Pearl Jam Concert Poster - Brooklyn 2013

October 18, 2013 – Barclays Center, Brookyln, NY, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Corduroy, Mind Your Manners, Dissident, Why Go, Swallowed Whole, I Am Mine, Infallible, Given To Fly, Sirens, Eruption, Spin The Black Circle, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Save You, Let The Records Play, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Oceans, Yellow Moon, Sleight Of Hand, Just Breathe, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Got Some, Porch

encore 2: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Alive, Sonic Reducer, Indifference

Show Notes:

This is the first time the band has played in Brooklyn after many, many visits to New York City. Release appears in the #2 spot for the first time ever, and features in the main set in a spot other than the opener for the first time since the Ten show in Munich in 1992! Ed addresses the crowd and thanks Jay-Z for building the place, and that they have

“99 problems, but a place to play ain’t one.”

No Even Flow tonight, but Mike makes up for it by taking center stage on incredible solos in both Dissident and Why Go. After I Am Mine, Ed says that it was dedicated to the people of New Jersey, who lost a lot in the last year with floods and fires. Infallible is dedicated to Ed’s daughters Harper and Olivia. A few technical issues before Sirens kicks in, as Mike’s 12-string has a tough time getting going. Ed addresses the false start and makes a terrible dad joke, saying that the last one came close to making the record, but would be on a b-side album called ‘Pearl Jam’s Greatest Misses’ due out in February. More issues ensue during the song, which leads Ed to leave the stage afterwards to find out what happened, giving Mike a platform to go nuts on an Eruption solo. After Spin the Black Circle, Ed mentions that the next song:

“was written by a guy everyone up here knew. I never knew him, but I think about him a lot, a lot…a lot. His name is Andrew Wood”

leading to a rare main set rendition of Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns. Oceans opens up encore one, dedicated to all the east coast surfers. Ed is hesitant to explain the meaning of Sleight of Hand before playing it, but he goes on to describe it as a song written about a guy who had to work 60-70 hours a week and wear a clip-on tie. With the Ramones being from NYC, Ed starts the ‘hey ho! let’s go!’ chant from “Blitzkrieg Bop” during the tag of Daughter. The green orbs are lowered down and swing back and forth on the stage during Porch. Before they start the second encore, Ed toasts a guy in front, holding a sign saying he’s at his 100th show and says he owes him a drink. The set is closed out with Sonic Reducer and the first night in Brooklyn ends with a powerful singalong on Indifference.

October 16, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Mind Your Manners, My Father’s Son, Cropduster, Wishlist, Sirens, I Am Mine, Lukin, Not For You, Down, State Of Love And Trust, Lightning Bolt, Porch

encore 1: Other Side, Future Days, Gone, Black/(We Belong Together), Jeremy, Daughter, Even Flow, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Smile, Once, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed makes mention early on that his voice is still recovering from the raucous show the night before, they ease into the evening with a couple of slower-paced songs. Mike channels Jimmy Page, using a bow on his guitar for Pendulum. The aforementioned vocal strain makes an appearance during Given to Fly and Mind Your Manners, Ed adding “we went pretty hard last night..” and asking for help from the crowd. My Father’s Son is introduced as

“…a thank you letter from a son to his father, thanking him for all his…mutant genes.”

Cropduster is busted out next and they start to hit their stride during the more anthemic songs that follow, Wishlist, Sirens, and I Am Mine. Mike and Ed face off during State of Love and Trust and Ed has some fun with the people up front. Ed lets the Lightning Bolt intro go for a little longer before starting to sing. He picks up the mirrored guitar during the Porch jam and reflects the spotlight into the crowd. They come out seated for the encore and Ed talks about how the Red Sox game is going (not well) and talks about their first visit to Boston:

“The first time we were ever here, first time, we played a little club called the Axis, we stayed at this Holiday Inn, it was right across the street, or right next door to Fenway Park…me and Jeff were [jokingly makes quotation marks with his hands] roommates, gettin’ weird looks from the maids all the time…and it was the All-Star Break, so there was no game in town, and there was no chance of getting in there, but I did, however, right before we left town I climbed this fence that had a barbed wire barricade on top, flipped over the fence, and this guard-type guy, or guy in a suit kinda called after me and then I started running, and he ran after me and then there were two guys in suits running after me, and I went down this hallway and then I turned down another, and I went up this thing, and I was right behind fuckin’ home plate. It was fucking beautiful, it was like seeing your friend’s sister naked when you were twelve or something…so I took three Polaroids, ran back out, jumped in the van, and we moved off to Hartford or wherever the fuck we went…and now cut to twenty years later, we’re sitting front row watching David Ortiz do a fucking baseball miracle like I’ve never witnessed before…”

