The
Complete Pearl Jam Live Album Guide
By BILL CRANDALL, ANDREW DANSBY, CHRISTINA SARACENO, RICHARD SKANSE,
JENNIFER VINEYARD
RollingStone.com
Twenty-five live albums, fifty-plus hours of music, twenty-five
"Corduroy"s -- this is the task Pearl Jam have placed at their
fans' feet. By recording and releasing their 2000 European tour as
twenty-five double CDs (exempting, of course, the tragic Roskilde, Denmark,
show), the mighty band is drawing up a new blueprint for marketing live
music, and beating bootleggers at their own game.
While most live albums are gleaned from the best takes of entire tours and
spliced together, for Pearl Jam every show must stand alone. Live Without
a Net, indeed. But how are Pearl Jam fans supposed to know which musical
European journeys beckon them -- or, in extreme cases, which of their
twenty-five new albums they need to play first?
To answer both of the above questions, we formed our own crack Ten club
and immersed ourselves in five albums each. Through our scientific, sonic
study we strove to distinguish each album by pointing out its high points
("Pearls"), low points ("Grievances"), memorable
quotes by one Eddie Vedder ("Off Eddie goes") and crowd
participation moments ("Crowd participation moment"). As a
special bonus, we also answered the query no doubt on every Pearl Jam fan's
mind: "Ur, how's the 'Even Flow'"? We even ranked them in
order,
from best (Hamburg still knows how to rock) to worst (not much Jamily love
to go around in Landgraaf, Holland).
Bon voyage!
Code: 1
Date: 05/23/00
Venue: Estadio Do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal
Tracks: 28
Running time:140:19
Set list: Of the Girl, Do the Evolution, Animal, Red Mosquito,
Corduroy, Grievance, Light Years, Nothing As It Seems, Given to Fly, Even
Flow, Faithful, Untitled, Last Kiss, MFC, Breakerfall, Wishlist, Thin Air,
Daughter, Evacuation, Immortality, Betterman, Black, Go, Last Exit,
Jeremy, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Alive, Yellow
Ledbetter
Pearls: No Jeff Ament album packaging; the crowd clapping in place
of the Matt Cameron's disabled drums for a verse and chorus of "Last
Kiss"; "Red Mosquito" captures all that PJ do right --
shifting tempos, with guitars and vox kept in check.
Grievances: Vedder's surf chat before "Light Years";
"Do the Evolution" captures everything that PJ do wrong -- a
turgid nightmare full of too many guitars; are "Given to Fly"
and "Wishlist" the same song? The crowd seems to know the words
to the latter.
Off Eddie goes: "Matt Cameron, this is Portugal. Portugal,
meet Matt Cameron."
Crowd participation moment: Batshit screams that greet "Even
Flow."
"Even Flow": Screams pay off.
Rank: 6
Code: 2
Date: 05/25/00
Venue: Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
Tracks: 25
Running time: 126:13
Set list: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Even
Flow, Nothing As It Seems, Light Years, Given to Fly, Insignificance,
Daughter, Rearviewmirror, I Got Shit, Thin Air, Black, Betterman, Do the
Evolution, Alive, Grievance, State of Love and Trust, Wishlist, Elderly
Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Go, Last Kiss, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Leads off with a stately version of "Long Road"
from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack, then pounds into a brutal "Breakerfall";
kick ass, enthusiastic crowd keeps boys on their toes and pushes them over
the edge, particularly on "Corduroy"; pick a rocker, and PJ
crank it to 11 for the Spaniards.
Grievances: Meandering noodle through "Daughter"; Eddie
apologizes for a minor flub during "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter
in a Small Town," explaining that "right in the middle I had the
mike on my mouth, and I realized that from the opening band [the Vandals],
that this microphone was on that fucking guy's penis and his ass . . . I
got a little distracted."
Off Eddie goes: Offers up the theory that had Spanish architect
Antonio Gaudi been a musician, he would have been the original Jimi
Hendrix. "So Jimi's from Seattle, but you had Gaudi, so I think you
were first actually -- you had the first Hendrix."
Crowd participation moment: Barcelona knows how to rock, as
evidenced early on when the crowd greets the intro to "Corduroy"
with a thrilling football-style chant, and tries to sing along to
"Daughter" and "Small Town."
"Even Flow": Like every other rocker on tap here,
exceptionally inspired. Imagine grunge is young and still full of untapped
promise, and you're hearing this warhorse for the first time. It's kinda
like that.
Rank: 3
Code: 3
Date: 05/26/00
Venue: Velodromo Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain
Tracks: 25
Running time: 129:25
Set list: Release, Given to Fly, Do the Evolution, Corduroy,
Insignificance, Of the Girl, Jeremy, Light Years, Nothing As It Seems,
Even Flow, Faithful, Daughter, Breakerfall, Rearviewmirror, Betterman, Go,
Last Exit, Hail Hail, Immortality, State of Love and Trust, Alive,
Whipping, Last Kiss, Smile, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Eddie's growl-to-falsetto croon on "Release"
("release me--ee--hey--ooh--aye--aye--aye--woah-eee"); the segue
into Tom Waits' "Hold On" and the Doors' "Love Me Two
Times" during "Daughter"; a scorching "Whipping"
into a syrupy "Last Kiss" makes for a nifty juxtaposition of
extremes.
Grievances: "Alive" dissolves into a parody of a stoner
high school band, prompting Eddie to apologize; is that a drunken Cher
singing "Do the Evolution"?; and, yes, Jeremy's spoken.
Off Eddie goes: "Hola!" "We got a little bit of a
surf in today . . . it's been interesting singing tonight 'cause I got so
much salt water up my fuckin' head."
Crowd participation moment: Soccer chants of "Ole, ole, ole,
ole" fill the stadium before encore. Eddie joins in for an extended
sing-and-clap-along.
"Even Flow": Mike and Stone's guitars are tepid at best,
bleating sheep at worst. Eddie's vocals are garbled and passionless. Must
be all that salt water.
Rank: 24
Code: 4
Date: 05/29/00
Venue: Wembley Arena, London, England
Tracks: 26
Running time: 123:39
Set list: Of the Girl, Breakerfall, Grievance, Gods' Dice, Light
Years, Corduroy, Animal, Given to Fly, Even Flow, Nothing As It Seems,
Daughter, Faithful, MFC, Wishlist, Do the Evolution, Black, Alive,
Timeless Melody, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Betterman, I Got Shit,
Go, Soon Forget, Soldier of Love, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: "I Got Shit" requested by an unnamed girl at a
bar the night before; Pearl Jam's only song with a ukulele, "Soon
Forget," -- Eddie laughs, flubs lyrics and stumbles through chord
changes on what Matt Cameron called a "grunge-ulele" all the
while the crowd cheering him on. A great set from Yield: "Faithful,"
"MFC," "Wishlist," and "Do the Evolution."
Grievances: Somehow PJ's only false notes seem to come playing some
of their biggest hits, often their earlier material. Tonight,
"Betterman" sounds like it could have been a PJ cover band --
you could almost see this version ending up in a Priceline commercial.
Off Eddie goes: "When I was a kid . . . it seemed like there
was heaven and then somewhere above that there was London where all the
gods came from like Zeus, Artemis, Aphrodite and Paul and Ringo and Keith
and Mick and Keith and Roger and John and Keith."
Crowd participation moment: "Black" -- the crowd is in
this one from the first "Heeeeeyyyyyyohhhh" and keep going even
after the band has stopped playing and Eddie's stopped singing.
"Even Flow": Eddie gives the Reader's Digest version of
the story behind "Even Flow -- "Here's one called 'Don't Let the
Sun Go Down on Your Grievances."
Rank: 9
Code: 5
Date: 05/30/00
Venue: Wembley Arena, London, England
Tracks: 25
Running time: 120:21
Set list: Sometimes, Grievance, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal,
Dissident, Nothing As It Seems, In Hiding, Even Flow, Thin Air, Habit,
Untitled, MFC, Off He Goes, Daughter, Not For You, State of Love and
Trust, Immortality, Rearviewmirror, Light Years, Do the Evolution, Last
Exit, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Black, Alive
Pearls: "Animal" snarls with conviction, "State of
Love and Trust" is tight and right, and "Immortality"
achieves an almost "Stairway to Heaven"-esque grandeur.
Grievances: The band's on, but there's serious lack of personality
at this show. Eddie doesn't have much to say and the set list is
predictable.
Off Eddie goes: Affects pseudo English accent to declare, "We
shan't be leaving London just yet." Bonus Tommy reference: "I'll
never forget tonight, because like Sally Simpson I'm going to have a scar
to remember it, because Mike McCready fucking hit me with his guitar
tonight, the fucking little prick. Bastard!"
Crowd participation moment: One guy screams for "Brain of
J," but has to make due with "Elderly Woman..."
"Even Flow": Not bad at all -- feisty and almost fresh;
Eddie dedicates it to Tony Price, guitarist for opening band Monkeywrench.
