Pearl Jam California Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in California

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May 16, 2022 – Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA, USA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Wishlist, Daughter/(Improv), Don’t Gimme No Lip, Once, Why Go, Even Flow, Garden, Black, Eruption, Animal, Quick Escape, Throw Your Hatred Down, Purple Rain, Porch

encore 1: Jeremy, Deep, State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Despite it being the first night with no Ed preset, this third Matt Cameron-less show is promised to be a special one by Josh Klinghoffer multiple times before the band hits the stage. After Small Town with Josh on drums…

Show Notes: 

Despite it being the first night with no Ed preset, this third Matt Cameron-less show is promised to be a special one by Josh Klinghoffer multiple times before the band hits the stage. After Small Town with Josh on drums (continuing the streak of unique openers this tour) and Given To Fly, Ed reveals that he is battling a stomach flu and hasn’t felt this bad since Neil Young replaced him in San Francisco back in 1995, but promises to power through. He says that “this one’s certainly different” and that while Cameron is making strides to get back, “we’ve got another surprise for you later…” Prior to Corduroy, Ed points out a woman who’s at her 100th show, and that Rob Bleetstein (from Pearl Jam Radio) is at his 300th show, adding “I’ve only been to a few more than that,” and plays a short improv about having friends in Fresno. He repeats “it’s okay” in the Daughter tag, but without the change in key that indicates the Dead Moon cover. Stone gets the microphone, who prefaces Don’t Gimme No Lip with “…we played this backstage so hopefully it’s alright.” Afterwards, Ed talks about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, adding

“The part that was most rewarding was seeing some old bandmates, we had our friend come out from Seattle, we only played a couple of songs, but when this all went down with Matt the other day, we started thinking about all the other people that…we’ve been through some great drummers [laughs], some of the best, and we have the best currently, but, you know that first record seems to be a record that affected so many people, and our friend that was playing drums at that time, the amount of shows that he got to play with us was fairly limited. Well, it looks like this week we’re going to get to make up for that…ladies and gentlemen, on the drum kit, Mr. Dave Krusen!”

This kicks off a mini-set of Ten tracks, including a nice moment after Even Flow when Ed gets up on the drum riser and gives Dave a fist bump. Mike’s solo on Black is majestic. Afterwards, Ed asks Mike if he has any drummer transition music, which cues Eruption and Richard Stuverud’s entrance. Ed introduces Throw Your Hatred Down by shouting out Jack Irons and commenting on the mass shooting in Buffalo and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court leak, saying

“Pro-life people should be anti-gun, and then they could save more lives”

Ed asks Josh to come out and sing the next song, leading to the live debut of Purple Rain. Ed starts the first verse and then Josh takes over. It also features a Mike solo that lives up to all expectations. Following, Ed remarks “…that song makes you wanna…fuck” and that Prince’s estate might have to be responsible for paying child support if his songs draw people to have sex and women are forced to give birth. He proposes a “sex embargo,” adding “think about it, ladies…sex embargo.” Krusen returns for Porch to end the main set and stays on after the break. Ed says that he’s spent a lot of time in Fresno over the last 5 years and that it’s his “new favorite place on Earth.” Following Jeremy, Ed comments on Krusen’s playing, saying that he’s “tripping balls tonight” and hearing him play the songs the way he does takes him back to being in the basement in 1991, adding

“Drummers are like fingerprints or snowflakes. They’re all different, all of us are different.”

He goes on to tell the backstory behind Deep, a sunny day that got a little dark when he noticed a guy shooting up in a third floor window and didn’t know whether he’d nod off out of it or into the apartment. With Krusen’s fast count in, the intro of the song is quite the flashback in itself. Mike adds a little tease of War Pigs at the end of the Alive solo. Stuverud returns to the kit for Baba O’Riley, Jeff goes up on the drum riser and they have a moment together. As Ed shouts out all of the band members before Yellow Ledbetter closes, Mike adds a simple “how about Ed tonight?” A well-deserved recognition towards Ed’s perseverance towards making this historic night possible. Ed finishes off the night saying “I won’t forget this one.”

May 13, 2022 – Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA, USA

Main Set: Long Road, Given To Fly, Once, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Throw Your Hatred Down, Quick Escape, Dissident, W.M.A., Mind Your Manners, Brain Of J., Low Light, Even Flow, Immortality, Do The Evolution, State Of Love And Trust, Seven O’Clock, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Bee Girl, Smile, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Porch, Alive, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

Night 2 without Matt Cameron opens with Klinghoffer on drums and a deliberate Long Road, Ed gives a quick dedication “to Gretchen.” Following Once, Ed calls Matt a “legend” and we learn that he’s still in Arizona after his positive…

Show Notes: 

Night 2 without Matt Cameron opens with Klinghoffer on drums and a deliberate Long Road, Ed gives a quick dedication “to Gretchen.” Following Once, Ed calls Matt a “legend” and we learn that he’s still in Arizona after his positive COVID test, Ed says that this show is dedicated to him. No new intro for Corduroy here, it’s Interstellar Overdrive instead. All the uncertainty of the previous night seems to be gone, they look confident and charged up. Richard Stuverud again joins on the kit for Throw Your Hatred Down, with a very cool breakdown at the end, even throwing in a little Ziggy Stardust. Before Quick Escape, Ed says “this one’s about life on Mars too…,” and it also has an extended solo section. Dissident is introduced as an old one, “one we haven’t played in a while, so let’s see if we get it right.” Stuverud begins the W.M.A. intro and to everyone’s surprise it’s full W.M.A., the first time since Greenville 2016! There’s an extended drum outro as well, pounding drums, a standout performance. Ed is visibly angry, pacing around in a circle, he kicks over an amp and hurls his wine bottle across the stage. A 17-year-old drummer named Kai Neukermans is introduced and joins for Mind Your Manners before Josh returns to the kit for Brain of J. After Even Flow, Ed is still worked up, saying

“I’m still mad that we were divided at the beginning [of the pandemic], not united…fuck you…fuck you…FUCK YOU….FUCK YOU!”

Seven O’Clock is only the second Gigaton song of the night and third post-2000 song, this is a heavy 90’s set, perhaps reflecting Ed’s frame of mind. Rearviewmirror FINALLY makes an appearance on the tour, Ed talks about Steve Gleason beforehand. Smile is played to the back. Boom gets a shoutout leading into Crazy Mary, which has a killer back and forth Mike and Boom duel. Ed is pacing around the stage again during Porch. Stuverud is absolutely rocking out on Baba, standing up at the kit and pounding away. Ed closes the show with “…love to Matt, we love you…goodnight, goodbye, until next time. Shaka.”

May 12, 2022 – Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA, USA

Main Set: Rockin’ In The Free World, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Corduroy, Quick Escape, Superblood Wolfmoon, Nothingman, Even Flow, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Black, Do The Evolution, Daughter/(Long May You Run), Not For You/(Modern Girl), Seven O’Clock, Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Lukin, Animal, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The band opens with Rockin’ in the Free World, it’s rumored that Neil is in attendance, although he does not come out on stage. RITFW has never been used as an opener before! The house lights are up, Klinghoffer is…

Show Notes: 

The band opens with Rockin’ in the Free World, it’s rumored that Neil is in attendance, although he does not come out on stage. RITFW has never been used as an opener before! The house lights are up, Klinghoffer is on drums, and after Small Town, Ed addresses the crowd, revealing that Matt Cameron tested positive for COVID the day before:

“Even his superhero status couldn’t prevent him from testing positive.” 

