Pearl Jam South America Concert History

List of Pearl Jam Concerts in South America

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March 24, 2018 – Lollapalooza, Autódromo de Interlagos, São Paulo, BRA

Main Set: Wash, Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Why Go, Mind Your Manners, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Can’t Deny Me, Even Flow, Mountain Song, Breath, (Pulled Up)/Unthought Known, Jeremy, Sirens, Down, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Hold On, Black/(We Belong Together), Once, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: Smile, Comfortably Numb, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Livestreaming on SiriusXM and local television in Brazil, the final night of the South American tour kicks off with a slow-driving Wash. Early Do The Evolution gets the crowd going. Can’t Deny Me includes an intro referencing the youth-led, gun…

Show Notes: 

Livestreaming on SiriusXM and local television in Brazil, the final night of the South American tour kicks off with a slow-driving Wash. Early Do The Evolution gets the crowd going. Can’t Deny Me includes an intro referencing the youth-led, gun control-focused “March For Our Lives” demonstrations. Ed’s subsequent introduction to Even Flow asserts that the only weapon a young person needs in this world is a “fucking guitar, and a big ol’ fucking amp…like Mike McCready.” Speaking in his trademark broken Portuguese, Ed welcomes friend and original Lollapalooza creator Perry Farrell to the stage, serenading him with a “Happy Birthday” singalong, leading into a pounding cover of  Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song,” with Farrell sharing lead vocal duties with Ed. Pulled Up is played for the first time since 1992, brief yet poignant. Ed dedicates Better Man to Stone for his conservationist work in the Amazonian rainforest. Hold On is played for only the 5th time and the first since 2014. Ed introduces his new, Brazilian-made green guitar before Lukin. Short encore after a long main set. A rushed Ledbetter concludes abruptly to meet the local curfew.

Written by: Jeff Benanto

March 21, 2018 – Estadio Maracaná, Rio de Janeiro, BRA

Main Set: Release, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Go, All Night, Animal, Given To Fly, In Hiding, Jeremy, Corduroy, Even Flow, Immortality, Wishlist, Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt, Garden, Can’t Deny Me, Porch

encore 1: Sleeping By Myself, Inside Job, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop/W.M.A.), Do The Evolution, Black, Leaving Here, Blood, Better Man/(Save It For Later)/(I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Band is in a great mood for the 3rd show of 2018. Release, Low Light and Small Town set the early tone, but after Ed’s brief greeting they kick into high gear with Go, All Night, and Animal. This show…

Show Notes: 

Band is in a great mood for the 3rd show of 2018. Release, Low Light and Small Town set the early tone, but after Ed’s brief greeting they kick into high gear with Go, All Night, and Animal. This show is filled with extended jams and many songs are played longer than normal. 1-2-3 punch of Jeremy, Corduroy, and Even Flow punctuates the middle section, giving Mike the spotlight. Jeff leads the outro jam on Immortality. Chad Smith (RHCP) joins the band for the third live performance of new song Can’t Deny Me. The South American crowd puts their stamp once again on Do the Evolution. Ed goes on a delicate improv after We Belong Together during an almost 9-minute Black, with the lyrics:

You’re still in my heart
You’re still here in my heart
I keep you, keep you
Not in a box, not in a box
In my heart

Jeff takes the first 3 solo breaks on Leaving Here, leaving the 4th to Matt. Blood is dedicated to the opening band Royal Blood. It’s all fan favorites to finish off the night, starting with a crowd-heavy Better Man, with some call and response and a snippet of the Ramones “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” before Save it for Later kicks into high gear. Josh Klinghoffer, also from the Chili Peppers, takes Mike’s guitar for Alive and shreds. Chad Smith returns for Rockin’ in the Free World, and Josh gets a little lost on his solo but finds his groove. A Ten-heavy setlist, with 7 songs featured.

Written by: David Ritter

March 16, 2018 – Lollapalooza, Parque O’Higgins, Santiago, CHL

Main Set: Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Nothingman, Why Go, Do The Evolution, Even Flow, Given To Fly, Mind Your Manners, Unthought Known, Daughter/(Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)), Got Some, Can’t Deny Me, Lukin, Porch

encore 1: Last Kiss, Sirens, Jeremy, State Of Love And Trust, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

encore 2: Comfortably Numb, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Rockin’ in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Corduroy opener sets the tone for a festival-friendly set, headlining the first evening at Lollapalooza. Crowd is phenomenal, jumping and clapping throughout. I Am Mine is on the setlist but Even Flow is played instead. Ed dons a Trump clown…

Show Notes: 

Corduroy opener sets the tone for a festival-friendly set, headlining the first evening at Lollapalooza. Crowd is phenomenal, jumping and clapping throughout. I Am Mine is on the setlist but Even Flow is played instead. Ed dons a Trump clown mask during the Another Brick in the Wall tag, subbing out the word ‘teacher’ to shout: “Hey! Gunman! Leave those kids alone,” an allusion to the Parkland massacre. After Got Some, he speaks in Spanish, reading from a notebook: “We’ve spent a week in Chile and we’ve met a lot of cool Chileans, people with smiling eyes, faces and souls. We’re going to play a new song, ‘Can’t Deny Me,’ about united people who have more power than the government. We’ll record during this song to show my country how a large group of very united people with good energy looks like.” Ed comments on the recent nuclear bomb false alarm in Hawaii after Porch, saying “after 20 minutes, they realized it was a false alarm. Our friend Casper was there with his family. It was crazy. I wish for a new leader. Someone we can trust during these crazy times!” Ed improvs during the Sirens ‘reprise,’ singing: “‘Cause’ every one of you/every one of you/is loved in this world/got love in this world/got love to the world.” An array of fireworks are set off during RITFW, highlighting a set full of 90’s favorites.

Written by: Lila Barzegar

March 13, 2018 – Movistar Arena, Santiago, CHL

Main Set: Release, Of The Girl, Low Light, Animal, Mind Your Manners, Hail, Hail, Love Boat Captain, Corduroy, Dissident, Even Flow, Present Tense, Given To Fly, Garden, The Fixer, Eruption, Lightning Bolt, Can’t Deny Me, Porch

encore 1: Around The Bend, Footsteps, Come Back, Crazy Mary, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black/(We Belong Together), Comfortably Numb, Alive

encore 2: Last Kiss, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The 2018 tour kicks off with an arena show in Chile, serving as a warmup for the Lollapalooza gigs that would follow. The band takes the crowd on an early tour of almost every album, with the first 8 songs…

Show Notes: 

The 2018 tour kicks off with an arena show in Chile, serving as a warmup for the Lollapalooza gigs that would follow. The band takes the crowd on an early tour of almost every album, with the first 8 songs coming from 8 different albums. Ed holds the last line in Low Light for a long time to the delight of the crowd. Animal gets the entire floor pogoing and singing along. An extended jam leads into Love Boat Captain. Corduroy has the new middle section and builds to a stellar ending, tons of energy. Ed speaks to the crowd in Spanish, saying that even after all this time his Spanish is still “shit.” Before Mike takes over Even Flow, Ed exclaims “Vamos, Miguel, vamos!” The crowd is on fire during Given to Fly. Eruption is introduced as “a gift for you from Mike…and Eddie.” Can’t Deny Me is debuted, having been released just 3 days prior, and is dedicated (in Spanish) to the Parkland survivors, and Emma Gonzalez in particular. Rare appearance of Around the Bend to begin the encore. After Come Back, a roadie brings out a cake for Jeff’s birthday and ends up getting it in his own face, Jeff only just taking a finger of it. Ed takes a couple of pieces and tosses them into the crowd. Boom and Mike duel back and forth many times during the Crazy Mary jam. Cool moment as the crowd sings the guitar intro to Better Man along with Ed. Mike absolutely wails on an 8+ minute Black and Comfortably Numb. Ed takes a Chilean flag with “Pearl Jam” written on it and drapes it over his monitors during Alive. Last Kiss is for the back, with Ed up on the drum riser behind Matt and the rest of the band making their way behind the stage during the song. After a closing Indifference, Ed thanks the crowd “for being a great wave…we got to surf.”

November 25, 2015 – Simon Bolivar Park, Bogota, COL

Main Set: Pendulum, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Animal, Low Light, Corduroy, I Am Mine, Ghost, Wishlist, Even Flow, Daughter/(W.M.A.), Deep, Jeremy, A Sort Of Homecoming, MFC, Life Wasted, Given To Fly, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Around The Bend, Footsteps, Mother, State Of Love And Trust, Unthought Known, Better Man, Porch

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

Show Notes:

The band’s first ever appearance in Colombia opens with Ed adding some intensity to Pendulum. Mike and Jeff are energized from the start, and do the traditional communion pick swap during the hallelujah chorus of Do The Evolution. On Ed’s…

Show Notes: 

The band’s first ever appearance in Colombia opens with Ed adding some intensity to Pendulum. Mike and Jeff are energized from the start, and do the traditional communion pick swap during the hallelujah chorus of Do The Evolution. On Ed’s first attempt at speaking Spanish, before Corduroy, he claims the rest of the band had no idea what he was saying. Corduroy opens with a different, almost harmonic tease intro, and the crowd delivers later with an enormous call and response section in the bridge. I Am Mine has a faster pace to it, followed by Ghost, played for Dimi the Greek, after not taking the request in Rio. After a boisterous Even Flow, Ed makes sure it’s safe for the women in the crowd and makes mention that the stage was bouncing, and since there is nothing connecting the crowd and the stage, he claims that they were moving the Earth! Ed changes the lyrics to White Male Colombian during the Daughter tag. Instead of Untitled leading into MFC, Ed busts out the U2 song “A Sort Of Homecoming,” which has never been played at a PJ show. Ole chants abound when they come back out for the encore, and Ed mentions a man in front, calls him “muy guapo,” and says the way he was smiling he knows it. Around The Bend begins the encore, played for only the 12th time. Later, Ed brings up eliminating violence against women and during Porch, he and Boom leave the stage and return wearing orange t-shirts that read “por una Colombia de libre de violencia contra las muertes” which loosely translates to “for a Colombia free of violence against death.” The entire band returns to the stage wearing the orange shirts in the second encore, and kicks it off with an incredibly emotional Black, Ed telling the crowd to sing towards the sky as he repeats “…esta bien…” During Alive, Ed is thrown a Colombian flag and wraps it around his mic stand. The solo in Rockin’ in the Free World gives Ed another chance to mention violence against women, and the night ends with one last moment for Mike to shine during Yellow Ledbetter, as the crowd continuously chants “ole ole ole” to end the evening.

November 22, 2015 – Estadio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, BRA

Main Set: Oceans, Present Tense, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, Amongst The Waves, Save You, Even Flow, Who You Are, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Setting Forth, Sirens, Given To Fly, I Want You So Hard, Comatose, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Yellow Moon, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Just Breathe, Imagine, Jeremy, Why Go, The Fixer, Porch

encore 2: Last Kiss, Comfortably Numb, Spin The Black Circle, Black, Better Man, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

After an hour delay, Oceans begins but abruptly stops. Ed points to Stone, they converse for a moment, then the song begins again. Matt’s bass drum skin has a picture of the Eiffel Tower in homage to Paris and the…

Show Notes: 

After an hour delay, Oceans begins but abruptly stops. Ed points to Stone, they converse for a moment, then the song begins again. Matt’s bass drum skin has a picture of the Eiffel Tower in homage to Paris and the victims of the mass terrorist attacks that took place a week earlier. The crowd embraces Corduroy and sings the bridge back to the band. The crowd offers some assistance to Ed with pronunciation as he speaks after Amongst the Waves. Even Flow wraps up and Ed introduces Mike, Matt and Stone, noting that “Stone wrote that part you are singing along to.” I Want You So Hard by Eagles of Death Metal is played for the 2nd time. Comatose kicks in with a rough start, prompting the band to stop playing, Ed telling the crowd “and then that just happened,” and the song is restarted. Small Town ends with a joyous crowd singalong. Ed notices a man in the crowd holding a sign stating, “It’s my birthday, let me sing a song with you,” and he responds “I saw you three days ago and you had that sign…and four days before that! I wish I was you and everyday was my birthday.” The crowd laughs and cheers as Ed tells the man he will buy him a drink and “discuss this whole singing thing.” Ed then addresses the crowd again in Portuguese, naming couples having anniversaries, and gives a special nod to Jeff and Stone, who have been together longer than anyone. Ed speaks to the crowd about the attacks in Paris and how music can bring joy and help you deal with anger, saying “the fact that this happened during a concert with a great band and great Parisian fans, it hurts us and breaks our hearts to the core.” Ed tells the audience about a long time Pearl Jam fan, Pierre-Antonie Henry, who lost his life during the attack on the Bataclan Theater, “and it broke our hearts even more deeply when we heard someone, a really good man, father of two, great husband, brother, a great son, was always in the front row when we played in Europe,” and dedicates Imagine to him. Ed brings up the birthday guy from earlier to sing the opening of Porch and share his bottle of wine. Better Man ends with Ed tossing his white Gibson guitar into the air and then proceeding to smash it several times on the stage. As the show wraps up with Yellow Ledbetter, a fan tosses a pair of red speedos to the stage. Ed asks if they are for him and places them on his head, then pulls them over his shorts to finish out the performance. 

November 20, 2015 – Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, BRA

Main Set: Rain, Sometimes, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Go, Mind Your Manners, Once, Got Some, Rearviewmirror, Pilate, Even Flow, Infallible, Given To Fly, I’m Open, I Am Mine, Satan’s Bed, Deep, Jeremy, Why Go

encore 1: Bee Girl, Sleeping By Myself, Imagine, Sirens, Do The Evolution, I Want You So Hard, Corduroy, Mankind, Porch

encore 2: Eruption, Garden, Comfortably Numb, Lightning Bolt, Black/(Time Heals/Androgynous Mind), Sonic Reducer, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

After a long day of rain, most concertgoers were soaked, or at least prepared to be, while donning rain gear. Rumors of the stage being struck by lightning earlier in the evening,but as Pearl Jam enters the stage, the rain…

Show Notes: 

After a long day of rain, most concertgoers were soaked, or at least prepared to be, while donning rain gear. Rumors of the stage being struck by lightning earlier in the evening,but as Pearl Jam enters the stage, the rain stops. As an acknowledgment (or maybe an offering, considering), a cover of the Beatles’ Rain opens. Ed seems playful tonight and begins the set playing his vintage Martin 000-15. They transition seamlessly into Sometimes, with impassioned vocals. Playing off the crowd energy after Small Town, Ed rips off his overshirt, and the band throws it down literally and figuratively with a bass-heavy Go. Matt’s drum kit is lit up with an image of the Eiffel Tower as a tribute to the Paris terrorist attacks that took place a week prior. Ed’s voice cracks on Once, but makes up for it by belting out the rest and throwing his mic into the crowd for help on the final chorus. Unusual early Rearviewmirror, with a very short jam and some fumbled lyrics by Ed and impeccable drumming. Stone gets a spotlight and the volume turned up for his groove in Even Flow, Ed making shadow puppets on the side-stage wall, then after the song, grabs a piece of paper and attempts a longer speech in Portuguese bringing attention to the local dam/mining tragedy near Bento Rodrigues, stating “It’s tough when these large companies use and abuse the land just for profit, with no respect for the environment. Accidents that take lives and destroy rivers so they can still profit. We hope and expect them to be punished harshly and never forget the sad disasters they caused.” Before I’m Open, Ed grabs a custom green sparkly guitar and tells the crowd it was a gift “made by one of your countrymen in Brazil…one of my favorite things”. The guitar is inspired by Ed’s black holoflake Telecaster, and made with local wood and hardware by a man dubbed “Sergio Vedder.” Satan’s Bed is “about somebody that I don’t believe in, but it makes for a good song…one thing Satan’s been good for is music like Black Sabbath, Jimmy Page, and Robert Johnson.” Sirens” has some echoing notes at the end and inspires a vow from Eddie to get a fund going for the toxic mine/dam disaster (PJ donates $100,000 to the cause shortly after the show). The mood is lifted from somber to scathing with Do The Evolution, Stone getting the literal spotlight on this and Ed accenting the vocals with guttural bits, high notes and screams. A cover of “I Want You So Hard” by Eagles of Death Metal is debuted as a tribute to the Paris attacks, one of which was during the Eagles of Death Metal performance days prior. Comfortably Numb appears again, having debuted in Porto Alegre. Mike’s solo is tight and Ed salutes the heavens. Ed ties up Black with an eerie, repeated whisper of “hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Mike throws in a short tease of Little Wing into the Yellow Ledbetter ending, and the crowd serenades the band with the Ole chant as they exit the stage. Pendulum and Wishlist are on the setlist but not played. 

November 17, 2015 – Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, Brasilia, BRA

Main Set: Release, Wash, Nothingman, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Brain of J., Tremor Christ, In My Tree, Even Flow, Rain, Unthought Known, My Father’s Son, Animal, Daughter/(Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2)), Habit, Given To Fly, Lukin, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Redemption Song, Mother, Sirens, Jeremy, Supersonic, Why Go, Leash, Porch

encore 2: Last Exit, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Better Man, Do The Evolution, Crazy Mary, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

The third of five shows in Brazil begins with the combination of Release and Wash, incredibly played back-to-back to open a show for the first time since THIS DAY in 1991! Mike’s lyrical solo on the new, extended Corduroy kicks…

Show Notes: 

The third of five shows in Brazil begins with the combination of Release and Wash, incredibly played back-to-back to open a show for the first time since THIS DAY in 1991! Mike’s lyrical solo on the new, extended Corduroy kicks the show into high gear. After a couple of Lightning Bolt selections, it’s back to the 90’s for a rare triplet of Brain of J., Tremor Christ, and a soaring In My Tree. Matt shows out near the end of the Even Flow solo, thrashing and pounding away. Some bad weather early in the day means that the Beatles’ Rain makes an appearance, and for only the 6th time. Habit is a standout, Ed growls “speaking as a child of the 90’s…,” fitting for a show heavy on their 90’s output, and the frenetic outro leads Mike to manhandle his guitar to the ground and wrench some otherworldly sounds from it. Ed emerges after the break to comment on the prevalence of mosquitos swarming the stage and audience, saying “I’ve never eaten so many bugs in my life while I have been singing tonight…fuckers!” Interestingly enough, neither Red Mosquito nor Bugs are played. He does proceed to play Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, accompanied by Boom. The Eagles of Death Metal song “ I Want You So Hard” is on the setlist, but scratched, and instead Ed opens the floor to requests, and the band responds with a driving Why Go. Leash follows, also by request, and Ed prefaces it with “you might not know it…WE might not know it…” An expansive Porch closes the encore before they quickly return with Last Exit, Ed exclaiming “Don’t go to bed yet!” over the iconic drum intro. South American favorite Do The Evolution is saved for late, following the crowd-friendly Small Town and Better Man. Boom takes over Crazy Mary, he and Mike trading off playfully until they meet up for a few riffs of Paint It Black, leading to an epic showdown before the song crashes out past the 8-minute mark. 24 of the 35 songs are from the 90’s, with only 6 from the 2000’s.

November 14, 2015 – Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, BRA

Main Set: Long Road, Of The Girl, Love Boat Captain, Do The Evolution, Hail, Hail, Why Go, Getaway, Mind Your Manners, Deep, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Even Flow, Come Back, Swallowed Whole, Given To Fly, Jeremy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Footsteps, Imagine, Sirens, Whipping, I Am Mine, Blood, Porch

encore 2: Comatose, State Of Love And Trust, Black, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The band takes the stage less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris during an Eagles of Death Metal concert where 89 were killed. Ed is wearing his traditional peace sign shirt, Jeff’s shirt reads…

Show Notes: 

The band takes the stage less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris during an Eagles of Death Metal concert where 89 were killed. Ed is wearing his traditional peace sign shirt, Jeff’s shirt reads “Unfuck the World” and there’s a picture of the Eiffel Tower drawn with a sharpie on Matt’s bass drum. They open with a soaring version of Long Road that sets the tone for an emotionally charged evening. Following Of the Girl, Ed addresses the crowd in Portuguese. Although later claiming his Portuguese sounds like “pieces of shit,” his words loosely translate to “love goes out to the people in Paris right now, there is healing we need to do together.” A powerful Love Boat Captain follows, with the lyrics being changed to “lost many friends we’ll never know, just only yesterday.” At the end of the song, the crowd sings along with Ed, repeating “love” back and forth. The crowd does a tremendous job of singing the lead guitar parts on Do the Evolution. Ed remarks on the incredible crowd size, saying if the entire band went into the crowd to shake their hands, it would take a few years to complete the job. During Lightning Bolt, the harsh wind and rain and wind forces the GA area to be evacuated. With the conditions being so poor, the crew gets the band to briefly exit the stage so they can lay tarps over the equipment. Ed makes sure the crowd is okay and blames himself for the incident. Without the rest of the band on stage, Ed calls an audible, picking up an acoustic guitar and playing a version of Elderly Woman with a beautiful intro. As the crowd sings along with every word, the rain dies down enough for the band to come back on stage, with Ed saying “come on Mikey, fix this shit!” before a blistering Even Flow. Come Back is another emotional dedication to the Paris attacks. The rain pours down again during Better Man, but the crowd and band play through it with a strong performance. The RVM jam is short but stellar, Matt leading the way. After the break, Imagine, Sirens and I Am Mine continue the theme of healing. During the intro to Porch, Ed plays a bright green guitar that depicts the Brazilian flag, and then later makes his way into the crowd. The crowd sings the guitar melody at the end of Black, and it’s “We didn’t belong together” tonight, Ed adding in the “hey hey, it’s ok” lyrics from Sonic Youth’s Androgynous Mind. Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World and Yellow Ledbetter seemingly end the night, but after the band leaves the stage, Ed calls them back out for one more song, and they treat the crowd to All Along The Watchtower in a 3rd encore to officially close this emotionally charged evening.

November 11, 2015 – Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre, BRA

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mind Your Manners, Animal, Do The Evolution, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Faithfull, Even Flow, I Got Id, Lukin, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Sirens, Let The Records Play, Spin The Black Circle, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Last Kiss, Hard To Imagine, Wishlist, Jeremy, Glorified G, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Go, Porch

encore 2: Comfortably Numb, Why Go, Given To Fly, Black, Alive, Fuckin’ Up, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Release is powerful in the 2 spot tonight, as another loud and boisterous South American crowd is involved right from the beginning. An early Do the Evolution keeps the energy going, and there’s plenty of chanting throughout Corduroy. After a…

Show Notes: 

Release is powerful in the 2 spot tonight, as another loud and boisterous South American crowd is involved right from the beginning. An early Do the Evolution keeps the energy going, and there’s plenty of chanting throughout Corduroy. After a very on-point Even Flow, Ed salutes Mike, saying “when he was born from his mother, you know where, he immediately threw his first guitar pick…and when Matt was born, he had his first pair of drumsticks, which must have been very uncomfortable for his mother, Helen…” A very fast Lukin has Ed grasping to keep up the pace. Sirens ends with a speech about records being the very first love of everyone on stage, leading to the duo of Let the Records Play and Spin the Black Circle. Matt outdoes himself during the RVM jam, just an incredible display of prowess. Rearviewmirror ends the blistering first set and gives the energetic crowd a little respite. Hard to Imagine starts a little rocky, but blazes after the first verse. Wishlist starts with the crowd singing in sync with the song. After Glorified G, played for the first time since 2013, Ed speaks in Portuguese to the crowd about how it has been exactly four years since the last time they played there. The crowd also sings happy birthday to Jill Vedder in Portuguese. Ed is handed a phone and the crowd starts chanting “Jill, Jill, Jill!” Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb is debuted after the second break, and it’s tailor-made for Mike to solo into the stratosphere, which he does. Given to Fly is dedicated to Matt, Jeff, and Diane, wherever they are at. Alive includes a “Go Cubs” in the middle from Ed. To cap off the evening, Ed elicits one last “Ole” chant from this fantastic crowd and quotes Smile, saying “…miss you already…love love love.”

November 7, 2015 – Estadio Unico La Plata, Buenos Aires, ARG

Main Set: Pendulum, Low Light, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Mind Your Manners, Do The Evolution, All Night, Once, Dissident, Lightning Bolt, Given To Fly, Swallowed Whole, Even Flow, Sirens, Grievance, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop/W.M.A.), Unthought Known, Immortality, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Footsteps, Imagine, Corduroy, I Believe In Miracles, Jeremy, Porch

encore 2: Leaving Here, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Red Mosquito, Black, Blood/(Atomic Dog), Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

Show Notes:

Ed flubs the lyrics of Low Light a bit at the end, but makes up for it with a very extended hold on the last line. The crowd is in full swing with the “Ole” chants following the song and…

Show Notes: 

Ed flubs the lyrics of Low Light a bit at the end, but makes up for it with a very extended hold on the last line. The crowd is in full swing with the “Ole” chants following the song and are full-throated during Small Town. The crowd continues, belting out the opening notes to almost every song. This can be heard even during the rather short intro to Mind Your Manners, and Ed joins in. Prior to Stone’s solo in Do the Evolution, Ed tells the crowd, “…you got it, I think you wrote this,” and has the crowd singing back his “yeah, yeah,” pitching his voice high and low to test the crowd’s quality. Following Dissident, the crowd sings “Olé, olé, olé, hola San Diego” prompting Ed to respond “wow, thank you, gracias, gracias.” Even Flow is introduced as “one we played at our first show, which was 25 years ago and one month, and we are here to prove we play it better now than we used to,” with Mike nodding in agreement. Mass chanting along to the beat throughout, and even after the song finishes, causing Ed to offer “I think this crowd is our favorite band.” Grievance is introduced as “this one’s for Seattle.” Throughout the encore break, the crowd continues their own show, chanting and singing. When the band returns, Ed addresses the crowd during the intro of Footsteps: 

May I share something with you? For some of us on the stage and probably some of you out there, it’s just part of life, but for some of us it’s been an incredibly difficult year. With all the many things we are blessed with, each other and the crew, and all the people we know and work with, we lost some people very dear to us this year. There have been times this year when some of us had a very difficult time figuring out even how to live and how to keep living in the absence of these people we cared about so much. I just can’t tell you that to come here you bring such great energy, strength and support…I just can’t tell you how much we appreciate it and never more than now.

Jeff emerges at the end of the show wearing a Fabricio Oberto Argentine National (basketball) team jersey. Before Leaving Here, Ed has the camera show a sign which reads “Ni Una Menos,” which translates to “Not One Less,” a grassroots feminist movement to end gender-based violence which began in Argentina. Ed continues, ”…obviously it’s not a problem here, but if you take this message to other people it is sure something that we support…I mean we support the end of gender-based violence…we call on you to stand up for the women in your lives and everywhere.  Not one less.” To no one’s surprise, the crowd takes over Better Man from Ed. Red Mosquito is introduced as ”Mosquito Roja.” Black is spectacular, an emotional singalong, Ed clapping and bowing to the audience for their effort, they take over the outro of the song, Matt drives Baba O’Riley home before the Indifference finale, with rhythmic clapping as well as the crowd singing the “I will scream my lungs out” line. Before exiting, Ed intimates “It’s changed our lives to get to play for you people.” One of the loudest and best crowds the band has ever played for, a night filled with energy.

