Pearl Jam Alberta, CAN Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in Alberta, CAN

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December 2, 2013 – Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB, CAN

Main Set: Of The Girl, Hard To Imagine, Nothingman, Lightning Bolt, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Red Mosquito, I Am Mine, Wishlist, Even Flow, Sirens, Given To Fly, Infallible, Do The Evolution, I Got Shit/(Cinnamon Girl), Rats, State Of Love And Trust, Lukin, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: After Hours, Sleight of Hand, Future Days, Daughter/(Improv), Last Exit, Go, Porch

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Crazy Mary, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Indifference

Show Notes:

With blizzard conditions outside, Ed prefaces Lightning Bolt with “let’s melt some fucking snow.” Corduroy has the lyric change “…you froze inside my head…” Ed toasts the Calgary crowd for braving the blizzard, acknowledging how hard it was even for…

Show Notes: 

With blizzard conditions outside, Ed prefaces Lightning Bolt with “let’s melt some fucking snow.” Corduroy has the lyric change “…you froze inside my head…” Ed toasts the Calgary crowd for braving the blizzard, acknowledging how hard it was even for the band and crew to get there – “we were thinking only about 2500 people would make it…” He also thanks opening band Mudhoney, saying they drove 13 hours to play 30 minutes, and introduces Red Mosquito as “a song about bugs.” Crowd chants for Stone, leading Ed to remark “that’s only gonna make Mike play harder.” The crowd then chants for Mike, and Ed asks a fan in the front row what his name is and chants “Scott” for him, going on to salute those who had to clean up after the floods in June and repair the Saddledome. I Am Mine is “about getting to higher ground.” Before I Got Id, Ed says “if you ever wanted to chant anyone’s name it should be this guy,” and mentions how important Neil Young was in “keeping us on track for the good shit,” and that they wrote the song with him, adding a couple of lines of Cinnamon Girl. Before Rats, Ed toasts “here’s to rat-free Alberta.” He throws the microphone down into the crowd during State and a fan sings the ending. Lukin gets the slow fake-out. During Better Man, Ed back-to-back solos with Mike and they fall down on each other.

To begin the encores, the meteorologist confirms that it’s still “pretty cold” outside, and Ed talks about going to the doctor and being asked about his drinking habits, “and then I realized, well, when I’m working…” After Hours makes another appearance in tribute to Lou Reed. Sleight of Hand is “for the long drive to work.” Ed says that Future Days is for Pete and Jen Lightbody, “you wouldn’t necessarily know…but this song is about a couple whose children have grown up and moved out and it’s all romantic again,” and Boom plays the intro. Ed sings “hush…hush now baby,” during Daughter, possibly playing off Pink Floyd’s Mother. A young boy named Jaxon in the crowd gets a shout-out for drumming in a video of Mind Your Manners, Ed introduces him to Matt and says that the band will be back to open for his band in twenty years. To begin the second encore, Ed toasts snowplow drivers and sings “Mr. Plow” from The Simpsons. Small Town is played for the back. Ed leaves with “…Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine’s Day…”

September 23, 2011 – Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB, CAN

Main Set: Wash, Why Go, Given To Fly, Got Some, Severed Hand, Setting Forth, Not For You, Even Flow, Marker In The Sand, Down, U, Present Tense, Black, 1/2 Full, Last Kiss, The Fixer, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted

encore 1: Just Breathe, Come Back, Unthought Known, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2)/(W.M.A.), Do The Evolution, Alive

encore 2: Once, Better Man, Kick Out The Jams, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

The penultimate night of the North American leg of the PJ20 tour did not disappoint. The crowd in Edmonton was fired up and the band fed off this, delivering a blistering set. The band enters stage right to the sounds…

Show Notes: 

The penultimate night of the North American leg of the PJ20 tour did not disappoint. The crowd in Edmonton was fired up and the band fed off this, delivering a blistering set. The band enters stage right to the sounds of Pendulum Orphosis, and proceeds to pace through an extra dark bluesy sludge version of Wash. Despite Ed struggling on the high notes of the final chorus, it is a strong opener. The crowd immediately revs things up as Jeff and Stone set the pace for a fantastic Why Go. An early set Given to Fly gets a lyrical twist with – made it into Edmonton had a smoke in a tree. Following Severed Hand, Ed addresses the already raucous crowd:

“At this point of the evening I’d like to say hello Edmonton, cheers. Can I call you ETown? How about I just call you Ed? You can do the same.”

He talks about playing there 20 years ago and not remembering the show. He thinks they played seven songs that night (it was 11. Also, 18 years, not 20) and says they are going to play eight songs tonight and some are real short, leading into Setting Forth. Not for You sends the faithfull crowd soaring. Stone tears this Vitalogy track up while Matt and Jeff drop a stellar groove on the bridge and outro jam. It’s a big highlight. A tight Present Tense is dedicated to Nathan and is the meat of a run from Marker in the Sand through 1/2 Full that showcases Mike firing off some transcendent solos. The main set comes to a close with Wasted Reprise segueing into Life Wasted, with Ed paying homage to his bandmates and how much they mean to him.

