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back to 2006 Leg One ...

ADDED June 26, 2006

06/23/06 - Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
opening act: Robert Pollard
pre-set: Throw Your Arms Around Me
set: Release, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Do the Evolution, Dissident, Even Flow, Marker in the Sand, In Hiding, Better Man, Daughter/(With My Own Two Hands), Garden, I Got Shit, State of Love and Trust, Inside Job, World Wide Suicide, Porch
first encore: Wasted Reprise, Man of the Hour, Waiting on a Friend, Elderly Woman..., Black, Alive
second encore: Go, Why Go, Comatose, Smile, Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: Ed opened the show saying "I'll throw out the first pitch" and played "Throw Your Arms Around Me" to a sparse audience, then introduced Robert Pollard. Midway through Pollard's set Pollard exclaimed "I need a cigarette" and launched into the next song, only to have Ed dart on stage, hand him a lit cigarette, then dart back off. Ed commented that when they came into the building someone told him they were tearing it down (not necessarily true, although the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) are trying to build a new arena but it's far from a done deal) He said we should just enjoy it while we have it. No songs from Riot Act or Binaural are performed. During the first encore the lights in the sky boxes are blinking on and off seemingly in rhythm. Ed comments that "You have some talented rich people in Pittsburgh." Then laughs and says "You have some drunk talented rich people in Pittsburgh. It's nice to see something new." Before "Waiting on a friend" Ed tells the crowd that they've been to a lot of places around the world, and "Pittburgh isn't exactly our favorite place." Loud boos ensure, followed by "Here we go Steelers, here we go!" chants. A few people throw joints at him, he catches one laughing and says "These people are throwing joints! Maybe I should insult you more often." Everyone in the band laughs. Then he says "OK, well, I need a lighter." Lighters rain down on the stage. More laughing. Then he notices someone threw up a Marlboro Light and he complains and throws it back. Then he goes on to say "What I didn't get a chance to say was, this is one of our favorite places to play." He references their last time in town opening for the Stones and how it was a great time, and says that they're playing the next song in memory of that evening. During Alive he climbs on the speakers on Stone's side to sing "We're all still alive!" Ed's long sleeve shirt comes off which reveals that the white t-shirt underneath is in fact a Robert Pollard concert t-shirt. During "Rockin' in the Free World", Ed takes a running start to toss a tambourine far to the right of the stage, and trips and falls on Stone's guitar cord, unplugging it. He gets up rather embarrassed with Stone buckled over laughing. Mike turned the final verse of "Yellow Ledbetter" into the "Star-Spangled Banner" to end the show.

ADDED June 26, 2006

06/24/06 - US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH, USA
opening act: Robert Pollard
pre-set: The Kids Are Alright
set: Long Road, Save You , Hail Hail, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Unemployable , Even Flow, Love Boat Captain, Gone, Green Disease, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Present Tense, Lukin, Whipping, Do The Evolution, Life Wasted
first encore: Wishlist, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Inside Job, Crazy Mary, Rearviewmirror
second encore: Comatose, Leash, Alive, Baba O'Riley
TFT Notes: The first Cincinnati show in 6 years - 2003's show was cancelled due to flooding at the venue - begins at 7:25PM with Eddie and his guitar taking the stage for a solo version of "The Kids Are Alright." The first of many Who references tonight (Eddie is also wearing a "Maximum R&B" style Who t-shirt). He introduces opening act Robert Pollard, noting that Pollard is from "up the road" in Dayton, Ohio (only about 30 miles away from Cincy). Ed is sidestage rocking out for most of Pollard's set, and joins him on stage for the last part of Pollard's last song, "Love is Stronger than Witchcraft." "Even Flow" notably gets large chunks of Jimi Hendrix's "Third Rock from the Sun" thrown into the jam, courtesy of Mike McCready. Later, "Not For You" sports a "Modern Girl" tag (Sleater-Kinney), "Better Man" gets a tag of "Save it for Later," and Wishlist gets tagged with the same Robert Pollard song that Eddie joined Pollard on during the opening set, "Love is Stronger than Witchcraft." Early on, fans in the front rows throw little plastic parachute toys onstage and Ed comments that he finally understands why, but he says they still aren't going to play "Parachutes" tonight. Appropriately right before "Love Boat Captian," Eddie discusses how almost exactly six years to the day ago, nine fans died at the concert in Denmark (Roskilde) and among the first people to call and offer support were The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. He went on to explain that it was at this very same Cincinnati venue (then called the Riverfront Coliseum) where several fans died in a similar crush trying to enter a Who concert (It was 12/3/1979 and 11 died). At another point in the night, Ed pulled out a flyer and discussed how a Pearl Jam fan named Brian Shaffer from Columbus, Ohio had been missing since April, and since the band feels like the fans are in some way "part of the family," they wanted to call attention to him in hopes that someone is able to help find him. Ed mentioned that , and described Brian's Pearl Jam tattoo and the reward for information along with a website to visit if you know anything, findbrianshaffer.com. Mike McCready, as usual, is really into his "Crazy Mary" solo, and Ed tries to do the classic back-to-back lean with him, but Mike charges on by to rock out over by Boom. A song later, after "Rearviewmirror", as the band leaves the stage, Ed jokingly kicks Mike in the butt. After "Leash," someone in the front row throws a copy of the new Rolling Stone with Eddie on the cover on stage and Ed begins to elaborately wipe his ass with it, angrily commenting about how they agreed to do the Rolling Stone cover as a band, but they went and put only Eddie on the cover anyway. He said something along the lines of, "I have fifty copies of this at home next to the toilet to use when I take a shit." He also talked about how Pearl Jam has survived for almost 16 years because they are a band - not just one guy - and how they did a whole band photo shoot and everything, but the magazine put that picture on the inside. By the end of Ed's diatribe, the magazine was in shreds and a high energy "Alive" was launched. In yet another Who nod, the night ended with "Baba O'Riley," with Eddie and Robert Pollard trading verses.

UPDATED July 27, 2006

06/26/06 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: Last Exit, Life Wasted, Why Go, World Wide Suicide, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, I Am Mine, Army Reserve, Even Flow, Better Man, Sad, Sleight of Hand, Daughter/(I Won't Back Down), Jeremy, Comatose, Alive, Rockin' in the Free World
Tom Petty set: American Girl
TFT Notes: This show is the first of six shows in support of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The first notes of "Last Exit" start with Ed exclaiming "Let's get it on!". "Do the Evolution" goes a little off course during the verses, and Ed sings "Admire me / Admire my home / Forgive me / It's my own fault". Ed references the first show of the PJ/Petty tour, "I know there's a few kind people who are dedicated to our group and they travel different places to see us. And that's what our group is gonna be doing for the next couple of weeks. We're gonna be travellin' around seeing Tom Petty and we're proud to be on the same stage and looking forward to this little trip here." "Given To Fly" is dedicated to "Tom and the Heartbreakers, thanks for taking us along for the ride." Ed previews "Army Reserve" with "It's hard to read the paper and it's hard to be an American without thinking about some of our fellow countrymen who are over dealing with an intense situation. As we're here enjoy ourselves, this goes out to them. These are the army reservists and soldiers over there doing what they can do." Ed later jokes "Just think if (Tom) was my dad, my name would be 'Eddie Petty' (crowd laughs). But I would have grown up in a really nice house, so I would have dealt with it I guess." With the crowd an equal share of Pearl Jam and Tom Petty fans, Ed plays the chords to "Better Man" more quietly than usual, asks the crowd to singalong, and the crowd sings the first verse and chorus just fine. The "Daughter" tag includes the chorus of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" repeated twice. Jeff starts to play the bass line to the "It's OK" tag, but the song quiets down to its end shortly thereafter. After "Alive", Ed wraps up the show prior to the final song, "You've been very kind. This is the first night of this experiment. So far we like the conclusion - the hypothesis was good, but.... thank you very much, each and every one of you. Thanks. And for us, we're one song away from relaxing and getting to go to a rock show ourselves, we can't wait. this is just a great great night, so thank you very much." Before starting "Rockin' in the Free World" though, Ed interjects and references the recent donation of $37 billion by Warren Buffett to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Energizing the crowd, he pleads with them to "say 'thank you' to that state of mind. How exciting to see rich guys being responsible and caring. It's 'sexy' is what it is. It's beautiful. Here's to Warren Buffett. We hope it spreads. This song's by a friend of Tom's, and a friend of ours." During the song, he changes the words "There's a billion points of light for the homeless man / finally a rich man with a gentle hand." Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "American Girl."

UPDATED July 27, 2006

06/27/06 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Severed Hand, Hail Hail, Love Boat Captain, World Wide Suicide, Marker in the Sand, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Light Years, Not For You, Elderly Woman..., Come Back, State of Love and Trust, Glorified G, Black, Life Wasted, Alive
Tom Petty set: The Waiting, American Girl
TFT Notes: About one minute of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" starts the shows, leading directly into "Corduroy". Jeff adds the bass lines from Queen/Bowie's "Under Pressure" to the end of "Hail, Hail". Ed introduces Boom as the "Love Boat Captain" and modifies the lyrics to the common "let the show begin." Mike McCready's guitar goes out half-way through "Marker in the Sand". Following the song, Ed introduces "Mike McCready on guitar over there (pointing)" and finally Mike's guitar pops on, continuing "Alright, the guitar wasn't working but the guitar is now working. I was about to accuse the Heartbreakers of sabotage, but why am I so paranoid?" leading to "Given To Fly". "Light Years" is dedicated to Baseball Sportswriter, ESPN Analyist and Pearl Jam fan Peter Gammons, who was stricken with a brain aneurysm earlier in the day, "I know all his friends are sending out their energies to him and if I could get you as a collective to just send a bit more energy his way, out in the northeast, Peter this is for you, it's called 'Light Years'." "Not For You" includes the modified lines "Small my table, it now seats three / Oh, she's my payback, oh lucky me". The music for the "Modern Girl" tag is played for a few bars, but the lyrics are not sung. As it is Ed's habit to dedicate "Elderly Woman..." to small towns in the vicinity of the concert, this dedication is a little different, saying "If this is indeed the 'land of a thousand lakes', this is for lake number nine-hundred and ninety three." "Life Wasted" is tweaked a little with Ed imploring the crowd "don't let the sad song play." Ed thanks tonight's split PJ/Petty crowd again before "Alive", "Here's a toast to all our friends out there, here's a toast to all the friends of Tom Petty of which we include ourselves. Have a great rest of the evening, so glad we could be part of this." Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "The Waiting" (though, apparently his microphone was not on) and "American Girl."

