Pearl Jam's North American Tour History: Concerts, Setlists & Show Reviews

June 9, 2016 – Third Man Records, Nashville, TN, USA

Main Set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Pendulum, Mind Your Manners, 1/2 Full, Life Wasted, Deep

encore 1: Of The Earth, Hard To Imagine, Let Me Sleep

Show Notes:

Nashville, TN Ten Club members woke up to an email this morning telling them to show up at Grimey’s, a Nashville record store, for something special. The first 30 Ten Club members received tickets for a show to be played that night at Jack White’s Third Man Records store. Due to the small size of the Blue Room at Third Man, only 200 lucky fans were in attendance, including country star Keith Urban and Third Man Records artist Margo Price, as well as NBA star Chris Bosh and Nashville mayor Megan Barry. As a tune-up for the recording, Interstellar Overdrive opens, leading into Corduroy, but the performance is not included on the final release. Rough start to Pendulum, as the organ wasn’t set up, causing a bit of a delay.

The break between sets is needed to set up the acetate machine for side two, and the band uses the delay to hang out and talk with audience members. Side two is full of rare performances, as Jack White joins for Of the Earth, trading solos with Mike, stretching the song out to 10 minutes in length. Hard to Imagine follows, and to close, Let Me Sleep is played with the full band, and for only the 5th time ever. A unique show in an intimate venue.

Written by Nick Smith

May 12, 2016 – Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, CAN

Main Set: Why Go, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Brain of J., Animal, Garden, I am Mine, Nothingman, Cropduster, Even Flow, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop/W.M.A.), Green Disease, Unthought Known, Present Tense, Alone, Lightning Bolt, Do the Evolution, Blood

encore 1: Just Breathe, Oceans, Inside Job, Breath, Lukin, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Last Exit, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Black, Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Jeff is wearing a t-shirt that reads “WE THE NORTH WEST,” a running theme started at the first Toronto show two nights before. The greeting comes before the callback in Corduroy with “welcome to the last show,” describing it as feeling like the “last day of school, let’s make a night of it.” During Brain of J., Jeff ducks and then laughs as Ed rushes to catch something dropped from above. After Animal, Ed says “good things been happening in this building in the last couple days,” in reference to the first Toronto date and the NBA playoff game the previous night, and toasts to being able to play the last show in Toronto. Following Garden, Ed mentions the victims of the forest fires in Alberta and Manitoba evacuated days earlier and that the band will continue to “send some dough their way” from concert proceeds, and dedicates I Am Mine to “being safe and secure, however temporarily.” Good crowd participation during Nothingman. After Cropduster, Ed explains the origin of the line “let the fluency set it down” as coming from drinking wine with an Italian who didn’t speak perfect English, he figured he was trying to say “‘go with the flow’ or something…but then I thought ‘that’s really kind of amazing,’ so I’ve been letting the fluency set it down for quite some time now.” He goes on to tease about most big cities having their own “monument or erection…of course, you here have the band Rush, that’s a monument…we’ve been playing for 25 years and if we wanted to learn a Rush song we’d probably have to play for 25 more,” to which Mike plays a few chords of “Fly by Night” followed by Jeff and Matt with “Cygnus X-1”. Ed returns to monuments/erections by citing the Space Needle and introducing Even Flow as being written right below it. A drum solo by Matt tops off another impressive solo performance by Mike. Ed switches the lyrics to “white male Canadian” during the W.M.A. tag. Prior to Alone, Ed thanks the crowd for their singing and teases “Right now we’d like to play the whole Binaural record for you.” Ed promotes EB research funding during the break and thanks Dr. Elena Pope at the U of T-Hospital for Sick Children for signing onto the effort. On being shown a French flag, he recalls the terrorist attack at the Eagles of Death Metal concert in Paris the year before and dedicates Just Breathe to a fan and victim, Pierre-Antoine Henry, and his kids. Breath is dedicated to their friend Michele (Anthony), who “specialized in working with difficult artists, and we wouldn’t be here without her.” During the Porch breakdown, he lifts up his guitar under a stage light and uses it to reflect light onto people all throughout the audience. The second encore starts with another compliment, “you make it very difficult to leave,” before trolling the audience with “whatever happened to the Toronto Maple Leafs?” During Better Man, Ed holds the song in a loop and banters for three minutes about looking forward to going home, having just taken a quick shot of tequila backstage, a driver on the first stop of the tour speaking offensively, the contrast between that start to the tour and the end in an exemplary city. Boom is introduced before Crazy Mary, Mike jams alongside him on a fiery solo while Ed enters the crowd to mingle. Toronto native Donna Grantis is again introduced to join the band for Baba O’Riley (after also playing at the previous show), and Ed acknowledges Geddy Lee at the side of the stage, to which the band plays a bit of Cygnus X-1 again. Ed signs off with a personal “see ya, JP” to a fan he sang Thin Air with at the first show, before addressing the entire crowd: “We the northwest, a pleasure being in the north,” and signs off as Geddy Vedder one last time.

Written by: Eric Stevenson Gonzalez

May 10, 2016 – Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, CAN

Main Set: Go, Do the Evolution, Mind Your Manners, Breakerfall, God’s Dice, Evacuation, Light Years, Nothing as it Seems, Thin Air, Insignificance, Of the Girl, Grievance, Rival, Sleight of Hand, Soon Forget, Parting Ways, Corduroy, Once, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Imagine, Let Me Sleep, Comfortably Numb, Even Flow, Down, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Given To Fly, State Of Love And Trust, Black/(Time Heals), The Real Me, Alive, Rockin’ in the Free World

Show Notes:

Crowd erupts as the intro of Go is played just like on the album. A thunderous Mind Your Manners precedes the Binaural set, with Ed mentioning that they have the next night off (the second Toronto date was pushed back a day by their NBA playoff game). He then talks about how the first time in Toronto they played seven songs, and then auctions how many they’ll play that night, “nine, 10… can I get a 13… 18 in the back.” A longer solo from Mike on Breakerfall helps tear open the album set. Evacuation is introduced with a reflection about fire alarms and expecting to be told it’s a false alarm, remembering the over 88,000 people evacuated days earlier due to wildfires in northern Alberta. Ed introduces Thin Air by explaining that it’s one of his personal favorites of Stone’s: “if we ever had a popular song, this would be the one” and describes how he’d imagined a love song-style video. Near the end, he visits the crowd, takes a fan’s hand, and puts his arm around him while they both sing the last chorus together, essentially recreating his idea for the video. Back onstage, Ed quips “What’s your name? JP? Meet you after the show, handsome.” Ed enters Sleight of Hand too early, Stone stops playing immediately and Ed gestures to the band to start over while pointing to himself to accept the blame, then turns back and tells the crowd “the thing about vinyl records is sometimes they skip…let me clean the needle.” The song is restarted and finishes strong. Soon Forget is prefaced with “it wasn’t written about anybody in particular…now I realize it’s exactly about Donald Trump” before going on to muse about the band moving to Canada and Ed changing his name to Geddy Vedder in honor of Rush. The crowd whistles back at the “we’re all whistling” line and Ed eggs them on, hanging on to that chord. Ed holds out the last note in Parting Ways for several seconds amidst guitar feedback, pick scraping, and resolute drumming. Corduroy has an extra burst at the end, and a breakdown jam on Rearviewmirror featuring a Jeff and Matt standoff. The second set opens with Ed checking on the crowd and counting off all their good memories of Toronto, including all the other bands they’ve seen play, and joking about how good Soundgarden’s drummer was as a prelude to introducing Matt. Here he announces the band will donate money from their Canada shows to help wildfire victims in Alberta and lists the benefitting groups, before asking the audience to light up the room with their phones for the cover of Imagine. Let Me Sleep is played as a nod to the cold. Even Flow picks things back up and sounds like it has an extra groove to it: Mike puts the guitar behind his head and ventures out to the crowd for the first part of an extended, feedback-laden solo that earns Ed’s applause, and Ed tosses the mic into the crowd for fans to sing the last chorus. Down is dedicated to Howard Zinn, “the ultimate ‘positimist,’ that’s not a word, but….” Ed teases the crowd with a long pause and a swig of wine before a sustained “ohhh-oh-oh” to open the second verse of Better Man. Matt, Jeff, and Ed fling, headbutt, and practice boxing with the lamps that have lowered to stage level during Porch, and give the first encore an amped-up finish with Ed mingling in the crowd and sipping a fan’s beer. Ed starts the second encore with the observation “if they got a crowd tomorrow with this much energy tonight they might win it all” and identifies the band and Toronto as both being from the north: “there’s power in north, north points up.” After Given To Fly, Ed calls everyone’s attention to a fan who’s spent the entire show in a bright orange ski mask and references having worn one at a show by Jeff’s band RNDM but “I didn’t last three songs in that fucking thing…I commend you” and jokingly introduces the fan as Matt Damon (who was evidently in attendance in a different part of the arena).. Black winds down with the Todd Rundgren “Time Heals” tag. The Real Me is introduced by Ed saying “We borrowed a couple of great songs tonight, we’re gonna borrow one more.” Toronto native and Prince guitarist Donna Grantis is welcomed onstage to close the show with Rockin’ in the Free World and steals the show, earning a “we’re not worthy” bow from Mike.

Written By: Eric Stevenson Gonzalez

May 8, 2016 – Canadian Tires Centre, Ottawa, ON, CAN

Main Set: Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Do the Evolution, Save You, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Love Boat Captain, Deep, Faithfull, I Am Mine, Even Flow, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Immortality, Given to Fly, Big Wave, Why Go, Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: Bee Girl, Speed of Sound, Parachutes, Sirens, Love, Reign O’er Me, Better Man, Blood

encore 2: All I Want is You, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Black, Alive, Fuckin’ Up

Show Notes:

Lightning Bolt opens for only the second time, and includes the line “…towards the Great White North…” Ed greets the crowd before Small Town, talking about Trump, the fires in Alberta, and “the fact that Canada doesn’t have a team in the NHL playoffs” as signs of the end of the world “so let’s do some singing and try to make the world right tonight!” Love Boat Captain includes the “let the show begin” line. A fan in the front gets to sing on Faithfull. After Even Flow, Ed mentions that Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer is in the crowd tonight and how his books had a profound effect on him, leading into Setting Forth. Big Wave is played for the first time since 2014 for all the surfers in the crowd, Ed saying he knows that there are at least two. 3 songs from Ten close out the set, and during the encore, Ed makes a toast to his brothers Jason and Chris, who are in attendance. A few rare songs are broken out after the break, beginning with Bee Girl, and the tour debuts of Speed of Sound and Parachutes. Not to be outdone, Love, Reign O’er Me is played for the first time since 2013. Encore 2 starts with Ed playing part of the U2 song “All I Want Is You” on the acoustic guitar. Mike and Stone really bring it during Black, blistering solos by both that bring the crowd to a crescendo. Matt goes nuts at the end of Alive, bashing everything in sight. Fuckin’ Up is for their “favorite Canadian” (if you have to ask at this point…) Great energy from the crowd and band all evening on what most would consider Pearl Jam’s 1000th show.

Written by: Ryan Franke

May 5, 2016 – Centre Videotron, Quebec City, QC, CAN

Main Set: Of The Girl, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Once, Last Exit, God’s Dice, Even Flow, Pilate, Light Years, Severed Hand, Corduroy, You Are, Mind Your Manners, Whipping, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, State Of Love And Trust, I’m Open, MFC, Why Go, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: The Needle And The Damage Done, Thumbing My Way, Sleeping By Myself, Wash, Comatose, Lightning Bolt, Sad, Surrender, Porch

encore 2: Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop/It’s O.K.), Do The Evolution, Jeremy, Black, Alive, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

Of the Girl opens, the first of 4 Binaural songs in the main set. Matt jumps the gun and starts Last Exit after Small Town but stops and Once is played first. Ed introduces Pilate by saying “alright, this is going to be fun…” Light Years is dedicated to a man and his family. Stone grooves on a powerful You Are. After the first NAIS since 2014, Ed makes a long speech about life and love and dedicates Given to Fly to Valerie and “her great man Jan, who’s still here in the next song.” I’m Open is a nice little gem to break up the pace and breathe after SOLAT, and takes the place of Untitled, flowing naturally into MFC. An almost 8-minute Better Man ends the main set, with Ed riffing on Save it for Later. After the break, Ed says, “I’m going to play a song by Uncle Neil. And to sing like Neil, you gotta sing high, but you don’t have to sing perfect. So I’m going to keep that in mind, and you keep that in mind too in case you want to join in… Neil, one of the things he taught us, if it ain’t perfect, it’s perfect. I’m sure this is going to be a perfect version,” and plays a solo version of The Needle and the Damage Done. The band then joins Ed on stage for an amazing Thumbing My Way. Wash comes out of nowhere to transition out of the mellow section. After Lightning Bolt, Ed sees a kid with a sign in the front row and brings him up on stage, saying “I saw him play this song with his pop” (his mom had sent a video of him playing it) and introduces 10-year-old Noah Keeley. Noah plays along to Sad, and does a great job! Stone plays right next to him and Mike comes over to play the solo beside him. Noah gets a huge ovation as he leaves the stage, and Ed remarks, “Noah, you are a badass. That took a lot of guts,” then continues, “We’re going to play one for Noah’s mom and dad” before launching into Surrender. After the second break, Ed speaks about the Capitales, a local baseball team, and sports a jersey made for them to celebrate 25 years together. He then introduces Daughter, saying “He is gonna start this next song. He wrote it. He wrote all the good ones…Mr. Stone Gossard.” McCready is unreal on the Black solo, pure and powerful. Ed concludes the evening by saying “We will never forget this one.”

May 2, 2016 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Once, Animal, Given To Fly, Surrender, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Nothingman, Leatherman, Better Man, Garden, Even Flow, Sirens, Deep, Jeremy, Leash, Do The Evolution

encore 1: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, All Or None, Pendulum, Breath, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Driven To Tears, Lightning Bolt, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

Ed mentions that he can feel the stage rocking during the Corduroy outro. Following Given to Fly, Ed notes it’s their 36th time in the city and 10th at the Garden, and continues, “…here with this garden party you never know what’s going to happen, like this next thing we didn’t know was going to happen until not too long ago…” He then introduces Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson from Cheap Trick, who were “newly anointed, appointed, indentured” (according to Ed) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, leading to the first full performance of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” After the song, Rick Nielsen is seen taking a picture of the crowd to which Ed notes, “this is amazing…Rick’s been at it so long, I didn’t know he’d know how to work an iPhone.” Nothingman begins the “man” trilogy, played for the first time in nearly 5 years, and 10 years since they’ve done it in this order. Before Leatherman, Ed talks about the Leatherman and equates it to Chris McCandless from Into the Wild in the early 1900’s, noting “I know that’s exciting…history.” Ed plays to the crowd during the Save it for Later tag, with a frantic finish. Mike is playing out of his mind on the 2 ½ minute Even Flow solo, and then Matt also takes a solo! Ed throws the mic into the crowd for the finish. Sirens is dedicated to Lance Corporal Tom Rorke who “lost his life tragically last year at the age of 23 and he’s got a lot of family and friends here tonight, like a lot, maybe a hundred of them. He put himself in harm’s way in a dignified manner, and tragically got lost in a crazy accident.” Big moment as the crowd gets loud at the end of Jeremy. Ed slips one “get out of my fuckin’ face” in the middle of Leash. Stone gets a spotlight for both solos in Do the Evolution. After the break, Ed jokes about going to Canada next, and how “they might not even have the internet up there.” You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away is Ed solo with the harmonica. Mike gets soulful on the underrated All or None solo. A fantastic Present Tense leads into both songs from Singles, with the crowd getting another chance to grab the microphone during Breath. Last Kiss’ is played to the back. Surprise guest Sting comes on stage during the first chorus of Driven to Tears and takes over the rest of the song, after which Ed gushes “let’s hear it one more time, that’s incredible…that’s all time favorite singer, favorite bass player, favorite activist, favorite humanist…that was a real honor…what do we do next?” House lights are up for Baba O’Riley, and at one point, Ed chastises someone for not giving a tambourine to a kid, muttering “give it to the kid you fuck.” Mike plays a long, feedback-drenched The Star Spangled Banner tag to close out the evening.

Written by: Nick Smith

May 1, 2016 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Go, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Given To Fly, Low Light, Release, Even Flow, I Got Id, In Hiding, Rats, Down, (Dangerous Business)/Wishlist, Jeremy, Do The Evolution, Why Go, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: The End, Future Days, Off He Goes, Footsteps, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Unthought Known, Takin’ It To The Streets, Whipping, Better Man/Save It For Later, Porch

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

Show Notes:

Go opens with the classic album version intro. Ed mentions towards the end of the extended Corduroy that “I can feel it rocking,” referring to the infamous 2003 Garden performance. Following Given to Fly, Ed says he was going to request that the crowd shake the stage again, but it already happened! Low Light features a ridiculously long hold on the last note. Release makes a rare mid-set appearance, dedicated to Jen and Tim. For the last lines of Even Flow, Ed throws the mic to someone in the crowd for the last chorus, getting it back at the end, saying “yeah, you’re in the band man.” Matt is introduced as “the assassin, the thoroughbred, the Lamborghini,” and then Ed points out Kenneth, the fan who sang on Even Flow, on background vocals: “Nice job Kenneth…in about 2 and a half hours you might have to sing a couple because I might be gone…I’m glad I got back up.” An extra line is added to In Hiding, “…cracks along the walls…I was tripping balls.” Rats is dedicated to Enrico Salvatore “Ratso” Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman’s character in Midnight Cowboy. Ed sings some of “Dangerous Business” (from Ishtar, another Hoffman film) before Wishlist, in which Ed gets political during the outro. Before Do The Evolution, Ed says, “Alright this is the song, this is where we get seismic…see if we can feel it,” and almost immediately he mentions they can feel it bouncing. After some South American-style call and response, Evolution goes right into Why Go without missing a literal beat. RVM features some forgive/forget improv by Ed. Out of the first encore break, Ed is sporting a Marathon Man shirt, another Dustin Hoffman film. The End is played for the first time since 2013. Future Days is dedicated to Kevin, who’s fighting an autoimmune disease, and his wife Kim. This leads Ed to talk about EB, and says the song was written about his wife, leading to a piano-driven, sparse performance of the song. Crowd is singing loud and strong for Chloe Dancer, and continues into Crown of Thorns. “Takin’ It to the Streets” is an unusual choice, Ed says it was requested by an old friend, saying “Happy birthday Jack, you motherfucker,” and they run through just a couple of minutes of it. Ed goes off on the Townshend guitar windmills at the end of the Save It For Later tag. Small Town is played to the back of the arena. Black is haunting and beautiful over 8 minutes, with an epic solo by Mike, who then takes a trip into the crowd during the Alive solo, getting close to the top of the first level. Matt Cameron’s son Ray gets Mike’s guitar roughly halfway through RITFW, leaving him to help out on tambourine duty. Mike gets the guitar back for Indifference, using a bow to add some effects.

