Pearl Jam North American Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in North America

Expand Show Notes Collapse Show Notes

September 19, 2023, Moody Center, Austin, TX, USA

Main Set: Wash, Sometimes, Low Light, Black/(We Belong Together), Retrograde, Once, Never Destination, Why Go, 1/2 Full, Daughter/(Poor Girl), Unemployable, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Habit, Who You Are, Glorified G, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Imagine, Last Kiss, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, State Of Love And Trust, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Couldn’t Stand The Weather)/(Scuttle Buttin)

Show Notes:

For the first time on this run, Ed comes out before Inhaler and plays Throw Your Arms Around Me, thanking everyone for coming early, adding “since summer’s ending, although you may have summer weather all year long…here’s one more for…

Show Notes: 

For the first time on this run, Ed comes out before Inhaler and plays Throw Your Arms Around Me, thanking everyone for coming early, adding “since summer’s ending, although you may have summer weather all year long…here’s one more for the sky.” He changes the lyric to “…the blue Texas sky…” Wash is the 8th different opener in the 8 shows this tour. On Sometimes, Ed changes the lyric to “…you got big hands…like a Texan” and “…put you on the list, dear god…” He holds the last note of Low Light until the song ends. Another incredible Black performance, the 600th, with Mike somehow still staying seated and Boom sounding fantastic at the end. Ed points out that this is the last night of the Gigaton tour, because:

“…we’ve made a record for next year, and I don’t want to give anything away, but what I can tell you is if you like the musicians in the group…it just came out really good, you’re going to hear them playing at the highest level, so we’re excited about that and to see the end of summer with you all…”

He conducts the band on the powerful ending to Retrograde, Matt and Josh bringing the thunder and Mike bringing the lightning. Ed hangs on the mic stand and conducts with it again during Once. Never Destination makes its tour debut, another showcase for Mike. Prior to 1/2 Full, Ed says “this song is about saving the world, might as well start in Texas…” The Daughter tag is “Poor Girl” by X. He introduces the first Unemployable since Pittsburgh 2013:

“…we’re gonna do a song we don’t play a lot. it’s a song about religion, greed, dedication to a job…when it doesn’t work for you, the bottom line is you still get the shaft…”

Before Habit, Ed and the band practice it briefly in order not to screw it up. Who You Are returns for the first time since Philly 2016. Double shot of Vs. closes the main set with Glorified G and RVM. The 10-song encore (!) starts with Ed asking for the fireflies for Imagine, adding a quick “…thank you, John,” afterwards. Ed does the “…hold me closer, Chloe dancer…” tease before Boom starts the Chloe intro on piano. Ed dedicates it to Mike’s wife Ashley. After Jeremy, he asks for a woman named Monica in the crowd, saying that in Dallas he had reached into the crowd and she gave him a book:

“…I didn’t know what was going to be in it, sometimes, you know, it’s a little scary to open up a homemade book…I’m glad I took the challenge, it’s just filled with incredible stories and beautiful stories…of her hearing the band in ’96 when she was 15, and the journey begins. And she’s from Poland, she waited for us to come there, she was young, she couldn’t just be traveling around by herself, meeting friends which became family, which is these people here [points to them in the crowd], and it really illustrates the power, the pictures of all of you together, waiting in line three days before the damn show…we really care about the people that come and travel and it makes us work harder and we really try to make everyone happy, it blows our minds and the best part is you all get along and have an experience and the music is just an excuse to be out in the world and traveling…we appreciate the support, we love you, we’ll miss you until next time. Monica, it’s a beautiful book, by the end she’s had two incredible kids…a great job, a really great life, and it started with just a fifteen-year-old who happened to hear a couple of songs…”

As he starts Better Man, he adds “oh, and the art’s good too…” John Doe of X (who lives in the area) and Inhaler join for Rockin’ in the Free World. Ed throws in a “…happy birthday Tom…” as he finishes Ledbetter, and Mike adds a pair of Stevie Ray Vaughan tags on the end – “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” and “Scuttle Buttin”. Ed tries to get “Little Wing” going but it doesn’t materialize. 10 more tour debuts tonight, ending an incredible, too-short 2023 tour.

September 18, 2023, Moody Center, Austin, TX, USA

Main Set: Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Thumbing My Way, Footsteps, Present Tense, Who Ever Said/((I Can't Get No) Satisfaction), Save You, Corduroy, Quick Escape, Even Flow, Out Of My Mind, In My Tree, Animal, Given To Fly, I Got Shit, Porch

encore 1: Wishlist, Smile, Whipping, Do The Evolution, Spin The Black Circle, Alive, Baba O'Riley

Show Notes:

Nothingman opens, the first of many Vitalogy tour debuts. Ed, sounding fantastic, stands up early to get the crowd going, and they do, continuing into Small Town, where they take over vocals at the end. Ed comments after that it’s…

Show Notes: 

Nothingman opens, the first of many Vitalogy tour debuts. Ed, sounding fantastic, stands up early to get the crowd going, and they do, continuing into Small Town, where they take over vocals at the end. Ed comments after that it’s their 10th time in Austin, but it’s been 10 years, so they’re going to “play some songs we don’t usually play.” He continues, noting that everyone in the band’s wife is at the show except for his, and it’s their anniversary. Thumbing My Way is played for the first time since Fenway 2018. Mike has a lovely solo on Footsteps and is the first one out of his chair on Present Tense, leaping up and stalking around his side of the stage. Ed’s timing is off a little on Who Ever Said, but it gets worse on Save You, which is a complete trainwreck and is almost abandoned before Stone rights the ship and gets it home. Corduroy again has the angular jammy intro, this time with Matt adding some touches as well, and reaches the 7-minute mark. Josh gets a shoutout after, Ed points out that his two favorite bands growing up were the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, and he’s gotten a chance to be involved in both. The first solo in Quick Escape is different, moodier, but Mike absolutely demolishes the ending in feedback and chaos. Ed points out that Matt has “Fuck off COVID” written on his drums, and Matt flips the double middle fingers out to indicate his feelings on the matter. Ed continues, telling a story about the band going to London to mix Ten in 1991, and says one of the engineers, Tim Palmer, is at the show tonight, and he’s found and shown on the screens. Mike, having an absolutely outstanding show, smokes on Even Flow. Ed teases the next one:

“I’m guessing, and I haven’t been to ALL the Pearl Jam shows, but I’M guessing that we’ve played it less than 5 times? 3 times? The lyrics were never even written, they were just sung…okay, that’s the clues! It’s been a few…decades, but I absolutely still relate to what it’s saying…”

For only the 5th time, Out Of My Mind is played, and Ed is looking down at lyrics, but it’s a full, complete, rehearsed version, complete with a little guitar solo section! In My Tree is a request, dedicated to Jeff and Laura who’ve been together for 20 years. Josh is again the unsung hero on this song, adding guitars and then pounding out extra percussion at the end. Mike extends his guitar out to the front row at the end of Porch. The phone fireflies are out after the break, and Ed comes out and puts on the sparkly jacket and mirrorball helmet for Wishlist, with Ed, perhaps blinded a little, asking a few times for only one light on himself. He points out someone with an Oklahoma Sooners shirt on, to boos from the Texas crowd, and they play Smile to the back, Ed adding “usually we’d play this one tomorrow…but we miss you already.” He brings up a woman’s right to choose, noticing all the women and girls up front, and how they’d have to leave the state to exercise their right, closing with “I hope you can fix that soon,” leading into Whipping. A furious Spin the Black Circle is dedicated to the people with the sign from Fort Worth, and Mike goes out front again. Ed calls out “Austin…Texas…you’re still alive!” during Alive, and Mike and Jeff groove together for a long time. The house lights are up for Baba, and they build up to a big finish as Ed introduces the band one more time, leaving with “Goodnight…we love you.”

September 15, 2023, Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX, USA

Main Set: Long Road, Low Light, Pendulum, Just Breathe, Hard To Imagine, Breakerfall, Why Go, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Brain Of J., Red Mosquito, Garden, Undone, Even Flow, Seven O'Clock, (Brain Damage)/Inside Job, Severed Hand, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: I Won't Back Down, (Spin The Black Circle), Jeremy, Unthought Known, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Matt is back after missing night 1 due to COVID. On the Long Road outro, Ed says “…I can’t hear you…” and the crowd responds louder. His voice is in great shape early, showing no signs of the flu that…

Show Notes: 

Matt is back after missing night 1 due to COVID. On the Long Road outro, Ed says “…I can’t hear you…” and the crowd responds louder. His voice is in great shape early, showing no signs of the flu that he’s recovering from. He holds the last note in Low Light until after the band finishes. Speaking of night 1, he says “…it was a team effort, we’re still a little banged up,” and welcomes Matt back, calling him a “warrior.” Pendulum is sparse and open. The band leaves the stage and Ed talks again afterwards, saying that Pendulum “is probably how Matt was feeling…it’s a bit like COVID, that song,” adding that he’s had “more tea in the last 5 days than all of India.” He points out that they have a lot of dedications tonight and he goes through them all, including for a family with a son, Jake, to which Ed jokes “Jake was created while….sorry Jake, it was Lukin, our shortest song,” and finishes the dedications talking about Jeff and Stone and their 40-year musical relationship, and they come up and hug. Just Breathe is Ed solo, and he dedicates it “for my bandmates.” The whole band is standing for Hard To Imagine except Ed. Breakerfall returns for the first time since 2018. Ed does the 1992 lean back on Why Go and gets the crowd going. After Dance, Ed says the next one “has a connection to Dallas” and Stone starts Brain of J., with a killer solo at the end. Ed says “it’s absolutely beautiful” after Red Mosquito. After Garden, Ed sees the fan in front who made the request for Undone earlier in the tour and talks about how he kept telling him to come back the next night, but in the end, they do play Undone for the first time since Boston 2010, it’s fast and with a little extended vocal part in the middle. Ed talks about how good Mike was the other night, and asks if he’s up to it again tonight, joking “Mike McCready challenges you, Mike McCready,” and they rip into Even Flow. Ed plays a little of Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” solo before Inside Job. Ed calls out Matt, saying it’s impressive that “3 days ago you couldn’t move.” He holds up the severed hand that was thrown on stage the other night and they play it, Ed holding on to the hand for the first part. The band jams huddled together on Better Man.

After the break, Ed talks about how he doesn’t really hate the Astros, but the Rangers are his local team, and a jersey is brought on stage. He says his sister’s here again and thanks the crew and nurses that helped them recover. The crowd sings along to I Won’t Back Down. Behind the stage, some crowd members strung up letters that hung down spelling out “Spin The Black Circle” and Ed calls it “the most creative request we’ve had so far,” then notices that the “S” is missing so it’s really “Pin The Black Circle.” They start STBC, but only play a little of it, with Ed singing “…pin, pin, pin the black circle…” After the “…what you giving?” line in Unthought Known, he adds “you’ve given us a lot.” Following, he mentions Dr. Amber Straughn again, adding:

“…tonight we’re equally honored, I’ve yet to meet him but I’ve read his work, he’s the current Dallas poet laureate, and he’s here tonight…Joaquín Zihuatanejo. This next one, we’re gonna dedicate to him, but I just want to read something that he wrote…”

Ed continues, reading from the passage:

“‘My mom was 17 when she had me. But she was younger, and more rebellious, and more beautiful than most 17-year-olds can be at that age. So she was busy being young, and rebellious, and beautiful, on the streets of our city, Dallas, when I was a child, a young person. For this reason, she was in and out of my life. I don’t fault her for that, I love my mother very much, and I get it. I was once young and beautiful too. My father left the year I was born, and he never came back. It was because of all this that I was raised by my abuelo, grandfather, he was my mother, my father, my abuelo, my teacher, my everything. When I was 14, he died in a car accident…I became homeless, but more importantly, it was the first time in my life, my young life, that I felt fatherless. I spent most nights bouncing around from place to place, many nights sleeping under the concrete pavilions in Tietze Park [Ed has trouble with the pronunciation, joking “I’ve never been there)] in old East Dallas. But I was never alone because the sound of the voice and the music of Pearl Jam was with me, in my headphones, reminding me that the pain I was feeling wasn’t rage at the universe for taking my grandfather from me, but a hurting from the fact that I had all the love in the world inside of me and nowhere to put it. Pearl Jam’s music made me strong, made me whole, made me realize that music and art and poetry, these are things we live and breathe and die for. Your music reminded me that I was alive, so thank you for creating that art and music and poetry that saved me in every way a person can be saved…I will be forever grateful to you.”

Ed stops and says “we are the ones who are grateful to you, for giving our music more meaning that we could have ever dreamt, thank you Joaquin,” and Stone starts Alive. Rockin’ in the Free World makes its tour debut and openers Deep Sea Diver join on stage, along with Joaquin. Ed collapses dramatically on stage as he finishes Ledbetter, and Mike brings it home sitting on the edge of the stage.

September 13, 2023, Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX, USA

Main Set: Oceans, Footsteps, All Those Yesterdays, Daughter/(Chaise Lounge)(Improv)(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), Black, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Present Tense, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Even Flow, Given To Fly, Pilate, Hail, Hail, Eruption, Satan's Bed, Untitled, MFC, Not For You, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Crazy Mary, Wishlist, Do The Evolution, Lukin, Porch, Alive, Baba O'Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

After canceling the previous show in Indiana, the band returns to the stage in Fort Worth minus Matt Cameron, just like in Oakland last year. Josh is behind the drum kit, and Ed counts in the “1, 2, 3…” for…

Show Notes: 

After canceling the previous show in Indiana, the band returns to the stage in Fort Worth minus Matt Cameron, just like in Oakland last year. Josh is behind the drum kit, and Ed counts in the “1, 2, 3…” for Oceans. After Footsteps, Ed addresses the cancellation:

“Good evening Texas…we don’t get to play here as much as we’d like, so we’re very grateful to be in this room with you here tonight, more than usual…tonight is going to be a little different. It was two options, that the show was going to be a little different, or that there was not going to be a show. We’re going for different…and we’ll certainly take your support tonight. Let me just quickly explain…two days ago, three days ago, coming out of Chicago, we were forced to cancel a gig and this gives me a chance to apologize. We don’t take it lightly, and I know some people travel to see shows…one of the hard parts was that there was very little notice, it’s a risk these days when you have things like COVID floating around, and then I just got the fuckin’ flu…”

He asks for tea and continues, joking that they put ads in all the local Dallas and Fort Worth papers looking for a singer and a drummer, but got no responses because they had to be as good as Matt Cameron, and introduces Josh on drums. The Daughter tag is a lyric from Chaise Lounge (…I got the big D…” and Ed turns it into spelling out Dallas before moving into Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2). Mike’s using his new signature Fender Stratocaster that was just announced on many of the songs, and the Black solo is absolutely outstanding, leading Ed to say afterwards:

“A toast for Mike McCready right there…I don’t want to make him blush but that was the best solo of the tour, if not the best of his life…”

He says his sister is in the crowd and “she’s a TEXAN!” then tells a story about writing a song for her back in 1988, and plays a little of it. It’s reminiscent of Better Man, but it had no words, and he offers the advice that if you write someone a song, “they’re waiting on the words…don’t play an instrumental.” The seated part of the show continues through Present Tense. As each song is started, the band looks to Josh, encouraging him on, and then turns to the crowd once the rhythm is established. Corduroy has a new guitar-based, angular intro. All the guitars drop out during the extended part, Jeff keeps it going underneath the call-and-response. “This one’s about protocol…” prefaces Mind Your Manners, the only post-Yield song on the setlist. After Even Flow, Ed says “…in the pit we have some royalty…” and mentions Dr. Amber Straughn, a NASA astrophysicist from Bee Branch, Arkansas who’s in attendance, and Given to Fly is dedicated to her, with the lyric change “made it up to Bee Branch, had a smoke in a tree…” Josh is evidently familiar with Yield, as another deep cut, Pilate, makes an appearance. Someone throws a severed hand on stage after Hail, Hail, and Ed asks a young girl if it was her, but then finds out it was someone else, joking “..what the fuck were you thinking?” and then says “I’m going to keep this forever.” He then sees a man in the front row with a beard and jokes that Aaron Rodgers is there, telling the story of Rodgers at the Milwaukee 2014 show. Eruption is extended, with a little of “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” thrown in for good measure. Satan’s Bed nearly falls apart trainwreck-style and is close to being abandoned, but they stick with it and Josh makes it through. Following, Ed says that he told Mike that he needed a little break, and asked:

“…’would you, could you, do that thing that you sometimes do’…and he looked, he was like ‘oh sure,’ and then he did THAT [referring to Eruption]. It’s insane! You’re infected Mike McCready, and I hope they never find the cure.” 