UPDATED July 27, 2006

06/29/06 - Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, WI, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Animal, In Hiding, Even Flow, Gone, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Do The Evolution, Why Go, Jeremy, Inside Job, Comatose, Rearviewmirror
encore: Crazy Mary, Leash, Porch
Tom Petty set: The Waiting, American Girl
TFT Notes: This show marks a return to Marcus Amphitheatre - and Summerfest - for the first time since 1995. During "Wasted Reprise", Ed states "We'd like to dedicated this show to Kalehua", in reference to Boom's mother, who passed away the previous day. The mood onstage is emotional, with Ed consoling Boom often during the performance. A reference is made to the conditions that day at Summerfest where power issues caused delays in the schedule (Pearl Jam didn't go on until 8:00 PM and Tom Petty didn't finish until well after midnight) "Thank goodness for solar power, we're up and running tonight. Thanks to the power company for doing their part for keeping the rock-n-roll alive this evening. Well, I got a nice bottle of red in my hand and I'm gonna toast Mr. Tom Petty and his band for being around for thirty years and letting us along for the celebration (crowd raises glasses, causing Ed to laugh). That is more glasses in the audience that I've seen at any show in the last two years." In "Do The Evolution", Ed repeats the "nightly feast / ignorant indians" lines before and after the "Hallelujah" and says after the second one "I got so ignorant I sang it twice". "Comatose" is started wryly with "Ready ... get set ...". After the St. Paul sets did not include encores, Ed remarks, "Tom is still working on his setlist, so he said go ahead and throw down a few more. Actually he didn't, I just made that up. I should never do that." Before "Crazy Mary", Ed leads the crowd in a shout of "Hello Elvis" to Elvis Costello who is playing nearby. "Ya know Elvis Costello, he could be a (Travelling) Wilbury, you know? He's that good. Tom Petty... I mean he's gonna be up on this stage and he's a fucking Wilbury, you see what I'm saying?" Lastly, Ed comments about Tom Petty's 30th year as a touring artist, mentions that they are halfway there, and mentions Sleater-Kinney's eleven year duration (on this day, it was announced they were breaking up). Prior to "Porch", Ed talks about the war and the power of love "They're fighting a war over a natural resource. It's arguable that part of what this war is about is oil - a natural resource. There's a natural resource that all of us have within us. It's powerful... it's love! We all have a powerful resource - a natural resource - in each one of us. It's love. Life is really incredibly fragile, and this band has experienced it - we've expierienced it recently. The planet is fragile. Our lives are each fragile. The amount of people in this room is fragile. We just want to say: if you love somebody... tell them. Tell them today, tell them tomorrow. Tell them everyday in case it's the last time you ever get to speak to 'em, and it's the last thing that you say is 'I Love You'. Please do that." leading to an 8-minute "Porch". Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "The Waiting" and "American Girl."

UPDATED July 27, 2006

06/30/06 - Marcus Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, WI, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: Last Kiss, Save You, World Wide Suicide, Spin the Black Circle, Given To Fly, Jeremy, Even Flow, Sad, Daughter/(W.M.A.)/(Ruby Tuesday), I Got Id, Elderly Woman..., Around the Bend, Indifference, Life Wasted, Alive
encore: Smile, Rockin' in the Free World
Tom Petty set: The Waiting, American Girl
TFT Notes: This show occurs six years following the tragic death of nine fans at the Roskilde Festival in 2000. Ed greets the locals tonight with "Good evening, Milwaukee! Old Milwaukee, young Milwaukee" and dedicates "Last Kiss" to a local girl named Sara. Mike's opening riffs to "Save You" now include some metal-style muted picking just before the band kicks in. "Spin the Black Circle" is dedicated "not to CDs, not to Cassettes, not to 8-Tracks, not to downloads. We'd like to dedicate this next song to beautiful perfect circles made out of vinyl that 30 years ago we got our Tom Petty records on." Ed mentions that he never really thought about it before, but says the next song is about "bad parenting", leading to "Jeremy". "Daughter" includes a "W.M.A." tag where the "big hand slapped the white male Milwaukee-an", and later the chorus of "Ruby Tuesday" is thrown in. Ed forgets the lyrics in "Elderly Woman..." and causes the crowd singalong to go awry as well, prompting Ed to sing "Rockers brains they fade ... fade away". Ed allows the crowd to sing the "I will scream my lungs out..." line in "Indifference" and says afterwards "with this many people and this many people singing along, you'd have to imagine this kind of energy could obviously make a difference in the world." Ed tells of the story of "Smile" and the local origins of its lyrics: "There's a band that hails from Milwaukee - they're an important band to myself other guys in this group, guys in Queens of the Stone Age, Kurt (Cobain), Nirvana - everybody was really touched and moved by this little band. They were called The Frogs. I've got all their records, all 692 I believe. And they opened for us years ago and one night, after we had finished our little tour, I opened my notebook and there was a little note from one of the Frogs and it was beautifully written and the band was playing a song in the room that day in practice and I just started singing the note. These words are written by Denis from the Frogs - he's here tonight. Denis, this is for you, this song's called 'Smile'". During the song, Ed sings "Denis, this is how I feel." "Rockin in the Free World" includes a call/response with Ed and the crowd, "Hello Tom! / You're next, Tom!" Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "The Waiting" and "American Girl."

UPDATED July 27, 2006

07/02/06 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Hail Hail, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Present Tense, Jeremy, Army Reserve, Daughter, Bee Girl, Corduroy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black
encore: Comatose, Bushleaguer, Alive, So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star
Tom Petty set: The Waiting, American Girl
TFT Notes: Boom Gasper is absent at this show, returning to Hawaii after the passing of his mother. Tom Petty's keyboardist Benmont Tench sits in later in the show. Ed references being in Denver, the "Mile High City", saying that "I can just about guarantee you, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will take you even higher than that - we're just getting you off the ground." "Given To Fly" has the modified lyric "Made it to the mountains had a smoke in the tree." Before "Even Flow", Ed says that the song was written "by some friends of ours that were homeless up in Seattle when we were making our first record, and I read today that Denver has the fond privilege in being first in having the least homeless people in our country, and that's a tremendous achievement and thank you to the people in charge that made that happen - good on ya!". "Bee Girl" is played "for the little ones" and Ed explains that it was written with Jeff "with the assistance of a bottle of wine." After "Bee Girl", Ed introduces the Heartbreakers' keyboardist Benmont Tench: "It's with a heavy heart that I announce the absence of our B3 player and our partner ... and over the weekend he lost his mom, so he went back to the islands to take care of her. There's still a few songs we wanted to play and helping out we got a member of the other team - actually we're all on the same team, 'human beings' - and here's a great human being and as far as the keys go and the piano, probably one of the greatest players ever. Please welcome to play with us, Mr. Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers." Tench plays the B3 organ on "Corduroy" and "Better Man" and piano on "Black". "Better Man" even includes a solo by Tench, followed by a lone "Don't Let Me Down!!" by Ed. Pearl Jam breaks out "Bushleaguer" for the first time this tour, since the last time they were in Denver on April 1, 2003, there was a reported incident of fans leaving in protest to the song's playing. The performance is straightforard, nearly flawless and without comment. Ed does not play "Bushleaguer" with the George Bush mask. Ed thanks the fans after "Alive", "it's not just any time and it's not just anyone who can play for this many individuals, so from us as a group to you as invididuals, thanks so much to each and every one of you, it's not lost on us." The Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench join Pearl Jam for the finale "So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star". Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "The Waiting" and "American Girl."

UPDATED July 27, 2006

07/03/06 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, USA
opening for: Tom Petty
set: Long Road, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand->Not For You/(Modern Girl), Insignificance, Unemployable, Even Flow, Gone, State of Love and Trust, Down, Wasted Reprise, Better Man, Black, Corduroy
encore: Come Back, Leash, Why Go, So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star
Tom Petty set: The Waiting, American Girl, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Everybody Must Get Stoned)
TFT Notes: Boom Gasper is again absent at this show, returning to Hawaii after the passing of his mother. Tom Petty's keyboardist Benmont Tench sits in later in the show. "Severed Hand" segues right into "Not For You", with the drum beat intro starting as the guitars for "Severed Hand" fade out. With the rain and overcast weather outside the Pepsi Arena, Ed says "Here's to a Seattle day in Denver. Yesterday it was Tom's weather (he's from Florida), today it was ours - it's an equal opportunity tour, even as far as God's concerned." In a nice moment, Ed talks about touring with Petty and being in Pearl Jam for 15 years:

"This is the last night that we're on the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers train. We barnstormed a few of your cities and we've had a great great time doing it, and it's been great being around a band that's been doin' it for thirty years and sounding as good as ever, if not better. And a little bit of wisdom in the late night hours... I think that's gonna keep us goin for the next 15 years. I was talking to a guy before the show tonight and he works with another group that's been around almost that many years, I think. And he said something that I totally agree: you can't be a band and do this and keep continuing this long unless you're absolutely best mates. I just wanna toast my best mates up here. I don't know how we've done it but we've done it so far. Some people are harder to put up with than others (Ed points to himself, crowd laughs) so I'm really proud to be part of this group and this crew and this family and everything and I just wanted to say it openly. There it is. And thanks to you (the fans) for sticking with us."

Benmont Tench fills in again for Boom again on B3 and Piano for "Better Man", "Black", "Corduroy" and differing from the previous night's set, "Wasted Reprise". Ed introduces Tench and references their collaboration in 1994 at the Bridge School Benefit when "it provided us an opportunity back when we didn't have anybody to play any keys on our stuff." "Come Back" is dedicated to a fan in the front who was at both Denver shows. Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench join Pearl Jam for the finale "So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star". Ed later joined Tom Petty during his set with vocals on "The Waiting" and "American Girl." All members joined Tom for "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Everybody Must Get Stoned)" with Matt on acoustic guitar, Stone on tambourine, Jeff on acoustic guitar, Mike on electric guitar and Ed helping with vocals.

ADDED August 4, 2006

07/06/06 - MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Man of the Hour
set: Inside Job, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Grievance, Given To Fly, Marker in the Sand, Faithfull, Even Flow, Gone, Daughter, Green Disease, Rats, Garden, Parachutes, State of Love and Trust, Life Wasted, Do The Evolution
first encore: Little Sister, Elderly Woman..., Better Man, Black/(Come Back), Alive
second encore: Go, Comatose, Fortunate Son, Porch/(Dirty Frank)
TFT Notes: This show is the return of Pearl Jam as the headlining act, following six shows opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. After starting with songs like "Inside Job", "Given to Fly" and "Marker in the Sand", Ed mentions that "there's been a few songs already about 'faith' and this is yet another one", leading to "Faithfull". As the opening chords start, Ed adds that his voice is "a little scratchy tonight if anyone wants to help - join in any time - it's everybody's songs, yeah?" Admiring the diverse crowd, Ed looks around and sees "a Brazilian flag over here, I saw a Texas shirt over here. If New York's the melting pot, Vegas is the fucking boiling pot." "Daughter" contains an unidentified tag "Like a whisper, I hear her name (3x) / Like a whisper..." In "Green Disease" the rich are asked to "act with your heart and not your wallet." Still nursing a sore throat, Ed introduces "Parachutes" saying "this next song on the list, we've kinda been waiting 'til the singer gets his shit together before we tried it, or at least my throat wasn't ravaged. Even though it's a bit of a rough night for me, rather than take it off, what you're gonna hear might not be the best throat but it'll be all heart." In "Do the Evolution", Ed is the first man to wear a "worn Cubs hat." During the first encore break, Ed comes out in a silver-sequined jacket, remarking "what's a Las Vegas show without an Elvis song (cheers). I'm going to dedicate this to the Frogs who made me this jacket about 12 years ago and also to my little sister named Gina who's here tonight from Texas." With the spotlight on him and some cheers from the audience about his outfit, Ed puts on a macho voice and says "the clothes make the man." During "Elderly Woman...", Mike sees a "Jon Tester for Senate" poster and points it out to a smiling Jeff. "Better Man" includes an improvised "Save It For Later" tag, with the lines "T-R-U-S-T (3x) / I wanna trust you, I wanna love you / Forever (13x) / Don't let me down!!". At the end of "Black", Ed tags "Come Back", singing "Come back / I'll be here" repeated. The crowd sings the last half of the first verse of "Porch" over just Ed's guitar and Matt and the rest of the band come in right on time. A fan is holding up a "Dirty Frank" sign and Ed tags it during "Porch", reverting back to the style of tag last seen in 1994 with the lines "Cook em! Just to see the look on their face, cook 'em just to see the look on their face". Ed thanks and names the various sections of the arena and then the "lucky motherfuckers down in front." Before the second encore, Ed - almost apologetically - says that "as far as playing Las Vegas, we've had some good shows here. We're up lifetime. Personally I lost a couple of rounds tonight, I've been having some health issues. The game ain't over yet. We're staying at the (gaming) table - let's win this thing." Pearl Jam thanks the crowd following "Porch", with Ed adding "even the losers get lucky sometimes."