April 29, 2016 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Main Set: Once, Even Flow, Alive, Why Go, Black, Jeremy, Oceans, Porch, Garden, Deep, Release, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Who You Are, Let the Records Play, Spin the Black Circle, Do The Evolution

encore 1: Bee Girl, Just Breathe, All Or None, Comfortably Numb, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Last Kiss, Better Man, Leash, Throw Your Hatred Down, Sonic Reducer, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

After coming on-stage to the “Master/Slave” intro music, Once opens for the second night in a row, but instead of moving on with songs from the various albums, Even Flow and Alive follow, and they proceed to play all of Ten in order for the first time since 3/13/1992 in Munich, Germany! The crowd starts to figure out where things are headed when Alive, normally played at the end of the show, shows up as the third song in the set. Black is an early highlight, with a beautiful We Belong Together tag, building towards a huge crowd swell at the end of Jeremy. Ed doesn’t address the crowd for the first time until after Deep, sharing a heavy story about love and loss and the healing power of music, and an emotional Release is introduced as “…one of those healing songs.” With the album complete, Ed addresses the crowd again: “Alright, there ya go…cheers, everyone…alright, we did that together,” adding that they chose to do this on the fly after hearing they were getting a “10” banner hung in the Wells Fargo Center to honor their 10th sold out show in Philadelphia. Ed then does a fantastic Bruce Springsteen impression, teasing that they have a long way to go to catch up to Bruce’s streak. Breakerfall restarts the set after Release with a rare mid-set appearance. Ed talks about WMMR before Let the Records Play, saying “There’s a place in town that’s been spinning records for 48 years…send one out to Pierre, Matt and Nick…keep playin’ the records, man!” After the break, the crowd, after the huge high of the main set, seems quiet. Ed notices, asking “Where are you? You still there?[…]Need to get home early? You got babysitters? I need to feel it, we need to feel it!” Big cheer from the crowd before Bee Girl, as Ed tells the story of he and Jeff being drunk on the radio years ago and coming up with it. He shows off his impression skills again before Just Breathe, doing a pitch-perfect Willie Nelson, who covered the song. All or None is played for the first time since 2014. Mike has a soul-crushing solo during Comfortably Numb. Jeff and Matt propel a breakneck RVM. Last Kiss is played to the back after the second break, with the crowd taking it over at the end. Stone is shredding on the acoustic during a tight Better Man, with the crowd singing along loudly. Leash is loud, dirty, and energetic. Smile is on the setlist, but is scratched in favor of Throw Your Hatred Down. Sonic Reducer and Baba O’Riley follow quickly, capping off a fantastic covers trifecta, not surprising considering they had played all of the usual Ten encore songs earlier in the night! Mike closes out the historic evening with a Hendrix-style Star-Spangled Banner at the end of Yellow Ledbetter.

April 28, 2016 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Main Set: Once, Animal, Gonna See My Friend, All Night, Mind Your Manners, Low Light, Wishlist, Love Boat Captain, Given To Fly, Even Flow, In The Moonlight, In My Tree, Jeremy, Education, Unthought Known, Do The Evolution, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 1: Picture In A Frame, Oceans, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Why Go, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Save You, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Crazy Mary, State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Indifference

Show Notes:

The show starts hard and fast, the band doesn’t come up for air until Low Light. A tight, pulverizing version of Gonna See My Friend is an early standout. An extended jam serves as an intro to Love Boat Captain, similar to what they had done in Tampa. In the Moonlight is rusty but amazing, and it leads right into a thumping version of In My Tree. Matt Cameron has a great night, from Even Flow to Education he is just totally spot on. Ed opens the encore with a solo cover of Tom Waits’ “Picture in a Frame,” played for the first time since the Vic Theatre show in 2007, and dedicates it to a couple, Pat and Eden, who got married during the show. False start for Oceans, and the band turns it into an impromptu snippet of the Rolling Stones’ “Angie,” before Oceans is restarted. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns is an emotional highlight of the night, with Ed saying after the song that “Andy would have loved this, here, tonight.” The RVM jam is triumphant, Who-esque. Somehow the second encore is even more raucous, with the band seeming to not tire as the night goes on. They return with a vicious Save You, and Small Town is played for the people in the back. Boom and Mike take no prisoners on Crazy Mary, Boom continuing the Stones theme with some riffs from “Paint it Black.” Fuckin’ Up belongs to Stone Gossard, he absolutely shreds the final solo in a way that would make Uncle Neil proud. Indifference ends the show on a joyful, but haunting note. Often overshadowed by what happened the next night, this show stands on its own, great crowd, great energy.

Written by: Gabe Spece

April 26, 2016 – Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY, USA

Main Set: Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Why Go, Deep, Satan's Bed, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Sirens, Education, Even Flow, Spin The Black Circle, Army Reserve, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), 1/2 Full, Given To Fly, Swallowed Whole, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Just Breathe, Thumbing My Way, Comfortably Numb, Do The Evolution, Sonic Reducer, Porch

encore 2: Smile, Leaving Here, Black, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Pearl Jam hits the Rupp Arena stage hard and fast with Lightning Bolt, a nod to the storms earlier in the day). Jeff’s 12-string bass snarls and growls during an energetic Why Go, and then a surprise, as Satan’s Bed makes its once-per-year appearance. Ed thanks UK basketball coach John Calipari (with some boos) and the Kentucky Wildcats for having so many banners hanging in the rafters. Crowd is loud for the ‘Hello’ in Small Town. Education is dedicated to all the “university intellectuals,” and then Ed asks the band if they graduated from college, and says Mike was writing the next song while he should have been graduating, and then they kick into Even Flow. Ed says that it’s obvious how Kentucky loves our

horses, but “we have a thoroughbred every night,” referring to Matt, calling him “the stallion!” A very charged up Spin the Black Circle rocks the arena, Mike all over the stage. Mike shows off on ½ Full, throwing bits of flamenco-style guitar in the solo. He and Stone trade off on a breakout Swallowed Whole Matt bashes it out during the RVM jam. After the break, Ed comes out solo, attempting You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away…a few flubs, but the crowd picks it up and he gets through it. Just Breathe is dedicated to Matthew, who passed away a few days before the show, and his sister Lindsay. Mike highlights a haunting Comfortably Numb. Intense back and forth between Mike, Stone, and Jeff on the Porch jam. Stone is rocking the rhythm on Black, and Mike is on fire. Ed holds the note on the word “be” for a loooong time. The crowd takes over the first verse of Better Man, to Ed’s surprise, and he exclaims “fucking great, man…, ” inspiring a uplifting performance. Mike changes into a UK t-shirt for Ledbetter, Ed takes a swig from his beer and dribbles it all down the front of him. Mike lingers on the outro, almost like he doesn’t want it to end.