November 4, 2015 – Estadio Nacional, Santiago, CHL

Main Set: Pendulum, Release, Nothingman, Go, Mind Your Manners, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Even Flow, Sirens, Light Years, Severed Hand, Daughter, Given To Fly, Got Some, In Hiding, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Just Breathe, Mother, Imagine, Black/(40), Why Go, Do The Evolution, Porch

encore 2: State Of Love And Trust, Better Man, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

The band returns to South America to a vociferous welcome, as the crowd screams and chants through Pendulum, Release, and Nothingman. Ed briefly stops after Corduroy to ask the band’s head of security, Pete, if everyone in the crowd is…

Show Notes: 

The band returns to South America to a vociferous welcome, as the crowd screams and chants through Pendulum, Release, and Nothingman. Ed briefly stops after Corduroy to ask the band’s head of security, Pete, if everyone in the crowd is okay before continuing into Lightning Bolt. Following the song, Ed addresses the crowd in Spanish, explaining that it is the fifth time they have been to Santiago and talks about the crowds singing outside the band’s hotel. He also mentions a local radio station and gives his best impression of their call sign, to much laughter from both the audience and band. More hilarity after Even Flow, as Ed comments that Mike doesn’t speak Spanish, but can play guitar, before Mike makes a small gesture with his hand, to say he knows some Spanish. Upon seeing the hand gesture, Ed says, “I don’t want to know about the size of your penis. Oh, you speak a little Spanish?” Mike then says “Un poquito [a bit]…it covers both things,” which is met by cheering from the crowd, and Ed replies “un poquito is muy bueno” [a bit is very good]. Ed then takes a serious turn by stating many people in Chile have had a difficult year and that “it’s nice to have so many people together so we can try to heal a bit together.” Light Years is dedicated to a couple who had tickets to the show but sadly passed away after a road accident, and to “anyone else who needs it.” Daughter is tagged with an improvisation, with Ed singing “She said no” several times. RVM stretches out to almost 8 minutes. During the break, Ed addresses the crowd in Spanish, thanking the crowd for the invitation to play in Santiago. Returning to English, he dedicates the next song to a couple who met at a show and have now had a baby, offering “…apparently after the show there was a little bit of fucking…enough to have a baby,” and that the band will now play their wedding song, Just Breathe. The audience illuminates the stadium with the lights on their phones for Imagine. U2 deep cut “40” (from 1983’s War) makes its PJ tag debut during Black, Ed repeating “how long…how long to sing this song…” It’s all fan favorites to close out the night, the crowd spurring the band on with “Olé” chants. Before the band leaves the stage, Ed shouts “Viva Chile!” and once again thanks the crowd: “We’ll see you again, thank you so much for coming…thank you.”

 

April 6, 2013 – Lollapalooza, Parque O’Higgins, Santiago, CHL

Main Set: Release, Go, Even Flow, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Amongst The Waves, Why Go, Severed Hand, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Got Some, Just Breathe, Once, Unthought Known, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Porch

encore 1: Present Tense, Animal, Given To Fly, Jeremy, Black, Sonic Reducer, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Ed changes the third “Oh…dear Dad…” in Release to “Oh dear Red…can you see this now…” He encourages the crowd to join in during Do the Evolution, calling out “C’mon! Louder than Buenos Aires!” After Corduroy, the crowd begins the…

Show Notes: 

Ed changes the third “Oh…dear Dad…” in Release to “Oh dear Red…can you see this now…” He encourages the crowd to join in during Do the Evolution, calling out “C’mon! Louder than Buenos Aires!” After Corduroy, the crowd begins the “Olé” chant, and Ed asks the crowd “Como estas?” followed by “Estoy bien.” He adds “Chile, you can call me!” to Not For You, finishing the song off with the Modern Girl tag. He also pays a compliment to Chile, their pretty country and people. Towards the end of Daughter, he asks Kille to turn the lights up and gets the crowd to join him for It’s O.K. by singing “Esta bien” and proceeds to sing the rest of it in Spanish, again asking them to be louder than Buenos Aires. Elderly Woman starts with “una, dos, tres, una, dos, tres” and they deliver a beautiful rendition with Stone sounding perfect on the acoustic. After the break, Ed says it’s a special day and drapes the Chilean flag over Mike’s shoulders, and they sing Happy Birthday to him. Ed recognises a guy in the crowd who had joined them on stage previously, and invites him up on stage to play with them again. The fan, Juan Pablo, joins them, Ed asks him not to break his guitar, and they bust out Sonic Reducer. Perry Farrell enters for Rockin’ in the Free World, on the tambourine and back up vocals, while fireworks go off in the background. Josh Homme also puts in an appearance for the last bit of RITFW while Eddie scans the crowd with a set of binoculars. Perry calls out “Pearl Jam!” as Mike plays the opening riff for Yellow Ledbetter. Ed closes the night wishing the audience well in his broken Spanish.

April 3, 2013 – Constanera Sur, Buenos Aires, ARG

Show Covered by Podcast

Main Set: Release, Even Flow, Lukin, Corduroy, In Hiding, Save You, Deep, Jeremy, WIshlist, Hail, Hail, Given To Fly, I Got Id, Daughter/(It’s O.K.), Got Some, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Do The Evolution, Animal, Just Breathe, Black/(We Belong Together), I Believe In Miracles, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Headlining the Pepsi Music Festival, the energy reaches a fever pitch early as Even Flow and Lukin make rare early appearances, the second and third songs in the set. After Even Flow, the crowd keeps doing the ‘whoa’s, emulating the…

Show Notes: 

Headlining the Pepsi Music Festival, the energy reaches a fever pitch early as Even Flow and Lukin make rare early appearances, the second and third songs in the set. After Even Flow, the crowd keeps doing the ‘whoa’s, emulating the guitar parts with the band looking on in amazement. Inspired, during In Hiding Ed sings along to the guitar melody of the pre-chorus. The crowd continues to take over the show, stretching their voices for Jeremy, Hail, Hail, and Given To Fly, with the latter needing some crowd control as Ed implores everyone to take two steps back. Daughter is tagged with It’s O.K., but with a new spin on it as Ed changes the lyrics to “Esta Bien” and sings the entire part in Spanish. The moment is not lost on the crowd, as they express their appreciation loudly and repeatedly. Their participation on Better Man causes Ed to pause mid-song, taking the moment to thank them: “It sounds great up here. It means a lot that you would respond like this. We all grew up very small, and none of us thought this would ever happen in our lives. We would’ve been happy to come here and share this kind of music with you. I can’t tell you how much it means.” Rearviewmirror has a new twist to the intro and ends the set on a massive adrenaline rush. The encore kicks back in with the quintessential South American song, Do The Evolution, as the crowd keeps up the momentum from the main set. Ed takes a pause during Just Breathe as well, sending condolences to those who’d lost loved ones during a recent natural disaster:

“Right before we came here there was a big storm. We heard there were some people who were lost. I know a lot of lives changed and power was lost. Just seems like a big old fucking mess that no one deserved, you know? I forgot to say before, I know some of them are your neighbors and it might’ve affected you or might’ve affected your family or obviously parts of your community. We’ve been through some stuff ourselves and that’s just a part of growing up and getting old, the only alternative is not getting old. You have to get through it and you will get through it. We’re thinking about you as you get through it, I hope it goes smooth and by summertime you’re good to go.” The night finishes off with an impassioned Black, I Believe In Miracles, and the end of set bread and butter, Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World, and Yellow Ledbetter, sending everyone home happy. A fan’s wallet is tossed up on stage during Ledbetter, Ed has some fun skimming through credit cards (and possibly a prophylactic), as everyone has a big laugh to end one of the most dynamic South American shows in their history.