Updated July 27, 2006

07/07/06 - Cox Arena, San Diego, CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Soon Forget
set: Oceans, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Brain of J, World Wide Suicide, Love Boat Captain, Gone, Even Flow, Unemployable, Wasted Reprise, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Satan's Bed, Not For You/(Modern Girl), You Are, Inside Job, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror
first encore: Long Road, Come Back, Elderly Woman..., Crazy Mary, Crown of Thorns, Alive
second encore: Last Kiss, Comatose, Leash, Big Wave, Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: During "Better Man", the crowd sings the first verse and chorus well enough to have Ed laud them with "That's fuckin beautiful, thank you so much." "Satan's Bed" is introduced as "a surf song in a way", continuing "Living in Seattle, all surf songs have to either have at least one thing: either waves, cars or the devil - or girls or the devil, or girls that are the devil - this one's the devil." The "Rearviewmirror" jam has Ed singing "Time heals the wounds that no one can see (3x) / I will forgive (2x) / we can all forgive." Ed starts the first encore with a long dialogue prior to "Long Road", detailing his relationship with Clayton E. Liggett (Ed's high school drama teacher and the inspiration for "Long Road") and explaining that this show's proceeds are going to benefit that theater. Ed continues to say that when he received a call with the news of Liggett's death, he escaped to a studio (during the Neil Young "Mirrorball" recording sessions) and just started hitting the opening D-chords of "Long Road" as if he was "trying to ring a bell to say that 'We lost one of the good ones'", and after "about eight minutes" the rest of the band just joined in without saying a word and the roots of the song were born. "Long Road" is dedicated to Liggett, and a powerful "Come Back" follows. "Elderly Woman..." is dedicated to "small towns" such as "Olivenhain, Chula Vista, Fallbrook" and "all you one-liquor-store kinda towns." After "Crazy Mary", Ed marvels at Mike's guitar working saying that "it's science ... but believe it or not but I just lit my cigarette off Mike McCready's amp." Closing the first encore, Stone Gossard is toasted as the one who wrote "the last one" ("Crown of Thorns") and "the next one" ("Alive"). Ed explains the risk he takes when mentioning past and future concerts, saying "the next gig's in Los Angeles, they've got their work cut out for them. You see what I do? I bad-mouth the crowd the night before (Ed earlier dissed Las Vegas mentioning his own health problems) and I'm bad-mouthing even the crowd we're gonna play for. But I promise to you - wine over my heart - I will never say nothing bad about you here tonight." "Big Wave" is the last song off of Pearl Jam to premiere, and Ed explains that "we were waiting until we got to the coast." Surfer Kelly Slater guests on "Rockin' in the Free World", and Ed mentions that Kelly took him out on waves "so big it put the future of our band in jeopardy."

UpdatedDecember 19, 2006

07/09/06 - The Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Porch
set: Release, World Wide Suicide, Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Severed Hand, Jeremy, Gone, Even Flow, Unemployable, Wasted Reprise, Better Man, Whipping, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Inside Job, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror
first encore: Elderly Woman..., Come Back, Here's to The State of Mississippi, Black, Crown of Thorns, Alive
second encore: Last Kiss, Comatose, Why Go, Big Wave, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: Ed opens with a rare pre-set of "Porch". The first of two nights begins with "Cheers, here we are in Los Angeles. It's been a few years since we played this building - we have fond memories of it last time - it feels like yesterday. I know it's Sunday but our approach is that it's Saturday night." After "Jeremy", Ed thanks the crowd for the vocal assistance, and wants them to "feel free to do that any time." Outside the Forum, there are protestors from a local union, and Ed makes note of this after "Unemployable", saying "I shoulda maybe mentioned before, that song... I don't know if you saw, I know there were a few... there were some protesters out in front - union people. As far as I know ... when we reserved the building for this concert I don't think there was a strike on at the time. And now that we're here, I just want to say that we support the AFL-CIO. I mean, I would want to work here too. What's beautiful about this room is that there's no fucking advertising anywhere (cheers). Except for that one guy in the very back row with a "Nike" shirt on (laughing). And it doesn't even say "Coors", it just says "beer, wine, and snacks", that's so.... it's probably the same way it looked when The Who played here and Zeppelin played here." He then turns his attention to the unique design of the Forum's ceiling, saying "now this thing though, when I first walked in here it looked beautiful; but as we've been playing the set I've been looking up and I keep thinking of Dick Cheney (boos). Something ... I know what it is, that's what I ... it's the world biggest asshole (cheers)!" Acknowledging the descension of the dialogue Ed jokes "Hey, some nights you come up here and you have an intelligent conversation about politics, other nights you just let it out." Later, Ed is having problems with the earpiece monitor attached to his waist, explaining that he's "having a little technical problem and I'm gonna have to see the proctologist real quick. Gonna sort me out (Matt throws in "ba-dum ching" drum hits). His name's Ricky Ramone (Ed's tech) - he worked for the Ramones for, I don't know, a dozen years and now he's my personal proctologist. (mic) Check." Ricky bends down and literally kisses Ed's ass and Ed thanks him "Hey, my ass feels great." The "Modern Girl" tag of "Not For You" is rephrased "Our whole lives, like a picture on a sunny day." The crowd does some interesting clapping during "Elderly Woman" and Ed acknowledges it ("that's good!"). Ed then tells a story about "Here's to the State of Mississippi", a re-worded version by Tim Robbins of an old Phil Ochs song, which Ed performed most recently at VH1 Storytellers:

I've gotten of number of kinda mindblowing letters in my lifetime and expecially since I've been a part of this group. And as a group we've gotten incredible letters. And recently we got one. It was a song that was played on a little TV thing that we did, it was a song by a guy called Phil Ochs. He was an incredible singer and songwriter and he had ... he had guts. He had guts and talent and he used them as a powerful weeapon. And we did this little song and it was a Phil Ochs song that actually Tim Robbins had adjusted to reflect modern times. And he did a great job in doing so. And he played it on a Vote for change tour recentl - couple years back - and I kinda played Tim's version of it. We got this beautiful letter from Phil's daughter, saying how much it meant to her and her family. Phil's daughter, who now works for the ACLU here in Los Angeles. It was an incredibely proud moment. And we're gonna celebrate here tonight. Of course Phil passed long ago so we don't have him, but we do have Tim Robbins here to sing it with me. My friend tim. (cheers)

