Pearl Jam European Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in Europe

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July 3, 2018 – Tauron Arena Kraków, Kraków, POL

Main Set: Of The Girl, Present Tense, Last Exit, Why Go, Do The Evolution, In Hiding, Other Side, Green Disease, I Am Mine, Even Flow, Garden, Severed Hand, Not For You/(Modern Girl), You Are, Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 1: Just Breathe, All Or None, Footsteps, Once, Whipping, Wasted Reprise, Better Man

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Comfortably Numb, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Of the Girl and Present Tense makes for an interesting open. Ed first greets the lively crowd after Do the Evolution, recounting their first Polish show, Warsaw in 1996, and remarks it’s their first time in Krakow. Other Side is…

Show Notes: 

Of the Girl and Present Tense makes for an interesting open. Ed first greets the lively crowd after Do the Evolution, recounting their first Polish show, Warsaw in 1996, and remarks it’s their first time in Krakow. Other Side is played for only the 3rd time, and the first since 2013. Green Disease is requested in an unusual fashion by a couple of girls: “not normally do we get requests on the forehead,” Ed says. Later, playing Garden, he shares “it was written a long time ago, but still has a lot of meaning to us.” You Are and Given to Fly pair well together near the end of the main set. After the break, toward the end of Just Breathe, the front of the house sound console fails, and the crowd finishes the song singing it a capella, transitioning into the outro of Black. Under the bed of Wasted Reprise, Ed discusses the importance of various protests in the country, including pro-gender equality and LGBT rights demonstrations, the protest for the rights of people with disabilities, and the threats in the country to limit peaceful protests. The crowd is engaged in some call and response during the Better Man jam with Ed improvising off of Save it for Later, stretching the song out to 8 minutes. Alive completes the show’s Mamasan trilogy, Once and Footsteps having been played earlier in the encore. Show heavy on Riot Act-era songs and Ten songs, an unusual juxtaposition.

July 1, 2018 – O2 Arena, Prague, CZE

Main Set: Pendulum, Nothingman, Corduroy, Brain Of J., Do The Evolution, Tremor Christ, Lightning Bolt, Dissident, Even Flow, Jeremy, Improv, Love Boat Captain, (Help!)/Help Help, State Of Love And Trust, Spin The Black Circle, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 1: Man Of The Hour, The End, Given To Fly, Unthought Known, Black, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

Nothingman is met with a huge ovation from the crowd and turns into a campfire moment early in the show. Corduroy kicks over the campfire into a booming singalong. Evolution gets the crowd hopping, singing, and sweating. Tremor Christ is…

Show Notes: 

Nothingman is met with a huge ovation from the crowd and turns into a campfire moment early in the show. Corduroy kicks over the campfire into a booming singalong. Evolution gets the crowd hopping, singing, and sweating. Tremor Christ is played for the first time since 2016. After Lightning Bolt, Ed comments “Sometimes, let’s say this isn’t happening in the United States, when you have a really horrible leader, it sure makes you remember how lucky you were to have a great one, how we don’t have a great leader in our country, and when it makes you remember when you had a great one.” Dissident is dedicated to Vaclav Havel (a dissident from the Czech Republic who became their president), Ed mentioning how “Havel was a great human and one of the great figures of the 20th Century, and was a huge fan of the Velvet Underground.” Love Boat Captain has an improv as a lead-in, with the lyrics “No, I won’t be quiet, I won’t mind my manners, in your devices, in your evil plans, I will use my voice and everything I got, we all deserve to know we’re not?” It transitions into the song perfectly. The first verse and chorus of the Beatles’ “Help!” are debuted by Ed solo, which leads into Help, Help, the first time ever for the Help!/Help, Help combo. State of Love and Trust stays true as a crowd favorite, with Ed going down and giving the mic to the crowd before returning to the stage for the end of the song. I’m Waiting For The Man, by the aforementioned Velvet Underground, is tagged along with Save it for Later on Better Man. Together, Mike and Jeff destroy the faces of the crowd in Porch. After the break, Ed sees a couple of requests for All or None and says, “they don’t know all, they know none, but they do know some of the or.” The End makes its 2018 debut, played by Ed solo. Crowd is full on jumping for Given to Fly! Tonight’s song to the back of the stage is Small Town, and Indifference closes the show, bookending the campfire vibe that started early.