He continues, playing the beginning of Untitled quietly, thanking the crowd for “getting us even this far.” He continues:

“I’ll share what a good friend of mine, David, wrote recently…he said that what I see all around me is miraculous. Trees and water and sky and people and couples and family…all I see is beauty…and that’s ‘cause he was dying. He said that’s what looking at things from death is like. There’s no sweat, it’s all beauty. Then he said I wish I could have been dying all my life. Sometimes it just takes a change of scenery…”

Untitled is fragile and emotional with a silent crowd, maybe the best performance of the song ever. The drum intro on Not For You is extended and the Modern Girl tag is back. Josh does an impressive job on RVM. Ed speaks again after the break:

“…two days ago, again, we were faced with very limited options, and the last thing we wanted to do is pull the plug…all I can say is fuck yeah Fort Worth…”

He says he has a big bottle of wine to share and that he’ll bartend while Boom solos on the next one, but gets confused and says Victoria Jackson instead of Victoria Williams when quoting the “take a bottle…” line. After Crazy Mary, he says he had a conversation with his daughter, Harper:

“…she said ‘how are you feeling, dad?” and I said ‘honey, I’m totally fucked…we got a show, and it’s Dallas, the last time we were there was like 10 fuckin’ years ago, and we have great memories in Dallas playing a little place called Trees, and one of us got the COVID thing, and my throat hurts and I’m achy, and I feel like I’m gonna die…’”

He continues, saying she asked if he still had the sparkly jacket he wore to Taylor Swift, and the jacket is brought onstage for Ed to wear, and asks if he has the mirrorball helmet she wore to Taylor Swift, and Ed puts them on for Wishlist, adding he’ll take all the help he can get, but realizing “I can’t hear a fuckin’ thing.” After Lukin, Ed does a little Slow Lukin outro/reprise. Prior to Alive, Ed flexes his muscle at Josh, urging him to play harder. As Indifference begins, Ed speaks:

“…if we never see you again, I’ll remember it always. If we do see you again, please feel free to remind us that you were there that night, we’ll remember. We feel like we owe you all a drink…except the front row, you guys are covered [referring to Crazy Mary]…and once again, anybody who came, traveled to Indiana and we couldn’t…again, let me take the opportunity to say it was hard and we’re so sorry…fuckin’ brutal. So, thanks for your patience and support. For us, you sure made a difference…” 

He changes the lyric to “…we screamed our lungs out ‘til it filled this room…” before leaving with “…much love, everybody. Much, much love.” and singling out Josh one more time.

September 7, 2023, United Center, Chicago, IL, USA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Daughter/(Chaise Lounge), Come Back, Present Tense, Why Go, Who Ever Said/((I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Seven O'Clock, Tremor Christ, Even Flow, Green Disease, Immortality, Marker In The Sand, Deep, Black/(We Belong Together), Lukin, Porch

encore 1: Given To Fly, Once, Smile, Garden, Street Fighting Man, Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

After Daughter, Ed says “We missed you….hello front row, hello back row, hello other back row” (pointing to the back of the arena) and asks for the spotlight on him to be turned down, joking “I feel like I just…

Show Notes: 

After Daughter, Ed says “We missed you….hello front row, hello back row, hello other back row” (pointing to the back of the arena) and asks for the spotlight on him to be turned down, joking “I feel like I just got pulled over” and asks for the lights to be like “excuse me for saying this, maybe we’re about to…fuck.” Come Back has a very poignant dedication to David and Susan and Laura and Max, Ed calls it “a little prayer.” Afterwards, a middle finger is shown on the screens towards a Trump building, which gets a big crowd roar, and Ed tells a story about Dennis Rodman meeting his grandma and the ESPN documentary The Last Dance, leading into Present Tense. Mike is already standing and hurls his chair back off the stage at the earliest opportunity. During Who Ever Said, clips from the visualizer video are shown on the screens. Ed says “this is a request” and Tremor Christ is a huge surprise! It’s a little rocky at first, but they figure it out. Crowd takes the last chorus of Even Flow and Matt gets a shoutout from Ed during the song. Ed says it’s time for another request and it’s Green Disease…keep making these requests please! Mike takes over Immortality. Another deep cut returns next, Marker in the Sand, the first performance since 2016! Night 1 was light on Ten, but they make up for it on this night, with 8 songs off the record, including 3 of the last 4 in the main set. Ed does a little improv after the We Belong Together tag on Black, with the lyrics “Chicago…I saw the sun rise…” After the break, Ed brings Chris Chelios out (who had pretended to be a guitar tech on night 1), and talks about the recent passing of Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, asking for the phone fireflies to come out. Ed says that Wirtz wanted one last thing, and a Chelios highlight reel is shown on the screens and then it’s revealed that Chelios will get his jersey in the rafters in February 2024. The whole band comes out on stage wearing Blackhawks #7 jerseys, Mike quickly throws his into the crowd, and Given to Fly is dedicated to Chelios. Mike goes down to the front row during Once, and afterwards Ed talks about the 9-year-old girl with the sign from night 1, saying she knew every word and wishing her a happy birthday. Smile is played to the back. Garden makes its tour debut after being one of the stories of 2022. Prior to Street Fighting Man, Ed talks about Charlie Watts and what a loss it was when he passed. Josh plays guitar on the Stones classic. Mike and Ed chase each other around the stage during Baba, Jeff thinks about joining them but decides better of it. As the song ends, Ed slams his mic stand on the stage over and over. Mike brings the evening to a close with a gentle Ledbetter outro and then exits the stage on the wrong side and has to run behind to catch up. 12 more tour debuts tonight, with a third of the set from Ten.

September 5, 2023, United Center, Chicago, IL, USA

Main Set: Release, Low Light, Just Breathe, Retrograde, Who Ever Said, Corduroy, Gods' Dice, Faithfull, Quick Escape, Animal, Light Years, Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, In My Tree, Comatose, Down, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Inside Job, Wishlist, Not For You, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Surrender

Show Notes:

Release opens the first show at the United Center since 2009. After Low Light, Ed says they’re “so blessed to be back in Chicago…we have a lot of family and friends in the audience tonight,” joking that the “people in…

Show Notes: 

Release opens the first show at the United Center since 2009. After Low Light, Ed says they’re “so blessed to be back in Chicago…we have a lot of family and friends in the audience tonight,” joking that the “people in the front row I see more than my family, so I guess you qualify…” He says they hope to “get back outside someday,” referring to Wrigley, which elicits a cheer from the crowd. The band exits and Ed plays Just Breathe solo. Retrograde is the kick-down-the-chairs song tonight, the ending is thunderous, Mike putting on a show early creating a cacophony of sound. Corduroy gets the crowd going with a call-and-response and Ed holding the first note of “Everything has chains…” for a long time. After, he says “we’re gonna start this one together…I’m thinking we might fuck it up…it’s gonna be my fault, I’m telling you right now…at least I got the balls to fuckin’ try it…” leading into Gods’ Dice, the first performance since 2018. After the first line Ed exclaims “…got it!” and they get through it, Jeff with a huge smile on his face the whole song. Quick Escape is introduced as:

“a bit of a science-fiction tale about a species that…there were signs every day that they were destroying their own planet, but they didn’t listen, and next thing you know they’re on another planet…it was a shit fuckin’ planet…no other planet was like the one that they had…it’s just science fiction, that’s all…”

Ed recognizes Jeff as the one who turned them on to the TV show The Bear, which is set in Chicago, and Ed talks about working at restaurants and says:

“…I still wake up with waiter nightmares, 30-plus years later…and then I wake up and I think ‘oh my god, thank god I’m in a band'”

Animal, used twice on the show, follows. Before a beautiful Light Years, a touching moment as Ed talks about a very recent loss in his family, his great-aunt Sandy, saying they were just up north for her services yesterday, and her picture is shown on the screens. Mike has a long behind-the-back section of the Even Flow solo. Chris Chelios makes a cameo on stage after Dance of the Clairvoyants, and Ed gives a shoutout to opening band Inhaler. Josh impresses on In My Tree, helping out on percussion. Ed throws in a quick “Detroit!” after the “pistons” line in Comatose. Ed gets choked up a little before RVM:

“Yesterday we received a very respectful and dignified and heartfelt petition to play a certain song for a certain individual, and I recognized his face, and he meant so much to this community of people who sometimes travel together…and share their friendships and energies, and use us as an excuse to have a good life and see the world…they described this gentleman, who hailed from the Netherlands…the most bright light, a great man, and a friend to all, and it was very moving because when he lost his battle with cancer, he didn’t have a lot of family, and some of the community we’re connected to were able to cross swords and make it nice for his services and his funeral and take care of it properly…it’s a beautiful story so we’re honored to honor him. This is what he wanted to hear.”

