Episode 167: East Troy, WI – 6/21/2003

One of our favorite Pearl Jam years to discuss on this podcast is the 2003 Riot Act tour. So many memorable moments from tons of shows spread across the map. In this episode we head to Alpine Valley where the band last played back in 2000 to freezing cold temperatures appropriately dubbed The Ice Bowl. They return to East Troy, Wisconsin during Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

In beautiful weather and a great mood, the band plays an inspired show in front of a top notch audience. Deep cuts were heavily infused from the beginning of the main set with songs such as Sometimes, God’s Dice, Faithfull, Immortality and Insignificance taking place within the new Riot Act songs while heavy hitters such as Better Man, Jeremy, Even Flow, Daughter and Rearviewmirror all hit in that order to end the set. On top of that, take the last two of that group, both songs from Vs., and add the first four played in the encore – Go, Animal, Elderly Woman and Glorified G and you have an extremely rare instance where six songs are being played off the record right in a row.

We also have fun moments from this night, some that get a bit political, some that involve a random fan running out onto the stage during Crazy Mary. But as Ed says in the show, tune in to see ‘what American is gonna get a blowjob tonight.’

We’ll also discuss a little bit of the Earthling record as well as a special dedication that happened at the Chicago show.