Pearl Jam Podcast Episodes

State College, PA is a show that goes down in history as a fan favorite. Being the final show of the first leg of the 2003 US tour, the band decided to pull out all the stops to make this one of the longest shows in their history. 3 hours and 37 minutes later, the band made good on their promise. This is a set list where strength is less in numbers and more in… well, strengths. It’s proof that going by the book and playing common songs in common spots is never a bad recipe for a Pearl Jam show. Within 36 songs lies 4 separate sets with an incredible encore 3 that lasted for about 45 minutes. Funny enough, it’s the rare content that has its tough spots in this set. Songs like Mankind and Satan’s Bed hadn’t been played in some time, but both songs (which were played due to fan requests in encore 2) had a rough go of it that night, even if the band was out there having fun with them. They are memorable moments from this night, but will we give it a pass because of it? Patreon donor and friend of the podcast Patrick Boegel joins us for this show talking about his experience on that night.

Through 32 episodes we’ve covered emotional moments, historical moments, legendary moments. Band defining moments such as the push for Breath at MSG, Immortality with original lyrics at The Orpheum and when the stage shook during Do The Evolution. Throughout all three of these iconic moments, one of us on this podcast shrugged them off and downplayed their impact. I was worried that Matt would never get to break out and enjoy the emotions of a performance instead of critiquing the sound…That is until this episode! We continue our coverage of the MSG series with the second night of 2003, one of the earliest show’s that Matt attended. For years and years and years Matt talked about how Crazy Mary was one of the band’s best openers, only for the band having ever done it twice. I shrugged him off and called him… Crazy… due to the song being a staple in the encore act. Low and behold we finally get to talk about it and while it has emotional impact for Matt, I find a way to make good logical sense of the decision. Overall the band had to follow a tough act from the night before where they were greeted with special guests and rocked so hard that the stage shook. They put together a great mix of the old and the rare tracks that were uncommon in 2003 such as Deep and Glorified G and spliced in some Riot Act songs that still to this day remain rarities – including Get Right that hasn’t been played since that tour.

It’s not a stretch to say that when you think of Vegas, usually the first thing that comes to mind is gambling. Funny enough, gambling would be a major theme of this night back in 2006. Branden Palomo from the Better Band Podcast joins us as our guest to help us relive this one. The first major gamble of the night came right away opening out the show with emotional cut Inside Job. It was a risk the band hadn’t taken with the song up until that point, and although it paid off, we discussed how much it affected the feel of the early set. Another gamble here? Well, you’ll have to listen to this unique version of Garden that around the ranks has been labeled “Sound Garden”. We describe it as Beethoven meets Phantom of the Opera and it’s something that you certainly wouldn’t hear in a version nowadays. The biggest gamble of the night however (outside of a jacket that Eddie donned while covering Elvis’ Little Sister) was Eddie taking a gamble on his voice which he claimed was stifling him on multiple occasions. You’ll be able to tell at times that Ed is having some difficulties, but only if you’re listening for it. It was a situation where if he had not complained about it or made fewer mentions than he did, you would never have known he was having an off night. We stressed this fact throughout the entire episode.

This episode celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Orpheum Theater show – a classic show that many hold in high regard still to this day. It’s a unique and rare set, especially for the time period, that was created by none other than the band’s crew. Uncommon and lesser known songs such as Hard To Imagine and Dirty Frank were busted out while getting some pre-Vitalogy tracks in there such as Tremor Christ, Better Man and Not For You as well. A moment that sticks out from this show which turns into a bit of a debate is the appearance of Vitalogy staple Immortality. It was only the second time performed live and it was in the days following Kurt Cobain’s death. We’ve always heard that Immortality wasn’t written intentionally about Kurt, but considering the time period and how the music world was grieving his death, the song’s words hold even more weight. Words you say? Of course, this was the version of Immortality that was in the early stages in its lyrical composition that doesn’t have the same chilling lyrics as we’ve grown to know from the album. With all that being said, debate still came up on whether this was an important moment in the band’s history and whether or not it should be considered a legendary performance. There are two different schools of thought discussed, so getcha popcorn ready. Outside of all that, there’s also an incredible version of I’ve Got A Feeling played at this show that lasted for about 15 minutes or so. We won’t play all of it for you, but we’ll give you enough to leave you happy!

I have five words to sell you on this episode: Stone Gossard shows his breasts. Yes, this is something that happened. Unfortunately, no one caught this clearly on video so you will have to take John Farrar’s word on it. He attended the show and joined us as a guest. So… why did Stone reveal his nipples to a Charlotte crowd? After Ed speaks proudly of the band’s touring album Lightning Bolt spending 2 straight weeks as the highest selling record, he claims they didn’t have to show their tits in order to do it. With possibly a little egging on from our guest who happened to be on the rail that night, Stone obliges and makes sure that the band would have the top selling album for 3 straight weeks. Outside of some major Gossard boobage, this was a solid show that seems to get overlooked by other Lightning Bolt tour shows that surrounded it. The band debuted opening track Getaway on this night which brings up good debate on why the song was a bit of a disappointment as a live track. This show also closes out with an uncommon appearance of All Along The Watchtower.