After the first verse Ed shouts “…this is for you, Frans!” After the break, he tells a long story about going to visit his grandmother’s old house and meeting the people who live there now, saying he wished he had bought it back in the day to preserve it, but then he met the person who lives in his grandmother’s old room and they raised 5 kids there, and his pictures with them are shown on screen. The family is at the show and are shown on screen as well, very emotional, and Ed plays Throw Your Arms Around Me solo. Jeff has a Bulls jersey on. Ed runs off stage as Inside Job starts, only making it back just in time to sing. Mike has his head back and eyes closed for the whole intro. A Cubs “W” flag is shown afterwards, and Ed says if he got another tattoo he would get that on his forehead. Wishlist is played for the back, and there’s a huge crowd roar as a sign is shown that says “9th Bday, first show.” Not For You has the original album outro for the first time in a long time, no Modern Girl tag. The phone fireflies are out for Better Man, leading Ed to comment “…fuckin’ beautiful, man” during the song. Boom and Josh are mentioned afterwards, but Josh isn’t on stage, he’s down in the sound booth and has to come up and make an appearance. Mike goes out into the front row for the Alive solo. For the last song, Ed says “…let’s see what happens” and Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” returns for the first time since Wrigley 2016. As the song is closing, Ed shouts “Mikey’s alright! Jeff is alright! Matt is alright! Josh is alright! Stone is alright! Boom is alright! You are alright! Chicago’s alright! Chicago’s alright!”

September 2, 2023, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Off He Goes, Nothing As It Seems, Daughter/(Chaise Lounge), Do The Evolution, Last Exit, Once, Who Ever Said/((I Can't Get No) Satisfaction), (Brain Damage)/I Am Mine, Take The Long Way, Even Flow, Severed Hand, In Hiding, Unthought Known, Corduroy, Porch

encore 1: I Won't Back Down, Last Kiss, Got Some, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Purple Rain

Show Notes:

The crowd is loud early on Pendulum, surprising Ed and jumpstarting the energy in the building on Saturday night, and makes their presence known again on Small Town. Mike starts Nothing As It Seems even though Nothingman was next on…

Show Notes: 

The crowd is loud early on Pendulum, surprising Ed and jumpstarting the energy in the building on Saturday night, and makes their presence known again on Small Town. Mike starts Nothing As It Seems even though Nothingman was next on the setlist, his chair finding it hard to contain the blasts of sound coming from his guitar. Daughter features the Wet Leg “Chaise Lounge” tag that surfaced in 2022. Evolution is fiery, Stone blazes on the final solo. Last Exit is fast, Matt pounding away during the intro like his life depends on it. Who Ever Said is dedicated to Joe Mauer. Immediately after, Ed starts playing Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” (“…the lunatic is on the grass…) and they segue right into I Am Mine. This is the first appearance of “Brain Damage” since 2010, when it was used as an intro to Corduroy. Ed introduces Take The Long Way with “…this one’s for the travelers…” Mike goes behind the back for the start of the Even Flow solo and then stalks around his side of the stage like a man possessed for the rest, leading to this exchange:

Ed: “When did you start playing like that? Did it scare you?” Mike: “I’m scared right now…”

After the song, Ed talks about how marijuana is legal in Minnesota now, and that he and Matt smoked a lot in together when they were younger, although they didn’t know each other, being at Cheap Trick and Queen shows at the San Diego Sports Arena. He also mentions Jimmy Buffett (who passed earlier in the day) and cautions against smoking the “AK-47-Afghan-Hindo-Kush-Mega-Bomb-Pull-And-Glow-Ozzy-Osbourne-Paranoia-Purple-Hair-Mega-Bible” if you haven’t practiced, adding “start with Indica and then start a group called the ‘Indica Girls’…this song’s about being offered something that you haven’t done your research on…” and Severed Hand is brought back for the first time since 2018. In Hiding is a request, Ed says. The band convenes to talk, Ed sees a shirt in the front row that says “Pearl Jam is my drug” and asks the fan if they have a request. The request is for Undone, which Ed denies, saying “that’s going to stay undone…” and they go into Unthought Known off Backspacer, making this a main set where every studio album is represented. The end of Corduroy surges, the whole band pushing like it’s the end of the set but then Ed starts Porch. Jeff has some spectacular bass runs during the first verse on Porch, propulsive and fluid.

During the break, the crowd brings out the fireflies and Ed is seemingly speechless as he comes out solo. He mentions Dale Crover of the Melvins who recently had to have emergency spinal surgery, and wishes him well, then transitions into talking about EB, talking about a young boy named Charlie who passed away, showing a picture of him with Ed on the big screen and then in his “Puck EB” shirt. A touching moment and Ed leads into I Won’t Back Down, with the crowd taking some of the lead vocals. Ed says “we’re gonna play a quick club show in the back” and they turn around for Last Kiss. Got Some also reappears for the first time since 2018. After Jeremy, Ed, just like on night 1, mentions Stone and Jeff playing together for so long and that there was a local guy who booked Mother Love Bone at the 7th Street Entry (small club in Minneapolis), and that “between Jeff and Stone and Boom and Josh, and a couple of crew guys, there are more people on stage right now than there were in the crowd that evening,” and brings up the booking agent, now an Executive Vice President Booking at LiveNation, Rich Best. Ed starts a call-and-response on Better Man and riffs on the Save it for Later lyrics before kicking in the “…don’t run away” lines. Another band meeting on stage after leads to Stone starting off Alive. More conversation on stage afterwards, Ed says they need some “conflict resolution” about what to play next, but that they can’t leave St. Paul without playing this one, Purple Rain. Josh comes out to sing and play guitar and opening band Deep Sea Diver joins on stage to sing and play tambourines. An energetic show with a stellar crowd.

August 31, 2023, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, USA

Main Set: Indifference, Buckle Up, Sometimes, Wishlist, Black/(We Belong Together), Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Seven O'Clock, Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, I'm Open, Insignificance, Daughter, Superblood Wolfmoon, Love Boat Captain, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 1: Wildflowers, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Go, Crazy Mary, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The band comes out seated, just like the US leg in 2022. Indifference is a surprise opener, it’s only the 3rd time it’s opened a show, the last time was Denver 1994! Ed gets a guitar brought to him as…

Show Notes: 

The band comes out seated, just like the US leg in 2022. Indifference is a surprise opener, it’s only the 3rd time it’s opened a show, the last time was Denver 1994! Ed gets a guitar brought to him as Buckle Up is finishing up for Sometimes, which has a little intensity to it before the end. Stone starts Black immediately after, but Ed stops him, saying “I’m anxious to play that too…but I wanted to say something I haven’t been able to say in 10 years…hello Minneapolis! Hello St. Paul!” and talks about how they were practicing in Seattle about 10 days ago and heard the news about the earthquake and hurricane in California. It’s not Black that’s played next, but Wishlist. Ed talks again afterwards, telling a story about his wife and daughters watching PJ’s MTV Unplugged performance from 1992. He says “…the girls liked it…I don’t think we remember it AT ALL…,” adding that they had just come off a European tour, and mentions the 2/19/92 show in Winterthur where the stage was too small so they played an acoustic show. Black is then played, and the chairs are removed. Mike has a soulful, powerful solo. The 500th performance of Given to Fly is next, a nice milestone 25 years out from Yield. Seven O’Clock is prefaced with “this one’s off the new record that’s 2 1/2 years old…it came out 3 days before COVID hit…” and Ed growls “…we had Sitting Bullshit as our fucked up president…” He looks up into the rafters and talks about the Twins, mentioning Justin Morneau specifically. The Even Flow solo has a slow build, but Mike lets loose not too far in as Ed says hello to the people in the back and meanders around the stage. Josh Klinghoffer, helping out again on this tour, gets a shoutout, and Ed tells a story about warming up in the hotel shower earlier in the day, when he turned off the water he heard someone harmonizing with him in the next room over, and it turned out to be Simon LeBon from Duran Duran (who played at the Minnesota State Fair a few miles away tonight). Ed then admits “…no it wasn’t…I don’t know who it was.” During Dance of the Clairvoyants, Ed sees two fans, Solomon and Jason, on the rail wearing sequin jackets and borrows one of them for the song, adding after that it’s Jason’s birthday. Insignificance appears in the set for the first time since the Binaural show in Toronto in 2016. Mike’s son, on the side of the stage, hands him some picks and gives him a hug. Before Daughter, Ed mentions that Stone and Jeff have had a working relationship for “39.9 years.” Boom starts the Love Boat Captain intro and Ed talks over it about the recent fires in Hawaii and his history there, surfing in 1993 and more, getting choked up a little and adding:

“…it [Hawaii] gave me songs, it gave me isolation, it gave me inspiration, it gave me waves…also a B3 player in Mr. Boom Gaspar, and we wrote this one together…”

They start LBC with a jam intro before the verse, and Ed changes the line to “…let the healing begin…” He mentions playing at First Ave. in Minneapolis in 1991 before State, “we played this song there.” After the break, Ed again mentions Justin Morneau, saying they went to the Twins game the previous day. He talks about Tom Petty (PJ opened for Petty in this building in 2006) and how Tom and Mike had struck up a friendship and smoked a lot of pot together. He continues, mentioning how in a short span we lost Bowie and Prince, and has another name on the tip of his tongue but can’t say it, getting choked up again (Cornell no doubt). There’s an issue in the crowd, someone needs help, they are taken care of and Ed keeps going, saying this next one is for someone who lost someone close to them recently, and it’s the first non-preset appearance of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” at a PJ show. The band returns and Small Town is played to the back. Boom calls Mike over for the Crazy Mary solos, very playful and celebratory. Ed gets the crowd going on Alive, everyone throwing up their hands in unison. Ledbetter closes out an emotional night with lots of storytelling. No Vitalogy songs are played, the first time that’s happened since night 1 in Philadelphia 2016.

