September 4, 2018 – Fenway Park, Boston, MA, USA

Main Set: Given To Fly, Animal, Save You, Arms Aloft, Lightning Bolt, Red Mosquito, I Am Mine, U, Even Flow, Immortality, Taillights Fade, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Nothingman, Can’t Deny Me, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 1: Thumbing My Way, Imagine, Crazy Mary, Comatose, Go, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Smile, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, (Dirty Frank tease)/Dirty Water, Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

A little ballpark symmetry as Given to Fly opens, just like at Wrigley 2. The Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros cover “Arms Aloft” is the first of two covers in the main set, with the lyric changed to “Arms Aloft/in Fenway Park” instead of Aberdeen. The first of many guest appearances on the night sees famed photographer Danny Clinch join to play harmonica on a fantastic Red Mosquito. Leatherman is scratched from the original setlist in favor of another Yield b-side, U. Following Even Flow, Ed applauds Mike for playing so well while medicated, due to a sinus infection. He then introduces the next one by saying they are going to play it “a little differently” this time. Then, for the first time since the Orpheum in 1994, Ed sings the original lyrics to Immortality:

I could take the sun
Pour a cup to share with everyone
Need to feel some comfort in this world
I won’t take it all
I won’t say that nothing’s not my fault
Cannot feel the future in the wind

I could paint the moon
With the light reflected in my room
All I need’s a mirror for the glare
I could paint the Earth, how
With the love I feel for you and her
Needn’t I to alter in the air

After Immortality, Bill Janovitz from Buffalo Tom is back out for the 2nd night in a row. Bill says it’s “wicked awesome” to be there a second time, and he and Ed trade off lyrics on main set cover #2, Buffalo Tom’s Taillights Fade. During the bridge of Not For You, Ed starts a “Let’s Go Red Sox” chant. Introducing Can’t Deny Me, Ed claims the original title of the song was “Voting Is Your Superpower,” and Mark Guiliana (drummer on Matt Cameron’s solo record Cavedweller) is invited on stage to play cowbell. Ed claims the title of the song was originally “Voting Is Your Superpower.” Jeff adds the bass line from Sweet Emotion at the end of Jeremy, as a nod to Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, who is in attendance. The Betterman tag finds Ed pondering whether he could find a better crowd: “Maybe Philly, that’s a pretty good crowd. New York City, that’s a pretty good crowd. Some nights it just feels like you can’t find a better crowd than Boston, Massachusetts…is tonight one of those nights? Whaddya got?” Coming back out for the encore, Ed says “the next time we play together we’re gonna be in the studio, [this is] the last time we’re gonna be playing in front of people for a while,” and that tonight “we’re gonna play until David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis [former Red Sox players] come and pull us off the stage.” This prompts Youkilis to take the stage carrying a guitar, holding it in his signature batting stance. Thumbing My Way is a request for a person Matt met, as well as a friend of Ed’s. Ed asks the crowd to hold their phones up to light the stadium for Imagine. Loud “Boooom” chants after Crazy Mary, as Ed mentions Team Hawaii won the Little League World Series and that Boom’s wife is involved with the league on the island. Over the Wasted Reprise bed, Ed says he’ll miss the Monster but hopes to be back in October (the Red Sox would end up winning the World Series). Life Wasted is dedicated to John Martin from the Red Sox video crew, who was stricken with ALS. The ever-elusive Dirty Frank is teased for about 30 seconds before a debut cover, Dirty Water by the Standells.

September 2, 2018 – Fenway Park, Boston, MA, USA

Main Set: Sometimes, Release, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Down, Given To Fly, Army Reserve, Even Flow, Amongst The Waves, Daughter/(W.M.A./It's O.K.), Got Some, Do The Evolution, I Am A Patriot, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: I Won't Back Down, Just Breathe, Present Tense, Once, State Of Love And Trust, Tremor Christ, Black/(Waiting On A Friend/Time Heals), Taillights Fade, Blood/(Atomic Dog)

encore 2: Out Of My Mind, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

Band in great spirits from the start. Last line of Sometimes is changed to “You’d like it here…dear god.” After Low Light, Ed mentions Bono “losing his throat” the night before, and thanks him for his work with the Red Campaign and other charitable/philanthropic endeavors, and asks the “Irish” crowd to wish the “Irishman” well. After a blistering Corduroy, driven by Matt, Ed takes a sip of wine and regales the crowd with a speech about the word ‘fuck’:

…you know, it can be used as a noun. Well, it can be used as a verb, which in its best way, you know, is romantic and ‘let’s fuck’. Or it can be insulting like ‘get fucked’…and I’ve got an adjective too…like ’fucking amazing’ like the Red Sox, they’re ‘fucking amazing.’ And anyone from Boston who might be booing, ‘fuck you.’ Or, you can use it as an adjective and a noun ‘you fucking fuck’ or an exclamation, which I’m realizing now because there might be kids in the audience and I’m thinking to myself ‘fuck!’ Sorry, sorry, fuck, sorry.

Before Given to Fly, Ed mentions that this is their 23rd show in Boston and dedicates it to a local named Dick, who worked putting on shows in the area and was recovering from a recent health scare. This version of I Am A Patriot starts off with the slow intro that develops into a raucous performance with a nod to the crowd, presumably full of New England Patriots fans, with Ed proclaiming “this is the one city in the world where you don’t have to introduce this one.” Ed changes into a Red Sox “Vedder 18” jersey during Porch, traversing the front of the crowd. After the first break, Ed brings out a red Fender Telecaster given to him by Tom Petty, saying “this is only the second time that I’ve taken this guitar out of my house, because a few years ago I gave Tom a guitar that he was looking for…and then a couple months later I got this beautiful red Red Sox color Telecaster in the mail from Tom, and he said ‘this was my baby for the last few tours, but I think there’s a few songs in it.’ So I brought it tonight. He played here in 2014 and he was right, there’s some songs in it. Maybe we can get his attention if we light some lights and make this place look like the church that it is for our dear friend Tom. Please sing along with me. I want him to hear. I love you Tom” leading to an emotional I Won’t Back Down. Tremor Christ seems to be added on the spot, Ed: “If I talk to the fellas, can we play a little something we don’t normally play? We’ll try it, if we fuck it up it will be my fault and it won’t be the first time and my wife’s here to attest to that.” After a soaring Black, Ed says that in July of 1991 the band stayed at a Howard Johnson’s across the street, and he and Jeff shared a room together, while Stone and Mike roomed together, and they lit incense and it was “so romantic,” then tells a story of how he snuck into Fenway and took two pictures behind home plate, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Ed comes onstage after the second break wearing a backwards #23 Red Sox batting helmet, and talks about pot being legal in Seattle, and that they rolled one up with something they found called “The Green Monster.” Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom joins for the debut cover of Taillights Fade. Out Of My Mind is played for the first time since the final Spectrum show in 2009, Ed making the shocking admission that the song doesn’t have set lyrics and that he just makes them up. Another Red Sox jersey is thrown at Mike during the Alive solo, but he doesn’t miss a beat and wears it on his shoulder for a few seconds before tossing it on a mic stand.

August 20, 2018 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Given To Fly, Why Go, Go, Last Exit, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Rain, Throw Your Hatred Down, Even Flow, U, In My Tree, Immortality, Daughter/(It's O.K.), Unthought Known, Jeremy, I Am A Patriot, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: We're Going To Be Friends, Come Back, Corduroy, Black, Lightning Bolt, Rearviewmirror, Smile, Evil Little Goat, Leash, Alive, Baba O'Riley

Show Notes:

Ominous weather all day culminates with a 2 hour rain delay, bringing back memories of 2013. Ed enters wearing swim trunks, says “Good evening,” and asks the crowd to give themselves a big hand. Given to Fly lyric is altered to “made it out to Wrigley felt the rain in the breeze.” Right on cue, rain begins pouring harder and continues through the next four songs. After Mind Your Manners, Ed asks to see the crowd and plays call-and-response. He refers to Boom and a Hawaiian expression that rain is a blessing, and explains that this night is the answer to his childhood dilemma: “it rains in heaven.” Do the Evolution lyrics are flubbed, Ed asking the crowd during Stone’s solo to “sing in the rain.” Rain is wonderful and appropriate. Throw Your Hatred Down is dedicated to the South Side, “with love.” Even Flow gets extended due to another blooper (to the dismay of Stone) and Ed improvises lyrics to make light of the situation. He praises Mike who, in his plaid pants, had his behind-the-back solo moment, shouts out Buddy Guy, and spots a “The Incredible Matt Fucking Cameron” sign, trying different versions of the phrase. “Goodbye Girl” intro to Immortality. Jeff, with “META-PHOR” still on his amps, referencing the Missoula controversy, shines during ‘Jeremy.’ After Lukin, Ed plays a reprise with “I’m going to Wrigley” lyrics. After the break, Ed comes onstage wearing a Chris Chelios jersey and announces that the band will no longer tour from April to October because he’s been offered a dream job to “smoke some pot and put up some numbers” in the scoreboard. White Stripes’ Lots of Chicago references during We’re Going to Be Friends. Chelios then appears with the late Stan Mikita’s jersey, and Come Back is played in his family’s honor with the 2016 World Series trophy in the background. “Go Cubs Go” call-and-response during Corduroy. Ed asks the band not to leave the stage during the “encore” transition due to approaching extended curfew. Smile is played by request. Dirty Frank chants are answered with the first live performance of Ten-era rehearsal track Evil Little Goat. Baba closes, with Danny Clinch playing harmonica and Ed destroying his blue telecaster. Poor Stone misses the band photo, and Ed thanks each section of the field by Cubs player name.

August 18, 2018 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Wash, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Animal, Getaway, Leaving Here, Present Tense, Even Flow, Missing, Garden, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Can't Deny Me, Wishlist, I Won't Back Down, Porch

encore 1: Just Breathe, Sleeping By Myself, Footsteps, State Of Love And Trust, Breath, Know Your Rights, Do The Evolution, Alone, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Rebel Rebel, Better Man, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ever conscious of the band’s relationship with the weather at Wrigley, the opening lyrics of Wash are changed to “oh please don’t let it rain today…this city’s so fuckin pretty.” Low Light is played as the sun sets, always a special moment. The Wrigley crowd belts out Small Town, and Ed remarks “you sound warmed up.” 2 songs in the uptempo section make their 2018 debuts, Breakerfall and Getaway. Leaving Here early in the main set is a surprise, Ed asking everyone to “keep a high modicum of respect for your fellow man, and certainly the women.” After a fantastic Present Tense, Ed comments, “nice to play a song like that under the beautiful moon of Wrigley Field,” and continues, saying that he sees a sign that reads, “Play ‘Black, Red, Yellow’ you Evanston pussy.” Teasing, Ed responds “We played it two years ago…where were you? Mike, will you just rip his head off with the guitar during this next song?” and Mike obliges with a ridiculous Even Flow solo. Missing is played next, as a perfect and heartfelt tribute to Chris Cornell. Ed introduces Matt, saying, “it’s like being the greatest pitcher and the greatest hitter” (referring to Matt’s roles in PJ and Soundgarden). Not For You is extended, with a call and response section where Ed asks the crowd to “say hi to [Cubs manager] Joe Maddon,” and they go back and forth with “heyyyy Joe,” then talks about how he “sure found joy in this place as a 6/7-year-old.” After Wishlist, Ed talks about this guitar that he has never taken on the stage before, given to him by Tom Petty during his last tour and that the Wrigley stops meant so much to him. Ed asks the crowd to light up their phones so that “we can all see you..get Tom to come back and visit,” then treats the crowd to a solo electric version of I Won’t Back Down. In the encore, Dennis Rodman brings Ed a ukulele after Just Breathe and thanks Chicago for their support and for always believing in him. The two ‘Singles’ soundtrack songs are played back to back. Ed is giddy as he talks about the Cubs to open the second encore, giving a huge thanks to Tom Ricketts (Chairman of the Cubs) for saving the 2013 show. Ed brings Tom out to the stage with the World Series trophy as the video screens replay a dramatic Cubs walk-off. The celebration continues as Yellow Ledbetter closes the show. Ed switches the lyrics to “I want to come this way again” and signs off with “Thank you, Chicago…sure is nice being in centerfield.”

