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

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…

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


November 1, 2013 – Voodoo Festival, New Orleans, LA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Show Notes:

Tonight’s setlist is curated by New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason, whose public battle with ALS has been an inspiration to many, including the members of Pearl Jam. He addresses the crowd to introduce the band: “New Orleans has become…

Show Notes: 

Tonight’s setlist is curated by New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason, whose public battle with ALS has been an inspiration to many, including the members of Pearl Jam. He addresses the crowd to introduce the band:

“New Orleans has become my hometown, but this is my hometown band. Ladies and gentlemen of Voodoo, please welcome to the stage one of the greatest American rock bands ever, Pearl Jam.” 

Sirens begins the show, a song which has a direct connection to Gleason. It was used in an ESPN feature that October chronicling Gleason’s battle with ALS and the friendship that he developed with Ed and Mike. Midway through the song, when Mike usually swaps out his 12-string acoustic, instead here he hands the guitar to Ed. The entire band finishes the ending refrain of the song singing the background vocals, a rare occurrence. After a five-song stretch of rockers, Ed addresses the crowd, making a snide remark towards people hanging out in the jacuzzi section. He asks the crowd to raise their hand if they’ve been arrested and to keep it up if they’ve been arrested in New Orleans, reminiscing about the time he and MLB pitcher Jack McDowell were arrested there, and tells the crowd that if they plan to get arrested tonight, they could call Macklemore to bail them out, giving out Macklemore’s number. Getaway, played for only the second time, is introduced as being a song about being intolerant to intolerance. Present Tense has a great moment in the bridge with Ed exclaiming “That’s the way! That’s the way!” as the band grooves together on a great finish to the song. Ed jokes that Severed Hand is about all of the marijuana overdoses once it became legal in the state of Washington. Gleason and his family are brought up on stage prior to Inside Job and the song is dedicated to them, and Mike’s solo is especially inspired in this version. The main set ends with an explosive Rearviewmirror that has Ed belting out the “I will forgive, but I won’t forget” line. After the break, Ed toasts Trent Reznor, who will be headlining the next night of the festival. He also brings up the gulf oil spill and recognizes the Gulf Restoration Network who have tirelessly worked to clean it up. After Do The Evolution, Ed notices some audience members dressed up in furry costumes. He comments

“I read about something like this on a Sonic Youth record…something about how people can’t get sexually aroused unless they are dressed up like that. Is that you? I knew I would never see anything like this until I got to New Orleans. Okay, I am in room 518 at the Hudson Arms, I’ll bring my teddy bear…” 

The furries join the band on stage to dance during Rockin’ in the Free World. The night ends with Gleason being wheeled back on stage and McCready serenades him with his guitar for the ending of Yellow Ledbetter.