June 26, 2018 – Stadio Olimpico, Rome, ITA

Main Set: Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Pilate, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Wasted Reprise, Wishlist, Lightning Bolt, Again Today, Untitled, MFC, Immortality, Unthought Known, Eruption, Can’t Deny Me, Mankind, Animal, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: Sleeping By Myself, Just Breathe, Imagine, Daughter/(W.M.A.), State Of Love And Trust, Black Diamond, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later/I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend)

encore 2: Comfortably Numb, Black, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

For the first time in nearly 22 years the band plays the city of Rome, unveiling an epic return at Stadio Olimpico. As they were over two decades earlier, the crowd is treated to the opening string plucks of Release. …

Show Notes: 

For the first time in nearly 22 years the band plays the city of Rome, unveiling an epic return at Stadio Olimpico. As they were over two decades earlier, the crowd is treated to the opening string plucks of Release.  Ed sounds surprisingly strong given his vocal injury just days prior in London. A very energetic crowd helps out with Release and Elderly Woman, with Ed providing a lyrical nod of “so glad we saw this place.” Despite some technical issues, Mike fires off a soulful and very sparse solo in Corduroy, allowing a lot of space on top of the band’s pocket groove. Given to Fly is a bit uptempo, and includes a further nod to the city,, “…made it to Roma…” Mike literally flexes his muscles on Even Flow, tossing his dress jacket to reveal a button down sleeveless vest. Ed walks the length of the stage during Mike’s solo, again sparse and thoughtful with each note, and as he implores the crowd to assist on the closing chorus he ends up catching a baseball tossed to him. Untitled begins with the story of how MFC was written in Rome. Immortality is incredibly strong, with the jam hooked by Jeff and Matt.  A passionate Unthought Known fits the clear night summer sky with Matt continuing to add inflection from the kit. Stone signals his approval with a thumbs up after Mankind. Ed playfully swings his telecaster over his head during the Porch jam, looking like he has some inclination to smash it, but can’t quite bring himself to it, using it as a mirror to reflect the stage light into the crowd. Ed takes on Just Breathe solo, and addresses the crowd in Italian again, imploring them to light up the night as the band plays a truly inspired version of Imagine, with Stone and Boom both shining, perhaps inspired by the shooting star that flew by overhead during the song. Daughter features a playful call and response during the outro. Black Diamond is introduced as “something special for you, not the first time, maybe the 2nd” (actually the 3rd).  Mike delivers the intro verse and Matt takes over vocals. An at once serene and cascading take on Comfortably Numb opens encore 2. Black is cathartic, with the stage awash in blood red light, Mike falling to his hands and knees during a searing solo as he engineers his way through the soundscape, with Ed tagging “home is where the heart is, home is where, home is where I feel at home.” After Rockin’ in the Free World (the same way the 1996 show ended here), Ed remarks “I’ll remember this night and the full moon…maybe we’ll see you next year.” An impressive show on their return to Rome.

Written by: Patrick Boegel

June 24, 2018 – Stadio Euganeo, Padova, ITA

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Last Exit, Do The Evolution, Animal, Improv, Corduroy, Given To Fly, God’s Dice, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Even Flow, Daughter, Red Mosquito, Mind Your Manners, Down, Spin The Black Circle, Porch

encore 1: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Inside Job, Once, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black/(People Have the Power), Crazy Mary, Rearviewmirror

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

Show Notes:

The Pendulum/Low Light opening combo serves as a barometer for Ed’s voice (night 2 in London having been postponed 5 days prior due to vocal issues), and his voice clips on “Easy left me a long time ago.” Ed welcomes…

Show Notes: 

The Pendulum/Low Light opening combo serves as a barometer for Ed’s voice (night 2 in London having been postponed 5 days prior due to vocal issues), and his voice clips on “Easy left me a long time ago.” Ed welcomes the crowd in their native tongue, proclaiming in Italian that this marks the 12th Italian show in 8 years, but he never said, “Good evening Padova!” Evolution tests Ed’s voice, as the feral howls are absent. Addressing the crowd again in Italian, Ed recalls the June 15, 2007 show that was canceled due to weather and shares his gratitude to be back, then plays a sweet improv about feeling at home in Padova. Corduroy seems to mark the end of Ed’s vocal concerns, as he stretches his voice in a series of chants with the crowd. More call and response during Daughter, along with some denouncement of Trump’s ideals, accompanied by some very suave dancing from Ed. Trump is again invoked as Ed proclaims that the devil comes in “all different colors, not just orange,” before Red Mosquito. Spin the Black Circle is dedicated to Jack White, “a great maker of records.” Many of the small neighboring towns in Italy are called out before Small Town. Ed sings part of People Have the Power, and then improvs, on a gorgeous eleven-minute Black. Crazy Mary follows, with Boom’s organ solo riffing off “Paint it Black” before it erupts back for a blazing finish. Before Smile, Ed introduces his friend Dylan, who just moved to Italy, and then mentions he had met someone the year prior who had written a book about “our group, it looked to be a great book, it was thick, I haven’t read it because it was in Italian, but it had some great Italian words in it,” and mentions Daria and Luca and their 3 day old daughter Eleonara. Ed holds up her baby picture and dedicates Smile to her. Leading into Alive, he shares an almost-too-crazy-to-be-true story about a night out in Italy, involving limoncello, walking the streets at 4 am, drugs, and a quick escape:

[…There was] screaming and yelling, Italian swear words, and I asked my friend ‘ Who the fuck is he talking to?’ My friend says, ‘Oh, he is talking to his wife. She is at home. Oh Eddie, this woman…she is like a dog made of Satan’s sperm. She is evil and she will hate us for walking into her house at 4:30 in the morning.’ I said ‘Well we can’t do it then,’ and he said, ‘Oh no it will be fine’…so we play a little music and I climb through a small window because I did not want to be in the same room as this hellhound. I mean, she had every right to be barking, I just didn’t want it to be at me. So we sat on the roof a little longer, waiting for the sun to come up. And when it did, I was the first person in line to take the boat back. And I was so happy to touch ground and the only reason I am telling you this story is because I don’t want that to ever happen again. And I am glad to be alive.

Following Alive, the band roars straight into Baba O’Riley and then closes the night out with Indifference, Ed allowing the crowd to finish out the night by singing “I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room…”

Written by: Matthew Sellers

June 22, 2018 – I-Days Festival, Area Expo, Milan, ITA

Main Set: Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Even Flow, Corduroy, Immortality, Eruption, You Are, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), Mankind, I Got Id, Porch, Footsteps, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The first show since the London show where Ed lost his voice. Release opens, and Ed clearly does not have full strength or confidence in his normal range yet, as he holds back from going all out. He leans on…

Show Notes: 

The first show since the London show where Ed lost his voice. Release opens, and Ed clearly does not have full strength or confidence in his normal range yet, as he holds back from going all out. He leans on the crowd to pick up the slack, and they do not disappoint. Mike takes over the show starting with Given to Fly, and doesn’t let up through a blistering Even Flow, followed shortly thereafter with Eruption. Of course, his Van Halen T-shirt should have tipped off everyone what was coming. He saves his best work for the end of the night, where he goes down to the crowd and plays his solo on Black behind his head, in front of the front row fans. Stone also steps up with great guitar work in Do the Evolution while taking his turn on the mic for Mankind. A sweet moment before Porch, as Ed brings Jill out on stage and expresses his love for her in Italian, as they are celebrating their wedding anniversary. He tells the crowd the two first met in Milan, to loud cheers. A bottle of champagne is opened by Ed, spraying over the stage, then a drink with Jill, followed by a few cups tossed on the crowd. Jill comes out with a green coat with the words “Yes we all care. Y don’t u?” as a response to Melania Trump’s “I really don’t care. Do u?” stunt from the day before. A short festival set with no encore, but plenty of great moments and Ed on the road to recovery.

Written by: Sean Rashkis

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

June 15, 2018 – Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, NED

Main Set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Red Mosquito, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Even Flow, Can’t Deny Me, Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)/Suggestion), Once, Hail, Hail, Nothingman, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Lukin, Porch

encore 1: Jeremy, Black/(Androgynous Mind/We Belong Together), Rearviewmirror, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

Headlining night 1 of the Pinkpop Festival, Pink Floyd’s Interstellar Overdrive serves as the intro to a 7-minute version of Corduroy, with Ed leading the crowd in an early call and response. Corduroy had also opened the show here at…

Show Notes: 