He adds that they are lucky to have Josh, the Shohei Ohtani of the band, filling in for him. During Corduroy, Ed references Cameron, saying “…everyfuckinthing’s changed!” Josh heads back over behind Mike’s amp, and Ed introduces RNDM drummer and longtime friend Richard Stuverud, saying they called him yesterday,

“He was in the middle of teaching a music class, we said, ‘Hey, do you want to come play with Pearl Jam tomorrow?’ He said ‘I’ll call you back, I gotta go change my pants.’

After Superblood Wolfmoon, Ed tells a story about Jeff and Richard doing some writing and demoing in between Vs. and Vitalogy at Reciprocal Recording, they invited Ed down and he drove down in a ‘64 Plymouth, they played Nothingman and he got a cassette of it afterwards, saying he drove home listening to it, screaming along at the top of his lungs, and asks for the crowd’s help to scream along tonight. Stuverud takes a short drum solo during Even Flow and Mike is extra flashy during the outro. Ed points out a sign that reads “Last time I saw Pearl Jam, I wasn’t born yet,” then mentions a recent story about a woman giving birth on the side stage at a Metallica show during Enter Sandman, joking that they almost ended up naming their child James Ulrich or Sandman. Klinghoffer is back on the kit for GTF. After Evolution, Ed makes mention to the Bridge School benefit, and says

“…NEXT time we play the Bridge School…I hear rumors…good ones…” 

He gives a shout out to the families and teachers and artists who all put in their time playing the Bridge School, and mentions Amber Jean Young, who just had her first art exhibit and is raising money for ovarian cancer. She named her gallery after Pegi Young. Ed calls Daughter a “dark” song, and Neil’s “Long May You Run” is tagged for the first time. He makes a reference to a show back in 1973 where Keith Moon passed out twice at a Who show, and they asked if anyone could play. Ed asks anyone in the crowd if they can play drums and a fan is spotlighted, everyone around him pointing at him. Ed sees him, and says they are going to test him and bring him back in the encore. He continues, saying the Oakland A’s were the coolest team in the 70’s, and names just about every member of their World Series roster. Stuverud joins the band again during Seven O’Clock. Jeremy has a little bit of a funky guitar riff before the bass comes in, and Stuverud plays it a little slower than usual.

In the encore, Ed asks for another bottle and passes it into the crowd, mentioning that they can’t share the bottle together, “we’re not going to make this a wine tasting superspreader event,” but solo cups are broken out and everyone can enjoy a drink. Ed gives a nod to the audience, calling them the best crowd yet on the tour. Klinghoffer is back on drums for Better Man, and Ed messes around in the tag, speaking somewhat unintelligibly, but compliments the entire band. Tons of Townshend windmills from Ed. He references the Metallica story again and says:

“If you’re having a baby now, you’d have to name it… Lukin!”

Stuverud returns for Animal, making its tour debut. There’s a massive ending build at the end of Baba that gets wild, and Ed holds out a lengthy note at the end. He says his goodbyes afterward, making a point to thank Josh and Richard, and then says “we have one more drummer tonight…,” inviting out the fan from earlier, Josh Arroyo, to play Yellow Ledbetter. He’s wearing the “Krusen&Chamberlain&Abbruzzese&Irons&Cameron” shirt, and Ed jokes that he’ll have to add his own name to it. The lucky fan lives out a dream, doing an excellent job on the drums. Ed even looks back, visibly impressed, and Arroyo gets to take a bow with the band at the end.

May 7, 2022 – The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Main Set: Release, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Low Light, Quick Escape, Take The Long Way, Even Flow, Seven O’Clock, Immortality, Cold Day In The Sun, Daughter, Unthought Known, Glorified G, Lukin, I Believe In Miracles, Garden, Mind Your Manners, Porch

encore 1: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Jeremy, Leash, Alive, Indifference

Show Notes:

Walking out for the pre-set, Ed gives a shout out to the fans on the rail for having a “long day” and asking them if they camped out at the venue, saying they’ve been through a lot. He hands out…

Show Notes: 

Walking out for the pre-set, Ed gives a shout out to the fans on the rail for having a “long day” and asking them if they camped out at the venue, saying they’ve been through a lot. He hands out blank slips of paper, and says write down whatever you want to hear, as long as it’s on the “master list” we’ll give it a shot. On the list are Brother, Severed Hand, Blood, Untitled/MFC, Tremor Christ, Breakerfall, Unthought Known, Angel, Glorified G, You Are, Strangest Tribe, Fatal, and Marker in the Sand.

Lots of Yield early, after Evolution, Ed says “live from The Forum it’s Saturday night!” Ed holds on that last line in Low Light for what feels like an eternity. Afterwards, Ed points to Stone’s side and says he’s getting an “edible” vibe from them. He adds that the next song, Quick Escape, is about interplanetary travel, but it’s not “Life On Mars,” making a David Bowie reference, and that we may have to live there one day because we’re destroying our own planet. He mentions certain billionaires, saying that for every dollar they get for space travel, they should match it for putting it back into saving the beauty and environment of Mother Earth. Quick Escape’s solo continues to be one of the most powerful moments of the Gigaton tour so far, with Mike holding his head back and firing away. Take the Long Way has a little extra guitar fire from Mike to kick it off. Before Even Flow, Ed continues the story of the homeless man named Eddie he talked about during the Home Shows in 2018:

“He had a shopping cart with a globe inside, he’d spin the globe and look at all the places he’d never get to. We came back from a tour once and he was gone. No one knew and it sort of went right through the cracks. People don’t understand any of the lyrics, but Eddie I was talking about you.”

Ed hypes up the crowd before getting into the chorus by shouting “Sing it for Eddie! Sing it for Eddie!” Mike’s Immortality solo is electrifying, he’s losing his mind, so much so that it looks like he’s having a conniption on stage! Big powerful ending, with the band huddling around a dominant Matt Cameron. Ed mentions that some folks here tonight are some of the most important people in our lives, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and meeting Stone and Jeff through Jack Irons after he was a Chili Pepper. He shouts out Chad Smith who’s on the side stage, and says they’re thinking about Taylor Hawkins, adding that he was someone that truly loved living on this planet, the one thing we can be consoled by is that he never wasted a moment. Ed introduces Mark Guiliana to play drums as Matt Cameron grabs a guitar and steps to the microphone to sing Taylor’s Foo Fighters song Cold Day In The Sun! Chad Smith is seen playing tambourine. An amazing tribute, with Matt’s vocals sounding pristine. Big hugs all around at the end for this emotional performance. After Daughter, Ed asks for the list of songs that the fans created before the show started, “after going through all of the hassle and having the cops think there were all these homeless people outside, you’re giving me a list! Alright we got a plan, and this is a very intelligent choice.” Unthought Known is the first choice, after which Ed mentions how Sean Penn is out helping people in the Ukraine. Before the next request, he talks about Dave Chappelle getting tackled on stage, the person who tackled him had a knife hidden in a fake gun, leading to Glorified G. Great crowd response from the front that makes Ed turn the mic around to give them the moment to sing back. Ed runs out of gas by the end of Lukin, but the band gets right back on the horse with an I Believe In Miracles cover. Garden is very heavy, lots of weight behind it.

After the break, Ed channels his inner Taylor Hawkins with some call and response moments, and then says you should sing in the shower with me. He asks for someone to fetch him his sparkly jacket from his dressing room, saying “that lady has a sparkly jacket and I’m not about to be outdone by that bitch!” The jacket is acquired and then he talks about equal pay and diversity in Hollywood, and goes on a long rant defending Bill Murray. The Save It For Later tag has almost the full song lyrics. Small Town is played for the back, with a lyric change, “…lifetimes are catching up with ALL OF US!” Midway through, he asks for the band to speed it up a bit. The house lights come up for Jeremy. Ed dedicates Leash to COVID-19 saying “fuck you COVID-19! Leash is an excellent surprise, no “lucky face” phrasing. Mike ripping another song apart. Ed dribbles a basketball around the stage during Alive then tosses it to the crowd. Indifference closes out the night.

May 6, 2022 – The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Main Set: Of The Girl, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Superblood Wolfmoon, Corduroy, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Faithfull, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Buckle Up, Even Flow, Never Destination, Down, Nothingman, Present Tense, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), Porch

encore 1: State Of Love And Trust, Wishlist, Do The Evolution, Black/(We Belong Together), Alive, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

A relaxed Of The Girl opens, setting the tone for a fun Friday night in LA. After Superblood Wolfmoon, Ed says: “I was gonna tell a story but I wanna just keep playing. I’m not gonna tell any jokes tonight…

Show Notes: 

A relaxed Of The Girl opens, setting the tone for a fun Friday night in LA. After Superblood Wolfmoon, Ed says:

“I was gonna tell a story but I wanna just keep playing. I’m not gonna tell any jokes tonight so don’t anybody even THINK about walking up here and hitting me!”

After Corduroy, he tells a story about driving up from San Diego to the Forum for Pink Floyd’s The Wall show. His buddy forgot the tickets at home, forcing Ed to sit in the parking lot for the whole show. Quick Escape is wild, it continues to be the standout live Gigaton song. Faithfull is played for the first time since 2016. During Not For You’s breakdown, Ed comments on the Roe situation and says:

“I think if you’re a girl or woman out there, and the guy you’re going out with … and you’re thinking about maybe going all the way with… I think that if that guy is not pro-choice, then he shouldn’t be allowed to fuck you!”

Dave Krusen is in attendance, Ed says we love you and you’re always a part of this group. Mike channels his inner Eddie Van Halen on Even Flow’s solo, thrashing around like a madman and putting on an absolute display. Ed mentions Howard Zinn, followed of course by Down, Mike with a very poppy, refreshing solo. Something happens in the crowd during Present Tense that Ed pauses mid-song to address, while Mike keeps the riff going. Present Tense has a powerful ending, with the band completely synced up. Who Ever Said has the Satisfaction tag again, sounding more like Devo than the Rolling Stones. Ed warms up with some Pete Townshend windmills before strumming into Porch. Another excellent McCready moment, shredding during the solo down near the pit and running laps alongside them. After the break, during State of Love and Trust, Ed runs off the stage, forcing the band to keep playing, leading to an extensive solo. He comes back on the stage with a new shirt. The band flips around to play one to the back, it’s Wishlist, we haven’t seen this one in this spot before, it’s always been Last Kiss or Small Town or Smile. Black is an out of this world performance with a long, powerful solo, Mike wailing soulfully at the end, with Ed improv lyrics about good and bad. He tells a story about a guy named Dave and his brother who, after an Earthlings show, found out that he had a tumor in his brain. After surgery, he had a difficult time getting his motor skills back, but was able to muster up the words:

“We’re not missing that fucking Pearl Jam show”

Dave is shown in the crowd, and gets an amazing ovation. Mike goes down to play the Alive solo towards the floor as Ed tosses tambourines into the crowd. After Alive, the band takes off their instruments and waves goodbye to the crowd, it seems like the end, but they quickly regroup for Yellow Ledbetter to end the evening.

May 3, 2022 – Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA, USA

Main Set: Oceans, Retrograde, Never Destination, Corduroy, Dance of the Clairvoyants, Amongst The Waves, Even Flow, Who Ever Said/((I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction), Quick Escape, Long Road, Given To Fly, Superblood Wolfmoon, Daughter/(In My Tree), Seven O'Clock, Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: Lightning Bolt, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, River Cross, Footsteps, Once, Alive

Show Notes:

This was the first of the rescheduled 2020 shows and the first North American arena show since May of 2016. After Never Destination, Ed greets the crowd and says “Well, thank you for your patience,” followed by a standing ovation…

Show Notes: 

This was the first of the rescheduled 2020 shows and the first North American arena show since May of 2016. After Never Destination, Ed greets the crowd and says “Well, thank you for your patience,” followed by a standing ovation from the crowd. Corduroy has an interesting riffy lead-in that had never been played before. After Dance of the Clairvoyants, Ed talks about paying tribute to the history connected with the band in San Diego:

Because of our location…we’re choosing songs that have something to do with the ocean…even if they don’t mention it in the words…well half of ‘em were written in the ocean anyway.

During Amongst The Waves, Ed points out to a crowd member and asks for people to help them out. Who Ever Said is especially tight, synth sounds amazing from Klinghoffer. Who Ever Said has a Rolling Stones “Satisfaction” tag, the first instance in Pearl Jam history. Ed pays tribute to Taylor Hawkins before Quick Escape:

You put all of these lights together and they still wouldn’t match up to the light that poured from within that guy. He emitted something very special. I’m so mad for your loss. But it just gives us another chance to say how much we appreciated you as well. 

There’s a request from a guy named Mike whose brother Stan died in a 2016 accident, Ed says he can relate – his brothers and mom and uncle and nephews are here tonight:

We lost a brother…four of us boys…and a sister in Texas…we lost him pretty quick, and it fucked us up…but we got through it together. Last time we played here, he was working up in the rigging. That was the penultimate time I saw him, last time was my 50th. There’s a plaque here up in the rafters with his name on it” 

This leads to a rare main set version of Long Road. Lights up on cell phones in the crowd. Ed says near the end “I’ll save you a seat”. GTF has the lyric “…came to San Diego, smoked a joint in a tree…,” after which Ed talks about teachers, joking that Stevie Ray Vaughan was Mike’s guitar teacher. Ed’s guitar teacher is in attendance, he can’t see him face to face because of COVID protocol, so he guides the spotlight to him. He jokes “I’m not gonna talk this much at the other shows…this feels like home so…” The Daughter tag is In My Tree (!), followed by a call and response. Ed talks about Jeff and Stone playing together for 39 years, says they should do a podcast together about it, and jokes that they never thought they’d live to 39. He tells a story about bullying leading into Jeremy, saying the song was somewhat based on things he witnessed in junior high school in the area. Porch closes the set, with Ed reflecting light into the crowd on his guitar pickguard.