March 31, 2013 – Lollapalooza, Jockey Club, São Paulo, BRA

Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Comatose, Olé, Do The Evolution, Wishlist, Got Some, Even Flow, Nothingman, Insignificance, Daughter/(W.M.A.), World Wide Suicide, Jeremy, Unthought Known, State Of Love And Trust, Rearviewmirror

encore 1: Given To Fly, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black/(We Belong Together), I Believe In Miracles, Go, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Small Town is jovial and vowel-heavy to open, getting the enormous crowd warmed up before an energetic Why Go. Ed encourages chants from the audience prior to Mike’s clear and crisp Corduroy solo. Stone is tapped into the energy this…

Show Notes: 

Small Town is jovial and vowel-heavy to open, getting the enormous crowd warmed up before an energetic Why Go. Ed encourages chants from the audience prior to Mike’s clear and crisp Corduroy solo. Stone is tapped into the energy this night as well, as indicated by his rhythm and dance moves. Ed checks in with everyone on how they’re doing, speaks Portuguese briefly, and offers a “chocolate egg called Olé”. Lights go out and flip on again to a short succession of screams into Do the Evolution. Ed takes a moment during Wishlist to look up from his solo to engage the audience in a sing and clap along. The crowd rolls like a sea of flowing arms during Even Flow, Mike’s solo is long and aggressive with a markedly ‘70’s sound. Nothingman ends with a passionate last verse. More soccer chants before Daughter, and Ed walks the side extensions of the stage to pay a visit to the vast crowd. Ed begins World Wide Suicide with some major guitar distortion. Ed thanks the crowd with a Portuguese accent, rather than in Portuguese, discusses making a new album, and asks for help singing Jeremy. Entire band is soaked from the heat by State. Lengthy, anthemic RVM bridge with an “I won’t forget” repetition added midway, and a drum solo to round things out. Stone goes hard on the outro and the strobe lights add to the atmosphere. 6 “Obrigado”s end the main set. Ed thanks the Flaming Lips, Queens of the Stone Age, Puscifer, Perfect Circle, Maynard, and “Red Wine.” Mike and Jeff play off each other during Given to Fly. There’s a bit of call-and-response with the crowd on Not For You, and Stone closes out with a great solo which Ed transitions into Modern Girl. Black is beautiful, with Stone making his way over to jam on the outro with Mike. The audience shows massive appreciation with perfect “doo doo doo’s” and Ed agrees. I Believe in Miracles is dedicated to the Ramones and a “hey ho, let’s go” chant segues into Go. Baba gets a wild response, a super combo with Matt’s drumming and Mike’s guitar, and some classic tambourine antics. Ed thanks the crowd “very, very, very much” and gives props for being one of the safest and best crowds to play for. The show is brought to a close with Yellow Ledbetter, after which he exchanges his wine for a beer and a Brazilian flag before a bow and a goodbye.

November 18, 2011 – Estadio San Marcos, Lima, PER

Main Set: Interstellar Overdrive/Corduroy, Why Go, Hail, Hail, Do The Evolution, Severed Hand, Immortality, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, The Fixer, Even Flow, Setting Forth, Not For You, Lukin, Amongst The Waves, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black, Go

encore 1: The End, Just Breathe, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop)/(W.M.A.), Unthought Known, Ole, Blood, Jeremy, Porch

encore 2: Given To Fly, Last Kiss, The Real Me, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Indifference, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

Before Pearl Jam took the stage, Ed took the stage with X singing on Devil Doll to close their set. The band jumps into their first show in Peru wasting no time between the first four tunes kicking off with…

Show Notes: 

Before Pearl Jam took the stage, Ed took the stage with X singing on Devil Doll to close their set. The band jumps into their first show in Peru wasting no time between the first four tunes kicking off with Interstellar Overdrive into Corduroy and capped by Do The Evolution. Ed greets the crowd in Spanish by saying “Now I’m going to say something I’ve wanted to say for a long time: ¡Hola, Lima Perú!” Making the usual ask for everyone to take care of one another and prepare for a long night of music, he signs off with “¿De acuerdo? (All right?) Cool!” before signaling the start of Severed Hand. The crowd sounds excited to hear Immortality, and they deliver a very solid rendition. Ed checks on the crowd before counting off Elderly Woman in Spanish, which gets a strong singalong from the crowd. The enthusiasm keeps rolling as Ed introduces The Fixer as the next song, to which the crowd cheers and continues singing along to the melody. Jeff sounds a little more involved than usual during the quiet part of Even Flow, and Mike and Matt are introduced after the song wraps up. Setting Forth transitions into Not for You very nicely, with Matt already playing the latter’s beat between the former’s final two riffs. After Lukin and amid chants of “olé, ole olé olé,” Ed dedicates Amongst the Waves to all the surfers in the audience.

To start the encore 1, Ed thanks X for opening the concert on behalf of the band and crew, “Our heroes growing up, our heroes to this day,” and goes on to thank the crowd, “I don’t know why it took us so long, but thank you so much for coming.” While drawing out the first notes of The End, he continues: “Tonight, you’ve made us all feel really happy… this was written when maybe I wasn’t so happy.” As if having The End and Just Breathe back-to-back wasn’t contrast enough, Ed immediately erases this somber start with a special dedication (partly in Spanish):

“This song is for my friends who just got married… congratulations on your love, a good friend of ours, a good friend of Neil Young’s… this is for Dustin and Erica. This is their honeymoon.”

He beckons offstage and eventually the newlyweds appear and walk up, Ed presents them to the crowd and motions for them to sit in two red fold-out chairs that just happen to be waiting there. As the crowd chants “¡Beso! ¡Beso!” Ed offers Dustin the wine bottle, Dustin salutes the crowd, and gives Erica a kiss before taking a sip and handing his wife the bottle. After song, sips, and kisses, Ed gives each of them a hug and seems to tell them to take one last swig, as both immediately comply. At the end of Daughter, the crowd starts the usual humming before Ed and fully engages in the “hey, ho, let’s go” callback. Seeming to want to say something about the band’s only song with a Spanish-language title, he gives up and says (in Spanish) “This song… ¡Olé!” After a tight rendition of Blood, the crowd’s reaction and sudden flood of digital camera lights that follow the first notes of Jeremy suggests this was the song everyone was waiting for. Matt loses a crash cymbal stand somewhere in the second verse that gets replaced by the start of the breakdown, enough time for Mike to approach and tease him about it during the chorus. Ed does his mirror-spotlight-crowd number during Porch, and then approaches the left edge of the stage with the crowd going berzerk.

To start the final set, Ed reads a prepared message in Spanish, “This morning I dreamt there were many people standing in a park holding up a gigantic T-shirt and singing songs about Pearl Jam. Then I realized I was awake and it wasn’t a dream,” referring to a group of fans that had prepared an enormous T-shirt that read “We are the fans that waited” and that morning had brought it in front of the hotel where the band was staying. He goes on to thank everyone for the tremendous welcome and for making a dream our reality. During The Real Me, the band makes it look like it’s their favorite song of the night. Mike takes his Alive solo to the same unruly part of the crowd that Ed had teased during Porch. All the members of X wander onstage with tambourines during Rockin’ In The Free World and sing on the choruses. This night, Ed doesn’t introduce the whole band until after Yellow Ledbetter, with his jacket already on and beer and cigarette in each hand, and signs off with “For the first time we can say thank you, muchas gracias, Lima, Peru.”

November 16, 2011 – Estadio Monumental, Santiago, CHL

Main Set: Unthought Known, Why Go, Animal, Do The Evolution, Ole, Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Cropduster, Even Flow, Daughter/(Red Rain)/(Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2), Setting Forth, I Got Id, Given To Fly, Nothingman, Public Image, The Fixer, Jeremy

encore 1: Just Breathe, Down, I Believe In Miracles, World Wide Suicide, Last Kiss, Black, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Once, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Crazy Mary, Alive, Baba O'Riley, Indifference, Yellow Ledbetter

Show Notes:

With a ‘buenos noches’ introduction, the band takes a loud chanting crowd on the way with Unthought Known as the opener. The intensity continues through the set as the crowd drives the band through the set. Ole works really well…

Show Notes: 

With a ‘buenos noches’ introduction, the band takes a loud chanting crowd on the way with Unthought Known as the opener. The intensity continues through the set as the crowd drives the band through the set. Ole works really well here as a lead in to Corduroy. After Corduroy the crowd leads an Ole chant of their own. This is followed by Ed asking, and then pleading, the crowd to take three steps back to help alleviate some of the people up front. The crowd doesn’t listen at first, which leads to Ed begging the crowd to move, for which they oblige. Small Town is in a great spot after having to tell the crowd to move and look out for each other. Cropduster makes one of its last appearances in a set to date with only three more performances coming after this. Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2 is tagged to Daughter, which causes Ed to say:

“It’s not teacher leave those kids alone, it’s government let the teachers teach, it’s government pay so the students can learn.”

Peter Gabriel song Red Rain is tagged for the first time ever following the Pink Floyd tag. Setting Forth is introduced as ”about a kid named Chris McCandless, Into the Wild” while Nothingman is intro’d by saying “that this one is about a big mistake.” Jeremy is played as a rare closer to the main set. Encore 1 set begins with a beautiful version of Just Breathe and the energy is brought right up with a joyous Down. A quick “Para mi amigo Johnny Ramone, I miss ya” leads into one of the most rocking I Believe In Miracles renditions that they’ve ever played. Eddie says a guy from the crowd who had a sign was going to be on the stage, but he gets tossed up on the setlist as World Wide Suicide is played first. At the conclusion of the song, Eddie introduces Juan Pablo to play along with them on Last Kiss. Ed says that he also asked Mike McCready to marry him! He gets Ed’s guitar and slug of wine before the band kicks in. Ed gives a shout out to X who opened the show before Rearviewmirror ends a stimulating first encore.

Encore 2 seems like they are trying to get in as many songs as possible before a curfew as there is very little chatter in between the songs. McCready and Boom have an excellent back and forth on their solos during Crazy Mary. Alive and Baba are great and lead into the double closers of Indifference and Yellow Ledbetter to cap off a crazy evening in Chile. Ed compliments the crowd calling them a perfect crowd, and the crowd returns the favor with a chant of their own. Ed sends some muchos gracias forever to the crowd on their way off the stage.

November 13, 2011 – Estadio Unico La Plata, Buenos Aires, ARG

Main Set: Release, Go, Interstellar Overdrive/Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Given To Fly, The Fixer, Amongst The Waves, Immortality, Even Flow, You Are, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Lukin, Unthought Known, Do The Evolution, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Jeremy, Porch

encore 1: Just Breathe, Garden, Last Kiss, Supersonic, I Believe In Miracles, State Of Love And Trust, Blood/(Atomic Dog)

encore 2: Smile, Mother, Black, Better Man/(I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend)/(Save It For Later), Why Go, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

The sound of the crowds in Argentina always makes you wonder if they think they’re watching a one-on-one World Cup final between Maradona and Messi—that’s the level of passion they bring to a show, and this one was no exception.…

Show Notes: 

The sound of the crowds in Argentina always makes you wonder if they think they’re watching a one-on-one World Cup final between Maradona and Messi—that’s the level of passion they bring to a show, and this one was no exception. Humming along to the most recognizable riffs from nearly every song like another of the band’s instruments, they jump right into the first notes of Release. Ed dedicates the song in the third verse “Oh dear John” presumably for Johnny Ramone as he did earlier on this tour. The crowd’s hum, along with the intro to Go, is loud enough to compete with the band, and the next few tunes skip along at an energetic pace, with the crowd humming along unfailingly to every well-known riff. They’re even trying to squeeze their own chants in between songs. Ed either gets distracted or slips up on the last verse of Given to Fly, laughs and jumps back in at “hey, fuckers.” He greets the crowd in Spanish between chants of his name, “It’s good to be back. The stadium looks great, but you all look better,” gets the crowd to take three steps back for safety and announces that they’re live on the radio. As The Fixer wraps up, he seems to reach out, catch something and say de nada, de nada. Here the crowd breaks into an improvised adaptation of a popular football chant—they’ve been trying to do this on and off since the beginning of the show—that translated in English closes with “…oh, Pearl Jam, it’s a feeling, I can’t stop” and repeats. The band lets them go a few rounds until Ed says gracias and Amongst the Waves starts. A solid solo and overall rendition on Immortality, and Matt gets the first band introduction afterwards. The crowd’s energy remains steady and rising, and they even take the lead as Ed joins their riff humming as the breakdown of Even Flow transitions to the final chorus. The usual crowd singalong on Elderly Woman also has an extra energy underneath that swells right back up to the surface with Lukin. Stone gets the second introduction after Do the Evolution, Ed says hello to everyone in the back, and dedicates the Wasted Reprise intro (over some very audible chanting) to comparing the current moment to their small beginnings:

“[we] didn’t really pay attention to the globe or the planet because we knew we’d never get there…. And to come back here for the second time and have this kind of response from all of you is, if you could see what we see right now, you wouldn’t fucking belive it.”