A legendary performance in a legendary venue that turned into a legendary concert DVD. We continue our year long MSG series focusing on the band’s 3rd time playing the famous arena and it’s one of their most iconic shows of all-time. Randy and Matt have a lot to discuss in this episode, including how this show was one of the first live exposure that Randy had to the band. From the moment the DVD showcased the black and white photos of NYC landmarks and dissolved into the piping organ of Love Boat Captain, there’s a certain aura you can feel. It paved the way for a night chock full of amazing moments. Of those moments, none may be more memorable than the appearance of long time Pearl Jam friend Ben Harper. His rendition of Indifference and the tag of With My Own Two Hands on Daughter go down as two of the best collaborations that have ever happened on a Pearl Jam stage. We talk about how Harper captured two major emotional moments from this show and how people still talk about them to this day. Also, lest we forget that this was the night they SHOOK the stage at the Garden during Do The Evolution! Legend be told at the time, they shared this distinction with only the Grateful Dead, Iron Maiden and Bruce Springsteen. Was this the moment that turned Pearl Jam from great band into legendary band?

We head back to the 2000 Binaural tour for this episode to cover the first of two nights of a stay at West Palm Beach. This is the first time we cover Oceans on a non-Patreon episode, so you guys finally get to hear why Matt has such a distaste for the song. It’s been and will always be a hot button topic on this show and we’re sure that we’ll get our fair share of hate mail for it. Outside of Oceans, this show is a lot more straightforward and positive than other shows we’ve touched on lately and that’s mainly because it’s just an all out great rock n roll spectacle. Mostly everything is played well, not a lot of argument for set placement or variety. Nothing As It Seems was one of the standouts on this show where you could really feel the energy translate from the stage to the crowd.

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! This is our first episode covering a show on the Emerald Isle. However, this is Northern Ireland, and apparently that’s completely different from Ireland? We’re yanks, we don’t know better. Anyway, if you can believe it, nine years ago was the last time they made a stop in Ireland, at this very show in Belfast, and to date this has been their only performance in Northern Ireland. It’s kind of surprising, as you’ll hear us talk all throughout the episode the crowd was on fire all night. Why wouldn’t they go back when they’ve frequented Europe multiple times since Backspacer? This episode has some fun moments including where we get to cover a Pearl Jam wedding. Yes, an actual wedding took place at this show. I repeat – PEARL JAM WAS SOMEONE’S WEDDING BAND. Just let that sink in. Eddie plays a first dance for the happy couple, a lovely rendition of Amongst The Waves. We also get a few uncommon performances at this show such as No Way and Tremor Christ.

This episode is loaded with topics that only Pearl Jam podcasters could possibly turn into tangents. This show is known most for a rare version of Jeremy played sparingly throughout the years that has been dubbed No Jeremy. A strange take on the original hit song that was turned into a jammy, psychedelic performance where the lyrics were broken up into smaller parts. Another memorable moment from this night was when Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers joined the band to play a song that never originally had a percussion track. Other topics of conversation in this show include a quick review of Eddie’s performance at Innings Fest as well as a Mumford and Sons show that Randy attended over the weekend. And you can’t have an episode from 1995 without a good conversation about Starter Jackets!

As the band waved goodbye to a historic 2003 US tour, they went out with a unique bang taking two songs from every album and playing them in chronological order. While it was a creative way to break into the first set, a major part of this episode debates whether or not they made the right song choices from each album. With some dead spots within the set, could the band found a better way to develop this arrangement or did they put themselves into an awkward position? Along with a memorable first set, they were joined in the encore by opening act Sleater-Kinney for an array of covers, including a rare version of Hunger Strike. We’ve been critical of the SK appearances before, but did they redeem themselves this time around?

The Binaural tour featured a bunch of sneaky, sleeper shows that may get lost in the landscape 19 years after the fact. The Greensboro show may end up being one of those sleeper shows the no one really talks about anymore, but is a solid 2 hour affair front to back. Brother Stephen Maytan returns for the first time since episode 9 to talk to us about his experience at this show, the second he’d ever attended. Lots of great conversations in this episode. Here are a few of the many topics we discuss – The lack of mainstream hype around Binaural, shady Ticketmaster outlets, delicious North Carolina cardboard pizza, what song defines the Binaural era, having to listen to a CD in your car in 2019, what’s on VH1 nowadays, do you envision the color black when listening to the song “Black”? These topics, plus more about the actual show that included Smile as a closer, all wrapped in one episode.