Headlining night 1 of the Pinkpop Festival, Pink Floyd’s Interstellar Overdrive serves as the intro to a 7-minute version of Corduroy, with Ed leading the crowd in an early call and response. Corduroy had also opened the show here at Pinkpop in 2000. After Red Mosquito, Ed describes their first experience at Pinkpop, commenting “We still remember our first time…and one of the things I remember about that day…that Matt Cameron was there with the great band Soundgarden. It was the first real tour of Europe we had ever done and back then I was so young I didn’t know the difference between the Dutch or the Danish, but I was never very good at Geometry in school.” Prior to a seething, angry Can’t Deny Me, Ed gets political: “You know, back in the day there used to be Russia and the red menace, and now, interestingly enough, we have darker times but a lighter shade known as the orange menace.” Daughter was another standout performance, as another Pink Floyd song is tagged, “Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2),” then Fugazi’s “Suggestion” is tagged for the first time in 20 years (it was also played at Pinkpop in 1992). Matt starts thumping the kick drum immediately after Lukin, transitioning seamlessly into Porch. Mike takes over the jam, a winding solo of melodies and riffs that burst through the song for nearly 5 minutes, before Ed comes in chanting as the band swells back into the chorus. It’s a nostalgic encore, all early 90’s songs. After a powerful Black with the crowd singing along loudly, Ed tells the story of the iconic 1992 show:

“I had something important happen to me today and it has everything to do with this place. You know back in ’92 we were playing this kind of thing…and we weren’t used to the big space. People used to be able to jump on the stage because it was close, it was intimate. There was no distinction between the crowd and the band. So, when we came in the first time, it was the first festival we had ever played and there was this big space, so I got the attention of the camera man and he was on one of the boom things. So, do you know what happens next? So, here’s the deal…and somebody sent me a postcard with a picture of me jumping off that little thing and the camera man, his face is looking at me like he is going to fucking kill me. And I realized that he probably had every right to do so, and I had never seen him since and always wondered, and I always see this card in the house in the hallway and I’m reminded every day, and I wondered what ever happened to that guy and is he still pissed off at me? And so, when we were in Amsterdam the other night, I met a local and I said is there any way we can find him, and we did! And he’s here and retired in January. So, congrats on that and a job well done. But here’s the thing, he told me a completely different story than what I have had in my head all these years. I thought he was so angry with me, but what he was doing, was for me to jump on that thing he had to get other guys to hold the back, the ballast, otherwise I would have jumped on it and he would have gone down. So, he is yelling, and he isn’t yelling at me but he’s yelling at other guys to hold us up. So then, we go up to the front and we are almost over the crowd, but not quite, and then, when I try to make it, I felt like I was going to be short, he’s yelling in the mic for the guys to jump off because as soon as I jump off, he would have gone shooting into the fucking atmosphere! This guy and I were working in tandem, but we had no clue and he hasn’t been mad at me at all this whole time and I just feel so fucking forgiven! And it’s a great feeling!”

A lengthy version of Rockin’ in the Free World closes the show, which was the same way they closed their Pinkpop set from 1992. 7 songs off of Ten are played, a unique and special show full of easter eggs and references to previous appearances.

Written by: Scott Hetherington

June 13, 2018 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NED

Main Set: Release, Present Tense, Animal, Last Exit, Lightning Bolt, ½ Full, Untitled, MFC, Even Flow, Light Years, Glorified G, Can’t Deny Me, Mind Your Manners, Unthought Known, Inside Job, State Of Love And Trust, Do The Evolution, Porch

encore 1: Bee Girl, Man Of The Hour, Just Breathe, Once, Black/(We Belong Together), Rearviewmirror, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Another polite but noticeably engaged crowd as the show begins with blue mood lighting and a confident Ed, arms up, eyes closed for Release. The song is very measured, and despite a few wavers, Ed hits the high notes. Unlike…

Show Notes: 

Another polite but noticeably engaged crowd as the show begins with blue mood lighting and a confident Ed, arms up, eyes closed for Release. The song is very measured, and despite a few wavers, Ed hits the high notes. Unlike the clear and plentiful tributes/dedications of the previous night, this show is subtly dedicated to Chris Cornell, with the band wearing various Soundgarden/Chris Cornell project t-shirts. Ed, eyes still closed, sings “Oh Kevin’s dad, can you hear us?” which is a nod to the father of one of the band’s good friends. Present Tense picks up the speed and aggression, with added F-bombs and use of the added industrial/strobe lighting, ending big as though it was the end of a first set. Super-tight drumming from Matt on Last Exit. Ed thanks the crowd in Dutch and shares a story of practicing guitar earlier that evening, reaching for a metal doorknob, and getting electrocuted, stating “it’s a once in a lifetime event that’s happened to me 3 times.” Not missing a dad-joke beat, Ed requests more electricity from the crowd for Lightning Bolt. Mike and Ed play off each other after Mike’s solo. During 1/2 Full, Ed holds up his blue Duesenberg guitar to shield himself from the spotlight (which reflects back up to the ceiling) during Mike’s solo. Ed channels his 90’s hand gestures and eye flutters during Even Flow, and Mike goes into a 3 minute solo with extra-long notes, fast runs and plenty of distortion. Audience takes the last chorus. Someone in the audience has a Green Disease t-shirt and Ed asks the band if they remember how to play it, and they toy with it for 20 seconds or so before rolling into Light Years. Ed compares the pure sound of Dutch children at a school near the hotel to the feeling of fear when thinking about US children and gun violence at schools and beyond. Ed states Holland is “a beacon of responsibility” and would rather have “the freedom to not be in fear” rather than gun ownership. Ed prefaces Can’t Deny Me as having “absolutely nothing to do with Trump” and calls him a “narcissistic motherfucker” just before hitting a cowbell hard. Porch ends the main set, starting off bluesy and speeding up in the second verse. Boom is more prominent on the keyboard, and Ed starts pouring wine for the audience, while he himself appears to be drinking tea or coffee. The band gathers around Matt and Ed smashes a mic stand. Man of the Hour is also dedicated to Kevin’s dad. Energy ramps up greatly for Rearviewmirror with total audience investment, a fast bridge, with Ed dancing, playing off Stone and windmilling on an extended outro, with a subtle “I will forgive.” Mike and Jeff switch out their instruments and Stone takes the solo on Rockin’ in the Free World. Ed acknowledges the 37 years Jeff and Stone have been playing together and the band’s 15 years with Boom. Ed vehemently tries to get a tambourine to a particular fan during Yellow Ledbetter, and when unsuccessful, decides to crowd-surf his way over, to the delight of the fans and amusement of the rest of the band. Comfortably Numb was on the setlist but not played.

Written by: Hillary Wood

June 12, 2018 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NED

Main Set: Long Road, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Red Mosquito, Wishlist, Even Flow, Severed Hand, Not For You, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), Again Today, Got Some, Down, Better Man

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Footsteps, Jeremy, Why Go, Porch, Black, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Indifference

Show Notes:

Decidedly mellow crowd and start to the show, with Ed reading a welcome and a thank you in Dutch, and dedicating this show to Anthony Bourdain and designer Kate Spade. Song opener is a smooth, subdued Long Road. Color-changing globe…

Show Notes: 

Decidedly mellow crowd and start to the show, with Ed reading a welcome and a thank you in Dutch, and dedicating this show to Anthony Bourdain and designer Kate Spade. Song opener is a smooth, subdued Long Road. Color-changing globe pendant lighting on set denotes the mood of each song. Jeff sings supporting vocals throughout Low Light. Ed and Stone are spotlighted for an early acoustic version of Elderly Woman, with the band joining in the 2nd verse. Ed tries to encourage the crowd with a scream-heavy rendition of Do The Evolution. Given To Fly finally gives way to crowd participation, Ed is super animated. Wishlist sees Ed on guitar, reminiscent of Pinkpop 2000, and extends the song:

I can’t wait for a new president

Lift this world back up again

For this hate and fear, it will not last

They will be relics of the past

It will be a relic of the past

We will survive, get this all behind us

It’s a world of pluses

And he’s a fucking minus

It’s time to act and no time for boredom

And someday we can again like the color orange

Mike solos for over 3 minutes on Even Flow, Ed closes it out strong. Again Today (from the Brandi Carlile covers record) is debuted and dedicated to “great girls who turned out to be great women.” A theatrical Better Man is dedicated to the people of Holland where they “feel welcome” and “at home.” Band is seated for Yellow Moon to begin the encore, with a nod to Eric and the people at the Tivoli. A whopping 6(!) Ten-era songs in a row follow, beginning with Footsteps. Ed plays bartender for the crowd during Why Go and Porch. Jam on Porch is spacey and melodic. Mike wails on the Black solo, emotive and powerful. Tambourines are out for Fuckin’ Up, and a singalong Indifference closes the night. Just Breathe and I Won’t Back Down are on the setlist but not played.

Written by: Hillary Wood

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.