After "Black", Ed says "hey thank you kindly, we've been together as a group for quite a long time. And we've been putting together records and we really couldn't have done it without you. This kinda support is really beautiful to have as a band. We don't take it for granted for a second. Your support has not only allowed us to stay together as a band, but stay together as friends and give us a purpose." He then goes on to thank former Sony executive Michelle Anthony ("known us since we were kids") and Andy Wood ("who never got to play the Forum"). Before the second encore, Ed tells a funny story about Mike McCready's early ventures in Los Angeles:

Ed: "Ya know Mike McCready, in the old days... before you get a record deal, you have to "pay to play" in this town (i.e. the band would pay the venue to play the venue, not the other way around). How many musicians remember that? Hopefully it's a thing of the past. Mike, tell me, how much?
Mike: Back in 1986, my band Shadow and I came down from Seattle and we paid $700 to play at the Roxy on a Sunday night and I think about four people were there. But actually (Seattle native) Duff McKagan game from Guns-N-Roses so that was cool. But, then we payed another $500 to play The Whisky about a month later and then we were all broke (crowd laughs). I hope they don't do that shit anymore."
Ed: So basically he was destitute when we met him."

One dollar from every ticket at this show is donated to saving a local surf break called "Trestles", made in the name of "Dave Russell" (that's dave on the back of my t-shirt). Prior to "Baba O'Riley", Ed mentions that Tim Robbins recently interviewed musician Pete Seeger who said "In some ways, we're all just chains passing this music along" and Ed closes saying "We're gonna play our part in the chain."

UpdatedDecember 19, 2006

07/10/06 - The Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Walking The Cow
set: World Wide Suicide, Brain of J, Animal, Marker in the Sand, Severed Hand, Even Flow, MFC, I Got Id, Corduroy, Daughter/(Androgynous Mind)/(I Believe In Miracles)/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Sad, Garden, Down, (Baby Please Don't Go)/Go, Better Man/(Save it for Later), I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts, Porch
first encore: Man of the Hour, Off He Goes, Footsteps, Once, Alive
second encore: Big Wave, Comatose, State of Love And Trust, Leash, Rockin' in the Free World
TFT Notes: Ed starts the evening with a breakout of sorts: "Walking the Cow", a Daniel Johnston song last played at the 1994 Bridge School Benefit (and then often on the '95 Watt tour). Ed dedicates this show to local KROQ DJ Rodney "The Roq" Bingenheimer. Ed introduces "Sad" as a "lost dog" and later "here's another lost one", leading to "Down". Ed sings a snippet of "Baby Please Don't Go" prior to "Go". Ed sings towards the end of "Better Man "Baby please don't go (x2) / I can change, I can rearrange, but baby baby baby baby please don't go / Baby please don't leave (x2) / I can change .... / baby please don't leave (high) / one more chance / One more try one more chance don't say goodbye / Don't runawawy ... / Don't let me down!" Ed takes a break and references the band's approach towards their life on the road "All I'll say is we don't take it for granted for a second that we get to be up here on this stage playing these songs for ya. 'cause in the end, sometimes it's just fucking fun, that's all." Debuting a new cover, Ed begins "alright, we are going to attempt something never ateemped before under this roof. The last time we played the Forum was a number of years ago- half a dozen or so. We played with a band called X. And one thing I remember: one of my favorite songs (that) they didn't play in our two shows here. We're gonna try the next song tonight with my friend Time Robbins on vocals, (cheers) yeah? It's called 'I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts.'" The performance of the song is rough at times and Ed thanks Tim and says "we'll get it next time." "Porch" is dedicated to Dennis Rodman, who the band "think(s) about ... every day". Ed talks about Johnny Ramone before "Man of the Hour" and talks about life on the road and his family prior to "Off He Goes", saying "We've got a song here, it's written a number of years back. I think it was written about Johnny, a great friend of mine. I think that it's difficult - I think any of us in the band - I think it's difficult for our friends and our families. We get moving pretty quick and our lives get moving pretty fast and I think we're hard guys to have relationships with in some ways. It's just a "fast lane" kinda thing. Anyways, I want to dedicated this song to my brothers - it's their birthday - one of my brothers Mike it's his birthday tonight, Happy Birthday Mike (cheers). My other brother Jason it's his birthday tomorrow (cheers). And they're both here tonight. We're pretty tight. We're almost as tight as we can be and I wish it could even be tighter. This song, like I said, this song it's about being friends and maybe even being my brother, it's not the easiset thing." All the songs of the Mamasan Trilogy are played: "Footsteps", "Once", "Alive". Ed talks again about the local surf break, Trestles, and how it once had support from President Reagan - "probably the best thing he ever did" - and how now "they want to put a tollway through the campgrounds." Wrapping up the two-night stint at the Forum, Ed thanks KROQ for promoting Surfrider and the cause, for putting "Dave Russell" pictures on the back of the t-shirts and says that the band is going to "save this beach in your name." "Yellow Ledbetter" is dedicated to "Chelsea" and includes the line "Come on soldiers, come home while you can."

