Pearl Jam Podcast Episodes

2026 has been a good year for Pearl Jam milestone anniversaries. It marks the 20th anniversary of Avocado’s release, 35 years since Ten, and for this episode’s purposes, 30 long illustrious years for the No Code record. Back in 1996, the music world that was still attempting to grab on to the last lingering traces of the grunge movement was anticipating Pearl Jam’s 4th album after Vitalogy skyrocketed the band to the top of the charts. People that expected to get more of the same raw sound from the previous record were shocked to find that No Code took a completely new direction that didn’t quite captivate their audience like their first three albums did. Along with their continued boycott of Ticketmaster venues, Pearl Jam was losing mainstream appeal at a time where rock music was fading out of interest.

The episode that we cover in this episode is the official kickoff to the 1996 tour at the home of their beloved Seattle Supersonics, the Key Arena. The band came into the show with a full arsenal of new material to showcase to friends and neighbors, but a bevy of technical difficulties halted some of the excitement and anticipation to play the new tracks. Over half of the album was played, but staple songs like Hail, Hail, In My Tree and Habit don’t have the same punch that they’d have as the tour continued onward. However, we get to hear a great version of Red Mosquito at this show while songs like Go, Corduroy and Immortality continue to shine after being huge factors on setlists in 1995.

We’ll spend the show reflecting on No Code’s change within the band’s song writing approach and self awareness, and we’ll dive back into current Pearl Jam topics discussing future tours and recording, and whether or not they need new music in order to move forward.

The time is finally here! We’ve been waiting for a year and a half to find out who the new drummer of Pearl Jam is going to be, and this weekend at the Ohana Festival, we’ll finally have our answer. Will it be Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins? Zak Starkey from The Who? Dave Krusen making a triumphant return? Or maybe a guy like Abe Laboriel Jr., Josh Freese or Richard Stuverud. The time has finally come to turn the page to the next chapter, and we’re here to get you ready for it with this week’s episode going back to the most recent Ohana performance back in 2024.

There were a few storylines from night one that needed a follow up with the most important being the OTOTO bust out, Whale Song. Would they go OTOTO on back-to-back shows? The question can be simply answered by saying… COWABUNGA! Gremmie Out Of Control is finally played for the first ever time featuring Brendan O’Brien on guitar and Stone Gossard as the Silly Surfer. We’ll talk about how much fun this performance is with this being a huge checkmark off of so many people’s master list of serious collector songs. We’ll also talk about the return of Big Wave, and how a Taylor Swift song and Last Kiss seem to go together perfectly, especially when played by a father-daughter duo.

This episode will cover the setlist, but mostly we’ll be playing some prediction games! Randy and Javi do their best attempt at guessing who the cast of the Eddie And Friends show is going to be with a game called Lock, Stock and Narrow, and they’ll play a setlist game to try and select songs that may be played this weekend.

The time is finally here! We’ve been waiting for a year and a half to find out who the new drummer of Pearl Jam is going to be, and this weekend at the Ohana Festival, we’ll finally have our answer. Will it be Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins? Zak Starkey from The Who? Dave Krusen making a triumphant return? Or maybe a guy like Abe Laboriel Jr., Josh Freese or Richard Stuverud. The time has finally come to turn the page to the next chapter, and we’re here to get you ready for it with this week’s episode going back to the most recent Ohana performance back in 2024.

There were a few storylines from night one that needed a follow up with the most important being the OTOTO bust out, Whale Song. Would they go OTOTO on back-to-back shows? The question can be simply answered by saying… COWABUNGA! Gremmie Out Of Control is finally played for the first ever time featuring Brendan O’Brien on guitar and Stone Gossard as the Silly Surfer. We’ll talk about how much fun this performance is with this being a huge checkmark off of so many people’s master list of serious collector songs. We’ll also talk about the return of Big Wave, and how a Taylor Swift song and Last Kiss seem to go together perfectly, especially when played by a father-daughter duo.

This episode will cover the setlist, but mostly we’ll be playing some prediction games! Randy and Javi do their best attempt at guessing who the cast of the Eddie And Friends show is going to be with a game called Lock, Stock and Narrow, and they’ll play a setlist game to try and select songs that may be played this weekend.

Pearl Jam is about to play their first show in over a year beginning a brand new chapter in the band’s 36th year of existence. At the Ohana Festival, we’ll find out who will be named the band’s sixth drummer to replace the long reign of Matt Cameron. The next two episodes will prepare for this occasion with a lot of drummer discussion as well as coverage of the last time they played at Eddie’s Ohana Festival two years ago.

