The 1995 tour included many firsts for Pearl Jam with a big one being the first time that the band ventured overseas to Southeast Asia and Oceania. This episode marks the first show where they played the legendary Tokyo venue Budokan. Any massive band that has traveled for a world tour has played this venue from names along the lines of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, with the most famous instance being Cheap Trick who released a live album recording from a performance there. When Vitalogy came out, Pearl Jam was one of the hottest bands in the world. The hype in Japan was massive as the crowd there was red hot witnessing the band at their height.
We have a lot of fun performances to get to at this show, and there’s no lack of discussion about what Jack Irons presence brought to the band during this time frame. Stay tuned for great topics such as a Corduroy solo with more drive, the rare 1995 alternate intro to Even Flow, an explosive Immortality, Satan’s Bed at the best its ever been, why Go and Animal may be the best combination in the history of Pearl Jam and Ledbetter and Indifference getting the rare appearance at the same show. And we’ll share a great story about a surprise when finding the Cheap Trick Live At Budokan record while digging through crates at a shop in Chicago.