Other Side makes only its second appearance, by request, with Ed reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper. Gone returns for the first time since 2009, a strong version. The chairs go away for Jeremy. There’s some confusion on stage between Ed and Stone, and Mike takes the opportunity to play a tease of Little Wing, causing Ed to look over and exclaim “you’re fuckin’ with me, fuck you,” to which Mike throws his hands up innocently. As Daughter begins, Ed says “…we got it now, Robbie,” and does some vocal runs and breathing instead of a tag. Dick from the local event staff is brought out on stage and has a nice moment with Ed during the second break. Everything off of Lightning Bolt besides Getaway and Sleeping By Myself was played between the two nights.

October 15, 2013 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Release, Long Road, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Hail, Hail, Sirens, Even Flow, Nothing As It Seems, Swallowed Whole, Red Mosquito, Whipping, Corduroy, Infallible, Got Some, Save You, Leash, Let The Records Play, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 1: Man Of The Hour, Yellow Moon, Fatal, Just Breathe, Spin The Black Circle, Unthought Known, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Crazy Mary, Alive, Sonic Reducer, Indifference

Show Notes:

Subbing in for Boston, scrappy Worcester becomes the two-night home for the band. The historic and underutilized venue and timeliness of the shows (with the Red Sox currently in the midst of a playoff run down the street in Boston) underscored the lively setlist, which kicked off with an emotional 1-2 punch of an opener–a powerful Release followed by Long Road, the first time these two classic opening songs have opened a show consecutively! An anthemic Small Town serves as the logical follow-up, before a segue into a rotation of Lightning Bolt-era tracks that sustains the energy of the night. Hail, Hail and Whipping rip with furor, and Nothing As It Seems is atmospheric and moody. Ed frequently chats about the Red Sox and the band’s friendship with former GM Theo Epstein, who is referenced on Better Man. Corduroy anchors the back part of the set, a surprise at that part of the night. However, the biggest setlist highlight is, not surprisingly, Leash, played in response to Ed’s recognition of a sign-waving fan that had been following the band around for several shows. The encore features a poignant Man of the Hour opener and another fan request, the first Fatal since 2010! A blistering Porch closes out encore one before a unique second encore blends solo-driven stalwarts like Crazy Mary and Alive with an atypical closing pairing of Sonic Reducer and a big singalong on Indifference. Ed leaves the crowd with “it makes a difference, no matter what they say…thank you very much.”

October 12, 2013 – First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Immortality, My Father’s Son, Even Flow, Swallowed Whole, Sirens, Once, Comatose, I Got Shit, Infallible, Present Tense, State Of Love And Trust, Porch

encore 1: Off He Goes, Yellow Moon, Future Days, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Rats, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Go, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The second night of the Lightning Bolt tour was the band’s fourth performance in the city of Buffalo. For the second straight night, they open the show with brand new track Pendulum. They also go back to the slow burn…

Show Notes:

The second night of the Lightning Bolt tour was the band’s fourth performance in the city of Buffalo. For the second straight night, they open the show with brand new track Pendulum. They also go back to the slow burn open, following up with Low Light and Sometimes. Ed holds out the last note on Low Light for an eternity, while Sometimes gets somewhat of an extended intro. Do The Evolution caps off an energetic section featuring old and newer tracks with Ed engaging the crowd in a call and response similar to what the band receives on their South American tours. My Father’s Son is played for the first time live and gets off to a false start before the band figures it out. Also debuting at this show is Swallowed Whole. Ed tells the story of how I Got Shit was written during the Mirror Ball sessions, saying Neil Young told him to write a song and he responded:

“‘I don’t got one, I got shit.’ Neil said ‘I Got Shit, that’s the song!’”

