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

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

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

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