After the break, Ed says he’s sorry he couldn’t visit all the people he knows here, and says Jeff is the smart one because he has a house in San Diego now. He mentions some local record stores, and continues, talking about his high school:

The proximity of my high school to the ocean pretty much guaranteed you weren’t gonna graduate. (jokingly mocking) Now kids, don’t leave school or you’ll turn into drug dealers and addicts…or…or…Republicans!

Prior to Lightning Bolt, Ed tells a story about having trouble writing the chorus to the song:

I had my headphones on and my notebook, and I was so close I had written the whole fucking song. But I couldn’t come up with the line of the chorus. It was like… she’s a what? I just couldn’t figure out what the fuck she was and I wasn’t going to give up. Then my phone buzzed and it must’ve been from Hawaii, and I looked at it but couldn’t answer it because I was singing. I looked over and it was a call from Gerry Lopez (surfer). And I was like that’s it! She’s a Lightning Bolt!

Nice jam at the end of Lightning Bolt with the lighting effects resembling shooting stars. After the song, Ed spotlights his mom in the crowd, mentioning she went to SDSU undergrad in 1989, and graduated with her Masters in 1992. Elderly Woman is played for the back of the audience. River Cross is played with the full band, intensely powerful with Ed emoting while playing on pump organ. Midway through, a Ukrainian flag goes up on the big screen. The reverse Mamasan Trilogy, Footsteps, Once, and Alive, closes out the night, the first time it’s been done in this order since 2011! Karen Vedder is shown fist pumping to Alive. Ed closes out the show thanking Jack Irons and then Stone and Jeff, adding “catch some good waves, keep this place beautiful…we love you.”

Big thank you to Aaron Redmond, Brooke Krause and Amy Cook Lancaster for providing  updates throughout the night!

October 2, 2021 – Ohana Encore Festival, Dana Point, CA, USA

Main Set: Superblood Wolfmoon, All Night, Last Exit, Lukin, Corduroy, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Wishlist/(Waiting On A Friend), Given To Fly, Seven O'Clock, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Even Flow, Take The Long Way, Unthought Known, Daughter, Once, Black, Again Today, Smile, Porch

encore 1: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

Pearl Jam gets right down to business on the final night of Ohana with a series of 7 straight rockers, starting with Superblood Wolfmoon through Quick Escape (the gem of the live Gigaton songs so far, so much energy and…

Show Notes: 

Pearl Jam gets right down to business on the final night of Ohana with a series of 7 straight rockers, starting with Superblood Wolfmoon through Quick Escape (the gem of the live Gigaton songs so far, so much energy and power). Before Lukin, Ed talks about the recent laws being passed in Texas, and how women’s rights are being affected. Wishlist has the Rolling Stones’ Waiting on a Friend tag again, and in a very touching moment, Given to Fly is dedicated to Mikey, a 15 year old with EB who is in attendance. Seven O’Clock is another Gigaton highlight (as Ed mentioned during night 1, it’s “a song with a lot of words,” and this night he nails it). Crowd is UP for Not For You. For the second night in a row, Mike crushes the Even Flow solo, including playing a few measures with his teeth again. Take The Long Way returns, a tight, compact performance, and it’s followed by a beautiful Unthought Known (made even more beautiful by the surroundings). No Daughter tag, just an inspired call and response. Brandi Carlile joins the band for the second time on this tour, for the cover of her song Again Today. After the break, Boom is quietly playing Wasted Reprise in the background, and Ed speaks about how special the festival was this year, mentioning several local folks who helped make it all happen, including the Mayor of Dana Point, who played a role in helping evacuate Afghan refugees during the recent turmoil. Life Wasted and a high-energy version of Alive follow. The band ends the show with a version of Rockin’ in the Free World that has perhaps the most bizarre group of special guests ever assembled on stage with the band: Andrew Watt, Sleater-Kinney, Kelly Slater, Randy Johnson, Chad Smith, John McEnroe, Mikey (the aforementioned 15 year old), Taylor Hawkins, Patti Smith, Brandi Carlile and Tim Robbins. The jam climaxes with Taylor and Matt both pounding the living daylights out of the kit, and Chad Smith eventually joins in on the fun.

October 1, 2021 – Ohana Encore Festival, Dana Point, CA, USA

Main Set: Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Dance Of The Clairvoyants. Never Destination, Do The Evolution, I Am Mine, Buckle Up, Even Flow, Seven O'Clock, Nothingman, State Of Love And Trust, Who Ever Said, Sweet Lew, Better Man/(People Have The Power), Rearviewmirror

encore 1: River Cross, Garden, Why Go, Alive, All Along The Watchtower, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Low Light opener is a little unexpected, after Gigaton-heavy opens both shows prior. Matt drives a gentle rhythm. Ed mentions how getting back out playing has taken a little getting used to the last couple of shows, but seeing everyone…

Show Notes: 

Low Light opener is a little unexpected, after Gigaton-heavy opens both shows prior. Matt drives a gentle rhythm. Ed mentions how getting back out playing has taken a little getting used to the last couple of shows, but seeing everyone has made them feel comfortable. Dance of the Clairvoyants is the first Gigaton track of the night and continues to groove, with Stone playing fluid bass, Mike’s guitar riff sounding electrifying, and Josh adding color on synths and backing vocals. The band sounds crisp and in sync on Never Destination, with Ed delivering a passionate vocal. After a strong Do the Evolution which featured two succinct, funk-flared solos from Stone, Ed talks about being concerned for everyone’s well-being and safety, remarking how great it’s been to see everyone again, and how well everyone has been treating one another and how reassuring it’s been to them. He introduces the next song as being written by Stone, saying both he and Mike just had anniversaries, and it’s a rare occasion that all the spouses are in attendance, and Buckle Up is debuted. Even Flow is paced well by Jeff and Matt, leading into a blistering Mike solo, which has him playing with his pick in his mouth. Seven O’Clock is next, as the Gigaton songs are more sprinkled throughout the set tonight. Nothingman is a crowd pleaser, with everyone singing at the top of their lungs during the “into the sun” chorus. SOLAT follows with Stone, Jeff, and Mike delivering a classic performance.  Mike stretches out the solo when Ed misses his entry point to the final verse. Who Ever Said is the second debut of the evening, and sounds crisp and well-rehearsed. Ed is animated throughout, and reaches a fervent peak in the second verse. The deep cut of the night is next, with Ed saying “every once in a while, with a little push, Jeff can be persuaded to sing this one,” leading to Sweet Lew. Jeff is decked out in a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Western Conference All-Star basketball jersey. Ed and Josh alternate between providing backing vocals on the chorus and dribbling basketballs. Better Man is tagged with People Have the Power again. The main set is punctuated by an absolutely ferocious Rearviewmirror, Mike throws himself to his knees at his pedal board for the bulk of his solo as Jeff, Matt, and Stone gather at the drum riser to set a groove-filled pocket for him, just a thunderous show stopper. The encore begins with Ed mentioning that we were picking out a few songs, and we think you’ll really like them, but first we ask for your indulgence on a little prayer. Ed waltzes over to the pump organ as the rest of the band takes a seat, and River Cross is finally debuted, played by the full band. Garden is a surprise setlist addition and sounds wonderful, tight and full, Mike colors his solos in spectacular fashion. Alive is next, met with a mix of excitement and confusion as it was still early in the evening. As the last verse is delivered, Ed says “…it feels different singing these words than it did before…” Mike starts Yellow Ledbetter before Ed waves him off, Josh joins at the front of the stage with his guitar, and the band launches into All Along the Watchtower. Yellow Ledbetter closes the night with Mike providing a thoughtful, less bombastic solo.