Written by: David Ritter

April 23, 2016 – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA, USA

Main Set: State Of Love And Trust, Arms Aloft, Mind Your Manners, God’s Dice, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Nothingman, In Hiding, Even Flow, Sirens, Unthought Known, Long Road, Daughter, Of The Earth, Last Exit, Porch

encore 1: Go, Inside Job, Given To Fly, Lightning Bolt, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Do The Evolution, Alive, The Real Me, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

State of Love and Trust opens a show for the first time since 1992! The theme continues as the Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros cover Arms Aloft is brought back for the first time since 2012, with the lyric altered to “We were arms aloft…in New Orleans…” Ed addresses the crowd after God’s Dice, talking about how colorful they look, and references his arrest there back in the early 90’s. Matt shines on a dynamic, upbeat Setting Forth, which serves as an intro to Corduroy. Ed addressed the crowd again after In Hiding, talking about the recent passing of Prince, saying “We were lucky enough to be surprised to find out he actually did a version of this next song a couple of years ago…we were selfishly very honored to hear it, and he played the shit out of it, so we are going to try to play the shit out of it in his memory right now,” leading into a cathartic, impassioned Even Flow, with Mike wailing for nearly 3 minutes. Long Road is dedicated to Michael, who lost his brother John. Unusual Daughter, with no tag, jam, or call and response. The unreleased Of the Earth is prefaced with Ed saying “This is our version of jazz…about as close as we get…” The encore opens with a heavy-hitting Go, after which Ed then introduces Steve Gleason, and how they are honored to meet and play for him, and dedicates a powerful Inside Job to him. Mike carries that energy over into stellar versions of Given to Fly and Lightning Bolt. Ed takes a moment to gush about some of the other artists playing the festival, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Morrison, Beck, and Stevie Wonder. Following Alive, Ed welcomes a horn section to the stage, including Seattle-based saxophonist Skerik (Tuatara, Mad Season), Drew Baham, Carly Meyers, and Big Sam Williams (Dirty Dozen Brass Band). With the full brass accompaniment, the now 10-piece Pearl Jam stomps through a faithful, raucous version of The Real Me. The special guests keep coming for the final song of the night as RHCP drummer Chad Smith and Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill join for Rockin’ in the Free World, leaving Matt to play guitar, and Skerik takes the final solo on saxophone. A diverse, unique setlist and a celebratory finish to the evening.

Written by: Scott Hetherington

April 21, 2016 – Colonial Life Center, Columbia, SC, USA

Main Set: Oceans, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Animal, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Lightning Bolt, Given To Fly, Immortality, Even Flow, Light Years, Marker In The Sand, Infallible, Jeremy, I Got Shit, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Rise, Sleight Of Hand, Footsteps, All Those Yesterdays, Corduroy, Got Some, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Porch

encore 2: (Purple Rain), Chloe Dancer, Crown Of Thorns, State Of Love And Trust, Black, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Purple Rain)

Show Notes:

Oceans leads off, making its tour debut, as Low Light and Small Town make for a mellow opening. Mike has a fluid, expressive solo on Lightning Bolt, after which Ed does some a cappella call and response with the crowd. Plenty of jokes from Ed about “cocks” on the night, referring to the University of South Carolina, on which the venue is located. Immortality also makes its tour debut, with the soft, arpeggiated intro. Mike uses a delay/echo effect on his solo, and there’s a short jam on the ending led by Matt. Mike’s Even Flow solo is dark and mournful, perhaps inspired by the news that broke just hours before the show that Prince had passed away. Ed comments afterwards, saying

“all of us on this stage can tell you…that guy loved music so damn much, never stopped playing, never stopped creating…,” and continues, “…as musicians…and you just saw some great guitar playing…Prince was probably the greatest guitar player that you’ve ever seen…amazing…he will be missed.”

Much of the crowd on the floor has purple pieces of paper that they hold up in tribute, and Light Years follows. Marker in the Sand is a mid-set surprise, having not been played since 2014. Ed talks about climate change and not trusting politicians before Infallible. Powerful ending to the main set, beginning with an energetic Jeremy, Matt bashing away at the end and Ed leading the singalong. Jeff is a machine during the spacey RVM jam. After the break, Ed comes out solo with a mandolin, and there’s a sweet moment as Ed talks about how it’s his mom Karen’s birthday (and Glen Hansard’s), and asks the crowd to sing her Happy Birthday so he can send her the tape after the show. They oblige, and are treated to the first performance of Rise (from Into the Wild) at a PJ show. Ed thanks his mom again, saying that she had sold her wedding ring to pay for his first guitar, and talks about how the “clip-on world” line in the next song was inspired by his job at a drugstore in San Diego, and Sleight of Hand is dusted off for the first time since 2014. Corduroy makes a rare encore appearance. Ed takes the opportunity to talk about the cancellation of the Raleigh show (it was supposed to have been played the night before this show) before Wasted Reprise, to mixed reactions, saying that “it wasn’t taken lightly…we were truly and honestly trying to do everything we could do to play…we apologize…it takes a certain amount of sacrifice to take care of other people and their rights when they’re left out on their own, cause it could happen to you, it could happen to me…” Porch stretches out to over 9 minutes, Matt machine-guns the final beats. Ed calls out Jeff’s “Unfuck the World” t-shirt, and Jeff says he got it from singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, who is in attendance. Mike and Matt break into a little “Purple Rain” jam before Chloe Dancer, during which Ed says “Thinking about Andy…Andy Wood.” As Crown of Thorns comes to an end, he goes over and gives Stone a hug, then crosses the stage and does the same with Jeff. Black has the “time heals” improv. Mike pays one last tribute to Prince during Ledbetter, incorporating Purple Rain into the final solo of the night.

April 18, 2016 – Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA, USA

Main Set: Why Go, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Brain Of J., Faithfull, I Am Mine, Jeremy, Setting Forth, Not For You/(Modern Girl). Even Flow, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Long Road, Wishlist, Sirens. Habit, Given To Fly, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: I Am A Patriot, Sleeping By Myself, Come Back, Sad, Lightning Bolt, In My Tree, Breath, Do The Evolution, Porch

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Inside Job, Black/(We Belong Together), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

Before Pearl Jam’s first ever show in Hampton, fans who waited outside the venue were delivered the unfortunate news that the show scheduled for Raleigh two days later had been cancelled. Ed speaks about the situation during the break, to…

Show Notes:

“We had to make a real tough call about what we would do about the situation in North Carolina, because they’ve got a law there that broadly discriminates against a whole group of people…and I can’t tell from here if you’re booing North Carolina, if you’re booing us for having to decide that we’re not going to play there…I would understand that too. It was a hard process because we thought we could still play and make things right and that we could fortify all the people on the ground working to repeal this despicable law. We thought we could take the money and give it to them and still play the show, but the reality is, there’s nothing like the immense power of boycotting…and it’s a shame because people are going to be affected that don’t deserve it, but it could be the way that ultimately is gonna effect change so again, we just couldn’t find it in ourselves in good conscience to cross a picket line when there was a movement…we apologize to those in Raleigh, we apologize to those who were going to Raleigh, we apologize to the locals who probably believe in the same things that we do…they have a reason to be pissed and we’re pissed off too but we gotta be pissed off at the right people and get them to change their minds cause they made a mistake, a big mistake, and they can fix it.”

The show gets off to a quick start with a 1-2 punch of Why Go and Mind Your Manners. Brain of J. and Faithfull back-to-back are a bit of a tease coming after the full Vs. performance in Greenville at the previous show. Ed talks about how beautiful Hampton is, and how they were in nearby Virginia Beach after Roskilde and wrote the next song in a hotel room, leading to I Am Mine. Carine McCandless (sister of Chris from Into The Wild) is acknowledged before Setting Forth, and Ed mentions that she lives in the area. Inspired soloing from both McCready and Cameron on Even Flow. “It’s O.K.” is tagged onto Daughter, and feels especially poignant, given both the band’s decision to cancel the Raleigh show and the previously referenced Virginia Beach 2000 show. Plenty of dedications on the night, as Long Road is dedicated to a local teacher, Habit is for a fan named Andrew who is at the show with his brother, and Ed introduces Given to Fly by saying “this one goes out to the local guy who just got out of prison after thirty-three fucking years on April 8th…Keith Allen Howard…I wish I could buy that guy a drink.” The RVM jam gets a little spacey. After the break. Ed makes another dedication, this one for a father who lost his son Nathan in the military, and plays I am a Patriot solo electric. Sleeping By Myself is a trainwreck and has to be stopped twice, Ed can’t remember the words, but they make it through eventually. Continuing the dedication theme, Come Back goes out to Dr. Michael Richter. A fan gets the microphone during Breath to sing the last line. During the second break, a crew member named Liz joins the band on stage and everyone sings Happy Birthday to her. Small Town is played to the back. Ed dedicates the first performance of Inside Job since 2013 to Jennifer Jaff, an activist who had recently passed away. Short, restrained We Belong Together tag on Black. Indifference returns to its usual closing spot after being in the middle of the main set at the previous show.

Written by: Paul Wirt

April 16, 2016 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC, USA

Main Set: Corduroy, Go, Animal, Daughter, Glorified G, Dissident, W.M.A., Blood, Rearviewmirror, Rats, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Leash, Indifference, Mind Your Manners, Swallowed Whole, Sirens, Let The Records Play, Spin The Black Circle, Do The Evolution

encore 1: Future Days, Nothingman, Given To Fly, Present Tense, Comfortably Numb, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Breath, Comatose, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed lets the guitar harmonics ring out to open Corduroy, and the crowd is up for it from the beginning, loud on the call and response, leading Ed to exclaim “Live from Greenville, it’s Saturday night!” and mentioning Record Store Day during the breakdown, saying “we’re gonna play some records…” Go and Animal follow, keeping the furious pace up, until Daughter appears next, with no tag or extended jam, and there’s a buzz of recognition in the arena when the next song starts, it’s Glorified G and we’re off, it’s Vs. front to back! Mike pumps his fist at the end of the song, from excitement at the occasion or just getting through the song unscathed, which they do, or both. Matt and Jeff lock down a stellar W.M.A., giving Ed and Mike freedom to let loose. Blood is surprisingly intense for the era, Ed gets growly for the “…one of my fuckin’ enemies…” line, and Mike finishes with a raging solo. Matt caps off the RVM jam with some heroics, with Ed adding the “forgive/forget” improv. He talks about the writing of Small Town prior to playing it, giving full credit to Stone for recognizing the potential of the song, and the crowd is again loud for the “hello.” Ed runs all around the floor during Leash, and teases “alright, so that was it, that was our second record right there…” before Indifference makes a rare mid-set appearance. 4 songs from Lightning Bolt immediately follow, capped off with Let the Records Play into Spin the Black Circle, continuing the Record Store Day theme. Future Days is brought back for the first time since 2014, played with just Ed, Jeff, Matt, and Boom. Mike jumps the gun and starts Given to Fly afterwards, leading to some confusion, and they play Nothingman instead, then Given to Fly, and the payoff is worth it, as he sounds unleashed on Present Tense and Comfortably Numb that follow. Breath is introduced as one “that might be as old as the Temple [of the Dog] songs, too.” The celebration is on late, as the crowd gets another chance to get loud during Better Man, and Mike lets the Ledbetter outro linger, before finishing the night the way it started, with some tender harmonics.

April 13, 2016 – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mind Your Manners, Hail, Hail, Last Exit, Lightning Bolt, Nothingman, Army Reserve, Given To Fly, Rival, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Even Flow, Of The Earth, Glorified G, Unthought Known, Let The Records Play, Spin The Black Circle, Porch

encore 1: I Won't Back Down, I Am A Patriot, Just Breathe, Jeremy, Ghost, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 2: Smile, Once, Black/(Thumbing My Way), State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

Ed counts off the familiar “1-2-3, 4-2-3” lead in to Small Town, a crowd-friendly opening. After a delicate Nothingman, he notes that they’ve never played in Jacksonville before, and talks about veterans, spotlighting (literally) his friend Col. John McDonough, who’s in the crowd, and Army Reserve follows, with Mike’s solo ascending higher and higher. Rival is a surprise, having not been played since 2010, and has a bluesy feel to it. Setting Forth is for “the travellers…Italians, Greeks, the Aussies….” and then sees a South African flag and calls it out as well, and leads right into the new, extended Corduroy. Ed tells a story about Stone and Mike in the old days, and says their kids were born on the same day 9 years ago. Rabid solo by Mike on Even Flow, then Matt takes over before they crash back in to the last chorus, Ed giving the mic to the crowd. Ed prefaces Of the Earth with “this here song’s about having a good seat to the end of the world…” Both songs about vinyl get a spin near the end of the main set. After the break, Ed comes out alone and talks about his “all-time favorite Floridian,” and plays a tense I Won’t Back Down on electric guitar, turning it into a crowd singalong. I Am A Patriot follows, also Ed solo electric. The Fixer is on the original setlist, but scratched in favor of Ghost, a request from Dimitris, Ed saying it’s “…for the Greek!” In the middle of the floor, someone is spotlighted dancing in a pillowcase and Ed asks for the spotlight to be put on them, then changes the lyric to “Dimitris, he talks to me…” Ed praises the crowd’s singing during Evolution, and lets them sing the beginning of Better Man. Smile is played to the back. A fan up front has a sign for Thumbing My Way, Ed notices and shrugs, but it ends up being tagged onto Black! Stone has a long solo on RITFW, and Mike finishes the night off with the Star-Spangled Banner.

April 11, 2016 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL, USA

Main Set: Why Go, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Got Some, Corduroy, Love Boat Captain, Low Light, Red Mosquito, Hard To Imagine, Even Flow, My Father’s Son, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), Getaway, In The Moonlight, Jeremy, Do The Evolution, Blood

encore 1: Pendulum, Off He Goes, Come Back, Lightning Bolt, Lukin, Porch

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Imagine, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Sonic Reducer, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Little Wing

Show Notes:

It’s all rockers to start, until Ed slows it down on the new Corduroy, leading a call and response, asking “…you gonna make us work for it?” Love Boat Captain starts with an upbeat jam intro, without the organ, before going into the song. Ed holds out the last note of Low Light, which garners a huge audience reaction. Red Mosquito is dedicated to Nash. During the intro to a powerful Hard To Imagine, Ed dedicates the song to a fan named Bill who survived brain cancer. My Father’s Son is for “all the dads out there…no no, hope it doesn’t apply, it’s for all the shitty dads out there.” After Getaway, he tells a story about working as a security guard at a fancy hotel, and stealing the keys to fancy cars to take them “for a little spin.” The crowd cheers, but he comments it was a “stupid fuckin’ thing to do.” In the Moonlight is brought back for the first time since 2011, and is dedicated to all the surfers who like to surf at midnight. The famed cow statue, which he says Stone used to have on his amp back in the early years, appears from the crowd, and Ed uses it to intro Blood, saying “this is when you milk a cow for blood…” Beautiful renditions of Pendulum, Off He Goes, and Come Back to start the encore. At the end of “Come Back,” Eddie starts listing hockey teams, including Red Wings, Blackhawks, Rangers and the Penguins, among others, but “none of those guys we named a record after,” referring to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they proceed to play the title track, Lightning Bolt, with a Tesla coil special effect. Small Town is for the back, and during this time, the screens play drone footage of everyone standing and waiting for the show earlier in the day, causing the crowd to erupt. After an explosive Life Wasted, Ed asks to see the Tesla Coil one more time, but it doesn’t go off. At the end of Better Man, Ed smashes his guitar into pieces. Sonic Reducer is loud and fiery. After Baba, Mike plays the opening notes of Yellow Ledbetter and the arena explodes in cheers, but then he stops and goes into Little Wing instead.

April 9, 2016 – American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL, USA

Main Set: Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Mind Your Manners, Save You, Pilate, Dissident, W.M.A., Even Flow, Infallible, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Sad, Down, Tremor Christ, Wishlist, Jeremy, State Of Love And Trust, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Good Woman, Just Breathe, Sleeping By Myself, Comfortably Numb, Sirens, Once, Given To Fly, Porch

encore 2: Soldier Of Love, Spin The Black Circle, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

The night kicks off with a charging Corduroy. Stone and Jeff shine during the early set mainstays, Do the Evolution, Save You and Dissident. Ed welcomes the crowd and recognizes that this is the band’s first Miami show in over 20 years before launching into Pilate. Before the first full performance of W.M.A. since 2012, Ed apologizes for the late set start time due to “traffic”, but reassures the crowd that the venue’s curfew is set up for a “late night town.” Ed thanks Dead Moon for writing It’s O.K. A spirited Sad makes its tour debut, followed by Down, both songs making their first appearance in nearly 2 years. The show takes a comical turn during the lead up to Tremor Christ, as Ed sees two fans in the front row with the song written on their foreheads and adds it to the setlist, joking “no chance in hell these guys are getting laid tonight.” High-flying rockers SOLAT and RVM close out the main set before Ed returns to kick off the encore with a solo acoustic rendition of “Good Woman” by Cat Power, the first time he’s performed it at a PJ show. Next up, Ed dedicates Just Breathe to a friend and community member who had just lost his wife to breast cancer. The crowd continues singing Sirens after the song is over and they play a little full band reprise of it. The intense Porch jam goes on for over 4 minutes, Mike soloing like a madman then Stone takes over and finishes it off. The band returns for the second encore with the first Soldier of Love since 2010 (performed for the audience situated behind the band). Ed brings out Kevin Shuss and has the crowd sing Happy Birthday to him. Matt bashes through the end of the Black solo, adding some intensity, then Ed brings it down quiet with some improv lyrics, stretching the song past 8 minutes. Mark Zupan, captain of the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team, is brought on stage to share in the Rockin’ in the Free World jam with a tambourine, and Ed triumphantly concludes the show by slamming his microphone stand on the stage.

Written by Jeff Benanto

April 8, 2016 – BB&T Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

Main Set: Go, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Help Help, Deep, Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Severed Hand, Unthought Known, Sirens, Surrender, Even Flow, Amongst The Waves, I Am Mine, Swallowed Whole, Who You Are, Do The Evolution, Why Go

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Last Kiss, Footsteps, Black, Comatose, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 2: Light Years, Better Man, Alive, Baba O'Riley, I Am A Patriot, Indifference

Show Notes:

With little fanfare, the band walks to their instruments, fiddle through the intro to Go and then roar into the song with an eruption of sound and green light, and just like that, the tour has begun. Ed teases the audience early with, “I can hear you, but barely!” As Corduroy rips through, the crowd answers, taking over a verse. Mike is burning through guitar picks like notes, filling the fans’ treat bags early and often. Help, Help makes its first appearance since 2011. After Small Town, Ed tells a funny story about brushing his teeth in his hotel room, saying “toothpaste with flavor crystals…it might not just be flavor crystals, it might be a little more…” Ed announces that it’s Mike’s birthday and the crowd decides to do an impromptu Happy Birthday singalong, but Ed stops them, imploring “if you are going to do it…all together!” and then the crowd and band sing Happy Birthday. Ed continues: “When you are Mike McCready…you get Cheap Trick to play at your birthday party!” With this, the band plays a little over a minute of Surrender, the first time they have done so, and then follow up with a fantastic version of Even Flow. Mike’s guitar work is on fire here, taking center stage. After I Am Mine, Ed acknowledges some of the local adult establishments nearby, saying “We’re just trying to be as good as the fucking Booby Trap!” Who You Are is bumpy but they find their groove. After the break, Ed hits both ends of the age gap, as he points out a 5-year-old and two gentlemen, Frank and Joe, who are 90 and 91. Band is seated for Yellow Moon and Footsteps, then Last Kiss is played to the back. Mike comes in scorching on the Black solo, the long quiet outro captivating the crowd, but Ed wakes them back up with “a loud one,” Comatose. Mike kicks into overdrive on Porch, with Jeff showing off his ninja lantern-dodging skills and Ed leaning down to the rail. After the break, Ed addresses the recent loss of friend and crew member Tim “Scully” Quinlan, leading to an emotional Light Years. House lights come on for Baba and stay on through the rest of the show. Ed comments how there are more veterans in Florida than anywhere else in the country, and bemoans the lack of care and support they receive when they return. I Am A Patriot is played solo acoustic, the first performance since the Vote for Change tour in 2004. Mike breaks out the bow for Indifference, closing the opening night of the tour.

November 28, 2015 – Foro Sol, Mexico City, MEX

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Garden, Even Flow, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), I Want You So Hard, Sirens, Given To Fly, You Are, Lightning Bolt, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Sleeping By Myself, Imagine, Comfortably Numb, Animal, Save You, Faithfull, Black, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The 2015 tour ends in Mexico City with a proper send off. The crowd is ready to explode from the outset, and a back-to-back Pendulum and Release opener only builds the tension. Small Town feels more like a large city singing along, and the pot finally boils over during Why Go and Do The Evolution, prompting Ed to scream “Hola, Mexico!!!!” Speaking in broken Spanish, he says “We are well and this is the last night of the tour.” After Even Flow, he intimates “…this is a great crowd…it’s like surfing…great waves.” Daughter is next, and the It’s O.K. tag is sung in both Spanish and English. The band then breaks into a cover of I Want You So Hard by Eagles of Death Metal for the 3rd and final time to date, a tribute to those impacted by the Paris attacks. Lightning Bolt features a nice little jam at the end. Matt is on fire during the RVM jam, pounding and bashing throughout. After the break, Ed introduces Throw Your Arms Around Me as “a request for newlyweds.” The ukelele is brought out, Ed stating “[it’s] shy and small and doesn’t want to come out in front of a lot of people.” Imagine is played to honor both John Lennon and the victims of the Paris attack once again. The stadium is once again ready to boil over with energy after a soaring Comfortably Numb, and the pop happens this time with Animal in an unusual encore spot. Ed follows by saying “We got a nice letter from a little 12-year-old girl from Atlanta…where we made many records. She wrote that she has the best dad. That is her favorite song, and she said her dad was at this show and she wanted to dedicate that song to him. That was Rebecca writing for her dad, Michael. She is a pretty cool kid with a pretty good dad.” Faithfull is played for a young woman in the front who has a flag requesting the song, Ed adding “We’re going to change the program for the woman right there.” Ed drops out during the Porch intro to acknowledge the crowd, who’s singing every note, a powerful moment. After Jeremy, Ed wishes Matt a happy birthday and leads the crowd in singing to him. More palpable energy from the crowd as they almost drown Ed out during the Better Man intro. Ed leaves by saying “this is the end…gracias…we’ll go home with this in our hearts, and our suitcases, and in our minds. Thank you everyone for tonight. It’s really hard to leave. Thank you so much,” before Yellow Ledbetter closes the show and the year.

Written by: Justin Goulet

September 26, 2015 – Central Park, New York City, NY, USA

Main Set: Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Unthought Known, Better Man, Alive, Redemption Song, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

Ed greets the crowd with a “Good evening…I think a toast is in order, here’s to New York City, here’s to Central Park, here’s to you,” before hitting the ground running with Mind Your Manners and Do The Evolution. Before launching into Given to Fly, Ed says, “Hey, this one’s for Malala” (referencing Malala Yousafzai who had been on stage just prior to Pearl Jam). Before a beautiful Unthought Known, Ed tells the story of how the song was written:

Just so happens that four or five years back, between about 4 or 5 in the morning, overlooking Central Park right over there in that corner…I was still awake at four in the morning and I saw the most beautiful evening sky over Central Park, the streets were empty, the stars were out which was very rare, I’d never seen it. and then, and then, I should have been gettin’ some sleep but I started scribbling lyrics and it felt like you couldn’t walk out of there, I couldn’t go to sleep because there was magic happening in front of me…and um…and then I got to see the sun rise over this beautiful part of this great city. And when I woke up in the morning, I thought it was just going to be a bunch of scribble and uh, which it was, but I was actually able to record a bit of it and and it was kind of nice to play it back and it wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever done…it could never capture what I saw that night but to have the opportunity to play it in the middle of the thing that inspired it is something I would have never anticipated.

Stone starts to play the opening lick to Alive, and then Ed promptly stops him, saying I just wanted to say something before he played that song. You know this is really an incredible experience, because you’re surrounded by all these incredible activists on stage, in the back, world leaders, heads of business, people who have chosen to become resolved and decide to make change, but never before have we played for an audience full, 100% full of activists, and it’s an incredible feeling and we just want to thank you for making this wave of hope that can ride and it can grow and I hope it smashes on the shore of cynicism and apathy and we make global poverty…that in the near future, we make global poverty a thing of the past…so, uh, thanks for having us here, it’s been a blast…

Ed unsuccessfully tries to lead the crowd in the “yeah” (fist pumping) chant during what was an incredible solo by Mike, perhaps due to their inexperience (by PJ standards). After a short break, Ed comes out with an acoustic guitar and gives a very heartfelt tribute to John Lennon before playing Imagine. Beyoncé is introduced as the crowd erupts, and they play Redemption Song, its first appearance at a PJ show since 1995! During the bridge, Ed continues strumming while Beyoncé does some improvisational scatting and a video of Nelson Mandela’s famous “Make Poverty History” speech plays in the background. Ed thanks Hugh Evans, the organizer of the festival, and invites “everybody that wants to come play, come play, good night, this is it!” and as the band launches into Rockin’ in the Free World, the stage fills up with people, including Sir Richard Branson, Kerry Washington, Olivia Wilde and so many more, with Stone getting a real kick out of one-time Seattle resident Bill Nye fanning his fingers during the solo.

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