August 13, 2018 – Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Go, Do The Evolution, Arms Aloft, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Pilate, Even Flow, In My Tree, Down, Lightning Bolt, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Setting Forth, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Can’t Deny Me, Porch

encore 1: Bee Girl, Fatal, Imagine, Given To Fly, Throw Your Hatred Down, Better Man/(With or Without You/I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend/Save it For Later), Jeremy, Know Your Rights, Alive, Rockin’ In the Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

The band partnered with Rock2Vote as well as several Montana organizations ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in setting up a festival on the grounds outside the stadium that included several musical acts and information booths, including “Goats for Votes” featuring actual goats. Ed arrives on stage wearing an Evel Knievel (Montana native) jacket. After Mind Your Manners, Ed says that “music brings people together, and we are glad we have gotten together for an important reason,” and thanks Jeff for organizing this event, and for “inviting us, it’s nice to be back,” which inspires a “Jeff” chant, to which Ed toasts, leading Jeff to also partake from the wine bottle. Ed mentions he saw Paul McCartney in the same place and then plays a few bars of Blackbird. He then mentions the Rolling Stones played there, prompting Mike and Matt to play a few bars of Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Then, Ed suggests they all play a different Rolling Stones song at the same time and counts it out, resulting in inevitable chaos. Crowd takes the final Even Flow chorus, followed by Ed offering that since they are on campus, he should give a history lesson, saying that their first real show 20 years ago with Matt Cameron was right here, and thanks Matt for “the best 20 years of this band’s life,” leading into In My Tree, which features “textbooks” instead of “newspapers” in the first line. After Down, Ed brings up the lights and points out a young girl on her dad’s shoulders who is keeping perfect time and giving him so much energy, remarking that it’s good to know that that is where the future of our country lies. He then gets the crowd to pass back a tambourine, which makes its way to her roughly 20-30 rows back despite Ed’s hesitancy noting “it’s better to give than to receive.” Lightning Bolt features the line “towards the great Big Sky.” Prior to Can’t Deny Me, Ed begins by remarking that election day should be a national holiday before noticing a couple in the front wearing matching “I Love Sex & Beer” shirts. He asks if they found each other today as they just happened to be wearing the same shirts, before getting each a beer, which they chug. He teases that he hopes that the other thing isn’t done as quickly. After the encore break Ed and Jeff appear alone on stage and Ed says “can I talk about my friend Jeff Ament, a hometown hero? Our friend, the activist, philanthropist, not only is he an incredible skater, he builds skateparks and I would ask him how many he builds, but he doesn’t like to brag. He is much loved in the Seattle community and he’s never forgotten his roots here at home. Here’s our man, great bandmate, great bassist, writer, painter, Jeff Ament…Amen Ament. One more round as his mom and dad, George and Penny[…]on that fateful night a number of years ago, drunk on sex and beer, created this man here,” to which Jeff adds, “possibly.” Ed continues: “this is one of many collaborations…does that mean we colluded on this next song? We are guilty of collusion on this next song,” leading into Bee Girl. Betterman clocks in at nearly 9 minutes, with snippets of U2 and the Ramones before Save it for Later. Following Jeremy, Ed notes that this is the biggest benefit show they have ever done, and its importance with the upcoming midterm elections, and that they would never tell you who to vote for (while all band members have “Tester” shirts in honor of incumbent Senator Jon Tester). Ed dons the Evel Knievel jacket again before Indifference. Set heavy on Jeff songs, timely covers, and a unique 11-song encore.

August 10, 2018 – Safeco Field, Seattle, WA, USA

Main Set: Oceans, Footsteps, Nothingman, Why Go, Brain Of J., (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Rats, In Hiding, Whipping, Even Flow, Missing, Daughter/(W.M.A./It’s O.K.), Immortality, I’m Open, Unthought Known, Can’t Deny Me, Do The Evolution, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: I Won’t Back Down, Thin Air, All Or None, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Crown Of Thorns, Kick Out The Jams, Spin The Black Circle, (Fernando)/Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Crazy Mary/(Paint It Black), Jeremy, Leash, Search And Destroy, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Night 2 of The Home Shows, a two-night fundraiser supporting the homeless in Seattle. Many references to Seattle and ‘home’ through the night, starting with an “I’ll be home once more” lyric change in Oceans. Ed speaks after Corduroy: “Hello family, hello friends, hello neighbors, hello visitors, hello Seattle.” Rats is dedicated to any “old Seattle residents that still might be residing.” After Whipping, Ed predicts that the world will be altered if people don’t show up in the elections. He then predicts that Mike will play out of his fucking mind, like always, but especially when he’s pissed off – he’s pissed off they are trying to tear down the Showbox, an iconic Seattle music venue. Later, during Even Flow, Ed starts a ‘Save our Showbox’ chant. Missing, a song from Chris Cornell’s Poncier tape, is debuted with no acknowledgement of Chris before or after. After Immortality, Ed introduces Matt and allows him to take a bow. He then tells a story about being excited about being in Rolling Stone for Temple of the Dog for the first time, even though Madonna was on the cover, and then intimates that Madonna even slapped his ass in front of his wife, and then tried to slap her ass as well, “but it didn’t work out.” He then shows Stone on the cover of Real Change magazine, saying “I’d take him over Madonna, he’s my kind of guy.” Ed is out solo after the break for I Won’t Back Down, saying he wants to play the song to get Tom’s attention, so he can tell Tom that he misses him. Kim Thayil joins onstage prior to Kick Out the Jams. Kim shows his Chris Cornell t-shirt to the crowd and gets a huge crowd reaction. Spin the Black Circle is dedicated to Sub Pop Records. Rearviewmirror starts immediately after, and is aborted. Ed admits fault, saying he’s played the song “at least a couple times,” and drinks two huge pulls of the wine bottle, then continues: “I think I was playing the correct notes, but all I could hear is,” going into a few bars of Fernando by Abba. This seems to really amuse the rest of the band, all of them are seen smiling and laughing, as is most of the crowd. Before Search and Destroy, Kim Thayil is invited back, along with Mudhoney’s Steve Turner and Mark Arm. Lots of interaction between the guys during these two songs, the band all playing next to the guests, laughing and playing grab-ass. Lots of hugs as Ed acknowledges them again after Sonic Reducer. Before Yellow Ledbetter, Ed speaks again about local businesses contributing to the cause and giving portions of their sales, and again mentions homelessness, saying ”We want to be part of the solution…just don’t give up…this is not the time to give up, this is the time to rise up.”