Rank: 18
Code: 6
Date: 06/01/00
Venue: The Point Theater, Dublin, Ireland
Tracks: 22
Running time: 112:53
Set list: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Given to
Fly, Animal, Nothing As It Seems, Faithful, Even Flow, Off He Goes,
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Insignificance,
Daughter, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Go, Do the Evolution, Lukin',
Wishlist, Betterman, Garden, Black
Pearls: On twangy "Off He Goes" the band shows rare
restraint, seven-and-a-half-minute version of "Black" makes
for an epic finish.
Grievances: "Breakerfall"'s Who-soundalike intro is
growing tiresome, set list is pretty standard.
Off Eddie goes: After telling a meandering story about "a
farmer, his son and his horse," Eddie poses the obvious question,
"What's the point?" and then answers, "Oh, it's this
really great place to play in Dublin."
Crowd participation moment: A few people from the good village of
Donnegal respond to Eddie's shout-out.
"Even Flow": With guitar (and guitar effects) turned up
to eleven, this raucous "Even Flow" could have sneaked onto
Van Halen II. A feisty, zesty, robust take -- and the one by which
all future "Even Flow"s will be judged.
Rank: 20
Code: 7
Date: 06/03/00
Venue: SE + CC Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
Tracks: 26
Running time: 118:45
Set list: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal,
Dissident, Grievance, Nothing As It Seems, Given to Fly, Even Flow,
Daughter, Untitled, MFC, Habit, Betterman, Present Tense, State of Love
and Trust, Rearviewmirror, Brain of J, Do the Evolution, Light Years,
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Last Kiss, Once,
Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Eddie gives a shout-out to Scotland's own Mike Scott of the Waterboys;
"Soon Forget" is one charming little campfire song.
Grievances: Flat take of "Dissident," no shout-out to
Sheena Easton, and when stacked up to "Given to Fly," how
lame is "Nothing As It Seems"?
Off Eddie goes: In a foreshadowing of tragic events to come later
in the month, he scans the front of the moshpit during
"Fly." "Is everybody OK right in this corner? Is
everybody up? . . . Nobody underneath?"
Crowd participation moment: After Eddie admits that Pearl Jam have
only been to Glasgow once, crowd boos vociferously. He replies, "Fuck
you. I had laundry to do."
"Even Flow": Solid run-through (can even make out the
word "concrete"). Bonus points for Eddie's introduction:
"This next one's called 'In a Big Country.'"
Rank: 8
Code: 8
Date: 06/04/00
Venue: Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, England
Tracks: 28
Running time: 127:29
Set list: Of the Girl, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Light
Years, Go, Given to Fly, Evacuation, Even Flow, Daughter, Animal,
Wishlist, Nothingman, Betterman, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Last
Exit, Once, Black, Timeless Melody, State of Love and Trust, Fuckin' Up,
Leatherman, Footsteps, Do the Evolution, Garden, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: A cover of Brit band the La's' "Timeless Melody;"
the entire second encore that includes "Fuckin' Up,"
"Footsteps" and "Leatherman" -- "Since we did
"Nothingman" and "Betterman" we're gonna fill it out
with "Leatherman." It seems that PJ couldn't even find a copy of
this rarity, but just to give you a sense of what you're in for, the song's
last line is "Give him some skin/He's Leatherman."
Grievances: "Black -- When Eddie sings, "Love gone bad/Turned
my world to black," he sounds bored. The crowd, which usually sings
along on this one, is bored too.
Off Eddie goes: Introducing "Timeless Melody" to the
crowd, Vedder says, "A great songwriter from your town [wrote this
song] and his last name ain't Gallagher . . . I think we can take those
guys on. How are those guys anyway? They're from here, right?"
Crowd participation moment: Inspired by Stone and Eddie's fake row,
Manchester gets proactive. After Vedder says of himself and Gossard,
"We may not be brothers but we can fight just like the best of 'em,"
the crowd boos and jeers, with one guy apparently hurling a beverage at
Gossard. "Hey wait," says Eddie, "I'm the only one who can
abuse him. I'll fucking kick your ass if you even go near him. What was
that? A beer? A full beer? Can I have it?"
"Even Flow": Remember the days when Pearl Jam made videos?
The guitars are particularly crunchy tonight and when the song goes into
an extended jam, you can almost see Eddie hovering precariously above the
crowd.
Rank: 4
Code: 9
Date: 06/06/00
Venue: Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales
Tracks: 26
Running time: 118:50
Set list: Nothing As It Seems, Breakerfall, Gods' Dice, Animal, Red
Mosquito, Insignificance, Corduroy, I Got Shit, Alive, Given to Fly,
Betterman, Leatherman, Light Years, Pilate, Daughter, Do the
Evolution, Once, Go, MFC, Small Town, Black, Immortality, Spin the
Black Circle, Even Flow, Smile, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Nice move opening with "Nothing as It Seems,"
allowing the slow-burner to serve as a tension-builder rather than a
mid-set lull; an impassioned "Red Mosquito" makes a welcome
appearance early in the set; Vedder doesn't talk much during the
first half, but when he does he seems downright chipper -- and
genuinely moved to hear so many Welsh singing along to
"Betterman."
Grievances: "Spin the Black Circle," no matter how rarely
(or how fast) they play it, still sucks.
Off Eddie goes: Introducing "Pilate" -- "I think
this one is off of a record that we made since we'd been here last. Wait,
have we ever been here?"
Crowd participation moment: The Welsh, known for their choirs and
Tom Jones, drown out Eddie and the band by singing practically every word
of "Betterman."
"Even Flow": Not tonight.
Rank: 12
Code: 10
Date: 06/08/00
Venue: Bercy, Paris, France
Tracks: 26
Running time: 126:59
Set list: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Gods' Dice, Animal,
Noting As It Seems, Given to Fly, Evacuation, Alive, Pilate, Betterman,
Insignificance, Daughter, In Hiding, Wishlist, Grievance, Even Flow,
Rearviewmirror, Hail Hail, Go, Once, Light Years, Elderly Woman
Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Black, Fuckin' Up, Yellow
Ledbetter
Pearls: An exceptional "Betterman," and Eddie turns in
maybe his best vocal performance of the tour on "Wishlist."
Grievances: The band seems on auto-pilot for much of the first
disc, turning out solid, but uninspired song readings.
Off Eddie goes: Gets a little veklempt when a fan gives him a
harmonica. "I just got a musical instrument as a gift from
either the people of France or that guy right there. Is this
something that you all pitched in for? Either way, I'm very moved."
Crowd participation moment: See above.
"Even Flow": Punkish and urgent, with Eddie channeling
his angst with fierce directness and Mike McCready churning out a
particularly wicked guitar solo.
Rank: 22
Code: 11
Date: 06/09/00
Venue: Nurburg Ring, Eifel, Germany
Tracks: 27
Running time: 125:03
Set list: Sometimes, Corduroy, Breakerfall, MFC, Grievance, Animal,
Given to Fly, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, Not for You, Wishlist,
Betterman, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Timeless Melody, Alive,
Daughter, Do the Evolution, Once, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in
a Small Town, Go, State of Love and Trust, Light Years, Black, Last Kiss,
Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: "Daughter" -- on the bridge, Eddie seems to be
doing an impression of a crazy person muttering to himself, or maybe
that's just what the singer of a grunge band sounds like scatting;
nonetheless, it somehow thankfully becomes "Baba O'Reilly";
"Sometimes" -- a beautiful song that doesn't appear on these
discs too often.
Grievances: The watered down version of "Once" -- slowed,
it loses its reckless abandon and its purpose; sounds like it's time
to bury "Last Kiss."
Off Eddie goes: "Hey, I don't know if, uh, basically I wasn't
going to tell you a long story but . . . basically, life is precious."
Crowd participation moment: Eifel's low-key but there's something to be
said for making "pearl" a two syllable word -- "Pe-arl Jam,
"Pe-arl Jam."
"Even Flow": "Even rests his head on a pillow made
of concrete, again." Did it take anyone else the millionth
listen to realize the guy's name in the song is "Even"?
Rank: 13
Code: 12
Date: 06/11/00
Venue: Rock Im Park Festival, Nurnberg, Germany
Tracks: 27
Running time: 117.11
Set list: MFC, Habit, Corduroy, Breakerfall, Gods' Dice, Animal,
Nothing As It Seems, Dissident, Even Flow, Given to Fly, Wishlist,
Alive, Off He Goes, Leatherman, Better Man, Once, Lukin',
Insignificance, Improv, Rearviewmirror, Black, Spin the Black Circle,
Do the Evolution, Light Years, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a
Small Town, Leaving Here, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: A deliciously raw "Corduroy"; an improvised song
-- slow and beautiful and moody -- about kissing someone on the moon
(sample lyric: "The German sky/Don't ask me why/It's ten o'clock/And
my only thought/Is of you and the moon"); altered lyrics to
"Do the Evolution" and "Yellow Ledbetter"
Grievances: Too much banter and nonsensical introductions ("Played
that one tonight because it was written by a German. Uh, about a
German. By a Dutchman" -- after "Leatherman"); sloppy
solos in "Leaving Here."
Off Eddie goes: "I can remember vividly playing that song in a
club in Hamburg on Jeff Ament's birthday, March 12, 1992, I think . .