September 26, 2021 – Ohana Festival, Dana Point, CA, USA

Main Set: Retrograde, Dance Of The Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Seven O'Clock, Corduroy, Alright, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Red Mosquito, Superblood Wolfmoon, I Got Id, Even Flow, Immortality, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Better Man

encore 1: Let Me Sleep, Black, Crazy Mary, Alive

Show Notes:

Pearl Jam’s second show back is the proverbial exclamation point on the weekend’s festivities, closing Ohana on a Sunday night. It feels like the band is eager to perform their new songs and this night drove that point home firmly,…

Show Notes: 

Pearl Jam’s second show back is the proverbial exclamation point on the weekend’s festivities, closing Ohana on a Sunday night. It feels like the band is eager to perform their new songs and this night drove that point home firmly, as five of the first six songs of the evening hailed from Gigaton, including the opener, the live debut of Retrograde, a gentle yet soaring build into the oceanside evening air.  Dance of the Clairvoyants follows, transitioning well from the atmospheric outro of Retrograde. Quick Escape is already becoming an explosive crowd pleaser, it feels drenched with years of setlist veteran status, giving fans everything they wanted from Mike, Stone and Jeff. The guitar and bass onslaught in the culminating jam is harmonic disharmony. Ed quickly addresses the crowd, saying “if it feels good out there, it feels great up here…we’ve been looking forward to this for a long, long time,” leading to Seven O’Clock. Like Retrograde, it bends towards the soaring energy through its peak and climax. Alright, introduced by Ed as a beautiful song written by his friend and bassist Jeff Ament, is the second debut of the evening. It’s gorgeous in the open air, and showcases the atmospheric elements Josh Klinghoffer will provide for the new songs. Daughter with Stone notably on his duo-tone harkens back to the Binaural era sound wise. Red Mosquito makes its third consecutive Pearl Jam set with Danny Clinch on harmonica. Superblood Wolfmoon KICKS live, expect it to be a mainstay during the Gigaton shows. Josh plays Ed’s guitar parts on this, freeing up Ed to emote and dance around during the entire song. Before I Got Shit, Ed shows off a guitar he got from Joan Jett, and turns it over to show her signature. Matt Cameron absolutely crushes Immortality with a blistering percussion display. The main set culminates with Ed referencing a statement he overheard Brandi Carlile make, that this day was blessed with “Power Bitches” on stage. Ed, being a man, shows a “signed” authorization from Brandi giving her permission for him to say this. Brandi joins the band on stage, sharing vocals on a powerful Better Man. After the break, Ed takes a drink from his bottle, saying you “can’t do that ‘drink a bottle and pass it around’ thing anymore, unless it’s Purell,” hinting at Crazy Mary, before mentioning his participation in the Global Citizen vaccine awareness concert back in the spring, saying:

I stayed near the ocean up north near Santa Monica, and I got outside, and when you went through Venice it got really intense, and since then I heard that all those people were relocated, and I could never find out the details on where and how they were relocated, but I just keep thinking about them and I really hope they’re okay and healthy and able to get whatever assistance they needed to get back on their feet, so I’m gonna drink to their resilience, and dedicate this one to them…

California has been dealing with extreme homelessness issues in several city areas, and it resulted in people being removed. Let Me Sleep is played for only the 8th time ever. Ed remarks about a nice note and picture he was given from a girl named Nicole, with a request for Black, and dedicates it to her and her mom and dad. Mike’s solo is poignant and emotive, gaining the rapt attention of Earthling producer Andrew Watt, who’s watching from the side of the stage. Just as the band was hitting its stride on Crazy Mary, the song is stopped so that a fan can get some medical attention just in front of Mike’s stage side. The band picks up right where they left off, and Boom gets to lay out the entire solo on the B3. Alive closes out the evening, and features both an array of band hiccups and one of the more explosive endings to a Pearl Jam show ever. Someone (or perhaps everyone) is slightly off time in the buildup of the intro before the first verse. The ship is seemingly righted, and then Ed jumps up a full verse, and the band gathers around Matt’s drum kit. Hashing it out, Ed realizes he messed up and can be audibly heard saying into his microphone, “…oh I fucked it up! I owe each of you guys $100.” He addresses his blunder hysterically to the front of the house, with a sarcastic, self-effacing acknowledgement: “Who, me? Never….” As the band fires into the distinctive outro jam, McCready points to Andrew Watt, walks towards him, lifts his guitar over his shoulders, and places it around Watt’s neck. Watt then, with the joy of a million fans given the opportunity of a lifetime, absolutely slays the solo as the band extends the jam out feverishly, ultimately handing the guitar back to Mike for the final few moments.

October 26, 2014 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, USA

Main Set: Better Man, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, The Kids Are Alright, Sirens, Black, Just Breathe, Hunger Strike, Throw Your Hatred Down

Show Notes:

Ed walks onto the Bridge School stage for the 17th time and addresses the crowd by saying “Good evening, campers!” Better Man is performed with a substantial Save It For Later tag for the first time at Bridge. After Elderly…

Show Notes: 

Ed walks onto the Bridge School stage for the 17th time and addresses the crowd by saying “Good evening, campers!” Better Man is performed with a substantial Save It For Later tag for the first time at Bridge. After Elderly Woman, Ed thanks the Bridge School for educating them about communication, compassion, possibilities, positive reinforcement and unconditional love before leading into a rare performance of The Kids Are Alright. A slight lyric change occurs in the song to “these kids are alright”, clearly addressing the Bridge School students. Speaking of students, Sirens is a request from Maricor. The performance is tuned a bit higher than usual, but in a rare move, Mike actually breaks out an electric guitar for this version. Black is tagged with a unique, passionate improv including these lyrics:

“Where did you go? 
I wish I could’ve talked to you
I wish I could’ve called you one last time to say I miss you. 
Good luck, goodbye.”

The remainder of the set would include a trio of guest appearances. Up first, Ed introduces Lukas Nelson (son of Willie) to the stage for a performance of Just Breathe. It turns out that Lukas and Ed are wearing the same hat, to which Ed asks if he got it at the same shop in Hawaii. During Just Breathe, it seems as though Boom is playing on a small child’s keyboard. Following the performance, Ed asks if there are any other good “Chris Cornell-type singers out there?” Cornell enters and joins the band for the second rendition of Hunger Strike in consecutive days. The patriarch of the benefit, Neil Young, comes onto the stage to play Throw Your Hatred Down. Ed states that they wrote the song together, but had to reteach it to him. The Bridge School run comes to a close with a last image of Neil with Pearl Jam on stage thrashing in his seat, taking back and forth solos with Mike, and smiling from ear to ear the entire time.