Ciao! This week’s episode takes us back a few years ago to a 2014 show in Italy. Live On 4 Legs Patron donor Aurelien Moureaux joins the show to talk about his experience in the pit as well as some insight on the differences between following the band on tour in Europe than the US. Big talking points in this episode include early utilization of the songs “Sirens” and “Black” in the set list and how weird they may seem on paper, but the results will surprise you. Also – Eddie makes his best attempt at being a Disney princess that will leave you Frozen. This is an episode you won’t want to let go!

In this episode, we dig into a show from the No Code tour in 1996 that was a popular bootleg back in the day, but not necessarily for the reason you’d guess. This Barcelona show featured a sound check that made the rounds throughout the Pearl Jam community because of three featured songs – Parting Ways, Hard To Imagine and I’m Open. While Parting Ways was 4 years from even being included on an album, the other two songs were ones rarely in Pearl Jam’s live repertoire at the time. While the sound check is certainly an interesting facet, we’ll talk about how in hindsight it might not be as good as was praised at the time. As for the show itself, it’s obviously very No Code heavy which we’ve talked about before. But there are interesting set decisions here that we wouldn’t usually see nowadays such as a mid-set version of Off He Goes and a late set version of Sometimes. Can’t forget to mention our Wishlist set choice for closer, Around The Bend, that was used in that spot for the third and last time here.

You’ll tune into this show for the Pearl Jam, but you’ll stay for the pizza and Muppet comparisons which are totally logical. We swear!

This episode is the first time we dig into the Canadian tour of 2005 – the first time the band did a full tour leg specifically in the country. Patreon donor Patrick Boegel joins us to discuss his experience being in attendance this night in Ottawa. One of the things that Patrick talks about often is that the band was really in a good place during this time period. Riot Act was two years past and while they were beginning to focus on a new album that ended up being Avocado, they didn’t let that get in the way of what many say is one of their top tours in the history. What made this show special right off the bat was the first introduction of Don’t Gimme No Lip into the live catalog. The band was also joined on stage by the opening act Sleater-Kinney during their second encore to perform Harvest Moon, Leaving Here and Rockin’ In The Free World. Along with those two major talking points, we’ll get into how the band structured the beginning of their set as well as how they were able to make four straight hits at the end of the set work so well. Oh, and there’s also the roads in Canada that Eddie brought up… Or is there only one road in Canada?

The 2003 Riot Act tour has been seen by many as one of the pivotal tours in Pearl Jam’s entire legacy. Historic shows such as State College, The Mansfield Experiment and the show that spurned the Live At The Garden DVD all took place in a very busy year for them. Camden Night 1 fell right in between Mansfield and MSG during an amazing run for the band. On a hot summer night a day after the 4th of July, what better than seeing your favorite band with a fireworks display going off in the background? When the band notices and rearranges the set accordingly, you know you’re in for something special. As a disclaimer, this episode does get a little heavy into politics discussing how the band was handling their critics at a time where the country was at odds over a war. We do get a little bit into how our current situation in this country compares to what was happening then, but we do our best to try and understand both sides of the spectrum. Tied in with that we talk a lot about Eddie and Johnny Ramone’s friendship and how even through their differences they were able to find common ground.

We take a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan for this episode, but if you were to listen to this bootleg, you’d be surprised it wasn’t in a major city. After a two night trip in Chicago supporting their self titled, or Avocado album, the band noticed that newer tracks weren’t being well received by the Ten Club members that would continuously get the best seats due to their ranking in the lottery. Because they weren’t feeding off their energy, if you believe the rumors the band decided to shake things up and give some new faces a chance to get to the front. With new faces comes new energy. This show was driven by the energetic enthusiasm the crowd put in with every song, new and old, and the band fed off that momentum the entire night. Additionally, they decided to do a little experiment with the encore playing 6 slower songs in a row, similar as to how they tend to begin encore sets in this current era. One of the new faces that got a chance to see the band up close is one of our Patreon donors, Bradley Piasecki, who joins us this episode to talk about his experience at this show. We’ll talk with him about how the band’s placement of certain new songs in the set could’ve turned off the touring, front row followers as well as what the “experimental” encore has meant for the band moving forward.

In 2019, we promised to cover every MSG show in chronological order and  the way we’re gonna kick it off is with the band’s first performance in the Garden back during the Yield tour in 98. Eddie said it best – “you ain’t shit until you’ve played Madison Square Garden” and that quote alone proved to be the litmus test on the first night. On a Thursday night where the crowd was luke warm at best and technical difficulties plagued the band throughout, we break down how their first moment in the world’s most famous arena might not have lived up to the hype. It was a tough position for the band to be in, but as we all know they would return to the Garden the next night for one of the most BREATHtaking performances in the band’s history.