Written by: Curtis Hames

August 8, 2018 – Safeco Field, Seattle, WA, USA

Main Set: Long Road, Release, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Go, Do The Evolution, Throw Your Hatred Down, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Given To Fly, All Those Yesterdays, Even Flow, (Help!)/Help Help, Black, Setting Forth, I Am A Patriot, Porch

encore 1: We’re Going To Be Friends, Nothing As It Seems, Let Me Sleep, Breath, Again Today, State Of Love And Trust, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Wasted Reprise, Better Man, Comfortably Numb, Alive, I’ve Got A Feeling, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

First hometown show in almost 5 years. Huge cheer following Corduroy is met by Ed commenting, “We are Pearl Jam. We are from Seattle, Washington. I guess that must mean we’re home.” Ed later jokes that Safeco is beautiful, unlike the old Kingdome, quipping “The old concrete gray lady…she was kind of a bitch.” Former Mariner Randy Johnson is in attendance, and Ed jokes that Randy’s favorite band is actually Soundgarden (at which point Mike busts into a Superunknown riff). Before Even Flow, Ed tells a story about the song’s origin: a homeless man Ed used to see in town way back in the early days named Eddie, a Black Vietnam vet who used to walk around in a strange blue tarp and a shopping cart. Ed used to talk to him while he was out getting lunch and coffee, and eventually, he couldn’t find Eddie anymore. Later he found out that the man passed away and never got to hear the song written about their conversations. After a stirring Black, Ed talks about how Jeff moved from Montana to Seattle in the early ‘80s and met a guy working at the local coffee joint by the name of Andy Wood. A slowed-down, Ed-only, vocals and guitar rendition of Help! serves as an intro to Help, Help. Patriot is full band, very energetic. Ed brings two of his daughter’s teachers on stage after the break and dedicates We’re Going To Be Friends to them. Let Me Sleep is introduced as “a song we wrote a long time ago, and it was one of those things about where you wrote about what you know.” Brandi Carlile joins for Again Today, exclaiming “This is a dream come true!” Before the second encore kicks off, Ed talks about the $11M raised by the 2 shows to fight homelessness, and encourages the crowd to keep the momentum going and get out and vote, and that we can do it together. He mutters “It could have been me” before Wasted Reprise. Betterman has the cool, extended Save It For Later tag. I’ve Got A Feeling is played in Seattle for the first time in 25 years.

Written by: Brian Horwitz

August 22, 2016 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Oceans, Footsteps, Off He Goes, Better Man, (Summertime Rolls)/Corduroy, State Of Love And Trust, Why Go, Animal, Given To Fly, Immortality, Black Red Yellow, Deep, Jeremy, I Am Mine, Wishlist, Of The Earth, Lukin, Mind Your Manners, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Man Of The Hour, Last Kiss, Got Some, Comatose, Even Flow, Don’t Gimme No Lip, Sonic Reducer, Blood

encore 2: Crazy Mary, Surrender, Alive, All The Way, Time Has Come Today, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter, I’ve Got A Feeling

Show Notes:

Ed walks out onto the stage and proclaims that “it’s gonna be a looooong night,” setting the tone for the final show of 2016. The first 13(!) songs are all from the 90’s, paying service to the long-time fans that have made Chicago such a memorable place to see them play. Unique setlist construction in the beginning of the show, as Footsteps, Off He Goes and Better Man are played in the 2, 3, and 4 spots. Ed gives a shout-out to the folks on the rooftop at Wrigleyville, saying it was there that he witnessed a “certain smoking utensil” for the first time. Prior to Corduroy, Ed’s voice fills the air with a snippet from Jane’s Addiction song “Summertime Rolls” for the first time since touring Lollapalooza in 1992 24 years ago. After Animal, Ed toasts the crowd and says they are so grateful for being asked to play there again. When they were asked, Ed responded “we’d have to sleep on it…when I did, I woke up in the middle of the night and had a dream that the Chicago Tribune headline said ‘lightning strikes twice,’” calling back to the infamous weather delay from the 2013 show. Black, Red, Yellow is played for only the 7th time, dedicated to the Chicago Bulls. Bulls legend Dennis Rodman joins them on stage and attempts to recite his answering machine playback line featured on the studio version. I Am Mine breaks the streak of 90’s material. Another rarity is broken out later in the set, as the unreleased Of The Earth makes an appearance. This version has a ton of power behind it, with a jammy and explosive bridge creating a euphoric, thunderous moment when the bridge transitions back into the lead riff. The momentum comes to a halt during Lukin, as Ed stops the song to call out an overzealous fan shoving his fingers in a woman’s face. The fan is escorted out by security as the crowd gives him the “hey hey goodbye” treatment. Then they pick up exactly where they left off, finishing Lukin with intensity. In the encore, Ed jokes that the fan who was kicked out looked like Steve Bartman (infamous Cubs fan known for interfering with a fly ball during an important playoff game), and makes mention of the flags around the ballpark, dedicating Throw Your Arms Around Me to all the travellers. A fan named Bob gets to sing along during Even Flow and gets some credit from Stone, before Stone takes the mic himself to sing lead on Don’t Gimme No Lip. The encore ends with more throwbacks to the early 90’s, ripping through loud and furious renditions of Sonic Reducer and Blood. Boom’s B3 is prominent on Crazy Mary, as he matches the sound of the Wrigley Field organ during his solo and tags the Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black. Ed tells a story about the late Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and how during the 2013 Wrigley show, Ernie asked to keep Ed’s mitt which he said had a lot of love in it. Ed received his mitt back that night and proclaimed that a lot of magic is gonna happen there in the next few months (the Cubs would break their 108 year World Series curse that October). Ed’s Cubs anthem All The Way is played for the final time, as after the Cubs won the World Series he stated that he’d never play it again. A cover of Time Has Come Today, originally performed by The Chamber Brothers, is debuted late in encore 2. Rockin’ in the Free World has a lyric change, “Cubs colors on the streets,” and I’ve Got A Feeling, the song that closed out the show from The Metro, just down the street from Wrigley, in 1992 closes out this show. An instant classic, full of fun covers and 90’s fan favorites.

Written by: Randy Sobel

August 20, 2016 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Low Light, Release, Rain, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Do The Evolution, Last Exit, Lightning Bolt, Sad, Amongst The Waves, Even Flow, Light Years, I Got Id, Mind Your Manners, Unthought Known, Masters Of War, I Am A Patriot, Daughter/(W.M.A./Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Bee Girl, Just Breathe, I Believe In Miracles, Let Me Sleep, Inside Job, Comfortably Numb, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Porch

encore 2: Go, Black, Surrender, Alive

Show Notes:

The first of the two Wrigley 2016 shows starts off with Low Light, as Ed pleads with the weather: “clouds roll by…” Immediately after, Ed shares “the last time felt like a once in a lifetime experience…and then when the lightning hit, I was hoping it was a once in a lifetime experience…but nature is working with us tonight, and I think you’ve earned it…is there a guy named John in the front? Where’s John? Just want to point out someone here up front because he was the first guy in line two days ago…four days ago…and he wanted to be in front for this song because it meant a lot to him and he’s going through some stuff, and we’re gonna help him out,” leading to an emotionally charged performance of Release. After Release, the band launches into a cover of The Beatles’ Rain, another not-so-subtle nod to the weather the last time they played Wrigley. When Lightning Bolt starts, Ed remarks “gutsy move playing this one…” Amongst The Waves is dedicated to “Lake Michigan on a windy day.” Before Light Years, Ed wishes Gord Downie, the singer of the Tragically Hip who had recently been diagnosed with brain cancer, well on the last night of their farewell tour, saying “I just want to send them our energy from our gathering up to their gathering and wish the best to Mr. Gord Downie, we love ya.” Masters of War is performed electric, which gives the typically folk-tinged ballad an ominous, harder-edged feel. During the Save it for Later tag on Better Man, Ed hilariously goes off on a fan in the front row wearing a Whitesnake t-shirt, luckily the women next to him were wearing a “Janet Fucking Weiss” shirt and an “Unfuckwithable” shirt, which Ed gushes over.