September 22, 2022, Ball Arena, Denver, CO, USA

Main Set: Long Road, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Thin Air, Just Breathe, Present Tense, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Spin The Black Circle, Throw Your Hatred Down, Given To Fly, Who Ever Said, Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, River Cross, Save You, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Last Kiss, Faithfull, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: I Won’t Back Down, Chloe Dancer, Crown Of Thorns, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

After waiting from all the way back in March of 2020 to kick off this tour run, we have finally reached the end. Long Road is a fitting opener to reflect that. Thin Air is appropriately played in the high…

Show Notes: 

After waiting from all the way back in March of 2020 to kick off this tour run, we have finally reached the end. Long Road is a fitting opener to reflect that. Thin Air is appropriately played in the high altitude, the third time it’s been played in the state of Colorado. Ed says he has two bottles of wine and one bottle of oxygen, and gives a shout out to a couple who got engaged at a Pearl Jam show years ago, saying there is a lot of power in that, before breaking out Just Breathe for the first time in 2022. Ed applauds Colorado for being in the top 10 in sensible gun laws in the country, then addresses a girl in a very sparkly shirt. He asks to borrow her shirt in the encore because they could ‘use a little Harry Styles.’ At the end of Throw Your Hatred Down, he throws her a tambourine. After Given To Fly, Ed commends a big guy up in front for letting a woman get in front of him on rail so she can watch the show. Who Ever Said needs to be stopped due to an issue in front, the crowd is asked to take two steps back and the fan walks away to safety. Ed makes a prediction that Mike McCready is gonna go off on Even Flow, and uses a Chris Cornell quote about him saying “he’s infected!” Mike fulfills the prediction and pulls out the usual tricks, like playing behind the head. Ed mentions that the author of Into The Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer, is in attendance. Ed heads to the pump organ, says we’re thinking about everyone in Ukraine and asks the crowd to light up their phones for River Cross. There is a “FCK PTN” shirt on his organ. After Better Man, Ed makes note that the big guy has been given his spot back on rail, calling it reverse chivalry, then says they’re gonna be chivalrous by turning around and playing to the back, which happens to be Last Kiss. Ed shouts out the people in front and commends them for their dedication, saying they will miss them after the tour ends, leading into Faithfull.

Ed comes out for the encore by himself with a guitar, and says there is only an encore break just for keeping up appearances. He mentions that it would be nice to play at Red Rocks again, and talks about playing in Colorado with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers back in 2006. He adds that he spoke with a father who lost his child in Sandy Hook who would later take his own life, and that his wife testified against Alex Jones in the defamation trial, and says he hopes they make an example of him. I Won’t Back Down is played in honor of her, her husband Jeremy and Petty. Chloe Dancer and Crown Of Thorns continue to tug at the heartstrings. The substitute teacher line is dropped from Crown Of Thorns. Ed mentions a show in Miami on the Lollapalooza tour in 1992 where a fan was hoisted up in a wheelchair crowd surfing to Rockin’ In The Free World, and says he’s in attendance. Ed invites Molly and Whitney from Thunderpussy on stage for Baba O’Riley. Tambourines are flying all over the stage as it turns into one big party up there. Ed thanks everyone for a great night and a great tour as Yellow Ledbetter ends a magnificent 2022 run. Ed introduces the band members before taking a big bow, saying:

“those are the people who love you.”

September 20, 2022, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Main Set: Garden, Alright, Sleight Of Hand, Hard To Imagine, Hail, Hail, Given To Fly, Superblood Wolfmoon, Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), Quick Escape, Amongst The Waves, Habit, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy

encore 1: Go, Alone, Do The Evolution, Porch, Alive, Indifference, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

31 years after its release, Garden finally opens a Pearl Jam show. Hard to Imagine continues its 2022 resurgence here, as the stools give way. Given to Fly lyric is changed to “…made it past the ocean, made it to…

Show Notes: 

31 years after its release, Garden finally opens a Pearl Jam show. Hard to Imagine continues its 2022 resurgence here, as the stools give way. Given to Fly lyric is changed to “…made it past the ocean, made it to OKC…” Ed sees a flag in the crowd and holds it up, showing the Taylor Hawkins hawk logo and talks about him. Then, he sees a fan with a mask of himself and takes it, saying he didn’t want to look at “that guy” (himself) all night. Before Even Flow, he mentions the Thunder, saying that they’re no longer mad about the Sonics, they have a great women’s team in Seattle and they’re glad the Sonics went to a good home. Following Dance, Ed points out someone in the very back of the arena who was dancing, adding

“I can see you got moves…my first concert ever, I was in Chicago, I had that exact seat, I was the last guy against the back wall, and yea, this could be you [points down at the stage] in just a couple of years, with those moves…”

Habit returns the set for the first time in 2022, with a chaotic, spiraling outro. Just like in St. Louis, they go to the back during the main set for Small Town. After the break, Ed mentions Nathan Young, who is related to Tomas Young, is in attendance and points him out, saying “he’s grown up a lot since the last time I saw him…I love you man, it’s good to see you…” and dedicates Go to Nathan and Tomas Young. There’s a break after the drum intro to Go and when the song kicks in, Ed has to run up to the microphone to start the song. Afterwards, he says they’re going to play one that they played “maybe the first time we ever played here…we’re dusting it off for you today,” and they kick into Alone! Ed mumbles through the middle part, but does the complete sung outro, which leads right into Evolution. Mike leads the jam on Porch with a fantastic solo. After Indifference, the band is taking off their instruments and acting like the show is over, but Ed comes over to everyone and gives the “one more” signal, saying “thanks for filling this room with energy tonight, we’re just returning it back, thank you OKC” and stops Stone from starting Rockin’ to tell a story:

“Before we ended the night…I’ve been thinking about it all week, you guys made the news in the most fabulous way, there was a tractor trailer that turned over and spilled sex toys all across the highway…this is true…and I started thinking about it, why is there a whole truck of vibrators? Why are they strung all over the highway, why are there so many? And I started thinking about it…and I support the theory that you’ve taken away a woman’s right to choose, they don’t want to take chances so they’re taking things in their own hands and who can blame ‘em…we know that women are the best people to make decisions about their own lives…”

He goes on to implore the crowd to vote before allowing Stone to kick into RITFW again.

