Pearl Jam Late Night Series: Ep. 10 – Letterman 2004

Here is the first Late Night Series episode of the year featuring the Masters Of War performance in 2004! We’ll not only discuss the performance, but we’ll tap into the era as well, one that was smack in the middle of a major Presidential election during war time. As they were about to embark on the Vote For Change tour, this Letterman performance was the first before they stopped at six swing state cities scattered throughout the midwest and south. We’ll also talk a little bit about Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary and how the soundtrack used a version of this song. Enjoy!


Episode 100: Toledo, OH – 10/2/2004

Hey, won’t you look at that? We’ve hit another milestone! This is our 100th (official) episode and what a way to celebrate then to kick off our series of political Pearl Jam shows. Thanks to a major 2020 election, we thought a great way to remind people to vote would be to share the best of the voter outreach shows. Toledo 2004 might be the most memorable of them all. We’re joined by long-time listener Bradley Piasecki who was in attendance this night. He walks us through step-by-step what it was like to have no idea that Neil Young was set to take the stage and create an important moment in the band’s history. The rumors swirled around prior to the start of the show when Neil joined them for a soundcheck and Ed teased the crowd that some magic was gonna go down. And boy did it ever. While PJ took the stage to play a shorter than usual 13-song main set, at the end of the first encore Neil joined Ed for Harvest Moon and that signified that Pearl Jam was merely the opening act of the night. The second encore featured tons of surprises including another guest appearance in the form of Peter Frampton and old favorites such as Act of Love and Cortez The Killer.

Listen to the Episode:


Episode 9: Reading, PA – 10/1/2004

Hey! Ho! LET’S VOTE! We flashback to 2004 to focus on the first show from the Vote For Change tour that took place in six different swing states prior to the Presidential election. The message on this night was one that can be reiterated in our current political climate – Every. Vote. Matters. While we attempt to stray from our personal beliefs (yet at some points can’t hold back), we take the overall message from this time period as a wake up call for today. As for the show, it’s an intimate set featuring a total of 10 covers (if you count Last Kiss and Crazy Mary) including some that are no longer in rotation today. On top of that, we discuss the pacing of songs played that night such as Given To Fly and how they’ve changed up their playing style during current live performances.

Listen to the Episode: