Episode 276: Eindhoven, NLD – 3/5/1992

Pearl Jam was on a special run as the season turned to spring in March of 1992. They were headlining small club shows in Europe, clicking well together on stage and getting incredible reactions from the crowd who knew the catalog. While we have looked into some of the highly praised Netherlands shows from this run (Den Haag, Utrecht), this episode touches up on a show that is a bit forgotten about from Eindhoven.

Being the 20th show on a rigorous touring schedule, being on the road can kind of catch up with you after a while. After canceling a show two days prior to give Ed vocal rest, he came into this show without the normal zip on his fastball. Songs that are usually known for high-octane intensity were a bit laboring on Ed’s voice. We’ll talk about that, and how the setlist likely needed rearranging to try and capture momentum, but we’ll also talk about some of the major issues that they were having with crowds at the time. During this version of Alive, there are multiple moments of commotion – a guys loses his “spectacles” and stage divers are carelessly jumping on and off the stage whilst kicking people in the head and stepping all over the band’s gear. We’ll focus on a message from an irate Jeff Ament, who had just about enough of the shenanigans happening at the time.

Also, we need some more Dark Matter into our lives, right? It’s time we build the hype train up again, and we give our plea for something to be more excited about with a month to go before the album release. Something Special at least!