We play a little game of drummer roulette in this episode selecting five intriguing names who’ve either been rumored or would make for good fits for this band’s future. We’ll break down all of the pros and cons of each and the likelihood that we’ll see them put in the position behind the kit. We’ll also talk about a show that came with a lot of buzz that followed it as a “white whale” was poached for all of the serious collectors. For the very first time in their history, Lost Dog deep cut Whale Song was played with the help of Jack Irons son, Zach. We’ll discuss the moment and what it meant for the band to play it, leading up to yet another big moment that happened two nights later.

Check out the episode to witness a fun set on the beach and help us play a game of guess who trying to figure out who’s on stage for Rockin’ In The Free World. Oh, and get ready to DEVOLVE as DEVO will be referenced almost a dozen times, and the energy dome will make an appearance as well!

Pearl Jam is about to play their first show in over a year beginning a brand new chapter in the band’s 36th year of existence. At the Ohana Festival, we’ll find out who will be named the band’s sixth drummer to replace the long reign of Matt Cameron. The next two episodes will prepare for this occasion with a lot of drummer discussion as well as coverage of the last time they played at Eddie’s Ohana Festival two years ago.

We play a little game of drummer roulette in this episode selecting five intriguing names who’ve either been rumored or would make for good fits for this band’s future. We’ll break down all of the pros and cons of each and the likelihood that we’ll see them put in the position behind the kit. We’ll also talk about a show that came with a lot of buzz that followed it as a “white whale” was poached for all of the serious collectors. For the very first time in their history, Lost Dog deep cut Whale Song was played with the help of Jack Irons son, Zach. We’ll discuss the moment and what it meant for the band to play it, leading up to yet another big moment that happened two nights later.

Check out the episode to witness a fun set on the beach and help us play a game of guess who trying to figure out who’s on stage for Rockin’ In The Free World. Oh, and get ready to DEVOLVE as DEVO will be referenced almost a dozen times, and the energy dome will make an appearance as well!

This episode of Live On 4 Legs is all about celebrations. While every episode is a celebration of Pearl Jam and their history, sometimes we need to take a pause and celebrate ourselves for being able to do what we do for as long as we’ve been able to do it. So this episode marks the celebration of the podcast’s eighth birthday, and also the 40th birthday of host Randy Sobel. To honor that, we are covering the Toronto 2022 show that also happened on Randy’s birthday, September, 8.

This episode will feature lots of great stories about the day and surroundings, but the show that night was massive and gets undervalued in the grand scheme of the 2022 tour year. One of the things every one hopes to witness at a Pearl Jam show is something that can’t or hasn’t been replicated many times before. This show is special because some of those stand out moments such as a tribute to the death of Queen Elizabeth with a performance of The Beatles’ Her Majesty packaged together with All Those Yesterdays. Canadian friends were shouted out during this show, ones still with us like Neil Young where a mention of him before I Got Shit led to the rare Cinnamon Girl tag on the backend, and ones no longer with us like Neil Peart and the late Gord Downie, who was referenced throughout the night. All of that, and tons of high energy in the building with a big time crowd for Toronto’s 18th Pearl Jam show.

Check out this fun episode where we’ll get in a Tom Green reference, and introduce you all to Randy’s most dumb, expensive thing he’s bought at a show… that is subsequently the greatest thing on this Earth.

This episode of Live On 4 Legs is all about celebrations. While every episode is a celebration of Pearl Jam and their history, sometimes we need to take a pause and celebrate ourselves for being able to do what we do for as long as we’ve been able to do it. So this episode marks the celebration of the podcast’s eighth birthday, and also the 40th birthday of host Randy Sobel. To honor that, we are covering the Toronto 2022 show that also happened on Randy’s birthday, September, 8.

This episode will feature lots of great stories about the day and surroundings, but the show that night was massive and gets undervalued in the grand scheme of the 2022 tour year. One of the things every one hopes to witness at a Pearl Jam show is something that can’t or hasn’t been replicated many times before. This show is special because some of those stand out moments such as a tribute to the death of Queen Elizabeth with a performance of The Beatles’ Her Majesty packaged together with All Those Yesterdays. Canadian friends were shouted out during this show, ones still with us like Neil Young where a mention of him before I Got Shit led to the rare Cinnamon Girl tag on the backend, and ones no longer with us like Neil Peart and the late Gord Downie, who was referenced throughout the night. All of that, and tons of high energy in the building with a big time crowd for Toronto’s 18th Pearl Jam show.

Check out this fun episode where we’ll get in a Tom Green reference, and introduce you all to Randy’s most dumb, expensive thing he’s bought at a show… that is subsequently the greatest thing on this Earth.

