Pearl Jam Fan Profile – Joaquin Zihuatanejo

One of the most special parts of a Pearl Jam show is when Ed and the band can recognize a story submitted by a local area fan and share it with the crowd. On the 2023 tour, we saw our fair share of those, ranging from requested songs to stories of heartbreak and loss. In what was one of the most memorable moments of the year, Ed received and read a poem from the poet laureate of Dallas about how influential the band had been to keeping him alive amidst family struggles and homelessness – one of the most emotional stories ever told at a Pearl Jam show.  We’re excited to welcome Joaquin Zihuatanejo onto the show to talk about how this improbable moment went down!

He’ll talk about how the moment almost never happened due to prior work commitments, and how a crazy connection within the Pearl Jam camp got his writing to the band. What turned from a night in the 200s section to a special moment in the history of this band is all documented in a wonderful conversation here. Check it out, and get the first hand knowledge how Joaquin’s night went down!