After the break, Ed talks about the meaning behind the song Bee Girl, and how kids are exposed even more now, referring to Instagram as “Instaounce” and wanting them to be unfuckwithable, referring to the shirt again. During Just Breathe, Army Sgt. Kyle Johnson proposes to his girlfriend Amy, assisted by Ed, who changes the line to “he’s a lucky man.” Let Me Sleep is introduced as “a little number from a long time ago…it was written in Seattle the first winter I was there and it was snowing, which is rare for Seattle but the song was actually informed from experiences here, and growing up waiting on that fucking L train at 2:30 in the morning with 25 below windchill, thinking I was maybe not gonna make it through the night and wishing I had money for a cab.” Steve Gleason is brought out before Inside Job and delivers a message to the crowd, inspiring a powerful performance:

If you want my opinion, this stadium and this field are most sacred ground. Like all of you, I’m inspired and strengthened by the music of these guys. Mike and I have been friends for almost fifteen years and I’m grateful for the relationship that my family has with the Pearl Jam family. This next song is one of my all-time favorite songs ever. Everyone who has a heartbeat will face adversity but when you experience those moments, like the message in this song, please remember this, how we choose to feel is how we are and personally, I feel fucking awesome.

Before Comfortably Numb, Eddie thanks Steve and talks about being young and living in Chicago, saying:

“I was young and broke but I would get a bottle…and a cassette Walkman and headphones and sit there on the rocks and look at the water and look at the sky and look at the stars…I was looking in the sky and seeing like a whole world of possibilities, you know I was young with a whole world of possibilities but what were the options? You just didn’t know where any thread to any kind of future would be and this music was something that helped me and probably you too. It helped us imagine the possibility.”

Prior to All The Way, Ed waxes poetic about the Cubs, then a triumphant Baba O’Riley closes out the night.

Written by: Paul Wirt

August 7, 2016 – Fenway Park, Boston, MA, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Off He Goes, Nothing As It Seems, Nothingman, Wishlist, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Animal, Hail, Hail, Lightning Bolt, In Hiding, Even Flow, Sirens, Draw The Line, Lukin, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Immortality, Deep, Jeremy, Unthought Known, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Angel, Footsteps, I Believe In Miracles, Mind Your Manners, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 2: Smile, Go, Love Reign O’er Me, Do The Evolution, Breath, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

The vibe around the park was buzzing after Friday night’s set. Pendulum, now seasoned as an opener, sounds huge and beautiful bouncing off the Green Monster. Ed wastes no time getting conversational tonight, saying “things are gonna get moving real quick later on, but want to be sure to savor the moment,” prior to launching into a great trio of Off He Goes, Nothing as it Seems and Nothingman. Wishlist is a revved up version before the night kicks into second gear with Corduroy, with a prologue of Interstellar Overdrive. Many in the crowd wanted to try and grab the 2nd to last verse, but the band had the early call and response jam for Ed built into this run. A spirited In Hiding is played as the sun disappears to summer twilight, and precedes a blues-drenched Even Flow performance by Mike. Sirens soars, Ed opines “life is short” prior to the opening lyrics, this comes up again as the band brings the song to a gentle close. Ed mentions how he and Jeff were talking earlier about the fragility of life, and how it feels there is more to lose these days. Red Mosquito is scratched from the set for Tom Hamilton to join the band on stage for an encore of Aerosmith’s Draw the Line. Mike wails on an epic Immortality. After the break, Ed gives a nod to the crowd and their energy through the years. The crescent moon has, at this time, been making its way up over the Fenway facades, prompting Ed to talk about the recording of Lightning Bolt and the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy, and Yellow Moon opens the encore, written in reference to the event. Angel is for “the serious collector,” played for only the 2nd time since 1994, and reworked with a full band arrangement. Footsteps follows as the “veteran, more your Carl Yaztremski/Ted Williams…” ‘Small hands’ Donald Trump helps bring a cake on stage to help celebrate crew hand Simon’s birthday as the band prepares to play Smile. Love Reign O’er Me features an excellent keyboard intro from Boom, on a night where he is mostly subtle and in the background, given the set choices. Matt and Ed tease a bit of Temple of the Dog’s “Wooden Jesus” before launching into Breath. With the ballpark lights on after Alive, J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) joins the band on guitar for Rockin’ in the Free World, sporting a Cookie Monster t-shirt. Mike hands off his Les Paul to Ray Cameron during the first jam, and heads up to the drum riser to assist Matt, before eventually finding his way to Jeff’s bass, which Jeff trades for some cowbell. As the breakdown jam continues, Ed grabs his glove and proceeds to play catch with the crowd. Prior to the closer, Ed introduces Dick, who they have known from the Boston shows over the past couple of decades. Yellow Ledbetter is awash in feedback by Mike, closing with the Star-Spangled Banner. Ed reminds everyone “now don’t get ejected or arrested…goodnight.”

August 5, 2016 – Fenway Park, Boston, MA, USA

Main Set: Release, Long Road, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Low Light, All Those Yesterdays, Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Daughter/(W.M.A./Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), Even Flow, Faithfull, Grievance, I Am Mine, Down, Black, Do The Evolution, Masters Of War, I Am A Patriot, Porch

encore 1: Strangest Tribe, Society, Just Breathe, Sleeping With Myself, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, State Of Love And Trust, Comfortably Numb, Corduroy

encore 2: Draw The Line, Alive, I’ve Got A Feeling, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

Pearl Jam’s first ever show at Fenway Park opens with the 1-2 emotional punch of Release and Long Road. The mellow opening sequence continues with Elderly Woman and a stellar version of Low Light where Ed holds the final note for what seems to be an eternity. All Those Yesterdays features an incredible moment for the hometown fans as Ed points out all of the pennants hung around the park as the band all sings during the ending jam. Daughter has a short “Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)” tag after W.M.A., with an enthusiastic crowd joining in. Faithfull is dedicated to David Ortiz, and Down is preceded by Ed giving a shout out to “the greatest American historian in our lifetime…one of my favorite Bostonians who didn’t wear a Red Sox uniform”, Howard Zinn. Continuing the Red Sox theme, former pitcher Bronson Arroyo is brought on to play Black. Mike goes crazy on a fiery Masters Of War (played for the first time since 2008), followed up by a full band, rocking version of I Am A Patriot. After the break, Ed says “this thing might go extra innings tonight” and shows some Polaroids from early area shows, showing how small the crowds were, and tells a story about breaking into an empty Fenway Park to take Polaroids of the field. The ultra-rare Strangest Tribe opens the encore, followed by the Into the Wild track Society, each played for only the 2nd time at a PJ show. Before Sleeping By Myself, Eddie asks “Can I get a uke up here?”, and a ukulele is promptly brought out by yet another Red Sox player, Kevin Youkilis, to the delight of the hometown fans. A tight SOLAT is followed up by a fabulous version of Comfortably Numb, and the extended Corduroy ends the first encore. The band borrows a song from 70’s Aerosmith as they begin encore 2 with “Draw The Line,” covered for the first time. After an energetic Alive, Ed introduces Stone as “the guy that writes most of the songs and is way more handsome than he thinks”, calls Matt “our batter,” and says Mike “throws a no-hitter every time.” I’ve Got A Feeling is played for the first time since 2004 in Boston (Ed mistakenly says it may be the first time since the 1994 Orpheum show), and is dedicated to a fan, Matthew Plummer, who had recently lost his father, via sportswriter Peter Gammons, who comes on stage as well. An epic show full of classic rock covers, rarely played songs, and baseball.

July 9, 2016 – Ride Festival, Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Nothingman, Pendulum, Thin Air, Sleeping By Myself, Off He Goes, Just Breathe, Angel, Society, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Why Go, Mind Your Manners, Even Flow, Glorified G, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Sirens, Unthought Known, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Santa Cruz, I Won’t Back Down, Smile, Given To Fly, Comfortably Numb, Black, Crazy Mary, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Nothingman opens a show for the first time ever, as the show begins with a sit-down set that lasts 9 songs, perhaps a callback to Red Rocks 1995, also in Colorado. Ed cheers “Here’s to the thin air!” leading to the eponymous Binaural track. A kid in the front row gets one of Ed’s picks after Off He Goes. Just Breathe is stopped in the middle due to lights in Ed’s eyes. Afterwards, he introduces the next one as a “rare occurrence,” and Angel is played for the first time since 1994! The Into the Wild track Society is played with the full band for the first time, in honor of the setting. Jeff gets a shoutout before Low Light. Afterwards, Ed thanks locals and the people who found this spot (without the help of Google Earth) and decided to stay, and encourages everyone to pick up after themselves so they can be invited back. Unthought Known is dedicated “to the big sky.” After the break, another ultra-rare track is dusted off as Santa Cruz is played for only the second time, just Ed on the acoustic. It’s introduced as “a song written about a place, and then I realized if the words were adjusted, it would illustrate how we’re feeling.” The lyrics are changed to “east” instead of “south,” “I need the mountains to set me free, waterfalls to wash my soul,” and “I’ve got a feeling I just can’t hide, pulling into Telluride.” Ed plays I Won’t Back Down solo as well, but electric. Smile is dedicated to audience member David and his friends, in honor of a friend who passed away. Given to Fly lyric is changed to “made it to the mountains…” Ed references the show programs and “great faces on the back” who are in charge of the festival, and dedicates Comfortably Numb to festival organizer Jennifer (it’s her birthday). After Black, Ed compares the stars to the ones you can see from the Hawaiian Islands, leading into Crazy Mary, with Boom and Mike trading solos. Ed ends the thank-yous with “sleep good…there’s a lullaby…” and Yellow Ledbetter ends the night.

Written by: Joey Goodsir

June 11, 2016 – Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, TN, USA

Main Set: Go, Save You, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Given To Fly, Nothingman, Mind Your Manners, Even Flow, Wishlist, Arms Aloft, Daughter, Jeremy, Why Go, Porch

encore 1: Oceans, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Comfortably Numb, Do The Evolution, Better Man, Black, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World

Show Notes:

“Good evening! Past your bedtime?” Ed asks to open the show. A frenetic Go opens the set, and they don’t let up through Save You and Corduroy. Following Nothingman, Ed comments on “some candidate’s” proposed wall, telling the crowd a wall should be built around the candidate instead, a “5×5…a little cinder block window in there,” and then the energy picks back up with Mind Your Manners. Wishlist is dedicated to a couple in the audience who met 10 years ago at Bonnaroo. Four songs from Ten close the main set, and Oceans opens the encore. A touching moment follows, as Ed says he has a birthday cake for a girl but no candles, and asks the crowd to hold up their phones to serve as the candles. It’s for his daughter, Olivia, who’s celebrating her 12th birthday at the show, and he sings Happy Birthday to her along with the crowd, and the ‘candles’ are ‘blown out.’ Better Man nearly reaches 8 minutes, and then Brendan O’Brien joins onstage to play keys on an epic Black, that does go beyond 8 minutes. A throwback show, with 16 of the 22 songs from the band’s 1990’s albums, including 7 from Ten.

June 9, 2016 – Third Man Records, Nashville, TN, USA

Main Set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Pendulum, Mind Your Manners, 1/2 Full, Life Wasted, Deep

encore 1: Of The Earth, Hard To Imagine, Let Me Sleep

Show Notes:

Nashville, TN Ten Club members woke up to an email this morning telling them to show up at Grimey’s, a Nashville record store, for something special. The first 30 Ten Club members received tickets for a show to be played that night at Jack White’s Third Man Records store. Due to the small size of the Blue Room at Third Man, only 200 lucky fans were in attendance, including country star Keith Urban and Third Man Records artist Margo Price, as well as NBA star Chris Bosh and Nashville mayor Megan Barry. As a tune-up for the recording, Interstellar Overdrive opens, leading into Corduroy, but the performance is not included on the final release. Rough start to Pendulum, as the organ wasn’t set up, causing a bit of a delay.

The break between sets is needed to set up the acetate machine for side two, and the band uses the delay to hang out and talk with audience members. Side two is full of rare performances, as Jack White joins for Of the Earth, trading solos with Mike, stretching the song out to 10 minutes in length. Hard to Imagine follows, and to close, Let Me Sleep is played with the full band, and for only the 5th time ever. A unique show in an intimate venue.

Written by Nick Smith

May 2, 2016 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Once, Animal, Given To Fly, Surrender, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Nothingman, Leatherman, Better Man, Garden, Even Flow, Sirens, Deep, Jeremy, Leash, Do The Evolution

encore 1: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, All Or None, Pendulum, Breath, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Driven To Tears, Lightning Bolt, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

Ed mentions that he can feel the stage rocking during the Corduroy outro. Following Given to Fly, Ed notes it’s their 36th time in the city and 10th at the Garden, and continues, “…here with this garden party you never know what’s going to happen, like this next thing we didn’t know was going to happen until not too long ago…” He then introduces Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson from Cheap Trick, who were “newly anointed, appointed, indentured” (according to Ed) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, leading to the first full performance of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” After the song, Rick Nielsen is seen taking a picture of the crowd to which Ed notes, “this is amazing…Rick’s been at it so long, I didn’t know he’d know how to work an iPhone.” Nothingman begins the “man” trilogy, played for the first time in nearly 5 years, and 10 years since they’ve done it in this order. Before Leatherman, Ed talks about the Leatherman and equates it to Chris McCandless from Into the Wild in the early 1900’s, noting “I know that’s exciting…history.” Ed plays to the crowd during the Save it for Later tag, with a frantic finish. Mike is playing out of his mind on the 2 ½ minute Even Flow solo, and then Matt also takes a solo! Ed throws the mic into the crowd for the finish. Sirens is dedicated to Lance Corporal Tom Rorke who “lost his life tragically last year at the age of 23 and he’s got a lot of family and friends here tonight, like a lot, maybe a hundred of them. He put himself in harm’s way in a dignified manner, and tragically got lost in a crazy accident.” Big moment as the crowd gets loud at the end of Jeremy. Ed slips one “get out of my fuckin’ face” in the middle of Leash. Stone gets a spotlight for both solos in Do the Evolution. After the break, Ed jokes about going to Canada next, and how “they might not even have the internet up there.” You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away is Ed solo with the harmonica. Mike gets soulful on the underrated All or None solo. A fantastic Present Tense leads into both songs from Singles, with the crowd getting another chance to grab the microphone during Breath. Last Kiss’ is played to the back. Surprise guest Sting comes on stage during the first chorus of Driven to Tears and takes over the rest of the song, after which Ed gushes “let’s hear it one more time, that’s incredible…that’s all time favorite singer, favorite bass player, favorite activist, favorite humanist…that was a real honor…what do we do next?” House lights are up for Baba O’Riley, and at one point, Ed chastises someone for not giving a tambourine to a kid, muttering “give it to the kid you fuck.” Mike plays a long, feedback-drenched The Star Spangled Banner tag to close out the evening.

Written by: Nick Smith

May 1, 2016 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Main Set: Go, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Given To Fly, Low Light, Release, Even Flow, I Got Id, In Hiding, Rats, Down, (Dangerous Business)/Wishlist, Jeremy, Do The Evolution, Why Go, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: The End, Future Days, Off He Goes, Footsteps, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Unthought Known, Takin’ It To The Streets, Whipping, Better Man/Save It For Later, Porch

encore 2: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

Go opens with the classic album version intro. Ed mentions towards the end of the extended Corduroy that “I can feel it rocking,” referring to the infamous 2003 Garden performance. Following Given to Fly, Ed says he was going to request that the crowd shake the stage again, but it already happened! Low Light features a ridiculously long hold on the last note. Release makes a rare mid-set appearance, dedicated to Jen and Tim. For the last lines of Even Flow, Ed throws the mic to someone in the crowd for the last chorus, getting it back at the end, saying “yeah, you’re in the band man.” Matt is introduced as “the assassin, the thoroughbred, the Lamborghini,” and then Ed points out Kenneth, the fan who sang on Even Flow, on background vocals: “Nice job Kenneth…in about 2 and a half hours you might have to sing a couple because I might be gone…I’m glad I got back up.” An extra line is added to In Hiding, “…cracks along the walls…I was tripping balls.” Rats is dedicated to Enrico Salvatore “Ratso” Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman’s character in Midnight Cowboy. Ed sings some of “Dangerous Business” (from Ishtar, another Hoffman film) before Wishlist, in which Ed gets political during the outro. Before Do The Evolution, Ed says, “Alright this is the song, this is where we get seismic…see if we can feel it,” and almost immediately he mentions they can feel it bouncing. After some South American-style call and response, Evolution goes right into Why Go without missing a literal beat. RVM features some forgive/forget improv by Ed. Out of the first encore break, Ed is sporting a Marathon Man shirt, another Dustin Hoffman film. The End is played for the first time since 2013. Future Days is dedicated to Kevin, who’s fighting an autoimmune disease, and his wife Kim. This leads Ed to talk about EB, and says the song was written about his wife, leading to a piano-driven, sparse performance of the song. Crowd is singing loud and strong for Chloe Dancer, and continues into Crown of Thorns. “Takin’ It to the Streets” is an unusual choice, Ed says it was requested by an old friend, saying “Happy birthday Jack, you motherfucker,” and they run through just a couple of minutes of it. Ed goes off on the Townshend guitar windmills at the end of the Save It For Later tag. Small Town is played to the back of the arena. Black is haunting and beautiful over 8 minutes, with an epic solo by Mike, who then takes a trip into the crowd during the Alive solo, getting close to the top of the first level. Matt Cameron’s son Ray gets Mike’s guitar roughly halfway through RITFW, leaving him to help out on tambourine duty. Mike gets the guitar back for Indifference, using a bow to add some effects.