October 25, 2014 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, USA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Rain, Sleeping By Myself, Daughter, Given To Fly, Last Kiss, Fuckin' Up, Hunger Strike

Show Notes:

“Good evening! No…it’s a great evening!” Ed says that playing the Bridge School benefit is one of the “honors of a lifetime.” Rain is played due to the local weatherman’s (incorrect) prediction that it would be a cold and rainy…

Show Notes: 

“Good evening! No…it’s a great evening!” Ed says that playing the Bridge School benefit is one of the “honors of a lifetime.” Rain is played due to the local weatherman’s (incorrect) prediction that it would be a cold and rainy night. Mike provides some strong backing vocals and Ed imitates the reverse record effect featured in the Beatles original. Daughter is dedicated to a friend named Drew, and afterwards Ed suggests that people may think they might be having an acid flashback seeing Matt Cameron back on stage for a second time, as he had played with Soundgarden earlier that evening. He wishes happy birthday to Matt’s son Ray and a happy anniversary to him and his wife April before Given To Fly, which makes its Bridge debut. Ed introduces Maricor, no stranger to the Bridge School shows, who he says they met 20 years ago when she was 14, adding that she has since graduated from Berkeley with degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies, and dedicates Last Kiss to her once again. Touching moment during the song as Ed goes up to sing to Maricor and the rest of the kids. With young children in the crowd, Ed says they want to take a chance at something, but were unsure if it was appropriate for the setting. They asked Neil for permission to play Fuckin’ Up, saying there was a Billy Idol Bridge School performance where he sang “ride a pony, fuck a pony,” and Neil gave them his approval saying everyone fucks up, it’s part of the curriculum. To close the show, Ed introduces a friend “who lives in their neighborhood, but they never get a chance to see” to help out on the next song. Chris Cornell comes on stage and Hunger Strike is played for the first time since PJ20. Chris seems a little off during the performance, lagging behind on his vocals and seemingly watching Ed for the lyrics at one point, there would be a much stronger effort on the song the next night.

November 26, 2013 – Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Hail, Hail, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Dissident, Faithfull, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Even Flow, Sirens, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Unthought Known, Let The Records Play, Down, State Of Love And Trust, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: After Hours, Yellow Moon, Last Kiss, Just Breathe, Thin Air, GIven To Fly, Untitled/MFC, Big Wave, Do The Evolution, The New World, Porch

encore 2: Smile, Crazy Mary, Black, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Indifference

Show Notes:

The crowd takes the “into the sun” line in Nothingman and then Ed gives it to them one more time at the end. Hail, Hail has the “…I refer to those in front” lyric change. Before Faithfull, Ed explains to…

Show Notes: 

The crowd takes the “into the sun” line in Nothingman and then Ed gives it to them one more time at the end. Hail, Hail has the “…I refer to those in front” lyric change. Before Faithfull, Ed explains to the audience that the song was requested by a fan who was part of a group from Brazil that was following the band from Southern California, and a woman in the group was mugged outside the venue and lost all her money and her passport. The Pearl Jam fans outside the show pitched in to help her out though, and Faithfull is her thank you. Mike has some noticeable tuning issues during the song and he stops playing until the solo, when he rips back in. Before Sirens, Ed says:

“…this next one, it’s a little bit I suppose about the fragility of life…and never take it for granted…there’s nothing better than getting news that you’ve beaten cancer or something….when we started out, none of us were parents, probably none of you were parents, I mean we were barely kids, becoming adults, but when I hear things about Dick Cheney not understanding that his daughter wants to be involved in same-sex marriage and he doesn’t support that, his own daughter, that’s a mystery to me…”

He continues, saying that Cheney should go one more level and be able to marry himself, so that “he can go fuck himself.” Sirens goes off without a hitch, Ed’s guitar perfectly in tune, and Jeff, Mike, and Stone all up at the front doing backup vocals at the end. Ed and Mike do the back-to-back lean and Jeff’s bouncing around on a show-stopping, almost 9-minute Better Man. After the break, Ed comes out, mentions Lou Reed’s recent passing (“Thanks Lou. Thank you Lou. We miss you Lou.”), and plays After Hours. Following Yellow Moon, the band goes over to the side of the stage where a group of Bridge School kids are sitting, and Ed says, with a huge smile:

“…this is my friend Maricor’s favorite song, so I’m going to go over here and hang out with my friends…here’s Maricor, here’s Alan…everybody’s here…” 

Ed, Stone, Jeff, and Mike all go up onto the rail where the Bridge School kids are and sing Last Kiss right in front of them, Ed says something in Maricor’s ear and interacts with the kids while singing, a very touching moment to see. Thin Air returns to the set for the first time since 2008! John Doe from X joins for “The New World,” the first time it’s been played since PJ20 in 2011. Ed runs around the arena floor high-fiving the audience during Porch. Celebratory encore 2 opens with Smile and includes a powerful version of Black. Ed showers praise on the crowd before leaving, adding “…we love you…beautiful faces, every one of you…thanks.”

November 24, 2013 – Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Oceans, Low Light, Present Tense, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Amongst The Waves, My Father’s Son, Given To Fly, Swallowed Whole, Immortality, Infallible, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Future Days, Even Flow, Do The Evolution, Mind Your Manners, Sirens, No Way, Blood

encore 1: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), After Hours, Sleeping By Myself, Mother, Breath, Go, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Unthought Known, Love Reign O’er Me, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

Relaxed opening with Oceans and Low Light before Present Tense ups the tempo. Interstellar Overdrive is the first of 3 Pink Floyd covers/tags on the night. Ed says that he and Mike did some surfing during the day, and that…

Show Notes: 

Relaxed opening with Oceans and Low Light before Present Tense ups the tempo. Interstellar Overdrive is the first of 3 Pink Floyd covers/tags on the night. Ed says that he and Mike did some surfing during the day, and that Sundays “are a little harder to like, knock the roof off…I don’t know…it takes a little more conscious effort to raise the level of this shit…so, if you are up for the challenge we sure the fuck are. So we’ll start this one off, this one’s for all the surfers in the crowd…” leading to a soaring version of Amongst the Waves. My Father’s Son is introduced with “if you’ve ever had a father who ended up in prison, this song is for you.” Mike’s guitar work is hauntingly beautiful during Immortality. Ed talks before Small Town:

“This one is specifically for anybody from Reseda. Or it could be for anybody from San Onofre, anybody from Carpinteria, Fife, anyone from Fife here? West Seattle, here we go…”

“Future Days is dedicated to Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, who are in attendance. There’s a little hiccup in the beginning, which seems to annoy Ed, but the band picks it back up. A fan up front starts convulsing and faints during the song, Ed comments after:
“…there was some guy that got pulled out of here before and it was…he just had a bit of an emergency but he’s fine, it took me out of the game for a second there I just…it’s hard to see somebody come over like that, we got little history so I, just it took me…he’s fine, alright…”

The fan does indeed receive medical care and returns to the show later. During Sirens, Ed’s guitar is horribly out of tune, he’s visibly frustrated, and when his tech, Richie Ramone, comes out to retrieve it Ed tosses it behind his back instead in anger. After the song, he comments:

“Alright, I am officially going to start drinking right about now. What I was doing before was just amateur bullshit, I am going to get all professional right about now. One thing I will mention as we’re getting ready to start really fucking kicking some ass….I have to say, we were talking to some of the people in the building, in the box office and even though its Los Angeles, a place with many cultures and crazy colors, at the box office when people pick up their tickets they said they’ve never seen even like 10% of the amount of passports being used as identification because of all the people coming from all over the planet to come be a part of these shows and ah, I see Brazil and Argentina, and there we got some Israel right there, Shaka, Italia. So, we have a good friend and this might be his last night here, his name is Rob from Manila, Philippines, and they’ve just been battered and beaten and its brutal, the tragedy that’s just happened there with the typhoon, so we just want to tell him to send everyone our best wishes when you get back and we’ll send you with a little bit of something to help, alright here’s to not stopping making a difference.” 

No Way returns for the first time since the PJ20 shows back in 2011. After Blood, Ed waves off the band and storms off, ending the main set perhaps prematurely. After the break, Ed talks about playing in LA in ‘91 with Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, saying “our band owes so much to that band [RHCP].” He continues to wax nostalgic before starting Better Man:

“…and literally I owe so much to Jeff and Stone and Mike for having faith in me in the early days. And Matt for agreeing to be in our band, even though he did know I was in it. And then if you think about that statement…the reason those are great bands is because he is in them…Matt Cameron! This one goes back so far, it was before even I met these guys or even really knew who they were…it was just something that I was sitting on the edge of the bed a long, long, time ago…it was just a bit south of here, about an hour and a half south of here.”

The Another Brick in the Wall tag on Daughter includes “hey, preacher, leave those kids alone.” Ed talks about being in New York City for a time after Roskilde and getting to know Lou Reed, who recently passed, and debuts a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “After Hours,” adding “I just can’t tell you how much I miss the guy right now. There is a lesson, like, miss them while they are still here, and take care of the problem and don’t miss them anymore. That will make sense if you drink about a bottle and a half of wine and listen to it.” “Mother” is the final Floyd cover of the night, played seated, then back to the early years with Breath, Go, and Porch. After the final break, Ed comes out with:

So when does a Pearl Jam concert end? When they kick us out. How many songs does it take for one fuckin’ Pearl Jam concert…the world will never know. Not to be rude, but we gotta play one for the back. We’ll be right back. See back in the day, these are the crowds we were used to.”

Last Kiss is played to the back. Boom is introduced to the crowd as he begins Love Reign O’er Me. Ed is noticeably quite inebriated by the end of the evening, giving the signal to Mike during RITFW to shut it down, swinging the mic stand over his head repeatedly before losing his balance and falling on his back as the song ends, taking one last swig from the wine bottle. Mike is the last one on stage at the end, taking Polaroids of the fans up front.

November 23, 2013 – Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Long Road, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Dissident, Getaway, Got Some, Garden, Do The Evolution, I Got Id, Sirens, State Of Love And Trust, Jeremy, Leatherman, Eruption, Spin The Black Circle, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Footsteps, All Or None, Come Back, I Believe In Miracles, Given To Fly, Once, Porch

encore 2: Unthought Known, Black, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

Pendulum is complemented with heavy guitar effects from Mike while using a bow, which he continues to use through Release. Dennis Rodman gets a subtle nod during Release as well, as Ed changes the lyric to “oh, D-Rod…” Halfway through…

Show Notes: 

Pendulum is complemented with heavy guitar effects from Mike while using a bow, which he continues to use through Release. Dennis Rodman gets a subtle nod during Release as well, as Ed changes the lyric to “oh, D-Rod…” Halfway through Corduroy, Ed appears to be focused on the front of the pit, then during the outro breakdown he says:

“…there’s a little bit of a problem, let’s take care of this problem so we can get on with a fucking rock show. Hey young lady, you’ve got to get the fuck out, just get out now! We’ll talk about it later, just get the fuck out now!” 

After the song he greets the crowd with, “Good evening!” Before asking for the lights and moving to the very front of the stage and addresses the issue again:

 “Hi, I don’t know you, we’ve never met, we need to get you out. Just get out, please, now. Get her out, I’m not fucking around. Just go watch it somewhere else, you had a chance to make friends with these people, you fucked that up, go make some friends over there.” 

After security deals with the issue, he checks in on the crowd, saying “alright, we good now? Cheers.” Lightning Bolt features the well-received line “…towards the great southwest” and Why Go is introduced with “…live from Los Angeles, it’s Saturday night!” After, Ed asks the camera operator to get a shot of a little girl and teases “were you the one causing all these damn problems up here?” Explaining his actions, he states, “We didn’t have time to have a jury trial down here, Johnnie Cochran was going to come in to defend her, it was going to be a problem.” He continues. telling them “Bruce Springsteen said you can get this place rocking, and so far, you are proving him right”. Following Dissident, he says “speaking of escape…” and the band kicks into Getaway. Garden is dedicated to Tim. Before I Got Id, Ed makes a One Direction joke, teasing “this is called I Got 1D.” He mentions Rob, the fan from the Philippines who came on stage in San Diego, and his wife, and says they are sending them “some of the dough from tonight and San Diego home with Rob to help a few folks out.” Prior to Sirens, he makes a dedication to “David…this one’s for him, everybody he works with, and his son Miles, Mike starts this one, thanks for listening.” Ed tosses the microphone to the front row of the crowd during SOLAT and allows them to sing the “…myself…” section. Afterwards, he says with concern, “it’s a rough crowd out here…you alright?” He continues: “…we thought we’d hire George Zimmerman to be security from Florida,” which is met with boos from the crowd, then explains that he would have a weapon, but he would be watched “24/7 by all the security so he doesn’t do anything terrible…someone’s going to have to stand their ground against guys like that. So, this is a song about guns,” which leads into Jeremy, after which Ed goes on to say:

“Without offending anybody, I think we can have a few more gun laws on the books. It’s also a mental health problem, until people can get help, until we do that maybe we need to make it a little more difficult. I could feel it from the back, they wanted me to say that”

Ed explains Leatherman as “this song has been confused as a song about Rob Halford, about Al Pacino, but it’s actually about a real guy and his name was the Leatherman.” Joking that “this is how Mike McCready woke me up this morning,” Eruption is played as a lead into Spin the Black Circle. After the break, Ed inquires “…everybody still good?” then gives his thanks to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers for their support during the band’s early years. Pointing to the crowd, Ed notes, “There’s a woman with a sign for a song that we haven’t played in a long, long time, shall we do that one, or stick to what we were going to do? If you got the time, we got the wine!” After some deliberation with the band, he says “get a spotlight on this woman so in case you don’t like it you can see her on the way out…I’m just kidding!” All or None is then played for the first time “since the Vic Theater fan club show in 2007! An emotional-looking Ed dedicates Come Back to Johnny Ramone, continuing the tribute with an up-tempo I Believe in Miracles. During the intro of Unthought Known he shouts “Tim remember this one, this is us late at night!” Towards the end “of Black, a fan strolls across the stage from Stone’s side, just as he is about to reach Ed a security guard pulls him away before Ed intervenes. Playfully patting him down, Ed takes his phone out before handing it back and slow dancing with him to cheers from the crowd before the man is led off the stage. Before Alive, he introduces the band, with additional praise for soundwoman Karrie Keyes, who he says deserves a Presidential Medal of Freedom, in her hometown. After a spirited rendition of Baba O’Riley, Ed jokes “I’m glad we’ve got tomorrow “night off” before the band closes with Indifference.

November 21, 2013, Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Pendulum, Nothingman, Sometimes, Why Go, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, All Night, Given To Fly, Tremor Christ, In Hiding, Setting Forth, Swallowed Whole, Army Reserve, Even Flow, Insignificance, Sirens, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Spin The Black Circle, Light Years, Porch

encore 1: Sleight Of Hand, Speed Of Sound, Just Breathe, Sleeping By Myself, Severed Hand, In My Tree, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Leaving Here, Black, Do The Evolution, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner), Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

“Ah, kind of like we are home, yeah?”  For the first time since November 1995, there’s a general admission section at a San Diego show, which seemed to give the crowd a heightened sense of community that would show itself…

Show Notes: 

“Ah, kind of like we are home, yeah?” 

For the first time since November 1995, there’s a general admission section at a San Diego show, which seemed to give the crowd a heightened sense of community that would show itself throughout the night. All Night appears for the first time since Wrigley, followed 2 songs later by Tremor Christ, added to the setlist in the moment because “it’s appropriate for here.” Army Reserve is dedicated to the local military heroes before a face-melting version of Even Flow. Ed then mentions that in addition to Matt’s mom, sister, and brother being in attendance, as well as Ed’s three brothers, Mike’s pop was also there and potentially inspired Mike to tone down his solo a little as to not freak out his dad. After Insignificance, another US tour debut, Rob, a fan from Manila, is brought on stage and told he’ll be sent home with a check for relief from typhoon Haiyan which devastated the Philippines only weeks prior. Light Years returns for the first time since 2011. The main set closes out with a very charged version of Porch, complete with Ed coming down to the crowd, who supports him physically and vocally. Sleeping By Myself debuts in the encore, as Ed notes “I’m not sure how to start it!” When the band joins back on stage for the final encore, Ed employs the crowd in a trust exercise, handing a bottle of wine from the stage, through the crowd, and up into the seats to his mom. The crowd succeeds and once his mom has the bottle she takes a giant swig, to which Ed exclaims, “It’s genetic!” and the band crashes into Leaving Here. A gorgeous version of Black follows, with Ed taking a moment to introduce the band after a powerful Mike solo, adding:

“…what a great audience and a great room to play for…we should do this more often,”

He continues the song with a quiet, almost falsetto “We Belong Together” tag. Alive doesn’t disappoint, delivering an energy nearly impossible to cap off with just one closer, so the band, clearly not wanting the night to conclude yet either, pulls out all the stops and does the unprecedented; Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter into the Star-Spangled Banner, AND Rockin’ In The Free World (with Matt’s son Ray helping out on guitar) to close out the night! Ed’s final words are “…it’s an honor and a privilege to say these four words…thank you San Diego! Thank you very much…save the world, we’ll see you next time.”

October 3, 2012 – Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA, USA

Main Set: Do The Evolution, Animal, Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Wishlist, Got Some, Unthought Known, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Just Breathe, Down, Green Disease, Black, Once, Come Back, Porch

encore 1: Better Man, Alive, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

The final show of the year is a corporate gig for Oracle employees, part of the Oracle OpenWorld conference held at Treasure Island in San Francisco. This massive tech conference included a multi-day music fest, tonight featuring X and Kings…

Show Notes: 

The final show of the year is a corporate gig for Oracle employees, part of the Oracle OpenWorld conference held at Treasure Island in San Francisco. This massive tech conference included a multi-day music fest, tonight featuring X and Kings of Leon alongside PJ. Some enterprising PJ fans found a way in by obtaining badges from conference goers who weren’t going to the concert part of the proceedings, creating a crowd mixture of both the faithful and the more casual. The sound isn’t perfect, as Stone’s guitar seems quiet on Evolution and Animal, but Ed’s in fine screaming voice tonight. Jeff’s bass has the word “FREE” scrawled on it, possibly a nod to one of his heroes, Andy Fraser from the English band Free. Ed attempts to give the audience some lines during Animal, but it doesn’t quite catch and he moves on pretty quickly. Corduroy’s outro seems to connect better, as Ed leads a clap before Mike and Matt throw down in expert fashion. He then greets the crowd:

“It’s nice to be here with you celebrating the fruits of your labor…I think we thought we were playing some guy named Larry’s backyard, but it’s a big yard and he’s got a lot of friends…” 

Small Town is dedicated to the 50,000 conference attendees. Wishlist is a setlist addition for Mark, who “can only stay for a little bit because has to work early in the morning.” Unthought Known is a lovely version that Ed sets up by saying “this song was written while staring at a big moon in the sky, and it’s nice to be able to play it and see the muse right there…” Given to Fly is dedicated to the gold-medal-winning US women’s soccer team, who are in attendance. After a pulverizing Even Flow solo from Mike, Ed mentions the corporate nature of the gig and intros Just Breathe by saying:

“…outside of his kids, there’s nothing, Mike McCready, I don’t think he’d rather do than play guitar like that all night long. All day long. So yes, he would do that for free.  But even though he’d do that for free, we are getting paid tonight. And we’re grateful because there’s a lot we can do in addition to good things in our communities, we get to play for some people, something we’d do anyways… we can turn this into something really nice for people who really, really need it. So for that we are grateful and thank you for having us. And one of the things is, there is a close race in Washington state, fight for right for gay marriages to take place in Washington state. We ‘d like to dedicate this to couples in love. Of the same sex, of opposite sex, of tons of sex…this is called Just Breathe…”

Green Disease sounds fantastic with Jeff and Matt propelling the song’s forward-leaning rhythm throughout. Mike’s Black solo features a snippet of a Spanish-guitar-inspired flourish near the end. Once sounds a bit rough, as again Stone’s guitar sound seems to be having issues. Prior to Come Back, Ed gives attention to the Wounded Warriors Project and the mental health issues the soldiers are facing on their return home. Jeff and Matt stand out on an inspired, swirling jam on Porch. After the break, Ed mentions they aren’t the last band on the bill tonight, that X will be coming up next. Ed again tries to give the crowd something, the Better Man chorus, but again it doesn’t quite take and he playfully says “…you should stop. I mean, really quit while you’re ahead,” to laughter. There’s no tag, the band just jams on the outro a bit longer. Alive and Baba close things out with Ed really pushing it on the Baba screams to finish with great energy. By the end of the song, he’s yelling “X is next! X is next” to keep the crowd in place for X’s upcoming set. Later on, Ed pops up during their set to sing on Devil Doll.