September 18, 2022, Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO, USA

Main Set: Of The Girl, Footsteps, Sleeping By Myself, Retrograde, Last Exit, Life Wasted, Dissident, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), I Am Mine, Corduroy, Glorified G, Once, Even Flow, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Sad, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Go

encore 1: State Of Love And Trust, Breath, Black/(We Belong Together), Alive, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Bathed in blue light, the third show in three nights (the first time that’s been done since 2006) starts off with a soaring Of the Girl. Footsteps gets a huge crowd reaction, and afterwards Ed, holding a ukulele, says “we’re…

Show Notes: 

Bathed in blue light, the third show in three nights (the first time that’s been done since 2006) starts off with a soaring Of the Girl. Footsteps gets a huge crowd reaction, and afterwards Ed, holding a ukulele, says “we’re gonna play a few more in first gear, then we’re gonna ramp it up,” adding

“I wanted to honor the history of music here in St. Louis, sometimes overshadowed by what came out of Chicago, but there’s a reason you’ve got a music note on your hockey jersey,” 

pointing up to the retired jerseys in the rafters. He continues, talking about how the ukulele is a “gateway instrument” for musicians who are just starting out, pointing out some kids up front. He goes on to say that it’s his wedding anniversary while idly strumming the ukulele, which isn’t making any sound, saying all of PJ is lucky to be married to “badass women.” He mentions that his ukulele isn’t cheap, it was made in Hawaii out of rare wood “which you can’t even take out of the country,” and finally acknowledges the lack of sound coming through, to which he exclaims “goddamnit” and SMASHES the little ukulele on the front monitor, reducing it to splinters. Was it a setup? Maybe. Another (plugged in) ukulele is brought out for Sleeping By Myself quickly. Retrograde is the kick-the-stools-over song tonight, and Matt absolutely destroys the outro, creating a thunderous cacophony that ramps up the energy, the entire band is surging. Mike seemingly becomes possessed during the Life Wasted solo, feeding off the energy in the building and falls over on the monitor, finishing the searing solo practically prone and extending the guitar head out to the fans on the rail afterwards. Dissident becomes a huge singalong, and Who Ever Said gets yet another runout, 8 shows in a row now. Corduroy is fantastic, taking all the energy in the building and giving it an outlet. Small Town is played to the back, possibly the first time that’s ever been done in a main set. Sad is dedicated to Debbie, Ed says “we’re thinking about you.” A raucous Go ends the set, and Ed drops the mic afterwards with a loud thud. After State, Ed gives Josh a shoutout and says that he pointed out backstage that today was the 30th anniversary of Singles (the movie premiere, not the soundtrack) and they go right into Breath. The Black solo is powerful and emotional, Mike at his best. After the closing bow, Ed pats his heart a few times before leaving the stage.

September 17, 2022, Bourbon & Beyond Festival, Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY, USA

Main Set: Daughter/(Chaise Lounge), Low Light, Off He Goes, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Quick Escape, In Hiding, Lukin, Corduroy, Seven O’Clock, Even Flow, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), Garden, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Given To Fly, Porch

encore 1: Jeremy, Alive, Purple Rain

Show Notes:

In front of a reported 50,000 fans, Daughter opens for the third time on this leg, with the Wet Leg tag again. Ed holds the last note of Low Light for 16 seconds (I counted)! Before a lovely Off He…

Show Notes: 

In front of a reported 50,000 fans, Daughter opens for the third time on this leg, with the Wet Leg tag again. Ed holds the last note of Low Light for 16 seconds (I counted)! Before a lovely Off He Goes, Ed says

 “…oh fuck, there’s a lot of people out there…we’re thinking about friends tonight, I guess this would be what it’s like to be a friend of ours.”

Stone has an outstanding show, led by his Evolution solo. As Seven O’Clock is reaching the end, Ed stops the song for an audience member who needs assistance. As they’re being attended to, he adds:

“…let me break a little tension by mentioning this sign that someone keeps holding up, it’s very confusing to me, it says ‘I heart spicy pie,’  what the fuck does that mean? [sign is shown on the screens] Should I know what that means? Would my daughters know what that means? I don’t think I want my daughters to know what that means…what is it? Oh, it’s pizza. So what’s my dirty mind going to? Fuckin’ pizza…”

The crowd member is rescued and Ed thanks the local crew, adding “I’m gonna buy you a spicy pie,” and Seven O’Clock is restarted. Another energetic Who Ever Said, its 7th appearance in a row. Garden features a soulful, bluesy Mike solo. As Matt kicks into the drum intro to Not For You, Ed comments

“this song was back in the Vitalogy days…and there’s a lyric that I always wanted to sing here in Louisville…’Like Muhammad, it’s the truth,’”

Muhammad Ali having been born in Louisville, and Ed punches the lyric with a fist pump in the air. Not For You is incredible here, with two killer Stone solos and Ed emphasizing the guitar rhythm in the bridge with powerful strumming. After Alive, Ed says “we’ve got five minutes, this is a five minute version of a ten minute song…” and Josh comes out front for Purple Rain. As Mike is soloing, Ed rushes to the mic and says “…we got 30 seconds, sing with me,” leading the crowd in one last singalong before cutting the song off just in time.

September 16, 2022, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, USA

Main Set: Nothingman, Buckle Up, Black, Present Tense, Last Exit, All Night, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), Corduroy/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Rats, Wishlist/(Improv/Waiting On A Friend), Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Spin The Black Circle, Immortality, River Cross, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 1: Last Kiss, Go, Smile, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Nothingman opens for only the second time ever (Telluride 2016). The arena sounds great and Ed comments on it early, saying “I think it might have been made for music.” The stools are kicked to the side during Present Tense.…

Show Notes: 

Nothingman opens for only the second time ever (Telluride 2016). The arena sounds great and Ed comments on it early, saying “I think it might have been made for music.” The stools are kicked to the side during Present Tense. Who Ever Said is high-energy, they’re really loving this one right now, it has a little sped-up flourish at the end. Ed says that yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of Johnny Ramone and tells a story about seeing his daughter and Johnny asleep in the same room and thinking about the circle of life, leading into what Ed calls Johnny’s favorite Pearl Jam song, Corduroy. Rats is a request from…Jeff Ament! Prior to Wishlist, Ed jokes about Mike having to break into the Gibson factory and replacing one of his guitars with one of their originals, and that he’ll need Grumpy’s Bail Bonds (a sign they had seen coming into town) to get him out, and then says that Pete Townshend once played the Les Paul he’s using. The improv part of the tag has lyrics of

“If you’re lucky, if you’re lucky…your wishes, they’ll come true, 
if you’re lucky, if you’re lucky…if you’re lucky you’ll marry your best friend, 
if you’re lucky it’ll last to the end, if you’re lucky you’ll marry your best friend, if you’re lucky…”

Being in a town with the most musicians, Ed says they must be in the town with the most crew members and techs and acknowledges them, adding “no musician here or anywhere in the world would be anything without them.” River Cross is played for Ukraine in the hopes that they’re turning the war around. After the break, Last Kiss is played to the back and then they kick into Go. Ed sees a sign for someone who’s at their 185th (!!) show requesting Smile, and then jokes that maybe the sign said 18.5. Ed points out former Chicago Cubs pitcher Ray Burris, who’s in attendance. Vitalogy is the most-played album of the night, with 6!

September 14, 2022, Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ, USA

Main Set: Wash, Oceans, Daughter/(Androgynous Mind), Hard To Imagine, Animal, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Deep, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Given To Fly, Quick Escape, Retrograde, Even Flow, Untitled, MFC, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No)/Satisfaction), Eruption, Why Go, Porch

encore 1: Inside Job, State Of Love And Trust, Breath, Crazy Mary, Leash, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

Two Ten-era songs open for the second show in a row. Ed asks “Where are we? Well, I know we’re not at the Spectrum ‘cause we blew that place up…” Given to Fly is dedicated to Dr. J. Not as…

Show Notes: 

Two Ten-era songs open for the second show in a row. Ed asks

“Where are we? Well, I know we’re not at the Spectrum ‘cause we blew that place up…”

Given to Fly is dedicated to Dr. J. Not as much Gigaton tonight, with Quick Escape and Retrograde amping up the energy and the volume. Before Untitled, Ed comments that it’s nice to see so many faces, turning to Stone and adding “it’s nice to see yours, too,” (Stone had been masked for the few previous shows). Not For You has a slightly different-sounding intro, almost like Seven O’Clock. As the Modern Girl tag is beginning, Ed talks about how they’ve met so many nice people in Camden over the last 24 hours, and how over the last 6 months they’ve seen

“Incredible, crazy heat, we’ve seen floods, we’ve seen cold, we’ve seen wildfires, and then we get here and it’s like Goldilocks…perfect fucking day…we appreciate it more now.”

Ed talks about a dream he had about a volcano leading into Eruption. Prior to Porch, he mentions how voting rights are so important and gives the information number. After the break, Ed brings up Richie and his son Dermot on stage, the winners of the ALLIN contest, and says “I hope you like this one, ‘cause it was their choice,” and Breath follows State of Love and Trust for only the 4th time. Someone has a sign that says “PJ Show #108 – Play Leash” and they oblige. Boom takes a long solo on Crazy Mary before Mike finally joins in at the very end. Ed breaks out the Evel Knievel jacket for RITFW. Before exiting, he says “we’ll see you sooner than six years next time…goodnight, goodbye.” A show full of early material, with 13 of the 27 songs originating from the Ten and Vs. eras.

