April 18, 2016 – Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA, USA

Show Notes:

Before Pearl Jam’s first ever show in Hampton, fans who waited outside the venue were delivered the unfortunate news that the show scheduled for Raleigh two days later had been cancelled. Ed speaks about the situation during the break, to…

Show Notes: 

Before Pearl Jam’s first ever show in Hampton, fans who waited outside the venue were delivered the unfortunate news that the show scheduled for Raleigh two days later had been cancelled. Ed speaks about the situation during the break, to mixed reactions from the audience:

“We had to make a real tough call about what we would do about the situation in North Carolina, because they’ve got a law there that broadly discriminates against a whole group of people…and I can’t tell from here if you’re booing North Carolina, if you’re booing us for having to decide that we’re not going to play there…I would understand that too. It was a hard process because we thought we could still play and make things right and that we could fortify all the people on the ground working to repeal this despicable law. We thought we could take the money and give it to them and still play the show, but the reality is, there’s nothing like the immense power of boycotting…and it’s a shame because people are going to be affected that don’t deserve it, but it could be the way that ultimately is gonna effect change so again, we just couldn’t find it in ourselves in good conscience to cross a picket line when there was a movement…we apologize to those in Raleigh, we apologize to those who were going to Raleigh, we apologize to the locals who probably believe in the same things that we do…they have a reason to be pissed and we’re pissed off too but we gotta be pissed off at the right people and get them to change their minds cause they made a mistake, a big mistake, and they can fix it.”

The show gets off to a quick start with a 1-2 punch of Why Go and Mind Your Manners. Brain of J. and Faithfull back-to-back are a bit of a tease coming after the full Vs. performance in Greenville at the previous show. Ed talks about how beautiful Hampton is, and how they were in nearby Virginia Beach after Roskilde and wrote the next song in a hotel room, leading to I Am Mine. Carine McCandless (sister of Chris from Into The Wild) is acknowledged before Setting Forth, and Ed mentions that she lives in the area. Inspired soloing from both McCready and Cameron on Even Flow. “It’s O.K.” is tagged onto Daughter, and feels especially poignant, given both the band’s decision to cancel the Raleigh show and the previously referenced Virginia Beach 2000 show. Plenty of dedications on the night, as Long Road is dedicated to a local teacher, Habit is for a fan named Andrew who is at the show with his brother, and Ed  introduces Given to Fly by saying “this one goes out to the local guy who just got out of prison after thirty-three fucking years on April 8th…Keith Allen Howard…I wish I could buy that guy a drink.” The RVM jam gets a little spacey. After the break. Ed makes another dedication, this one for a father who lost his son Nathan in the military, and plays I am a Patriot solo electric. Sleeping By Myself is a trainwreck and has to be stopped twice, Ed can’t remember the words, but they make it through eventually. Continuing the dedication theme, Come Back goes out to Dr. Michael Richter. A fan gets the microphone during Breath to sing the last line. During the second break, a crew member named Liz joins the band on stage and everyone sings Happy Birthday to her. Small Town is played to the back. Ed dedicates the first performance of Inside Job since 2013 to Jennifer Jaff, an activist who had recently passed away. Short, restrained We Belong Together tag on Black. Indifference returns to its usual closing spot after being in the middle of the main set at the previous show.

Written by: Paul Wirt


October 29, 2013 – John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA, USA

Show Notes:

Release slots in at #2 for only the second time. In My Tree is played for the first time of the tour before launching into a set of high-energy rockers. After Mind Your Manners, Ed addresses the audience, commenting on…

Show Notes: 

Release slots in at #2 for only the second time. In My Tree is played for the first time of the tour before launching into a set of high-energy rockers. After Mind Your Manners, Ed addresses the audience, commenting on how the set list was “geared for a more intelligent crowd,” with Charlottesville being home to the University of Virginia. He points out a 13-year-old and a 10-year-old on the rail and says that they “look smarter than me.” Go transitions seamlessly into Why Go. After Mind Your Manners, he mentions that he wrote the next song “about 12 years ago in a small hotel room in Virginia Beach,” and starts a rousing I Am Mine. Grievance, Glorified G, and The Fixer also make their tour debuts. Down is stopped quickly to deal with a crowd situation, then restarted. Harmonic intro to RVM, with a standout performance by Jeff during the jam, and Ed including the “forgive/forget” lines. Ed is the first one to return from the break and takes a seat, thanks everyone, and talks to the kids up front. He finds out that one of them is 12 and says:

“if I was dyslexic he’d be twenty-one. It would be cool if his first sip of wine was at a Pearl Jam concert,”

leading to an explosive cheer from the rest of the crowd. The 11-song (!) encore 1 starts with a great version of The End, introduced as one not played often, “mostly because it’s really fucking depressing,” but Ed sings it in an almost hopeful way. Thumbing My Way is played for the first time since 2006, over 150 shows! After Footsteps, Ed thanks Stone and Jeff for writing such a beautiful piece of music and mentions how Chris Cornell and Andy Wood also wrote lyrics to the song. He then decides to “take care of some business” and pours some wine into a cup for the father of the young boys, telling the dad that he can do whatever he wants with it. Future Days is dedicated to Kelly Slater’s friend Rick and his wife of 30 years. Ed forgets how it starts, then acknowledges Boom. Mike wails on Big Wave, the first performance since 2011. During the extended jam on Porch, every band member is featured, the globe lights are lowered and Jeff and Mike sway them around, while Ed passes out some wine and sings the last verse while swinging from one of them. Ed brings up the kids from the front row during the second encore and tells them “if you grow up and still listen to the band, we’ll have at least 2 fans until we are 90 years old.” He mentions that they are playing in the “Led Zeppelin Arena” (actually the John Paul Jones Arena) and Mike plays a little bit of “Over The Hills And Far Away.” They finish with two covers (neither of which are Zeppelin), including a full “Little Wing” for only the 4th time ever, which closes the show.