it’s crazy…

Leaving Here and Baba O’Riley finish off the Who portion of the program, and Matt’s son Ray plays guitar on All Along The Watchtower. A fantastic show with plenty of rare songs, great performances, and the band in excellent spirits.

June 23, 2012 – Isle of Wight Festival, Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, ENG

Main Set: Unthought Known, Last Exit, Hail, Hail, The Fixer, Rain, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Supersonic, Given To Fly, Untitled, MFC, Even Flow, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Arms Aloft, Jeremy, Why Go

encore 1: Got Some, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Just Breathe, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Blood, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

Isle of Wight Festival organizer John Giddings referred to this weekend as his “American Trilogy” with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, and PJ headlining the 3 respective nights. The set begins with an uplifting Unthought Known, the last…

Show Notes: 

Isle of Wight Festival organizer John Giddings referred to this weekend as his “American Trilogy” with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, and PJ headlining the 3 respective nights. The set begins with an uplifting Unthought Known, the last time (to date) it has opened a show. The vibe is contrasted abruptly with a smash and grab version of Last Exit, and a muscular Hail, Hail follows, with the crowd enthusiastically taking the clapping section. Ed then checks on the crowd, asking “Good evening, everybody got their boots on?” referencing the muddy festival grounds. A full cover of the Beatles’ “Rain” is debuted as a nod to the wet English festival weather, with Ed’s vocals here more laid back than future versions. Jeff really stands out here with his take on the McCartney bassline flowing rich and steady. A heavy and tight Supersonic is introduced by Ed as “this one is about live music being your favorite drug.”  Untitled sees Ed weaving the weather into the lyrics:

“Got a car, got some gas…

let’s go camping in the rain and the mud,

and get out of here fast.

We don’t need no things…

I got pounds and friends and guys that give us free beer.

I want to go but I don’t want to go alone.”

He mentions Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros after Corduroy, saying “…you know who would’ve loved this? Joe Strummer, he would have loved this fucking place…this is a song he wrote years ago after going to a few festivals himself,” before cranking into Arms Aloft. The crowd may not have been familiar with it but the band wins them over by the end with a fierce performance, and they close the main set with a double dose of Ten in Jeremy and Why Go to get everyone singing along again. In the encore, Ed talks about hearing Willie Nelson’s version of Just Breathe and what an honor it was, and says he can only hear Willie’s voice singing the song now, even doing a short impression of the country legend, adding “…he sings it better than me.” He uses his own voice during the song, however, which is dedicated to “Rebecca and her boyfriend…I hope they made it, and thanks for my guitar.” Ed improvs a little on the Save it for Later tag:

“Wherever you go, take me with you…wherever I go, I need you here,

wherever you go, please take me with you…wherever I go, I need you near”

Encore two opens with Ed mentioning some of the other bands at the festival and asks the crowd to say hello to ‘Uncle Bruce’ for them. He continues:

“I don’t know how this applies, something that Jeff said to me that bears repeating, ‘give a man a gun and he’ll rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he’ll rob the world.’ We gotta keep an eye on them. Justice for some of these people that are making a lot of other people suffer and they just don’t care at all. This song is called Blood.” 

Blood scorches loud and hot before leading into a big singalong for Alive, and for the second show in a row, Mike adds a tease of “Little Wing” into the Ledbetter solo.

June 21, 2012 – Manchester Arena, Manchester, ENG

Main Set: Go, Animal, Hail, Hail, I Am Mine, Wishlist, Even Flow, Lukin, Not For You, Down, Amongst The Waves, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Deep, Present Tense, Once, Save You, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Inside Job, Off He Goes, Just Breathe, Hitchhiker, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Alive, Sonic Reducer, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

Night 2 in Manchester opens with ripping versions of Go, Animal, and Hail, Hail to set the pace for the night ahead. Ed applauds the crowd for having “more energy than all the bankers and all the accountants that must…

Show Notes: 

Night 2 in Manchester opens with ripping versions of Go, Animal, and Hail, Hail to set the pace for the night ahead. Ed applauds the crowd for having “more energy than all the bankers and all the accountants that must have come to last night’s gig,” and says that the “beautiful rainy day…reminds us of Seattle,” before transitioning into I Am Mine. Later, Ed introduces Mike as “one of the best friends you can have in your life” before a three-headed attack on Even Flow, with Mike pulling out his bag of tricks, then Stone takes over with a melodic lead, and Matt brings it home with a thunderous drum fill. Prior to Deep, Ed talks about how he thinks assholes are put here so that we don’t become like them before recounting the song’s origin:

“I was walking in Seattle, I’d only lived there less than a year, and a lighter kinda fell out of the sky onto the sidewalk, and I looked down and I looked up to see where it was coming from, and about four stories up there was a guy, real skinny, kinda scabby-looking dude in a windowsill with a band around his arm, putting a needle into his elbow, the inside of his elbow, and man, once I saw that I just knew I would never fucking do that, it was the most pathetic-looking thing I’d ever seen…”

The theme of troubled souls seeking affirmation continues throughout the set with stirring versions of Down, Present Tense, and Save You. Stirring crowd participation on the Better Man intro. In the encore, Just Breathe is dedicated to a couple, Lisa and Tobias, who met at the 2010 Hyde Park show. Ed talks about all the firsts that have happened in Manchester, the first railway station, splitting the atom, and says they’re going to try something less important but just as hard, and it’s the live debut (and only performance to date) of Hitchhiker! The band ably performs the song, which has a slightly extended jam/bridge, even with Mike checking to see what the other band members are doing and Stone laughing about the whole thing. The final encore concludes the narrative around the theme of escapism turned to progress with Life Wasted and Alive. Comic moment after Alive as Mike, without looking, holds out his guitar for the tech to take, but no tech comes, leading him to have to put the guitar back on quickly as Sonic Reducer starts. He throws in a short “Little Wing” tease in the Ledbetter solo and after finishing, goes out into the crowd and gives someone his “NUDEDRAGONS” shirt, returning to the stage shirtless for the bow and then using his camera to film the crowd, as he’s the last to leave the stage.

June 20, 2012 – Manchester Arena, Manchester, ENG

Main Set: Release, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, The Fixer, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Pilate, Even Flow, Unthought Known, Nothingman, 1/2 Full, Insignificance, Why Can't I Touch It?, Immortality, Got Some, Why Go

encore 1: Just Breathe, Black/(We Belong Together), State Of Love And Trust, Arms Aloft, Porch

encore 2: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Come Back, Jeremy, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

Ed’s voice is in good shape already on this, the first night of tour, with a soaring Release to open and the crowd heartily singing along. Just before the Corduroy solo, he shouts “you got it!” across to Mike. Ed…

Show Notes: 

Ed’s voice is in good shape already on this, the first night of tour, with a soaring Release to open and the crowd heartily singing along. Just before the Corduroy solo, he shouts “you got it!” across to Mike. Ed reminisces after Given to Fly:

“…the first time we played Manchester was February 21st, 1992…we played about ten songs, that’s all that we knew…we know more than that now, and there’s more people here now.” 

He introduces his guitar tech Pete, saying “I thought he might have been from Manchester but he’s from Cornwall – good surf!” After Even Flow, he introduces “Mr. Mike McCready on the Fender Stratocaster,” then adding an introduction to the guitar he is holding: “…this here is a Fender Telecaster.” The Buzzcocks’ “Why Can’t I Touch It?” is briefly covered for the first time in the band’s history not as a Wishlist tag. Ed then begins Immortality but makes a mistake during the intro, leading him to say “Please present me with another guitar – as much as that guitar tries, it’ll never be as good of a friend to me as this one.” After the break, he gives a “special toast to the back” and states how he usually gets healthy on tour, as “the doctors and scientists agree that a bottle of wine a day is healthy for you…oh, a glass? Fuck that!” Just Breathe is dedicated to Liz and Tim who got married the previous week, and toasts Liz and Simon, part of the crew who were recently married. He goes on to toast “all of the newlyweds, particularly all the men who married someone called Liz” – and then states it must be good, as “Richard Burton married Liz [Elizabeth Taylor] twice.” Following Arms Aloft, Ed acknowledges “one of the great songwriters and humans to ever walk the earth, Mr. Joe Strummer,” then offers yet another toast, “to Joe, we’re still thinking about you man.” He mentions the recent stage collapse in Toronto in which Radiohead lost a crew member: “it’s a tragedy, our crew are our family and I’m sure it’s the same for them,” sending their love and thoughts to Radiohead, their family, and crew. Ed explains Come Back will be played after a request from a fan he met the previous day, because “life is fragile – if you have a request, make it known.” A vibrant Alive sees War Pigs tagged onto the solo. Closing the proceedings with Rockin’ in the Free World, Ed shouts during the intro “we’ve never played this one in Manchester before!” During the song there’s a call-and-response chant with the still-vocal Manchester crowd and “Mr. John Doe from X!” is introduced mid-song to join in. Ed leaves the stage with “…thanks for having us, it’s good to be back on the road, alright Manchester!”