Pearl Jam’s run in Italy from 2006 is documented in the Immagine In Cornice concert film directed by Danny Clinch, but with only small portions of the performances showcased, you don’t get to experience the rundown of a full show. This episode covers the Milan show from the tour. It’s a show that kicks off with high octane energy and keeps that momentum moving throughout the night. Incredible performances, perfect transitions between songs and a crowd that is ridiculously passionate about this band.

Something brought to the table in this episode is the discussion of when Pearl Jam’s prime was. What’s considered their prime? The height of their popularity or their best years live? We try and answer the question while putting high praise on the 2006 tour year. The reason being – this show is an instant classic showcasing Pearl Jam at an untouchable level. Opening with Go sets the tone, the crowd makes a statement on songs like Daughter, Black and even Man Of The Hour, and performances of songs like Comatose, State Of Love And Trust and Alive are what makes this night unforgettable.

The 2006 Tour was considered to be the last “monster” run of Pearl Jam’s career with over 80 performances marked in a full calendar year. One of their most memorable runs took place in September in the heart of their European tour as they spent five shows touring historic locations in Italy. The run was so momentous that it received a concert movie directed by famed music photographer, Danny Clinch, called Immagine In Cornice that documented performances in Verona, Milan, Torino and Pistoia.

This episode features coverage of the Verona show from the historic coliseum that they played back in 2000. The documentary gives ample time to provide stories of the venue and it’s history dating back to 30 AD, and puts emphasis on the importance of Pearl Jam playing there. When the band took the stage, a hard rain fell from the skies making a song that’s already very spiritual in Release feel monumental in the environment, especially in the storm. What followed was exactly what you’d expect from a 2006 show – big time anthems played at blistering speeds. Songs like Do The Evolution, Grievance, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Blood and Rockin’ In The Free World are some of the best examples of that treatment, but you can’t have a 2006 show without the legendary Even Flow performances with a massive drum solo from Matt Cameron.

We’ll talk about the film and our favorite memories from it as well as a gauge of the fans preferences as we compared the fast paced 2006 sets to the performances from other eras that feature more of a groove.

After eight months and 30 episodes of chronicling Pearl Jam’s live history since the early nineties, we’ve come to the final stop in our series. Last year’s tour was the end of an era for many reasons. It signaled the end of the Dark Matter album run that they supported for two years, but more importantly, it would be their final tour with Matt Cameron holding steady behind the kit. It wasn’t made public at the time, but looking back at the tour in hindsight, it’s easy to see times where the band celebrates his time in the band and cherishes the final moments. One important moment takes place at this show that we cover in Atlanta where his Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame Nomination with Soundgarden turns into a big celebration.

In this episode we’ll do a lot of recapping what this series has been like for this podcast and share some of our favorite moments from the year. We’ll also share some favorite moments from our listeners and talk about the maturity and growth within their music as they’ve continued to evolve throughout the decades. The Atlanta show makes for a nice culmination of the series because it showcases a band returning to a city for the first time in 13 years (22 if festivals aren’t considered) figuring out what songs from the past and present will get them to connect. Big moments in this set include Unthought Known, Inside Job, Can’t Keep and Spin The Black Circle.

Thanks for tuning in to this massive project that we’ve had the privilege to share with all of you. Make sure that you are subscribed to our YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode!

After eight months and 30 episodes of chronicling Pearl Jam’s live history since the early nineties, we’ve come to the final stop in our series. Last year’s tour was the end of an era for many reasons. It signaled the end of the Dark Matter album run that they supported for two years, but more importantly, it would be their final tour with Matt Cameron holding steady behind the kit. It wasn’t made public at the time, but looking back at the tour in hindsight, it’s easy to see times where the band celebrates his time in the band and cherishes the final moments. One important moment takes place at this show that we cover in Atlanta where his Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame Nomination with Soundgarden turns into a big celebration.

In this episode we’ll do a lot of recapping what this series has been like for this podcast and share some of our favorite moments from the year. We’ll also share some favorite moments from our listeners and talk about the maturity and growth within their music as they’ve continued to evolve throughout the decades. The Atlanta show makes for a nice culmination of the series because it showcases a band returning to a city for the first time in 13 years (22 if festivals aren’t considered) figuring out what songs from the past and present will get them to connect. Big moments in this set include Unthought Known, Inside Job, Can’t Keep and Spin The Black Circle.

Thanks for tuning in to this massive project that we’ve had the privilege to share with all of you. Make sure that you are subscribed to our YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode!