September 16, 2022 – Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, USA

Show Notes:

Nothingman opens for only the second time ever (Telluride 2016). The arena sounds great and Ed comments on it early, saying “I think it might have been made for music.” The stools are kicked to the side during Present Tense.…

Show Notes: 

Nothingman opens for only the second time ever (Telluride 2016). The arena sounds great and Ed comments on it early, saying “I think it might have been made for music.” The stools are kicked to the side during Present Tense. Who Ever Said is high-energy, they’re really loving this one right now, it has a little sped-up flourish at the end. Ed says that yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of Johnny Ramone and tells a story about seeing his daughter and Johnny asleep in the same room and thinking about the circle of life, leading into what Ed calls Johnny’s favorite Pearl Jam song, Corduroy. Rats is a request from…Jeff Ament! Prior to Wishlist, Ed jokes about Mike having to break into the Gibson factory and replacing one of his guitars with one of their originals, and that he’ll need Grumpy’s Bail Bonds (a sign they had seen coming into town) to get him out, and then says that Pete Townshend once played the Les Paul he’s using. The improv part of the tag has lyrics of

“If you’re lucky, if you’re lucky…your wishes, they’ll come true, 
if you’re lucky, if you’re lucky…if you’re lucky you’ll marry your best friend, 
if you’re lucky it’ll last to the end, if you’re lucky you’ll marry your best friend, if you’re lucky…”

Being in a town with the most musicians, Ed says they must be in the town with the most crew members and techs and acknowledges them, adding “no musician here or anywhere in the world would be anything without them.” River Cross is played for Ukraine in the hopes that they’re turning the war around. After the break, Last Kiss is played to the back and then they kick into Go. Ed sees a sign for someone who’s at their 185th (!!) show requesting Smile, and then jokes that maybe the sign said 18.5. Ed points out former Chicago Cubs pitcher Ray Burris, who’s in attendance. Vitalogy is the most-played album of the night, with 6!


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

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…

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