Pearl Jam Dana Point, CA, Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in Dana Point, CA

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September 29, 2024 – Ohana Festival, Dana Point, CA, USA

Main Set: Garden, Off He Goes, Last Exit, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, React, Respond, Running, MFC, Wreckage, Big Wave, I Got Id, Black/(We Belong Together), Won't Tell, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Last Kiss/The Best Day, Song Of Good Hope, Gremmie Out Of Control, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

After a day off (in which Ed sat in with almost every band that played), Pearl Jam opens the final night of Ohana with “Garden.” Mike gets soulful and bluesy right away. After “Off He Goes,” Ed takes a moment…

Show Notes: 

After a day off (in which Ed sat in with almost every band that played), Pearl Jam opens the final night of Ohana with “Garden.” Mike gets soulful and bluesy right away. After “Off He Goes,” Ed takes a moment to thank the other bands, calling Alanis Morissette a “badass.” He also points out his mom on the side of the stage, adding “stay up…we’re drinking.” Lyric in “Given to Fly” is changed to “…made it to that ocean…” “Running” is dedicated to Joe from IDLES. Following “MFC,” Ed says they’re going to play “every song about water that we know…70% of them were written in the water.” “Big Wave” appears for the first time since 2016, and Ed dedicates it to “the surfers, I hope there’s a big swell coming next week, if there is we’re gonna take credit for it.” “I Got Id” is outstanding, Ed goes over and jams with Jeff at the end, Boom adds some nice texture, and Matt anchors it the whole way. They go right into “Black,” and Ed keeps the guitar on, even playing a little during the solo, which is a showstopper as usual, Mike thrashing around the stage and falling to his knees. After, Ed speaks:

“What I’m going to ask you to do is not what most people ask you to do, I’m going to ask you to be as quiet as you can, quiet as a mouse, for just a second [a few crowd members yelling over the silence]. There’s always one asshole that yells, don’t be that guy…or one woman that says ‘I love you Eddie,’ okay, okay…so we just want to hear, how many people, and if you’re listening, how many people are out there on the sand? Sand people, are you out there? [distant applause, causing Ed to laugh] We love you Sand People!”

“Won’t Tell” is the 4th and last Dark Matter song of the night, we’ll see how they use these in Australia and New Zealand in November. During the long held line in the intro of “Better Man,” Ed interjects “Sand People!” He improvs some lines during the “Save it for Later” tag, including a strained “I really fucked up/I can’t live without you/I can’t sing without you/I can’t breathe” with his eyes closed. The fan with the sign asking to play drums wants to play “Animal” tonight, but Ed says if it’s going to be anyone it’s going to be Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), who is in attendance. He points out a fan named Jed Garfunkel who’s at his 100th show, and talks about a certain political candidate who’s selling Bibles with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Pledge of Allegiance inside, saying he was going to get a knife and cut them out to “exercise the separation of church and state.” He continues, talking about the $500 watches being sold, adding “I wish I could buy everyone here a $500 watch…as a symbol, ’cause it’s about time…precious time, and this precious planet, and it’s about time that we say we’re not gonna take this bullshit anymore…we need lifting and not grifting.” Andrew Watt is on stage and plays guitar during “RVM.”

After the break, Ed comes out with his younger daughter Harper and an acoustic guitar. He starts to play “Last Kiss,” but after the intro Harper starts to sing “The Best Day” by Taylor Swift, and they go back and forth, trading off on each song. Harper laughs at the “I had an excellent father” line and the crowd cheers, a sweet moment, and they hug before she leaves and Glen Hansard joins on stage. Ed talks about he was in a rough situation, and “this was the song that we hung on to like a life raft…and got us safely to shore,” “Song of Good Hope.” Afterwards, Ed starts an “OTOTO” chant and explains:

“Do you know what that means? It means ‘one time, one time only’…we’re gonna play a song tonight that we’ve never played before, and very well may never play again…and because we’re this close to the beach, and as I told you, I was a 12-year-old little fuckup getting way out in the point break…we have a great, great friend, somebody we made many, many records with, spend a lotta lotta time together, he’s been so important to us, his name is Mr. Brendan O’Brien and he’s on the guitar right here…years ago, along with Jane’s Addiction and a few others, Surfrider made a record to save and help Mother Ocean, this was our contribution to it…”

After debuting “Whale Song” on night one, it’s the long-awaited debut of the Silly Surfers cover “Gremmie Out Of Control,” with Stone shimmying and dancing and yelling “Cowabunga!” It’s just as fun and ridiculous as you would hope, and the band is having a great time. Ed introduces the band after and throws in “Sand People!” There’s some booing and he stops and jokes “…why don’t you like the Sand People?” before getting to Boom. As “Alive” is starting he throws in “We love you! We love you!” A cavalcade of guests join for “Rockin’,” Stephen Perkins takes over the drum throne and Matt picks up a guitar, Andrew Watt, Brendan O’Brien, Harper and Olivia Vedder, and Glen Hansard and his band are all there among others, and even Ed’s mom has a tambourine. Jeff relinquishes the bass to Brendan, and Ed brings it down in the middle to say:

“I noticed…it ain’t ‘Keep Rockin’ in the Free Country’…it’s ‘Keep Rockin’ in the Free World’…if we’re going to be the leader of a free world, then our country must be free and you must do what you can in November to protect women’s freedoms, to protect your own freedoms, to protect democracy…”

During the “thousand points of light” lines, he adds “…election’s coming, it’s in your hands.” He leaves with “see you next year…I hope…”

September 27, 2024 – Ohana Festival, Dana Point, CA, USA

Main Set: Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Got Some, Scared Of Fear, Dark Matter, Daughter/(Beautiful World), Even Flow, Wreckage, Who Ever Said/(Satisfaction), Amongst The Waves, Waiting For Stevie, Habit, Leaving Here, Porch

encore 1: Future Days, Whale Song, Do The Evolution, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed is everywhere on night 1, opening up the festival with a solo ukulele performance of “Can’t Keep” and joining Crowded House for “I Got You” and “Throw Your Arms Around Me.” As for Pearl Jam, they ease into the…

Show Notes: 

Ed is everywhere on night 1, opening up the festival with a solo ukulele performance of “Can’t Keep” and joining Crowded House for “I Got You” and “Throw Your Arms Around Me.” As for Pearl Jam, they ease into the set with “Low Light” and “Sometimes” before “Corduroy” ramps up the energy. Ed sees a sign in the crowd after and says “don’t fuck with me yet…let me fuck with you first, quid pro quo.” After “Dark Matter,” he stops for a “commercial break” to take care of some fans. The “Daughter” tag is “Beautiful World” by Devo, who had played earlier in the day. Matt destroys the ending to “Even Flow.” Ed does a short “Satisfaction” tag in “Who Ever Said,” again a nod to Devo and their version. Afterwards, he comments “…fuck, we love this place!” Someone in the crowd has a sign saying it’s their birthday and Ed teases them, saying “…it’s like Denny’s, I need to see your I.D.” “Amongst the Waves” returns for the first time since 2022. There’s another crowd issue and Ed does a short a capella “Modern Girl” tag while it’s being resolved. Liam Finn joins on stage for a wild “Habit,” playing guitar and singing. “Leaving Here” also is played for the first time since 2022, with Jeff taking the first 3 breaks and Matt the last. Matt also drives a propulsive “Porch” to end the main set.

After the break, Ed says they have been given a few extra minutes because of the “emergency timeouts,” and sees a sign in the crowd that someone wants to drum on “Spin the Black Circle.” Ed jokes “give me your address, I’ll swing by…just text me,” and instead it’s the first performance of “Future Days” since 2016, which was featured in the Last Of Us season 2 trailer. He dedicates it to “Joel and Ellie,” the characters from the show. Then, Ed speaks:

“…as we near the end of our travels in the United States for the year, there’s quite a few people that we see at many, many shows…they’re travelers, they’re a family, they take care of each other. There’s a large consortium of folks who see multiple shows [points out into the front rows], they’re dedicated and devoted and supportive, and if I asked, for example, this young woman, how many shows she saw in the last year, it would be easier to say how many did you miss? [Ed holds up one finger as a question and then changes it to a zero] Oh, that was the answer! Unbelievable. What happens is, of all the songs that we play, or haven’t played, or they’ve seen, or are rarely played, they look to check off a song they’ve never heard before…and they even call it the ‘white whale,’ you know, the ‘white whale song’…well this one is fitting. It’s a song written by one of our great drummers, Jack Irons…and we asked Jack, but he could not be here, but we didn’t just get the next best thing, we got something equally as good…”

Ed introduces Jack’s son Zach (who himself plays guitar in AWOLNATION) and says “…we hope it connects and sends vibrations to our friends under the water…” and it’s the long-awaited debut of “Whale Song,” 25 years after its release! Zach starts it off on guitar and vocals, and Ed is dialed in as well, watching Zach and singing along. Stone is making the whale sounds on his guitar and Zach does an amazing job, the band nails it and makes an unforgettable moment. Ed checks on the time and wants to say something, but changes his mind and says “ah, fuck it! Let’s just play…[angrily] there’s some obvious fuckin’ shit going on….you know what it is [points his fingers out at the crowd].” Zach, Liam, the members of Crowded House, and other people from bands from throughout the day join for “Rockin’,” it’s a big party on stage, Ed playing the host and handing out tambourines and dancing with everyone. Prior to the last song, he says:

“…from the front to the back, the lefts and the rights, here’s the equal lefts and equal rights….low tide, high tide, everybody in the back, it’s been a big wave, a perfect wave, and we’re so fucking thankful…”

“Ledbetter” is loose and playful, Jeff sitting on one of the stage monitors and palm trees on the screens behind, and the band says goodbye, Ed giving a shoutout to the people on the sand.

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.