. it's an interesting date, because it's also the last time I took a
shower. Keep grunge alive is my motto. Not the music, just the
personal philosophy."
Crowd participation moment: Eddie asks the gods to make it rain to
cool the crowd off, or at least to part the clouds so they can see
the moon.
"Even Flow": Eddie flubs the lyrics -- call it "Uneven
Flow."
Rank: 7
Code:13
Date: 06/12/00
Venue: Landgraaf, Holland
Tracks: 20
Running time: 91:28
Set list: Corduroy, Breakerfall, Animal, Hail Hail, Rival, Jeremy,
Nothing As It Seems, MFC, Habit, Light Years, Lukin', Even Flow,
Brain of J, Insignificance, Betterman, Rearviewmirror, Once, Fuckin'
Up, Black, Leaving Here
Pearls: A Vedder rant about gun violence to a country with
virtually no gun
violence. Here's hoping thousands of peaceful Dutch kids don't go trigger-happy
because they missed the irony in Vedder telling them that Americans
kill each other "because it's fucking fun."
Grievances: Who whomage in the middle of "Rearview
Mirror" -- even the Monkees never quoted the Beatles mid-song;
check out the chintzy running time -- PJ hates Holland; just because
a fifty-year-old man wrote "Fuckin' Up" doesn't mean
thirty-year-old men should be playing it.
Off Eddie goes: "Is it OK if I speak to you in English?"
Crowd participation moment: (Translated from the Dutch) We want a
fuckin' refund!
"Even Flow": Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z
Rank: 25
Code: 14
Date: 06/14/00
Venue: Paegas Arena, Praha, Czech Republic
Tracks: 27
Running time: 127:09
Set list: Of the Girl, Grievance, Corduroy, Given to Fly, Animal,
Red Mosquito, Pilate, Alive, Present Tense, Habit, Untitled, MFC, I
Got Shit, Wishlist, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Even Flow, Go,
Sleight of Hand, Light Years, Betterman, Timeless Melody, Do the
Evolution, State of Love and Trust, Once, Black, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Six songs in and not a word from Eddie; flubbed riff on
"Corduroy" sets it apart from the other twenty-five times
it appears in the series; "I Got Shit" proves to be a
newbie with a little somethin' somethin' -- it doesn't plod at all,
tapping instead into something with a dash of Jeff Buckley
etherealness; "State of Love and
Trust"/"Once"/"Black"/"Yellow Ledbetter"
makes for a tasty show closing quartet.
Grievances: "Untitled" should've been called "Unperformed";
six songs in and not a word from Eddie.
Off Eddie goes: "The last time we were here it was really cold
out, and now it's as hot as the Devil's asshole." Note to
Vedder: ask drummer about "Seasons."
Crowd participation moment: Vedder dedicates "Even Flow"
to six Greeks in the second row whom he "accosted on the street
because we've never been to
Greece" the previous day.
"Even Flow": Awww yeah.
Rank: 14
Code: 15
Date: 06/15/00
Venue: Spodek, Katowice, Poland
Tracks: 27
Running time: 126:14
Set list: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Animal, Brain of J,
Nothing As It Seems, Given to Fly, Gods' Dice, Present Tense, MFC, Not for
You, Betterman, Grievance, Thin Air, Even Flow, Nothingman,
Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Do the Evolution, Go, Rival,
Footsteps, Wishlist, Elderly Woman Behind the
Counter in a Small Town, Last Kiss, Alive, Rockin' in the Free World
Pearls: The tambourine rattles. The kids know it. They cheer for
it. PJ's "Rockin' in the Free World" isn't quite as
compelling as Young's but perhaps in Poland it's a little more relevant
than it ever was here.
Grievances: The too long version of "Not For You" comes
minus the oh-so-essential piss and vinegar of the original.
Off Eddie goes: Other than to check on the crowd, "Everybody
up?" Eddie didn't say much.
Crowd participation moment: The charming sing-a-long on "Elderly
Woman" that tapers off after the first verse -- after all this is not
an English speaking crowd -- only to come back with echoes of "Heh-llllloooo"
all over the place.
"Even Flow": "Cuz we're the world, the wicked world,
we'll all march to hell," Eddie sings in plaintive tone before
the band kicks into "Even Flow." Speak for yourself, Eddie. The
band sounds like they're about to break into a long jam on the bridge
and then think better of it.
Rank: 10
Code: 16
Date: 06/16/00
Venue: Spodek, Katowice, Poland
Tracks: 30
Running time: 145:03 minutes
Set list: Release, Of the Girl, Sleight of Hand, Thin Air,
Insignificance, Grievance, Corduroy, Animal, Hail Hail, State of Love
and Trust, Evacuation, Daughter, Jeremy, I Got Shit, Light Years,
Leatherman, In Hiding, Off He Goes, Dissident, MFC, Habit, Alive,
Smile, Immortality, Black, Leaving Here, Soldier of Love, Last Exit, Soon
Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: A typically quiet, reflective set; starts off in a
refreshingly laid-back gear ("Release," "Of the
Girl," "Sleight of Hand"), hinting early on that the
boys are pacing themselves for a long night ahead of them; extended
"Daughter" includes a brief foray into Pink Floyd's "Another
Brick in the Wall"; spirited "Leatherman" closes
otherwise sleepy first disc on an up note; ukulele action on "Soon
Forget." Epic, in a mellow way.
Grievances: Takes them a long time to kick things up a notch, and
the first few rockers that pop up half way through the first disc
("Grievance," "Corduroy") still have a lot of
sleep in their eyes. What, no Starbucks in Poland yet? Still,
flat-out rocking doesn't seem to be the point at this show, and that's
really what sets it apart.
Off Eddie goes: "Hey, we've got the place all to ourselves,"
before the first song. "We're just going to take it nice and
easy tonight . . . We're going to get all the pretty ones out of the
way; we have plenty of time to be angry."
Crowd participation moment: Judging from some of Eddie's comments
and the quiet tone of the set, sometimes it sounds like there might
be about 100 people in the crowd; either that, they're respectively
keeping quiet themselves in keeping with the mood, or they've all
fallen asleep. They sure do scream when Eddie breaks out the ukulele,
though, and one male Pole boldly yells out "Eddie I love you!"
Eddie's response: "I'll talk to you about that later . . ."
"Even Flow": Too darn loud to play tonight
Rank: 5
Code: 17
Date: 06/18/00
Venue: Salzburg City Square, Salzburg, Austria
Tracks: 27
Running time: 132:02
Set List: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Animal,
Gods' Dice, State of Love and Trust, Nothing As It Seems, Alive, Daughter,
Once, Lukin', Not for You, Light Years, Leatherman, Improv, Present Tense,
Rearviewmirror, Go, Do the Evolution, Insignificance, Even Flow, Wishlist,
Betterman, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Thin Air,
Black, Rockin' In the Free World
Pearls: That the band did the unexpected and played Austria when
such venerable curmudgeons of titanic rock & roll magnitude as Lou
Reed, Sting and Ziggy Marley balked in protest of the country's recently
elected right wing head honcho; the silliness of a man in his mid-thirties
using the phrase "the double fuck you."
Grievances: The directionless, bluesy wanking on "Nothing As
It Seems" is a musical cold shower; Vedder breaking the band's vow
not to discuss the election. The Austrian election, in which suspected
anti-Semite Joerg Haider was voted into office seems to have the boys of
PJ befuddled. A hurried "Betterman" is a throwaway and what's to
say about Eddie's attempt at banter: "Can you guys see the moon? Is
it behind us. I'm just hoping it was up there somewhere." OK, Ed,
take your protein pills and put your helmet on; "Rockin' in the Free
World" feels like a ham-fisted closer considering it was free
elections that put Haider in office in Austria in the first place; save
this one for the show in Havana, fellas.
Off Eddie goes: "The one thing we can say, is that we don't
support this kind of crap that's going on here. I'll also give it the
double fuck you."
Crowd participation moment: A charming sing-a-long to "Small
Town" towards the end of the show proves that not all Austrians are
anti-Semitic monsters.
"Even Flow": A fairly normal "Even Flow." Kinda
hard to notice, though.
Rank: 17
Code: 18
Date: 06/19/00
Venue: Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tracks: 29
Running time: 130:86
Set list: Corduroy, Breakerfall, Hail Hail, Animal, Brain of J,
Faithful, Light Years, Untitled, MFC, Habit, Nothing As It Seems,
Given to Fly, Spin the Black Circle, Red Mosquito, Black,
Insignificance, Grievance, I Got Shit, Wishlist, Do the Evolution,
Alive, Last Kiss, Betterman, Sleight of Hand, Daughter, RVM, Porch,
Soon Forget, Indifference
Pearls: Gritty, energized show; is that Mike McCready or Duane
Allman on "Red Mosquito?" How many albums in your
collection say, "Live from Ljubljana!"
Grievances: "I Got Shit," a chilling reminder that Pearl
Jam plus Neil Young often equals bad song
Off Eddie goes: "I didn't know that Slobodan Milosevic had
time to be on a soccer team. Usually being an asshole is a full-time
job."
Crowd participation moment: The people of Slovenia meet Pearl Jam's guitarist:
"Mike McCready, Slovenia. Slovenia, Mike McCready."
"Even Flow": Nope.
Rank: 15
Code: 19
Date: 06/19/00
Venue: Arena, Verona, Italy
Tracks: 31
Running time: 136.07
Set list: Long Road, Grievance, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Animal,
Nothing As It Seems, Pilate, Given To Fly, Even Flow, MFC, Habit,
Wishlist, Daughter, State of Love and Trust, Once, Lukin',
Immortality, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, In the Coliseum, Black,
Breakerfall, Do The Evolution, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a
Small Town, Better Man, I Got You, Alive, Last Kiss, Porch, Soon Forget,
Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Driving cover of Split Enz's "I Got You";
"Porch" has a Black Sabbath "War Pigs" riff;
light version of "Wishlist"
Grievances: "Rearview Mirror" is sloppy, with laughing
and random asides; same "fuck it" spirit infects "Habit"
and "Insignificance."
Off Eddie goes: "I'm not sure what has all happened inside
this place here in the past. I'm sure there's blood involved, but I
don't know if a ukulele's ever been played in here" (before
"Soon Forget")
Crowd participation moment: In between "RVM" and
"Black," riffs off Tom Waits by chanting "In the
Coliseum" with ominous drums as crowd claps and chants
along
"Even Flow": Song capped with a verse of "O Sole
Mio"
Rank: 19
Code: 20
Date: 06/22/00
Venue: Fila Forum Arena, Milan, Italy
Tracks: 29
Running time: 145:27
Set list: Of the Girl, Corduroy, Grievance, Gods' Dice, Animal,
Given to Fly, Rival, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,
Even Flow, Not for You, Thin Air, Light Years, MFC, Present Tense,
Daughter, Jeremy, Go, Nothingman, Sleight of Hand, Betterman, Wishlist,
Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Do the Evolution, Garden, State of Love
and Trust, Black, Smile, Rockin' in the Free World
Pearls: The crowd sings the chorus of "Garden" like a
choir; On "Do the Evolution," Eddie's "hallelujah" is
ungodly, and God bless him for it.
Grievances: The sound fades in and out a little during the encore.
Off Eddie goes: "Would you like to hear a story about Italy?
The last time we were here . . . I fell in love in Italy." The
crowd roars. "She's absolutely beautiful, she's really small and she
had four wheels and, uh, and they call it a mini and so I wrote a song
about my new love. I wrote it in Italy. It's called 'MFC.' It's for all my
friends in Rome too."
Crowd participation moment: There are too many -- in Milan, every
song is met like it's the one they've all been waiting for. "These
are pictures of the best singers in the world," Eddie says,
undoubtedly taking pictures of the crowd. "Grazie."
"Even Flow": Hand claps on "Even Flow" --
somehow the Milan crowd makes it work.
Rank: 2
Code: 21
Date: 06/23/00
Venue: Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
Tracks: 29
Running Time: 127:58
Set list: Of the Girl, Corduroy, Breakerfall, Grievance, Hail Hail,
Animal, Dissident, Nothing As It Seems, Alive, Thin Air, Light Years,
Untitled, MFC, Habit, Wishlist, Off He Goes, Sleight of Hand,
Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Porch, Brain of J, Given to Fly, Do
the Evolution, Betterman, Nothingman, Leatherman, Leaving Here, Soon
Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Best "Yellow Ledbetter" yet;
"Betterman" into "Nothingman" into "Leatherman";
nice, sloppy call and response on "Leaving Here"; Eddie's enjoyable,
loose "Soon Forget."
Grievances: In addition to worst PJ song-title, "Brain of
J" has taken "Spin the Black Circle"'s crown as worst PJ
song; Dull set list; listless crowd; Hello again,
"Corduroy"; extended intro wrecks "Daughter"; crowd is non-existent.
Off Eddie goes: "I think we're kinda enjoying this quiet
night, so we're gonna keep playing these music songs."
Crowd participation moment: What crowd?
"Even Flow": Awww no.
Rank: 23
Code: 22
Date: 06/25/00
Venue: Freiluftbuehne Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany
Tracks: 31
Running time: 140.08
Set list: Sometimes, Corduroy, Breakerfall, Hail, Hail Animal,
Given To Fly, Nothing As It Seems, In Hiding, Evacuation, Even Flow, Light
Years, Untitled, MFC, Improv, Habit, Daughter, Lukin', I Got Id,
Insignificance, Not For You, Immortality, Rearviewmirror, Sleight of Hand,
Thin Air, Wishlist, Better Man, Do The Evolution, Alive, Fuckin' Up,
Soon Forget, Indifference
Pearls: In "Habit," Eddie stops for a second to say
"I am a doughnut," making reference to the infamous speech
Kennedy gave in Berlin ("Ich bin ein Berliner," which
actually translates to, you guessed it, "I am a doughnut");
rocking cover of Neil Young's "Fuckin' Up"
Grievances: The improv song is only a minute; "Not For
You," which should be harsh, has a soft ending
Off Eddie goes: "Very much a Seattle day here, so we know what
you gotta do to feel better, you start the day with five cups of
coffee, maybe six, no, no, you don't drink this 'til after the beer,
four to five beers, and then this, so I don't know if you're keeping
up with me, but I hope you're feeling alright."
Crowd participation moment: Eddie gets into an out-singing match
with the audience during "Daughter"; attempts to speak
German, and to much cheering manages, "Fuehlt ihr euch gut?"
("Do you all feel good?")
"Even Flow": It's got an extended guitar solo that trails
off and almost becomes another song, sort of jam band-esque
Rank: 11
Code: 23
Date: 06/26/00
Venue: Sportnan, Hamburg, Germany
Tracks: 26
Running time: 127:11
Set list: Breakerfall, Corduroy, MFC, Go, Faithful, Even Flow,
Rival, Given to Fly, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,
Light Years, Evacuation, Grievance, Present Tense, Daughter, Porch, Black,
Insignificance, RVM, Crazy Mary, Soldier of Love, Do the Evolution, Once,
Smile, Betterman, Baba O Riley, Yellow Ledbetter
Pearls: Passionate reading of "Crazy Mary" (only night on
tour) segues into faithful rendition of soul gem "Soldier of
Love," Hamburg will always be Germany's coolest city.
Grievances: "Daughter" call-and-response session a bit
cliched, and isn't it bad enough that the Who are still trotting out
"Baba O Riley"?
Off Eddie goes: "Is it OK that I speak in English 'cause my
German is shit?"
Crowd participation moment: Hamburg sings "Happy Birthday"
to bassist Jeff Ament, even though it's not his birthday (long story).
"Even Flow": Apparently, Even's last name is Flow.
Rank: 1
Code: 24
Date: 06/28/00
Venue: Naval Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
Tracks: 25
Running time: 119.44
Set list: Corduroy, Grievance, Gods' Dice, Animal, Given To Fly,
Rival, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Even Flow,
Not For You, Thin Air, MFC, Habit, Present Tense, Daughter, Jeremy,
Once, Go, Do The Evolution, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Wishlist,
Better Man, Garden, State of Love and Trust, Rockin' in the Free
World
Pearls: A propulsive cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the
Free World," seven-minute version of "Rearviewmirror"
with altered lyrics; "Go" has a snippet from an Iron Maiden
song at the end.
Grievances: They didn't include any of the material from Eddie's
solo set prior to the show.
Off Eddie goes: "Is that your parents checking on you? They're
fine, go to hell. Or go to heaven, whichever one is closer. Just
leave us be"; "There's two Eddies in the house" (referring
to Iron Maiden mascot)
Crowd participation moment: Apparently Iron Maiden were in
attendance, so Eddie gets the crowd to, on the count of three, yell
"Goodbye Maiden!"
"Even Flow": Perfunctory version, nothing inspired.
Rank: 16
Code: 25
Date: 06/29/00
Venue: Spectrum, Oslo, Norway
Tracks: 28
Running time: 114.12
Set list: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail, Hail, Animal, Red
Mosquito, Given to Fly, Nothing As It Seems, In Hiding,
Insignificance, Grievance, Wishlist, Evacuation, Alive, Spin the
Black Circle, Daughter, Better Man, Immortality, Last Exit, Porch,
Sleight of Hand, Do The Evolution, Once, Elderly Woman Behind the
Counter in a Small Town, Timeless Melody, Black, Fuckin' Up
Pearls: A sweet, touching version of the La's "Timeless Melody,"
more of an unpredictable choice than their usual covers of heroes
like Neil Young (whose "Fuckin' Up" closes the show); a
sedate, glowing version of "Black" with swirling solos that
seem to double the song's play time
Grievances: A slower set than much of the tour, a bit lethargic.
Off Eddie goes: "To be honest, you don't know when you're
going to get back to someplace this far. You're looking at a band of
reckless guys with reclusive behavior."
Crowd participation moment: Extended version of
"Daughter" with calls and refrains of "hold on";
Eddie instructs audience not to clap when he says they're going to
play the La's, because he doesn't believe they know who the La's are. As
if "There She Goes" didn't get the La's any props...
"Even Flow": Not tonight.
Rank: 21
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