April 29, 2016 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Main Set: Once, Even Flow, Alive, Why Go, Black, Jeremy, Oceans, Porch, Garden, Deep, Release, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Who You Are, Let the Records Play, Spin the Black Circle, Do The Evolution

encore 1: Bee Girl, Just Breathe, All Or None, Comfortably Numb, Mind Your Manners, Given To Fly, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Last Kiss, Better Man, Leash, Throw Your Hatred Down, Sonic Reducer, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

After coming on-stage to the “Master/Slave” intro music, Once opens for the second night in a row, but instead of moving on with songs from the various albums, Even Flow and Alive follow, and they proceed to play all of Ten in order for the first time since 3/13/1992 in Munich, Germany! The crowd starts to figure out where things are headed when Alive, normally played at the end of the show, shows up as the third song in the set. Black is an early highlight, with a beautiful We Belong Together tag, building towards a huge crowd swell at the end of Jeremy. Ed doesn’t address the crowd for the first time until after Deep, sharing a heavy story about love and loss and the healing power of music, and an emotional Release is introduced as “…one of those healing songs.” With the album complete, Ed addresses the crowd again: “Alright, there ya go…cheers, everyone…alright, we did that together,” adding that they chose to do this on the fly after hearing they were getting a “10” banner hung in the Wells Fargo Center to honor their 10th sold out show in Philadelphia. Ed then does a fantastic Bruce Springsteen impression, teasing that they have a long way to go to catch up to Bruce’s streak. Breakerfall restarts the set after Release with a rare mid-set appearance. Ed talks about WMMR before Let the Records Play, saying “There’s a place in town that’s been spinning records for 48 years…send one out to Pierre, Matt and Nick…keep playin’ the records, man!” After the break, the crowd, after the huge high of the main set, seems quiet. Ed notices, asking “Where are you? You still there?[…]Need to get home early? You got babysitters? I need to feel it, we need to feel it!” Big cheer from the crowd before Bee Girl, as Ed tells the story of he and Jeff being drunk on the radio years ago and coming up with it. He shows off his impression skills again before Just Breathe, doing a pitch-perfect Willie Nelson, who covered the song. All or None is played for the first time since 2014. Mike has a soul-crushing solo during Comfortably Numb. Jeff and Matt propel a breakneck RVM. Last Kiss is played to the back after the second break, with the crowd taking it over at the end. Stone is shredding on the acoustic during a tight Better Man, with the crowd singing along loudly. Leash is loud, dirty, and energetic. Smile is on the setlist, but is scratched in favor of Throw Your Hatred Down. Sonic Reducer and Baba O’Riley follow quickly, capping off a fantastic covers trifecta, not surprising considering they had played all of the usual Ten encore songs earlier in the night! Mike closes out the historic evening with a Hendrix-style Star-Spangled Banner at the end of Yellow Ledbetter.

April 28, 2016 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Main Set: Once, Animal, Gonna See My Friend, All Night, Mind Your Manners, Low Light, Wishlist, Love Boat Captain, Given To Fly, Even Flow, In The Moonlight, In My Tree, Jeremy, Education, Unthought Known, Do The Evolution, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 1: Picture In A Frame, Oceans, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Why Go, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Save You, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Crazy Mary, State Of Love And Trust, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Indifference

Show Notes:

The show starts hard and fast, the band doesn’t come up for air until Low Light. A tight, pulverizing version of Gonna See My Friend is an early standout. An extended jam serves as an intro to Love Boat Captain, similar to what they had done in Tampa. In the Moonlight is rusty but amazing, and it leads right into a thumping version of In My Tree. Matt Cameron has a great night, from Even Flow to Education he is just totally spot on. Ed opens the encore with a solo cover of Tom Waits’ “Picture in a Frame,” played for the first time since the Vic Theatre show in 2007, and dedicates it to a couple, Pat and Eden, who got married during the show. False start for Oceans, and the band turns it into an impromptu snippet of the Rolling Stones’ “Angie,” before Oceans is restarted. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns is an emotional highlight of the night, with Ed saying after the song that “Andy would have loved this, here, tonight.” The RVM jam is triumphant, Who-esque. Somehow the second encore is even more raucous, with the band seeming to not tire as the night goes on. They return with a vicious Save You, and Small Town is played for the people in the back. Boom and Mike take no prisoners on Crazy Mary, Boom continuing the Stones theme with some riffs from “Paint it Black.” Fuckin’ Up belongs to Stone Gossard, he absolutely shreds the final solo in a way that would make Uncle Neil proud. Indifference ends the show on a joyful, but haunting note. Often overshadowed by what happened the next night, this show stands on its own, great crowd, great energy.

Written by: Gabe Spece

April 26, 2016 – Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY, USA

Main Set: Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Why Go, Deep, Satan's Bed, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Sirens, Education, Even Flow, Spin The Black Circle, Army Reserve, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)), 1/2 Full, Given To Fly, Swallowed Whole, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Just Breathe, Thumbing My Way, Comfortably Numb, Do The Evolution, Sonic Reducer, Porch

encore 2: Smile, Leaving Here, Black, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Alive, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Pearl Jam hits the Rupp Arena stage hard and fast with Lightning Bolt, a nod to the storms earlier in the day). Jeff’s 12-string bass snarls and growls during an energetic Why Go, and then a surprise, as Satan’s Bed makes its once-per-year appearance. Ed thanks UK basketball coach John Calipari (with some boos) and the Kentucky Wildcats for having so many banners hanging in the rafters. Crowd is loud for the ‘Hello’ in Small Town. Education is dedicated to all the “university intellectuals,” and then Ed asks the band if they graduated from college, and says Mike was writing the next song while he should have been graduating, and then they kick into Even Flow. Ed says that it’s obvious how Kentucky loves our

horses, but “we have a thoroughbred every night,” referring to Matt, calling him “the stallion!” A very charged up Spin the Black Circle rocks the arena, Mike all over the stage. Mike shows off on ½ Full, throwing bits of flamenco-style guitar in the solo. He and Stone trade off on a breakout Swallowed Whole Matt bashes it out during the RVM jam. After the break, Ed comes out solo, attempting You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away…a few flubs, but the crowd picks it up and he gets through it. Just Breathe is dedicated to Matthew, who passed away a few days before the show, and his sister Lindsay. Mike highlights a haunting Comfortably Numb. Intense back and forth between Mike, Stone, and Jeff on the Porch jam. Stone is rocking the rhythm on Black, and Mike is on fire. Ed holds the note on the word “be” for a loooong time. The crowd takes over the first verse of Better Man, to Ed’s surprise, and he exclaims “fucking great, man…, ” inspiring a uplifting performance. Mike changes into a UK t-shirt for Ledbetter, Ed takes a swig from his beer and dribbles it all down the front of him. Mike lingers on the outro, almost like he doesn’t want it to end.

Written by: David Ritter

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

Main Set: State Of Love And Trust, Arms Aloft, Mind Your Manners, God’s Dice, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Nothingman, In Hiding, Even Flow, Sirens, Unthought Known, Long Road, Daughter, Of The Earth, Last Exit, Porch

encore 1: Go, Inside Job, Given To Fly, Lightning Bolt, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Do The Evolution, Alive, The Real Me, Rockin’ In The Free World

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

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