This leads to an incredibly fun performance of the Merkinball track. Present Tense, State Of Love and Trust, and Porch are an excellent closing section to end the main set. In the encore, Ed compliments the Buffalo Sabres logo, leading to a ‘Go Leafs Go’ chant from the fans who traveled from Toronto. Ed jokingly responded, saying he couldn’t hear them because he lost his hearing in 1995. After a cool down featuring two brand new, melodic songs from the new album, the rest of the show is dominated by the Vs. record. Elderly Woman is played for the fans in the back and even has a separate drum kit facing their direction that Matt hops on, potentially the first instance featuring this setup. The rare Rats follows and the set finishes up with an atmospheric sounding Rearviewmirror. After pondering whether they should call the residents ‘Buffalonians’ or ‘Buffolites’, Go rips open the 2nd encore. Bread and butter closes the night, featuring Alive, Baba O’Riley, and another Vs. song, Indifference. Ed finishes things out saying “thanks for making it a great night for us, it’s all your fault!”

October 11, 2013 – CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Pendulum, Of The Girl, Nothingman, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Got Some, Given To Fly, Untitled/MFC, Faithfull, Sirens, Unemployable, Why Go, Daughter, Infallible, Let The Records Play, Unthought Known, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Speed Of Sound, Yellow Moon, Footsteps, Whipping, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Porch

encore 2: Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

On the first night of the North American leg of the Lightning Bolt Tour, 5 new songs make their debut. Mike is holding a bow a la Jimmy Page to begin the show, and he uses it to create the…

Show Notes:

On the first night of the North American leg of the Lightning Bolt Tour, 5 new songs make their debut. Mike is holding a bow a la Jimmy Page to begin the show, and he uses it to create the otherworldly effects on Pendulum. Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners ramp up the energy early on. Untitled is changed slightly to honor Roberto Clemente (Pirates legend who died in a plane crash while performing humanitarian efforts): “I could be there in 21 minutes or so.” Ed adds “…there’s a lot to be said for Pittsburgh…” into MFC. Faithfull sees Ed check on the crowd for the first time, and he dedicates Sirens to a guy they knew from earlier in their careers who did a radio interview with them on a bridge, they were sitting with their legs dangling over the bridge, and he died in a tragic accident soon after the interview. Ed mentions that he still thinks about him even if he isn’t right there in front of them. Unemployable is played for the only time on the North American tour and for the last time to date, and dedicated to members of Congress, in hopes they would soon be unemployable. Daughter is played without a tag, but Ed tells a great story about Franco Harris:

When I grew up, the best running back at the time was a guy named Franco Harris, and everyone loved him and wanted to claim him as their own. Not just the African-American community, but also the Italians, since his dad was Italian. What I loved the most was the Irish community here took him in but called him Frank O’Harris!

Infallible and Let the Records Play are debuted, and both sound very crisp in the same vein as they are on the album. The main set closes with another great Unthought Known and Rearviewmirror, as the crowd catches a much-needed breath. After a shaky Speed of Sound, Ed jokes that they’re not going to split the band up in Pittsburgh, we’ll get through this, leading into the debut of Yellow Moon. After a beautiful Footsteps, Jason Grilli (pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates) is invited on stage and gives a passionate, increasingly unhinged speech about how much he loves Pittsburgh and how he will pitch his balls off for them next year. His intro song during the games is Whipping, which follows, and he stays on stage and dances like a maniac. The first encore comes to an end with Porch leading the crowd to another crescendo. The second encore starts with Ed saying:

I was getting nervous about our first gig, but I happened to be talking to Bruce Springsteen about a few things, he said, ‘It’s Pittsburgh, you’re going to have a smoking crowd’ and he was right, the Boss was right! Maybe when you only come once every 7 years, maybe that’s why.

The run to the finish starts with another mighty rendition of Black, with the crowd helping out on vocals. Ed goes and stands behind Mike during his solo, even putting his ear to Mike’s amp at one point, soaking it all in. Rockin’ In the Free World lyrics are changed to “there are colors in the street, all black and yellow…” Mike ends the night with a tender Ledbetter outro.

July 19, 2013 – Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: All The Way, All Night, Do The Evolution, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Faithfull, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, State Of Love And Trust, Wishlist, Even Flow, Leatherman, Eruption, Bugs, Why Go, Unthought Known, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Future Days, Mother, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Porch, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Black, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

The band makes their first appearance at the ballpark where Ed spent his youth watching games. The weight of the moment is not lost on them, as you can see Ed getting choked up as he sings the “oh dear dad” lyric in Release. Hold On is played for only the 3rd time. Ed addresses the crowd after Low Light:

“It’s one of those shows that was getting organized around this time last year, but it feels like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for it. Of all the places in Chicago…this isn’t just the crown jewel of Chicago, it’s the crown jewel of the whole planet Earth. It’s exactly as I pictured it, including some potential weather that we’ll have to get through as a team tonight. So we’re pacing ourselves and we hope you do the same. With all due respect to the gentleman who plays here tomorrow, they’re gonna have to kick us off the stage tonight.”

An emotionally charged Come Back is dedicated to a woman named Sarah who died at the age of 30. With the threat of thunderstorms impending, Ed addresses the crowd again:

“We’re gonna do this next one, and then the next one, and another one, and then three more, four more. More and more and more. But there might be shifts in weather that could hit us hard. There’s electrical equipment on the stage that doesn’t make it safe to be out here, but we’re gonna do one more and then take a little break and be right back.”

Lyrics of Elderly Woman are changed to “…glad I saw this place, thank you John for taking me…” as a nod to his uncle who brought him to Cubs games as a child. Ed says that the bad weather will only last a half hour, but it will take a half hour to get everyone to safety, reassuring everyone that the curfew has been extended. After three grueling hours of hard rain, the band finally takes the stage again around 11:45. Ed comes out wearing a Jose Cardenal jersey and puts a twist on a famous quote used at the friendly confines:

“Ernie Banks used to say let’s play two, I think we can say let’s play ‘til two!”

He tells a story about how Banks asked him to write a Cubs anthem, All The Way, which he then plays. Memorable Cubs highlights are played on the video screen during the performance. At the end of the song, Ed brings out Mr. Cub to sing along. Ernie Banks speaks:

“It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two! I’m happy that you’re in my house, it’s the most beautiful place. I love it, I could sleep here. This is Eddie’s glove he had when he was five and I’m taking it because I’m gonna keep it.”

The band comes back out and rips into All Night, a tongue-in-cheek way of foreshadowing what’s to come. Ed implores the crowd to sing Do The Evolution “South American style” and they comply. Corduroy’s bridge is extended, with the crowd singing “everything has chains…” while the band jams straight through it. Two brand new songs off the forthcoming Lightning Bolt album are played, Mind Your Manners and Lightning Bolt, with the latter making its live debut. Lightning Bolt is an instant hit with the crowd, featuring a powerful, long lasting solo off the axe of Mike McCready. After cracking a few jokes about Mike’s testicles, Ed asks “Four Balls Michael” if he wants to try one out, leading to an overpowering rendition of Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption solo. Naturally, the only way to follow that up would be to break out an accordion to play…Bugs! Ed has fun with it, as the crowd remain in disbelief of what they are seeing. Rearviewmirror ends the main set in a big way, the bridge guitar parts are reminiscent of Pete Townshend and Matt Cameron caps it off with an incredible drum solo.

To begin the encore, Ed introduces Brendan O’Brien to play keys on the debut of Future Days. The Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns combination is a special moment, only the third time they’ve been packaged together by PJ. McCready is once again a major highlight, providing a soul crushing solo. Over the Wasted Reprise bed, Ed mentions watching the Cubs on a black and white TV, adding that when he went to the stadium for the first time, he saw all the colors of the field and it was like his field of dreams. Strapped for time in the wee hours of the night, much of the back end of the set is cut. Black segues into Rockin in the Free World to cap off one of the most memorable shows in Pearl Jam’s catalog. A show that began at 7:30 PM and ended at 2 AM.

October 3, 2012 – Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA, USA

Main Set: Do The Evolution, Animal, Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Wishlist, Got Some, Unthought Known, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Just Breathe, Down, Green Disease, Black, Once, Come Back, Porch

encore 1: Better Man, Alive, Baba O’Riley

Show Notes:

The final show of the year is a corporate gig for Oracle employees, part of the Oracle OpenWorld conference held at Treasure Island in San Francisco. This massive tech conference included a multi-day music fest, tonight featuring X and Kings of Leon alongside PJ. Some enterprising PJ fans found a way in by obtaining badges from conference goers who weren’t going to the concert part of the proceedings, creating a crowd mixture of both the faithful and the more casual. The sound isn’t perfect, as Stone’s guitar seems quiet on Evolution and Animal, but Ed’s in fine screaming voice tonight. Jeff’s bass has the word “FREE” scrawled on it, possibly a nod to one of his heroes, Andy Fraser from the English band Free. Ed attempts to give the audience some lines during Animal, but it doesn’t quite catch and he moves on pretty quickly. Corduroy’s outro seems to connect better, as Ed leads a clap before Mike and Matt throw down in expert fashion. He then greets the crowd:

“It’s nice to be here with you celebrating the fruits of your labor…I think we thought we were playing some guy named Larry’s backyard, but it’s a big yard and he’s got a lot of friends…”

Small Town is dedicated to the 50,000 conference attendees. Wishlist is a setlist addition for Mark, who “can only stay for a little bit because has to work early in the morning.” Unthought Known is a lovely version that Ed sets up by saying “this song was written while staring at a big moon in the sky, and it’s nice to be able to play it and see the muse right there…” Given to Fly is dedicated to the gold-medal-winning US women’s soccer team, who are in attendance. After a pulverizing Even Flow solo from Mike, Ed mentions the corporate nature of the gig and intros Just Breathe by saying:

“…outside of his kids, there’s nothing, Mike McCready, I don’t think he’d rather do than play guitar like that all night long. All day long. So yes, he would do that for free. But even though he’d do that for free, we are getting paid tonight. And we’re grateful because there’s a lot we can do in addition to good things in our communities, we get to play for some people, something we’d do anyways… we can turn this into something really nice for people who really, really need it. So for that we are grateful and thank you for having us. And one of the things is, there is a close race in Washington state, fight for right for gay marriages to take place in Washington state. We ‘d like to dedicate this to couples in love. Of the same sex, of opposite sex, of tons of sex…this is called Just Breathe…”

Green Disease sounds fantastic with Jeff and Matt propelling the song’s forward-leaning rhythm throughout. Mike’s Black solo features a snippet of a Spanish-guitar-inspired flourish near the end. Once sounds a bit rough, as again Stone’s guitar sound seems to be having issues. Prior to Come Back, Ed gives attention to the Wounded Warriors Project and the mental health issues the soldiers are facing on their return home. Jeff and Matt stand out on an inspired, swirling jam on Porch. After the break, Ed mentions they aren’t the last band on the bill tonight, that X will be coming up next. Ed again tries to give the crowd something, the Better Man chorus, but again it doesn’t quite take and he playfully says “…you should stop. I mean, really quit while you’re ahead,” to laughter. There’s no tag, the band just jams on the outro a bit longer. Alive and Baba close things out with Ed really pushing it on the Baba screams to finish with great energy. By the end of the song, he’s yelling “X is next! X is next” to keep the crowd in place for X’s upcoming set. Later on, Ed pops up during their set to sing on Devil Doll.

September 30, 2012 – Adams Event Center, Missoula, MT, USA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Got Some, Given To Fly, Amongst The Waves, Severed Hand, Unthought Known, Not For You, State Of Love And Trust, Jeremy, Ghost, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Know Your Rights, Comatose, Why Go

encore 1: Last Kiss, Off He Goes, Low Light, Man Of The Hour, Nothingman, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 2: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Fortunate Son, Alive, Kick Out The Jams, Rockin’ In The Free World, Indifference

Show Notes:

Billed as Pearl Jam’s “one and only non-festival US show for 2012,” this benefit for Sen. Jon Tester’s re-election campaign at the Adams Event Center seats only 5500 patrons, leading Ed to say early in the set “this is about as cozy a place we’ve played for as long as I can remember.” Got Some is the first of many Jeff songs in the set in his home state, after which Ed greets the raucous crowd with “…it’s nice to be literally surrounded by family, friends, Senators, and Mudhoney!” He adds “we are asked to do many benefits…the difficult part is finding a candidate you believe in,” before dedicating Given to Fly to Tester, with the amended lyric “…made it underneath a Big Sky tree…” Jeremy gives Jeff the spotlight again and has the crowd pumping. Ghost appears for only the second time since 2003, Ed says it’s “not one that’s played that often. This is another one that Jeff wrote.” Daughter follows, with an alternate take on “Blitzkrieg Bop”: “hey ho, let’s vote,” before The Clash’s “Know Your Rights” is played for the 3rd time out of 4 shows this month. Last Kiss” opens the first encore with the band playing to the back. Ed dedicates Off He Goes to Jeff and his friends, which is followed by yet another Ament-penned track, Low Light. Man of the Hour is brought back for the first time since 2009 and starts a three-song, alternate “Man” trilogy to close out the first encore, with Nothingman and Better Man. Prior to the second encore, Jeff addresses the crowd, stating “…it doesn’t really get any better than this for me.” CCR’s “Fortunate Son” returns for the first time since 2006 and the last time to date. The crowd goes crazy when Stone plays the opening chords of Alive, which is complete with “Montana look at us…we’re all still alive!” in the final chorus. Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney join for a very loud “Kick out the Jams” before RITFW sends the crowd into raptures. Before closing with a slow-burn Indifference, Ed acknowledges the crowd, saying “this is the best American crowd we have played for in I can’t remember how long…”

September, 22 2012 – Music Midtown, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA, USA

Main Set: Why Go, Save You, Animal, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Got Some, Amongst The Waves, Wishlist, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Do The Evolution, Even Flow, Know Your Rights, Nothingman, Supersonic, Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: Crazy Mary, Given To Fly, The Fixer, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Unthought Known, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

First show in Atlanta in 9 years (and last to date), in front of 50,000 people in Piedmont Park, the band gets off to a flying start with Why Go, but there are technical issues as Stone’s guitar cuts out. It’s quickly corrected and he kicks into Save You with no problem. With the downtown city skyline off to the side, Ed says hello after Animal:

“Good evening…it’s been a long time, and I’ve never quite seen it [the city] from this perspective right here…and it’s a beautiful sight…”

He continues, complimenting Florence and the Machine (who preceded PJ on stage) and “their great singer.” He asks for the crowd to help sing along leading into Small Town, and they take the “hearts and thoughts” lines. Corduroy is raucous and wild, Matt especially in fine form. Ed asks “Do you need it? Do you need it?” during Got Some. He wants to explain the next one:

“…there’s a lot of ways to write about love, and then the other side of love is, you know, the other thing, I won’t even mention it ‘cause we don’t have room for that here, but if you have something as deep as love, love is deep, love is as deep as, let’s say, the ocean…and even that first six months, it feels deep, and the next year, but then it gets a little shallow, sometimes, but I’m also talking about the deep, 20-year love, the deep deep ocean love, we have that up here, us guys. Yes that’s right, men can love men…but, with life comes weather, and with weather comes wind, and with wind you get waves, and there’s no way around it, with love there will be waves, big ones, small ones, this one’s called Amongst The Waves…”

After the crowd takes the Better Man intro, Ed interjects “…it’s really pretty from up here, it’s really nice…” and then holds the “Oh” for a long time before jumping back into the song. He improvs and riffs on the Save it for Later lyrics for a while before kicking into the “don’t run away” lines. Matt pounds out a short drum solo after Mike finishes up on Even Flow, and the crowd takes the last chorus. Ed speaks afterwards about the election, saying sarcastically “…it brings out the best in everybody…” but then imploring everyone to vote and bringing up the photo ID law again, adding that a firearms license would also be valid, which gets some boos from the crowd. Ed notices and says that got a bigger response in Florida, but that voting is your right, leading into T The Clash’s “Know Your Rights.” Crowd helps out on a lovely Nothingman and Ed asks for it again on Jeremy. He goes down and runs along the barricades during Porch. He speaks after the break:

“Now that, you know, the stage is built, we’re here, the buildings are all put up, and we’ve got people from front to back, we’re gonna play every second we can until they kick us out…”

Boom takes the whole Crazy Mary solo while Ed goes down to the barricade again and plays around with a cameraman. Given to Fly is dedicated to Steve Gleason. Ed talks about how a lot of PJ records were made in Atlanta with Brendan O’Brien, who is in attendance, and says that their name for Brendan behind his back is The Fixer. RVM has the slow build intro and the “I will forgive” lines during the jam. Ed thanks the local crew during the second break and points out a young kid up front, saying that’s a good sign that everything’s going well. He jokingly offers the kid wine and then adds “…tequila. Okay.” He continues:

“…all of the friends that we have that showed up to be here tonight…you know, if you get old enough you get a lot of friends, and we have a lot of ‘em here tonight. It’s just been a great, great vibe and we got great weather, great scenery, and it’s taken a bit of something to stick together for as long as we have without any kind of real hateful arguments or ever breaking up, and we’ve all supported each other through that…I told this story last night, and I usually don’t repeat it, but I was watching the PJ20 movie with a good friend of ours, and at one point Jeff was speaking, it was about halfway through, and she just said ‘Jeff Ament’s a fucking badass’…she’s absolutely right. You have no idea.”

“This one’s for the moon” introduces Unthought Known. Steve Gleason is side stage for the last few songs. After Black, Ed hurries the band to start Alive with the curfew fast approaching. He speaks quickly after Alive:

“They’re telling us that we only got two minutes…the next song’s, like, we’ll play it as fast as we can, but we gotta play one more…”

Someone from the festival comes on stage to talk to Ed and he says “I’ll pay for it,” referring to the fine for going past curfew, as they start a speedy Rockin’ in the Free World.

September 21, 2012 – DeLuna Fest, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola, FL, USA

Main Set: Oceans, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Got Some, Once, Given To Fly, Amongst The Waves, Grievance, Even Flow, World Wide Suicide, The Fixer, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Of The Earth, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Parachutes, Unthought Known, Do The Evolution, Porch

encore 1: Black/(We Belong Together), Comatose, Why Go, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Better Man/(Save It For Later), Lukin, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)

Show Notes:

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!”

September 2, 2012 – Made In America Festival, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Main Set: Go, Corduroy, Save You, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Unemployable, Even Flow, Got Some, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Unthought Known, The Fixer, Nothingman, Do The Evolution, Jeremy, Know Your Rights, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Love, Reign O’er Me, Spin The Black Circle, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Comatose, Black, Alive, W.M.A., 99 Problems, Rockin’ In The Free World

Show Notes:

This is the first time back in Philadelphia for the band since the legendary Spectrum shows in 2009, and Go gets things off to an electric start. Corduroy keeps the energy high. Save You in the third spot sends an early signal to the Philly faithful that this will not just be a greatest hits set. Ed welcomes everyone, saying “Cheers! Good to be in Philadelphia. We’d like to thank Jay-Z for giving us wings…giving all these fans wings. Anybody for levitation?” Of course, Given to Fly is next, with the lyric change “…made it to the City of Brotherly Love…” Ed before Unemployable:

“This is a story about a man who had a job, who worked hard, who went to church, who raised his kids. He was an honest, good American. He paid his bills. He did everything he was taught and told to do and this is the sad part of the story…the sad part is that it’s true. This man gets let go of his job along with hundreds of coworkers and colleagues. So we just want you to remember when they are talking about tax breaks for the job creators…it oftentimes happens that they are creating jobs in other countries. We would like to see a few more things made in America.”

“He’s made in America…that’s Mr. Mike McCready,” shouts Ed during Even Flow. As the rain falls, Unthought Known is prefaced with:

“…we are really happy to be sharing the stage with all these people…this song is best played under an open sky. I wish you could see the moon. Maybe it will come out on this one…”

Following a loud Nothingman, Ed says “…it’s about politics, it’s about childbirth, it’s about music, it’s about art, it’s about love, it’s about me, it’s about you, it’s about us, it’s about them, it’s everything because it’s evolution, baby!” and Do the Evolution gets the Philly crowd going again. Before a fiery Know Your Rights, reappearing in a PJ set for the first time since Mansfield 2003, Ed makes a plea:

“Thanks for singing and using your voice. We would like to talk about rights for a second. The rights that have been acquired and earned and fought for all of these years…there is something interesting that happened, where one of the parties, of which there are only two…and we won’t say which one…it’s the party that shall not be named…they have gone to some great efforts to put things into place where it made it harder for people to vote…one side doesn’t want you to vote. These are rights that have been fought for…only recently by women and minorities have been earned. Due to the amount of effort that they have put into it, it still means something to vote. I hope that their actions actually empower you to make a difference, use your voice and vote.”

To open the encore, Ed says, “He’s also made in America, but from the far end. The last state added to the United States. From the Hawaiian islands, our brother, Mr. Boom Gaspar…” and Boom is featured on the opening notes of Love, Reign O’er Me. As the song builds, a light rain, a little mist, begins to fall again. Big singalong on Better Man. After Alive, Matt’s drum beat teases a little W.M.A. Ed introduces and thanks the band, then starts into W.M.A. and the crowd is both intrigued and fired up. The FULL version of the song is underway…a truly surprise performance at a festival and this late in the set as well. As the song concludes, the surprises aren’t finished as out comes Jay-Z, who bursts into “99 Problems” with PJ as his backing band, Jeff holding it down with the W.M.A. bassline. Ed signs off after Rockin’ with “…have a great rest of the summer. Thanks for letting us be a part of it…keep the love flowing. Philly…love you, goodnight.”

September 3, 2011 – Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI, USA (PJ20)

Main Set: Release, Arms Aloft, Do The Evolution, Got Some, In My Tree, Faithfull, Who You Are, Push Me, Pull Me, Setting Forth, Not For You, In The Moonlight, Deep, Help Help, Breath, Education, Once, State Of Love And Trust, Better Man, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted

encore 1: Rearviewmirror, Stardog Champion, Say Hello 2 Heaven, Reach Down, Hunger Strike, Love Reign O'er Me, Porch

encore 2: Kick Out The Jams

Show Notes:

After a day full of setbacks due to weather, the band takes the stage later than originally scheduled to begin their 20th anniversary weekend with an emotionally charged version of Release. The main set includes a handful of songs they’ve almost never played (and some they never played at all) with a little nod to the late 90’s records going back and forth on two No Code and Yield songs a piece. Ed addresses the crowd for the first time in between this run:

“Looks like everybody that had to make it somehow made it. Making it 20 years was probably easier than some of you making it here tonight. Welcome to PJ20! Welcome to Queens of the Stone Age 14! The Strokes 12! Liam Finn 14! Mudhoney 23! And there’s a guy who started with a group called X, welcome to John Doe 34!”

Ed proceeds to invite Liam Finn, Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard and Mudhoney’s Dan Peters on stage to sing background vocals on Who You Are. Into The Wild song Setting Forth is performed live on a Pearl Jam stage for the first time. Julian Casablancas is welcomed to the stage to help out on Not For You. He imitates the call and response moment from Jeremy and has a cool back and forth with Ed on the last verse. Instead of a Modern Girl tag, Casablancas improvs a bit at the end, singing “I’m jamming with my favorite band.” Lost Dogs track In The Moonlight debuts live, and was accompanied by Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age on guitar and backing vocals. A very electric solo and a fun vibe for the first live iteration. Continuing with the rarities, Help Help is played for the first time since the Riot Act tour. It builds some tension into the set and has a good drive for having been left off 233 shows in a row. Breath follows and has tremendous crowd participation before leading into another super rare song in Education that Liam Finn provides backing vocals on. Dhani Harrison joins for State Of Love And Trust, a version where Ed holds out the “liiiiiiisten” line for long enough where it finishes the entire measure in the chorus. The crowd is treated to a radio song for nearly the first time all night and responds well to Better Man. During the bed of Wasted Reprise, Ed speaks of the challenges that they faced when making music at an early age:

“It’s hard to imagine, mostly when you’re a kid and you want to play music and you think it’s the most powerful force in the universe. There’s a time where adults are practical, they say ‘that aint gonna happen you won’t do that, you need an in. Get yourself a construction job.’ I’m proud that the kids we were back then, we didn’t listen. Because we told them some day it could be like this. This is against the odds, even if it was these 10 people, these 5 or 6 would still be playing music. Want to thank the kid back then for sticking to his guns and passion.”

The encore begins with Rearviewmirror, but attention is quickly directed to the following four performances as Ed invites Chris Cornell to the stage. Cornell gets a huge ovation and tells the crowd they’re gonna play a song by Mother Love Bone which segues to Stardog Champion. It’s a great tribute to Andy Wood that had never been played on a Pearl Jam stage before. Another Andy tribute follows up with an emotional Say Hello 2 Heaven. Two more Temple of The Dog songs follow, first with Reach Down. The backing choir that was out for Who You Are is back out to help on Reach Down, and Mike wails away at a solo he hadn’t played in almost a decade. Then Ed comes back out onto the stage for Hunger Strike, a little slice of a moment reminiscent of Lollapalooza in 1992 where Ed and Chris get to sing back and forth together. Love Reign O’er Me is the buffer between the Temple performances and the encore closer, Porch, as Ed describes the inspiration for writing it:

“This is one written about the fragility of life and how quickly it can go away. We gotta appreciate what we got and live while we can and appreciate our friends while we can. This was just written because I hadn’t heard from somebody, it was a missed phone call that got deep real quick.”

With only time for one more song in the second encore, Mudhoney’s Steve Turner and Mark Arm are invited on stage, and the crowd is asked… is it time? Time to Kick Out The Jams mother fuckers is how they end this night, a fun performance that looks like the members of the two bands are having a blast. A great way to leave it off for the second night of the weekend to pick up on.

All Episodes

Shows by Year

Europe Shows

North America Shows

South America Shows

New Zealand Shows

Australia Shows

Concertpedia Contributors

Site Builders

Writers/Contributors