Evolution Series: #17 “Crazy Mary”

Ahh, our first Evolution episode of 2022! This episode features the evolution of our first cover, the Victoria Williams-penned Crazy Mary. We’ll talk about how it came to be that Pearl Jam recorded this for the Sweet Relief benefit and how early versions of the song included Victoria’s presence.

While the song was held off on the live stage for a while after 1992, it started to sprout back up as tags and teases in 1998, including one of my favorites as a Better Man tag. In 2000, the song is brought back, but clearly without the presence yet of the man who would truly create this song’s identity – Boom Gaspar. When Boom joined the band in 2003, they were searching for a signature song for him. They had Love Boat Captain, but they needed to start integrating him on songs that were already setlist staples, and the rest is history. We’ll get into the duels, the long solos, sharing wine bottles, the jams, and a rather scary moment in Philadelphia. Many great versions are discussed and loved here! No L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G allowed, give it a listen!