September 18, 2022 – Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO, USA

Show Notes:

Bathed in blue light, the third show in three nights (the first time that’s been done since 2006) starts off with a soaring Of the Girl. Footsteps gets a huge crowd reaction, and afterwards Ed, holding a ukulele, says “we’re…

Show Notes: 

Bathed in blue light, the third show in three nights (the first time that’s been done since 2006) starts off with a soaring Of the Girl. Footsteps gets a huge crowd reaction, and afterwards Ed, holding a ukulele, says “we’re gonna play a few more in first gear, then we’re gonna ramp it up,” adding

“I wanted to honor the history of music here in St. Louis, sometimes overshadowed by what came out of Chicago, but there’s a reason you’ve got a music note on your hockey jersey,” 

pointing up to the retired jerseys in the rafters. He continues, talking about how the ukulele is a “gateway instrument” for musicians who are just starting out, pointing out some kids up front. He goes on to say that it’s his wedding anniversary while idly strumming the ukulele, which isn’t making any sound, saying all of PJ is lucky to be married to “badass women.” He mentions that his ukulele isn’t cheap, it was made in Hawaii out of rare wood “which you can’t even take out of the country,” and finally acknowledges the lack of sound coming through, to which he exclaims “goddamnit” and SMASHES the little ukulele on the front monitor, reducing it to splinters. Was it a setup? Maybe. Another (plugged in) ukulele is brought out for Sleeping By Myself quickly. Retrograde is the kick-the-stools-over song tonight, and Matt absolutely destroys the outro, creating a thunderous cacophony that ramps up the energy, the entire band is surging. Mike seemingly becomes possessed during the Life Wasted solo, feeding off the energy in the building and falls over on the monitor, finishing the searing solo practically prone and extending the guitar head out to the fans on the rail afterwards. Dissident becomes a huge singalong, and Who Ever Said gets yet another runout, 8 shows in a row now. Corduroy is fantastic, taking all the energy in the building and giving it an outlet. Small Town is played to the back, possibly the first time that’s ever been done in a main set. Sad is dedicated to Debbie, Ed says “we’re thinking about you.” A raucous Go ends the set, and Ed drops the mic afterwards with a loud thud. After State, Ed gives Josh a shoutout and says that he pointed out backstage that today was the 30th anniversary of Singles (the movie premiere, not the soundtrack) and they go right into Breath. The Black solo is powerful and emotional, Mike at his best. After the closing bow, Ed pats his heart a few times before leaving the stage.


October 3, 2014 – Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO, USA

Show Notes:

Small Town is changed to “I’m glad I got to see your place, thank you very much for taking us.” Go starts with a blistering pace and it continues through a sped-up Mind your Manners. Ed says hello to the…

Show Notes: 

Small Town is changed to “I’m glad I got to see your place, thank you very much for taking us.” Go starts with a blistering pace and it continues through a sped-up Mind your Manners. Ed says hello to the crowd and says how “it’s too early to celebrate, but if you’re ready, we’re ready,” referring to the Cardinals’ NLDS game that night. After Lightning Bolt, Ed mentions they were just in Cincinnati, and Stone went for a run and ran all the way to Kentucky, calling him an “interstate runner…impressive, even if the hotel was right on the border!” He mentions that the next song was written by Jeff, and says how the song was based on one of the best books in Russian literature, “it was written by Mikhail Bulgakov and it’s called The Master and Margarita and you will be tested about this later,” leading into Pilate. After Daughter, Ed mentions how rare it is to play a place where your friend, who is here in the audience, has a statue outside of the arena, “so here’s to Brett Hull.” During the first encore break, Ed comes out and says how he thought everyone would’ve left to start celebrating before game 2. He tells the crowd if he fucks up the next song he will start it over, but if the crowd helps him he will get through it, which leads into a powerful debut of John Lennon’s Imagine. “This ones for the serious collector, the romantic types,” prefaces Thin Air. Last Kiss is messed up at the beginning, but they find their way through it. After Down, the emotion ramps up as for the only time on the North American leg of the tour, they bust out Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns. Ed takes a very reverent, delicate approach to Chloe Dancer, and Mike elicits a soulful wail out of his instrument during the Crown of Thorns solo. Encore 2 starts with Ed talking about a woman who had to fight her way out of the hospital to be here tonight, and dedicates Given to Fly to her. Setting Forth transitions into Better Man, Ed hands the intro over to the crowd and they run with it, and talks about running away from different places (California, Seattle, Chicago) during the Save It For Later tag before buttering up the St. Louis crowd one more time (“this one’s better”), and the show ends on a triumphant note with Baba O’Riley.