September 11, 2022, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Release, Garden, Come Back, Present Tense, Porch, Dissident, Given To Fly, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), Even Flow, Seven O’Clock, Daughter/(Chaise Lounge), Dance Of The Clairvoyants, I’m Open, Better Man/(Save It For Later), (Tiny Dancer)/Chloe Dancer, Crown Of Thorns, Sonic Reducer, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Purple Rain, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Star-Spangled Banner

Show Notes:

Release and Garden get the crowd going early, loud and energetic. Come Back is started and then stopped by Ed to talk about how they appreciate being there, and the first responders in the city. The seats are tossed aside…

Show Notes: 

Release and Garden get the crowd going early, loud and energetic. Come Back is started and then stopped by Ed to talk about how they appreciate being there, and the first responders in the city. The seats are tossed aside during Present Tense, kicking the show into high gear a little earlier than the few previous. Porch is always a surprise this early which shocked and excited the crowd. It sounded tight and intense. Ed sees a fan altercation going on in the crowd and takes a minute to address it and remove the offenders, and kicks back into the song. The first Gigaton song of the night is Who Ever Said, which surges with momentum, Ed sounding great. Following that, he talks about women’s basketball legend Sue Bird, who had just retired, and mentions that Venus and Serena Williams are in attendance. The Daughter tag is by the British indie rock duo Wet Leg. Ed and Mike lean on each other during Better Man. Ed does a couple of lines from Tiny Dancer before Chloe Dancer, changing the line to “…hold me closer Chloe dancer…” This is the first Chloe/Crown pairing since the May 1, 2016 Garden show. Afterwards, Ed says “…that one was for Andy, this one is for Stiv,” and they tear into Sonic Reducer. He again shouts out the first responders who are in attendance and says that as “traumatic” and “despicable” as 9/11 was, 9/12 was awesome because everyone came together and worked together. After the break, Small Town is played to the back. The crowd absolutely kills Why Go and Do the Evolution, leading Ed (donning the shiny black jacket we saw earlier in the year) to reference the stage-shaking 2003 show. He thanks the first responders one last time “for showing us what courage looks like.” Chad Smith is watching side stage and comes out during RITFW to pound on Josh’s drums. Mike closes out the night with the Star-Spangled Banner, ending a momentous weekend in New York City.

September 10, 2022, Apollo Theater, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Footsteps, Pendulum, Sleight Of Hand, Parachutes, Hard To Imagine, (Little Wing), Keep Me In Your Heart, Who Ever Said, Even Flow, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Spin The Black Circle, Alright, Retrograde, Never Destination, Take The Long Way, Whipping, Porch

encore 1: Better Man, Do The Evolution, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The seated portion of the show continues to be showcase for rarities, as Footsteps opens a show for the first time since the 1996 Bridge School. Ed checks in with Matt and Stone afterwards, adding that he’s feeling  “shaky…I’m feeling,…

Show Notes: 

The seated portion of the show continues to be showcase for rarities, as Footsteps opens a show for the first time since the 1996 Bridge School. Ed checks in with Matt and Stone afterwards, adding that he’s feeling 

“shaky…I’m feeling, just, energy already. Could be the energy of the people in this crowd, could be the energy of New York City…”

He goes on to mention that the show is being broadcast on SiriusXM (as part of the Small Stages series) and what an honor it is to play in this historic venue. Sleight of Hand appears for the first time since the Binaural album show in Toronto 2016, and Parachutes since the show prior to that! Before Parachutes, Ed says that he has a “secret” but he has to wait 2 songs to tell it. He adds that he has news that brought “tears of joy,” and says Glen Hansard and his wife had a baby today, After Hard To Imagine, the secret is revealed, the show has to be stopped because a computer needs to be rebooted, and the PA system goes out temporarily. Mike teases Little Wing, and then the crowd joins together to sing Daughter. Ed comes out with an acoustic guitar and plays Keep Me In Your Heart solo unplugged. They return with Who Ever Said, after which Ed says 

“Alright, is it back? Are we up out there?” 

Who Ever Said kicks off a run of seven Gigaton tracks in the next nine, only broken up by a stellar Even Flow, featuring Mike soloing on his knees at the front of the stage, and Spin the Black Circle, which is dedicated to Howard Stern, Gary, and Robin Quivers, who Ed says he got to meet for the first time tonight, adding “I love the sound of your voice, bringing us joy when we need it.” He tells a story about a girl coming up to him in an airport back in the early 90’s and saying “I hate to bother you…,” to which he replied “…then don’t.” He continues the story, adding

“…so, she looked at me and then the pools of water starting going up these little Bambi eyes, and she turned and walked away…about five minutes passed, and I went to all the gates, we had 10 minutes before we board, I went to all the gates and she was gone, I couldn’t find her. So, if you’re out there somewhere, I never got your name, I was just a rude individual at the time, I was under some stress…no excuses, but all apologies. If you’re out there somewhere 30 years later, I know you’ve forgot it, but I haven’t and I just want to say I’m sorry and maybe I’ll get to meet you and say hi to you another day in the future.”

Someone in the crowd jokes that that was their mom, to which Ed replies “fuck you,” laughing. Whipping falls apart a few seconds in but it’s restarted from the beginning without further incident. Mike shows off his technicality and shreds the Porch solo. Ed talks about Bessie Smith, a blues singer from the 1920’s who was in an accident and the doctors wouldn’t treat her because of the color of her skin. The heat inside the venue was unbearable for some, due to no air conditioning.

September 8, 2022 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONT, CAN

Main Set: Daughter/(Improv), Come Back, Sometimes, Her Majesty, All Those Yesterdays, River Cross, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Deep, Quick Escape, Even Flow, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), I Got Shit/(Cinnamon Girl), Never Destination, Dissident, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Light Years, Do The Evolution, Last Kiss, Jeremy, (Leash), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

The improv on Daughter is based around the line “it’s in my hands.” After Sometimes, Ed says he’s going to play one he “borrowed” from Paul McCartney, and he plays the Beatles’ “Her Majesty” for the first time, no doubt…

Show Notes: 

The improv on Daughter is based around the line “it’s in my hands.” After Sometimes, Ed says he’s going to play one he “borrowed” from Paul McCartney, and he plays the Beatles’ “Her Majesty” for the first time, no doubt a tribute to the Queen who had died earlier in the day. Prior to Even Flow, he sees a sign that says “I (heart) U Eddy” and he points out the misspelling, referring back to a show in 1993 where there was a sign propositioning him that used the same incorrect spelling. He then mentions the Elton John show taking place in the city that night and sings a tease of Tiny Dancer, saying he always heard the line as “…count the head lice on the highway,” and then jokes about Mike’s mishearing of the line in Kiss’ “Rock And Roll All Night” as “…and part of every day.” Cinnamon Girl returns as a tag on I Got Shit for the first time since 2011! After the break, Ed talks about being in Canada and says that one of his favorite tours was the 2005 run. Someone has a sign for EB and Ed again talks about how the band is committed to helping find a cure and how it’s “a matter of time.” There’s another banner, this one says “Play Light Years for Gord,” Gord Downie being the singer of the Tragically Hip who passed away in 2017, and the request is fulfilled. Last Kiss is played to the back, its first appearance since 2018. Stone starts Leash after Jeremy but breaks a string and the song is aborted in favor of Alive. 

September 6, 2022 – First Ontario Centre, Hamilton, ONT, CAN

Main Set: Oceans, Nothingman, Yellow Moon, Man Of The Hour, Retrograde, Given To Fly, Who Ever Said, Red Mosquito, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Corduroy, Quick Escape, I Am Mine, Daughter, I'm Open, Sad, Superblood Wolfmoon, Do The Evolution, Black/(Androgynous Mind)(We Belong Together), Porch

encore 1: Inside Job, Once, Wishlist, State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Indifference

Show Notes:

A completely different seated set for the 3rd show in a row. Ed exclaims “you sound good!” during Nothingman, and his voice sounds great again as well. After Yellow Moon, he says they’re going to play one they don’t play…

Show Notes: 

A completely different seated set for the 3rd show in a row. Ed exclaims “you sound good!” during Nothingman, and his voice sounds great again as well. After Yellow Moon, he says they’re going to play one they don’t play very often “for a special member of your community…and of the Pearl Jam community” and Man of the Hour is played for a man named Richard. Retrograde is started seated, but Mike stands up for the solo and the rest of the band follows shortly. The ending is loose and chaotic, very impressive. Ed interjects “Devo, Devo!” into the Satisfaction tag in Who Ever Said to drive the point home of exactly who they’re covering. Following Who Ever Said, he jokes that he told his daughter they were playing Hamilton and her response was “…you’re doing the whole thing?” Corduroy is dedicated to Gordie Howe, Detroit, Justin Trudeau, and Mark Bell, among others, after name-dropping that Paul McCartney told him not to name-drop. Mike goes behind the head for the Quick Escape solo. Ed tells a long, meandering story before I Am Mine. Sad returns for the first time since Wrigley 2016 after being cut from the previous two sets. Ed does a little “hey hey it’s okay” Androgynous Mind tag before going into a short “we didn’t belong together” riff. Mike is a standout on the Porch jam, he’s on the floor by the end of it. After the break, Ed talks about EB and points out a brave young person in the crowd. Wishlist is played for the back of the arena. No covers on the night, just a celebratory Alive and a singalong Indifference with the lights up.

“as long as we’ve been together, there’s been a few disagreements over the years…we have strong opinions, we don’t always agree…but there’s one thing we all agree on, hands down, no doubt, that one of the greatest humans on the planet Earth is Mr. Neil Young…”

Afterwards, Ed tells a quick story about being a kid and his parents not letting him go see the Jackson 5, who were his favorite, joking “I never really forgave them,” and Wishlist is dedicated to Sienna and Cole, 8 and 10-year olds whose dad brought them to the show. Mike takes a long solo on Even Flow, going back to his amp for part of it, stretching the song out to 8 minutes. It’s storytime again, Ed talks about waiting tables in Chicago at 18 years old and having to sing happy birthday to all the various tables and how he hated doing it, but they’ve had a lot of birthday requests on this tour and he’ll make an exception, and then goes on to mention a few birthdays. The call and response on Corduroy has a little extra emphasis behind it from Ed, who leads the crowd up and down. Mike takes over Immortality and Black. Following Jeremy, Ed talks about a woman named Ashley who was in the front in Quebec City and motions for her to come up to the front, playing a short improv about her as she makes her way up to the stage. He says he got a note from her

“and she said in this note that our music has saved her time and time again…but I just want to tell you all this: that it’s YOU who keeps US healthy to keep playing, that keeps us together so we can keep playing…that makes us friends still, so we can still be here to keep playing…all you folks have really kept us alive, so WE thank YOU…it’s the truth…”

He mentions Ashley again and a couple more people, and says this next one is dedicated to them, before kicking right into Porch. After the break, Ed talks about the livestream of the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins tribute show and the “indelible energy that Taylor had, the infectious energy, the undeniable energy that this guy had,” and also mentions Gord Downie from the Tragically Hip, which gets a nice crowd response. Ed says that Taylor had sent him a video of his son Shane playing drums on a David Bowie song with his side project, and “he was so proud of him, as he should have been” (Shane played drums on the Foo’s song “My Hero” at the tribute show). He continues, sending well wishes to Taylor’s family and the Foo Fighters family before Better Man. Small Town is played to the back. Josh and Boom get a shout out before Crazy Mary, with Mike and Boom dueling and then combining for the finish. Fuckin’ Up makes its first appearance since 2018, and Ed makes sure to thank everyone in the back before Yellow Ledbetter ends the night.

September 3, 2022 – Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ONT, CAN

Main Set: Of The Girl, Garden, Alright, Nothing As It Seems, Low Light, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Wishlist/(Waiting On A Friend), Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Even Flow, Seven O'Clock, Corduroy, Immortality, Black/(We Belong Together), Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: Better Man, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Crazy Mary, Alive, Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Stools are out again for the first 5 songs, looks like this will continue going forward, at least for the rest of this leg. Garden is a surprise for the acoustic set, although Mike is on an electric. Alright has…

Show Notes: 

Stools are out again for the first 5 songs, looks like this will continue going forward, at least for the rest of this leg. Garden is a surprise for the acoustic set, although Mike is on an electric. Alright has a very chilled out, relaxed feel. Ed says they’re going to do a couple like this (seated), “but once we get going…no turning back.” After NAIS, he gives credit to Jeff, saying “those were some compositions by Mr. Jeff Ament. Can we get a little…low light here,” teasing the next song and pointing out a woman in the front doing a “Beyonce dance” that he noticed while singing, and dedicates Low Light to her. The line in Given to Fly is changed to “…made it north of the border…” Stone takes the spotlight with dynamite solos on Evolution and Throw Your Hatred Down. Ed talks about Neil Young before the latter, saying

“as long as we’ve been together, there’s been a few disagreements over the years…we have strong opinions, we don’t always agree…but there’s one thing we all agree on, hands down, no doubt, that one of the greatest humans on the planet Earth is Mr. Neil Young…”

Afterwards, Ed tells a quick story about being a kid and his parents not letting him go see the Jackson 5, who were his favorite, joking “I never really forgave them,” and Wishlist is dedicated to Sienna and Cole, 8 and 10-year olds whose dad brought them to the show. Mike takes a long solo on Even Flow, going back to his amp for part of it, stretching the song out to 8 minutes. It’s storytime again, Ed talks about waiting tables in Chicago at 18 years old and having to sing happy birthday to all the various tables and how he hated doing it, but they’ve had a lot of birthday requests on this tour and he’ll make an exception, and then goes on to mention a few birthdays. The call and response on Corduroy has a little extra emphasis behind it from Ed, who leads the crowd up and down. Mike takes over Immortality and Black. Following Jeremy, Ed talks about a woman named Ashley who was in the front in Quebec City and motions for her to come up to the front, playing a short improv about her as she makes her way up to the stage. He says he got a note from her

  “and she said in this note that our music has saved her time and time again…but I just want to tell you all this: that it’s YOU who keeps US healthy to keep playing, that keeps us together so we can keep playing…that makes us friends still, so we can still be here to keep playing…all you folks have really kept us alive, so WE thank YOU…it’s the truth…”

He mentions Ashley again and a couple more people, and says this next one is dedicated to them, before kicking right into Porch. After the break, Ed talks about the livestream of the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins tribute show and the “indelible energy that Taylor had, the infectious energy, the undeniable energy that this guy had,” and also mentions Gord Downie from the Tragically Hip, which gets a nice crowd response. Ed says that Taylor had sent him a video of his son Shane playing drums on a David Bowie song with his side project, and “he was so proud of him, as he should have been” (Shane played drums on the Foo’s song “My Hero” at the tribute show). He continues, sending well wishes to Taylor’s family and the Foo Fighters family before Better Man. Small Town is played to the back. Josh and Boom get a shout out before Crazy Mary, with Mike and Boom dueling and then combining for the finish. Fuckin’ Up makes its first appearance since 2018, and Ed makes sure to thank everyone in the back before Yellow Ledbetter ends the night.

September 1, 2022 – Videotron Centre, Quebec City, QC, CAN

Main Set: Daughter, Footsteps, Buckle Up, Other Side, Off He Goes, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Why Go, Even Flow, Quick Escape, Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Who Ever Said/((I Can't Get No) Satisfaction), Take The Long Way, I Got Id, Mind Your Manners, Black, Porch

encore 1: Present Tense, Do The Evolution, Alive, Purple Rain, Indifference

Show Notes:

The band comes out seated, just like in Amsterdam. Daughter is the opener for the first time since 2010, four times in total. It’s played full acoustic without a tag at the end. After Footsteps, Ed toasts the crowd and…

Show Notes: 

The band comes out seated, just like in Amsterdam. Daughter is the opener for the first time since 2010, four times in total. It’s played full acoustic without a tag at the end. After Footsteps, Ed toasts the crowd and says:

 “…we’re gonna play slow songs, fast songs, loud songs, quiet songs, new songs, tight songs, so buckle up…” 

This leads into…Buckle Up. He dedicates a song for a friend in the community who lost his brother, saying he lost his brother as well, and it’s Other Side! It was sound checked earlier in the day, this is only the 4th performance ever! Afterwards, Ed speaks about his friend Dr. Pete from Quebec who had recently walked the Pacific Crest trail from Mexico to Vancouver, and shows him on the video screen. He gets passionate during the requested Off He Goes, and Mike does a flamenco-style solo. Corduroy has an extended solo, Ed telling Mike to keep playing. Black has some improv lyrics at the end: “…where will your heart be when you know….one more life, one more chance…” Crowd starts big ‘ole’ chants during the encore break. Present Tense is played for former ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne, and a kid in the crowd whom Ed mentions as ‘Cole’s brother.’ Stone starts Alive and then stops for Ed to make a dedication to Venus and Serena Williams. Klinghoffer is thanked profusely before stepping to the front for Purple Rain. Before Indifference, Ed says

“Alright, I guess we’re on tour now…thanks for a great beginning.”

Special thank you to Danielle Tatlow for relaying the setlist live, and livestreaming in the Pearl Jam Podcast Community Facebook group.

View More