Prior to Encore 1 kicking off, Ed has the crowd wish Bruce Springsteen a happy birthday. Come Back is played, and Ed mentions it was written for Johnny Ramone, and they are going to play it for him and a fan that had been holding up a sign. Jeff gets a little lost early in the song leading to some funny onstage shenanigans with him asking Mike what key they are in, Stone laughing and Ed just chuckling in Jeff’s direction. The evening escalates during Encore 2 with Mark Arm taking the mic teasing the crowd before it is time to Kick out The Jams. Arm ends up on Ed’s shoulders for a good portion of the MC5 classic. As the evening comes to a close, the band strides through a powerful take on Rockin In The Free World. Stone lights up the stage with a commanding solo and puts an exclamation on a night where he shined. The curtains close with Mike delivering a passionate run through Ledbetter coupled with a Little Wing nod. The crowd and band delivered on this night.

Ed starts the encore by telling the crowd they’ve really brought it, and that they’ve helped the band cure their homesickness. Pearl Jam rarity, Parachutes, is played for Joe, a guy in the crowd who has been bringing a sign to the last few shows. Ed even invites him to the stage to hold the lyrics. Later, Ed says he recently read an article that there have been no rats in the Calgary area for more than 50 years. “Well, 50 years of no Rats is ending right now,” leading into a great, funky version of Rats. Before RVM, Ed waxes nostalgic before a show-stopping Rearviewmirror encore closer:

“Things weren’t always this good. This (RVM) was written way back when, about way back when.”

Mark Arm and Steve Turner lend a hand on yet another rare one – The Stooge’s Search And Destroy before the band closes with soaring versions of Fuckin’ Up and Ledbetter. Ed is noticeably moved by the crowd and by the band’s good fortune all night long, leading to a truly memorable stop on the band’s 2011 Canadian tour.

September 21, 2011 – Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB, CAN

Main Set: Release, Go, Last Exit, Given To Fly, Lukin, Insignificance, Big Wave, Unthought Known, Even Flow, Deep, Light Years, Daughter, It Happened Today, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Brain Of J., Johnny Guitar, Alive

encore 1: Just Breathe, Parachutes, Rats, The Fixer, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Jeremy, Crazy Mary, Search And Destroy, Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

On the day that R.E.M. announced their breakup after 31 years, the band is feeling understandably nostalgic, leaning on a great Canadian crowd to power them through a stellar set full of rarities. Release, Go, and Last Exit get the…

Show Notes: 

On the day that R.E.M. announced their breakup after 31 years, the band is feeling understandably nostalgic, leaning on a great Canadian crowd to power them through a stellar set full of rarities. Release, Go, and Last Exit get the crowd hopping right off the bat. Ed greats the crowd after Given to Fly:

“On behalf of the group, to be able to come up here and play in this part of the world (huge crowd reaction), not just to play here…but we know these buildings…it’s like playing in church! We’re happy to be here in your church. Normally I wouldn’t want to go to church, but when you can go to church with Mudhoney, that’s pretty good.”

Lukin and Insignificance make early appearances with Ed’s solid guitar work sticking out on both songs. Big Wave is dedicated to Kelly Slater, and though Ed botches the lyrics, it’s a fun, bouncing version. McCready and Cameron steal the show on Even Flow, and then the whole band gets really into Deep, a song Ed tells the crowd doesn’t get played very often. After Daughter, Ed says he’s happy about tonight’s great crowd because:

“We got some news this morning from some friends of ours that made for a tricky day. We just want to acknowledge how important they were to us…one of the best groups from the United States. I don’t know if you heard, but after 31 years, our friends, R.E.M., have decided to put it down for a while. I know, I can’t even say it”

For the first and only time, the band plays a cover of R.E.M.’s It Happened Today. It begins in near total darkness with a small spotlight on Ed until the song’s climax where the lights go up and you see the rest of the band come into the background. It was a poignant tribute to their friends and pioneers of alternative music. Corduroy and Brain of J. are wonderful surprises this deep in the main set before Johnny Guitar and Alive close things out.

Ed starts the encore by telling the crowd they’ve really brought it, and that they’ve helped the band cure their homesickness. Pearl Jam rarity, Parachutes, is played for Joe, a guy in the crowd who has been bringing a sign to the last few shows. Ed even invites him to the stage to hold the lyrics. Later, Ed says he recently read an article that there have been no rats in the Calgary area for more than 50 years. “Well, 50 years of no Rats is ending right now,” leading into a great, funky version of Rats. Before RVM, Ed waxes nostalgic before a show-stopping Rearviewmirror encore closer:

“Things weren’t always this good. This (RVM) was written way back when, about way back when.”

Mark Arm and Steve Turner lend a hand on yet another rare one – The Stooge’s Search And Destroy before the band closes with soaring versions of Fuckin’ Up and Ledbetter. Ed is noticeably moved by the crowd and by the band’s good fortune all night long, leading to a truly memorable stop on the band’s 2011 Canadian tour.