Mike is on point on Life Wasted and the crowd’s energy continues straight through the close of the first set. Just Breathe opens the encore and receives applause during the instrumental part and Garden closes out strong, after which the third band introduction goes to Jeff. Ed flubs the start of Last Kiss and, of course, the crowd picks it up and sings the rest of the first chorus as it is played through before restarting. Before I Believe in Miracles, Ed tells the crowd in Spanish:

[translated] “Fifteen years ago I came to Argentina for the first time with the Ramones. I miss Johnny, Dee Dee, and Joey a lot. They loved all of you very much.”

Blood gets the Atomic Dog tag to fill the breakdown, before “Paint Ed big”—at this point, one has to wonder if he was hoping to start a callback, but this time the crowd doesn’t seem to catch on. Smile starts the second set with a dedication, “this one is for everybody” and afterwards Mike and Boom get their introductions to the crowd. Mother is introduced with “we’d like to borrow a song by someone named Roger Waters” and gets a big crowd reaction at “Mother, should I trust the government?” Black is the standard tour de force, and nearing the crowd still shows no signs of settling down, breaking out into various chants simultaneously, including the adapted football chant from earlier. The band stops and soaks it in for a while, until Ed responds:

“we have no words… maybe next time we’ll pay you”

Ed thanks and re-introducing the members of the opening act, X, and his guitar tech Ricky Ramone, all “to share this energy you give us.” And as the love that’s received is the love that is saved, the energy remains alight and flowing right through Why Go, Alive, the send-off and farewell to radio listeners after Rockin’ In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter with a Little Wing tag at the end, and Matt and Ed pretending to take running jumps into the crowd before they all take a final bow. The crowd even finds time for one more of its new favorite chant: “Pearl Jam, es un sentimiento, no puedo parar.”

November 11, 2011 – Zequinha, Porto Alegre, BRA

Main Set: Why Go, Do The Evolution, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Got Some, Low Light, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Even Flow, Unthought Known, Present Tense, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop)/(It's OK), 1/2 Full, Wishlist, Rats, State Of Love And Trust, Black

encore 1: Just Breathe, Oceans, Comatose, Light Years, I Believe In Miracles, The Fixer, Rearviewmirror

encore 2: Last Kiss, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Crazy Mary, Jeremy, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, Indifference, Yellow Ledbetter/(Little Wing)

Show Notes:

A brawny run of Why Go, Do The Evolution, Severed Hand and Corduroy wastes no time hot wiring this lengthy show played under a low hung moon. Low Light cools things down with Ed greeting the crowd in Portuguese afterwards.…

Show Notes: 

A brawny run of Why Go, Do The Evolution, Severed Hand and Corduroy wastes no time hot wiring this lengthy show played under a low hung moon. Low Light cools things down with Ed greeting the crowd in Portuguese afterwards. He mentions this is the fifth and final show in Brazil, and that they have the best fans in the world prior to launching into a raucous crowd singalong to Given To Fly. Daughter is punctuated by Ed letting out a vintage “She will rise abooovve!” scream and the audience perfectly hitting their cues as the song transitioned into It’s OK. The tag was as good as you would imagine from a passionate South American crowd with the call and response sung loud and proud. Rats pokes its head out of the storm drain for its first appearance on this tour and provides a funky change of pace after a leisurely Wishlist. Mike lights up ½ full with Jeff and Matt lurking heavily underneath for a great version of the underplayed gem. Ed caps off the outro using a reflecting mirror on the crowd after the “Won’t someone save the world?” part. Black closes the set with Ed getting crossed up a bit lyrically, mistakenly singing the “twisted, thoughts that spin ‘round my head” in the first verse but recovers like a pro. Mike provides a wrenching, slow boiling solo with Ed nailing the We Belong Together outro with the crowd right there with him.

Encore 1 has Ed donning his Walter Payton jersey as he leads the crowd in a Happy Birthday chant for wife, Jill, segueing into Just Breathe. Then the rarely performed Oceans is played in an encore spot, unusual from its normal spot in the opening sequence. Ed introduces it by simply saying “this was a request”, creating a beautiful pairing with Just Breathe. A heartfelt Light Years is dedicated to Johnny Ramone. As the song concludes, the band leaves some swirling feedback, seemingly to prime the upshift into I Believe in Miracles.

An overstuffed encore 2 features eight songs, all heavy hitters, rewarding the crowd for their endurance. During Boom and Mike’s soloing stand-off during Crazy Mary, Ed invites a young boy up on stage saying “This is Victor. He was down in front all night. We’re going to make him more comfortable” as Ed sets him up with a side stage spot for the rest of the night. This section feels like an endless PJ party with great crowd singing, especially on a deafening Jeremy. The band opted for a monster triple closer of Indifference/RITFW/Yellow Ledbetter to close the show which was a popular set choice for this part of the 2011 tour. Also to note, Ed joined X for a performance of Devil Doll. Overall, this was going-the-distance night of classics highlighted by another screaming cannonball of a South American crowd.

November 9, 2011 – Estadio Parana do Clube, Curitba, BRA

Main Set: Go, Arms Aloft, Animal, Ole, Why Go, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Dissident, The Fixer, Even Flow, In Hiding, Setting Forth, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Red Mosquito, Got Some, World Wide Suicide, Porch

encore 1: Just Breathe, Off He Goes, Unthought Known, Breath, Supersonic, Black, Jeremy

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

Show Notes:

A South American Pearl Jam show is always packed full of energy, from the band to the audience and back to the band. This show was no exception. The band came out with a bang opening with Go, followed by…

Show Notes: 

A South American Pearl Jam show is always packed full of energy, from the band to the audience and back to the band. This show was no exception. The band came out with a bang opening with Go, followed by Arms Aloft and Animal. The crowd sings along loudly during Animal. The band was already feeding off the crowd’s energy, locking in with a great rendition of Ole. After Why Go, Ed addresses the crowd in Portuguese before starting Elderly Woman. The crowd then erupted with energy as Ed hit the first notes of Corduroy. The band got into a groove with Given To Fly, Dissident and The Fixer. Ed introduced Mike and Stone before Even Flow rolled out. Not for You is played with an excellent extended jam before the Modern Girl outro. Ed cheers the crows with his bottle of wine and the band cranks into Red Mosquito. The first set wraps up with Got Some, World Wide Suicide and Porch. During Porch, Ed has a problem with his guitar right before the first verse starts, which extends the song a bit as the band regroups with Ed singing sans guitar.

After the encore break, Ed checks on the crowd, thanks them for having the band back, and breaks into Just Breathe, followed by a request of Off He Goes. The band then breaks out some rare songs in Breath followed by Supersonic, before breaking out a string of hits with Black, Jeremy and Better Man. Jeremy finds the band at its most energetic of the night with the crowd chanting and jumping up and down with the song. The band follows the hits with Leaving Here, giving Jeff three of the solo riffs towards the end of the song and a Matt drum fill. The set is wrapped up with the reverse Momma-Son Trilogy starting with Footsteps, then Once and finishing with Alive. Baba O’Riley and Yellow Ledbetter are great anchors for this energized 32-song set.

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