Pearl Jam Pensacola, FL Concert History

Ed joins Gaslight Anthem early in the day for State of Love and Trust. Oceans fittingly opens a hot summer night at this beachside venue. The stage appears a bit smaller than some of the other places on the tour, there are also 2nd level side stage sections with handfuls of fans, adding to a more intimate feel. Beach balls show up in the crowd near the stage during Once and appear throughout the show. Before Given To Fly, Ed notes “…we haven’t been here since 1994, so thanks for welcoming us back,” and points towards the sea during the “…made a trip to the ocean…” lyric. Amongst the Waves continues the ocean theme, with Ed noting beforehand that “…it isn’t often that we get to play next to the ocean, this one suits the mood,” as he waves to some boaters. A muscular version of Grievance is introduced with a mention of the new Florida voter ID laws, Ed adding that if you’re going to swim naked after the show, don’t lose your ID. He mentions Mike just told him he was born in Pensacola, saying “welcome home,” and urging to people to support Wounded Warriors to help support those coming home from their service before tearing into a searing Worldwide Suicide.  Leading into the “It’s O.K.” tag in Daughter, he asks the crowd if they could be loud because “20 years of playing, I can barely hear anything so if you can sing, you have to be kinda loud…” Ed jokes that Of The Earth is “one you might not know, this is one we might not know” and makes its American debut with a crunchy swagger that resolves into a spacey jam. Parachutes is supplemented by a lyric sheet and dedicated to Johnny Ramone and anyone who’s suffered recent loss. Unthought Known is dedicated to the moon and is particularly strong with Ed and the band really feeding off Matt’s heavy hand. Ed gives the crowd a shot at the Evolution riff, which doesn’t quite take, but it’s a strong performance nonetheless. After the break, a gorgeous Black sees Mike, with his new Joe Strummer-style mohawk, looking to the heavens before his solo even starts, and Ed repeating “…baby, baby, baby…” before “…we didn’t belong…together….” Encore 2 features a shoutout to Ben Folds and Guided by Voices, with Ed noting Robert Pollard responded to his invitation to play with “I’ll be there…but I’m going to be really fucked up at that point.” Ed says he appreciated the honesty, which reminded him of Matt Lukin, leading into an interesting Lukin/Alive pairing. Ed wanders side stage during Alive and climbs up some scaffolding, channeling 1994 a little, to the crowd’s delight. Mike adds on the full feedback-drenched Star-Spangled Banner at the end of Yellow Ledbetter. Ed leaves with “don’t forget to vote…goodnight, love you…very kind. Have a great weekend…see you next year!”