Episode 269: Columbus, OH – 5/6/2010

This episode is a very spiritual affair that will have us look deep into the depths of Pearl Jam as a “religion” of sorts. We’re discussing Columbus 2010, and during one of Ed’s speeches he talks about it being national prayer day and considering turning the band into a religion in order to be tax exempt, and have Stone as their Jesus! So the episode is somewhat molded around the theme of the fanbase celebrating the band as if it were a religion, and how our experiences with the music also creates a common bond with others throughout our community. They even tie performances into this theme such as Faithfull, Marker In The Sand, and of course Alive.

While we read from the old testament of Pearl Jam, we are visited by a holy spirit in this show in the form of Mike McCready. During the pre-set, Mike came out and played a two-song solo set, something that he almost never does. Digging into a Stones cover of Dead Flowers and an original song written for his son, we’ll talk about his efforts and why a solo record could work really well for him. Another big topic from this show stems from an unsolved mystery of a fan local to the Columbus area. Brian Shaffer disappeared while out with friends in April of 2006, and 18 years later this has remained a cold case. Ed raises awareness to the situation, and it’s something that has remained a pinned thread on the Ten Club forum to this day. The band plays a haunting version of Come Back in his honor that makes for one of the most powerful moments at this show.

Thanks to our Patron, Travis Howell, for requesting this show and joining us to tell his story. Javier will join this episode to talk about how much he loves the sound of the 2010 tour (which is not very much at all) and will focus on Amongst The Waves and Marker In The Sand.