July 5, 2014 – Rock Werchter Festival, Werchter Festival Park, Werchter, BEL

Main Set: Rearviewmirror, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, My Father’s Son, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, All Night, Even Flow, Sirens, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Spin The Black Circle, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Future Days, Mother, Jeremy, State Of Love And Trust, Black/(We Belong Together), Daughter/(Where Is My Mind/W.M.A.), Porch

encore 2: Sonic Reducer, Alive, Rockin in the Free World, (Angie)/Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

RVM opens a show for the first time since 2007. Ed’s first address to the crowd is a call out in Flemish, to which the entire crowd responds in unison with some form of a chant. As the crowd finishes…

Show Notes: 

RVM opens a show for the first time since 2007. Ed’s first address to the crowd is a call out in Flemish, to which the entire crowd responds in unison with some form of a chant. As the crowd finishes their part, the band begins a much quicker than usual version of My Father’s Son. During Do the Evolution, the crowd sings along with Stone’s guitar riff, not only in its usual spot, but even goes back to singing it after the band finishes the song. Once again, Ed speaks to the crowd in Flemish, this time for a much longer address, obviously working hard on his pronunciation, drawing lots of cheers and the occasional laugh. Pivoting to English, Ed then begins a short music history lesson on British vs. American popular music, which sets the tone perfectly for what was about to come:

“After liking The Who, and lots of early British bands, there weren’t many American bands that you liked, and then all of a sudden there was Sonic Youth and that was about it. But for years and years it was only The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks, you know, all this great, great music..but it was all 20 years old already in nineteen-eighty-something…but then there was a record by the band called the Pixies, and it was the greatest record that I had heard in years. I just can’t believe that we’re playing at the same time as the Pixies. I just want to toast the Pixies for being, still, one of the greatest bands ever.”

He then introduces members of the band Midlake, who had played earlier that night, and they join for All Night, with extended vocal breakdowns. Matt gets a short but sweet drum solo on Even Flow. Sirens is sensitive and intricate, showcasing the interplay between Stone and Mike. Once again, the crowd continues singing even after the band is done playing. Ed acknowledges this incredible audience participation by saying “thank you for being the best part of the band.” After the break, Ed begins acknowledging the band members, saying:

“Let’s hear it for Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron…he’s played for more people in three days than we used to play to in about a year. In the last three days, of course, he had to play with two different bands in order to add up the numbers, but in three days he’s played to about 150,000 people…once with us, then last night with Soundgarden in Hyde Park, and now here he is. He’s a fucking hero and he’s not even cocky about it, he’s just a great human being…let’s hear it for Matt Cameron!”

Black returns to its usual encore spot, with a “you belong together” tag. The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” is tagged onto Daughter for the first time. After Porch, Ed sees a fan and interjects:

“What’s that? No, I can’t sleep in your tent with you sir. I can’t. The yellow tent with the blue, okay, you’ll be wearing what? Oh, lingerie in the shape of black, red, and yellow uniforms? Hey, Euro Cup two years, you got them. Black, Red, Yellow! We’re still playing. Fuck it!”

The crowd thinks they’re getting “Black, Red, Yellow,” and it seems like that is what Stone thinks as well, but after a jumbled start, Ed stops, turns to the audience, and in a radio announcer voice says:

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen…as the opening band for the Kings of Leon we just wanna thank you very much, thank you. Uh, Stone was taking a piss when we were figuring out what song we were gonna do next, but that’s okay, people gotta piss, that’s what people do, say no more, say no more,”

They end up playing the intended song, Sonic Reducer. Launching into Rockin’ in the Free World, with members of Midlake on guitar and tambourine, Ed changes the first two lines to honor the Belgian crowd:

There are colors on the street, 
Black, yellow and red,
There are people on the street,
Oh, they’re crazy in the head…

Ed thanks the crowd again, yelling “Kings of Leon are up next….tomorrow!” Suddenly, there’s a lot of activity on stage, they aren’t sure what to play next. Ed sings “‘I pulled into Nazareth,’ yeah, I know that one, what else do you know? We’ll play here all night!” Mike begins “Angie” as Ed and the crowd sing along, but before you know it, he transitions perfectly into Ledbetter, ending with Little Wing, and Ed joins in to sing the first verse before taking the final bow.

July 3, 2014 – Open’er Festival, Gdynia, POL

Main Set: Go, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Animal, Given To Fly, Pilate, Do The Evolution, Getaway, Got Some, Nothingman, Even Flow, Sirens, Jeremy, Unthought Known, Public Image, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch, Alive, Baba O'Riley

Show Notes:

After some much-needed days off, the night kicks off with a fury of light and sound as Go roars to life. Ed welcomes the crowd with a safety check and some ground rules for front-row moshing. With these instructions, he…

Show Notes: 

After some much-needed days off, the night kicks off with a fury of light and sound as Go roars to life. Ed welcomes the crowd with a safety check and some ground rules for front-row moshing. With these instructions, he reminds the crowd to…Mind Your Manners. He shows off his (lack of) Polish speaking skills before Given to Fly, translated as “It’s a beautiful night…it’s a beautiful night…It’s getting chilly…let’s warm up…to each other…bless you.” Afterwards, he dedicates the next song to the promoter Nicolas, saying:

“He had to call someone in Warsaw because one of us didn’t have his passport and couldn’t get in.  But as you can see, we are all here and we are very grateful for them trusting us. Thank you, authorities. Usually you like to say, like, “fuck the police,” “fuck the government,” but every once in while you gotta think…like, oh god we will suck their cocks if they just let us get in to play the goddamn show…”

Ed pauses for some creationist criticism around Do the Evolution. After Jeremy, Ed takes a moment to introduce Matt Cameron on the drums and informs the crowd he will be back again the following night playing drums with Soundgarden. Shout outs to MGMT, Jack White and Faith No More (all performing at the festival) as the band begins Unthought Known and blends it into Public Image. After the break, Ed begins listing places in Poland they have played. After mentioning Gdynia twice, he quips:

“…this guy, we saw him four years ago and he still hasn’t put on a fuckin’ shirt! I am not sure….you are either going to get laid tonight…or you are definitely not getting laid, I’m not sure how it’s going to go. What the fuck, you must have a huge…ego. And maybe a small…town.”

And with that, the band moves into Small Town, Better Man, and reaches a crescendo with Porch. Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT) joins for a closing Baba O’Riley, with Ed telling the fans “Goodnight, ciao…let’s do it again sometime…”

June 29, 2014 – Telenor Arena, Oslo, NOR

Main Set: Pendulum, Hard to Imagine, Last Kiss, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Last Exit, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, In Hiding, My Father’s Son, Sad, Light Years, Garden, Even Flow, Sirens, Not for You/(Modern Girl), Down, Love Boat Captain, Porch

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Sleeping By Myself, Strangest Tribe, Footsteps, Waiting On A Friend, Satan’s Bed, Why Go, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Comatose, Leash, Alive, Rockin’ in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The fourth show in five days, and the rigor of the tour has taken a toll on Ed’s voice. Pendulum starts things off just fine, to enthusiastic crowd response, and Hard to Imagine is solid, but the vocal fatigue creeps…

Show Notes: 

The fourth show in five days, and the rigor of the tour has taken a toll on Ed’s voice. Pendulum starts things off just fine, to enthusiastic crowd response, and Hard to Imagine is solid, but the vocal fatigue creeps out during the outro. This is where the band begins to step in, with Mike overlapping Ed’s last vocals with a very nice closing solo. No early Black here, but Ed heads into the crowd for a good part of Last Kiss, mingling with the crowd and holding a fan’s hand throughout the last chorus. He quickly asks if things are good before opening up Mind Your Manners. Ed holds his own for the most part, but is short on breath. He starts to crack on Animal, and finally asks the crowd for help. After Last Exit, he greets the crowd with “Hello, Oslo” in Norwegian and briefly mentions the “wear and tear on the voice” before commending the fans who’ve followed them through four cities in five days, and introduces Interstellar Overdrive as “a quick instrumental to give the voice a rest for one second.” After Corduroy, he tries to get a father with a young daughter safer seats, and then better seats. He greets his new friend, Isabel, asks her for a joint, and explains he’s been told everyone would understand English “unless you’re seven or eight, or very drunk.” Mike really starts taking the weight of the show onto his shoulders at this point, and delivers one of his best solos of the night on Lightning Bolt. In Hiding begins with an invitation to help sing, and afterwards Ed quips “…quit drinking after last night, but thought I might have a few more” before asking the crowd to tell Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme “føkk deg” (fuck you) at the Øya festival in August. Boom has an expanded role on My Father’s Son. Sad is teased with a short “Norwegian Wood” a capella. With Ed’s voice now holding on cautiously, aided by strong crowd participation, and Mike leading the band in filling any gaps, this is where this concert lands in its groove for the rest of the night.

On the final chord of Light Years, Ed approaches Stone and points towards a fan in the front row. Immediately we hear someone re-tuning as a change is made to the setlist, which Ed announces as “for this person here, who…she’s got a complaint: 22 shows and we haven’t played a certain song.” After a Garden more reminiscent of the album version than recent live renditions (and with the lucky fan starring on the Jumbotron) Ed takes her empty cup, fills it with wine, gives it back, and tells her “Cheers… 22 shows, I think I can at least buy you a drink, you paid for this very nice wine.” Mike outshines himself once again on Even Flow, after which Ed explains that, as punishment for a mistake made the night before, he has to play Eruption on Mike’s guitar while Mike is holding it. He touches it, makes some noise, then tells the crowd, “this can be our special song that we only play when we come to Norway.” In an emotional preface to Love Boat Captain, Ed mentions the anniversary of the Roskilde tragedy and expresses the band’s appreciation of the victims’ families, present at the previous night’s show in Stockholm, for maintaining a relationship with them. An extra long jam-out on Porch nearly brings the song to 10 minutes.

After a long encore break, they’re greeted with applause after coming back on stage, Ed responds “we’ll take that as a sign of encouragement.” Sleeping by Myself gets botched near the end, Ed takes the blame and plays the final chorus to close it out. The first-ever live performance of Strangest Tribe follows, it is slow, steady, and perfectly dreamy, dedicated to the people who’ve been in the front row over four consecutive nights, whom Ed honors by nicknaming them after the song. Lukin is given its quasi-traditional introduction as a “quiet singalong.” The last set begins with thanks to the crowd and a nod to “getting to play all these different songs.” As Alive transitions straight into Rockin’ in the Free World, “Mr. Raymond Caper Cameron” (Ray Cameron, Matt’s son) is introduced as he comes onstage to play on a Les Paul. The original setlist included Setting Forth, Small Town, Black, Got Some, and Better Man, but were replaced with Garden, Strangest Tribe, and Footsteps.

June 28, 2014 – Friends Arena, Stockholm, SWE

Main Set: Release, Sometimes, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Black/(We Belong Together), Go, Animal, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Red Mosquito, My Father’s Son, Given To Fly, Daughter/(Hey Jude/W.M.A.), U, Sirens, Even Flow, Green Disease, Jeremy, Spin The Black Circle, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Just Breathe, Oceans, Mother, Once, Supersonic, Sonic Reducer, Porch

encore 2: Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The band takes the stage bathed in blue spotlights, easing into the evening with Release into an uptempo Sometimes. Black finishes with Mike reeling off a searing solo, Stone delivering a complementary dance of chords, and Ed asking “Did we…

Show Notes: 

The band takes the stage bathed in blue spotlights, easing into the evening with Release into an uptempo Sometimes. Black finishes with Mike reeling off a searing solo, Stone delivering a complementary dance of chords, and Ed asking “Did we belong together?” during the ending tag. Corduroy finishes in a storm of guitar sonics. Ed addresses the crowd before Lightning Bolt, saying “tomorrow I’m going to quit drinking, so TONIGHT…,” continuing in Swedish. Mike is supercharged during Red Mosquito, but the rest of the band gets lost getting to the finish line. The crowd picks this up and tries to guide the band, swaying in time, with Ed even adding “that’s nice, we made a mistake there and you made something beautiful out of it.” Ed grabs a monopod towards the end of Given to Fly and films the stage for a fan. Daughter is tagged with a brief bit of Hey Jude prior to the WMA tag. Introducing U, Ed states to the crowd, “lot of people out there, there’s maybe ten of you who know the next song.” Before Green Disease, he discusses how SwedeBank donated the naming rights of the arena to a youth support organization called Friends that works to prevent bullying. He references Jeremy and how it came about, and how great it is to see a corporation using their ability to promote social good. Rearviewmirror is dedicated to the Hives.

After the break, Ed notices a woman with a sign in the crowd that says “sign my shoe”.  Ed manages to get her to throw both shoes on stage, which he promptly hands to a roadie to take backstage. He turns to the mic and deadpans “shoe the shoeless,” a comical nod to the infamous Indio 1993 improv. He then teases the fan, saying “you trusted me…you don’t know me.”

Prior to Oceans, Ed drinks wine from the sneakers before handing them back to their owner. Mike and Stone trade off excellent solos on a fever pitch Porch. Things start to get a little weird on stage as the band looks to kick off encore 2. Finally, Ed reins in the shenanigans with “…sneakers, flip flops, high heels… it’s evolution, baby!” A beautiful, poignant Indifference ends the night, and Ed leaves with another “Shaka” Hawaiian goodbye.

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.”

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