ADDED July 13, 2006

07/12/06 - Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA, USA
set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Dissident, Severed Hand, Unemployable, Given To Fly, I Am Mine, Grievance, Even Flow, Gone, Lukin, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Inside Job, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror
first encore: Parachutes, Masters of War, Crazy Mary, I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted
second encore: Big Wave, Comatose, Why Go, I Believe In Miracles
third encore: Alive, Indifference
TFT Notes: coming soon

ADDED July 14, 2006

07/13/06 - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
acoustic set: Oceans, Elderly Woman..., Low Light, Waiting on a Friend, Hard To Imagine, Daughter, Last Kiss, Come Back, Black, Crazy Mary
electric set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Severed Hand, World Wide Suicide, Given To Fly, Marker in the Sand, Even Flow, Whipping, I Got Shit, U, Do The Evolution, Porch
first encore: Big Wave, Better Man, Comatose, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: coming soon

ADDED December 19, 2006

07/15/06 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Dead Man
set: Of the Girl, Go, World Wide Suicide, Save You, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Unemployable, Sad, Gone, Not For You/(Modern Girl), State of Love and Trust, Gods' Dice, Present Tense, Comatose, Why Go, Do The Evolution
first encore: Even Flow, Parachutes, Footsteps, Once, Alive
second encore: Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Spin The Black Circle, Bu$hleaguer, Indifference, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)
TFT Notes: Pearl Jam opens their three-night stint in San Francisco with "Of the Girl", played for the first time since the 10/22/03 Benaroya Hall show. Ed greets the crowd before "Given To Fly", "Hello, hello San Francisco! Cheers, cheers... I'm gonna drink to you. It's been a number of years - I think the number is eight or something since we've played San Francisco proper - and you've sold out this venue three times which is more people than you could fit in the old Shoreline, so we're greatly appreciative of that, for your support. And I just thought we'd land the plane quickly so we could say that and now it's time to get it off the ground once again, this song's called 'Given To Fly.'" Song breakout time, and Ed introduces "Gods' Dice" which is played for the first time since Boston 2003: "Here's a number for whatever reason we haven't done it in years, we're gonna do it now." The floor arrangement at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is general admission (no seats), and Ed sees an "I've Got A Feeling" sign, saying "Alright, you've got a feeling tonight, you've given us a feeling. Kille, can we just take a look at who we got here tonight for a second? (house lights up, cheers) Ya know, it's not every show that there's an open floor like this. In fact, it rarely happens these days for us. The fact that there's almost equal amounts of men and women on the front is testimony to the fact that you guys are taking good care of yourselves on the bottom. No one appreciates that more than we do. So thanks for taking care of one another." Ed then points out a special guest in the house, "it's my uncle, who's names Fred. Freddy. Freddy Vedder. I'm gonna see him after, I didn't see him before. (spotlight starts moving across the crowd) That him? Hey freddy. (light keeps moving, Ed giving instructions) Spotlight ... over left ... that way ... more, more, more, more ... down. (Big cheer and drum roll by Matt) We found him! (crowd then starts "Fred-dy" chant) No one deserves it more. I'm gonna dedicate this next song to him and his lovely woman", leading to "Parachutes". Before "Bu$hleaguer", Ed sings "Hey there Georgie boy / why do all the girls just pass you by / all you do is spread your wings / and you could fly away / the world would see a new Georgie boy". After "Indifference" Ed says that "it's been a pleasure playing not only a metropolitan city, but in the arts ... over the history of music and literature and education. To play here to this crowd, thank you so much."

ADDED July 18, 2006

07/16/06 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: Driftin'
set: Sometimes, Severed Hand, Whipping, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Animal, Marker in the Sand, Dissident, Even Flow, Army Reserve, Insignificance, In My Tree, Lukin, Garden, I Got Id, Inside Job, Rearviewmirror
first encore: Wasted Reprise, Come Back, Better Man, Life Wasted, The Amerikan in Me, Alive
second encore: Last Kiss, Big Wave, Blood, Leash, Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: Penelope Houston and Greg Ingraham of the Avengers join Pearl Jam on stage for their cover "The Amerikan in Me". More notes coming soon!

ADDED July 21, 2006

07/18/06 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco CA, USA
opening act: Sonic Youth
Ed pre-set: I Am Mine
set: Release, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Hail Hail, World Wide Suicide, Untitled, MFC, Red Mosquito, Unemployable, Sad, Light Years, Big Wave, Even Flow, Do The Evolution, In Hiding, Down, Present Tense, Why Go
first encore: Wasted Reprise, Man of the Hour, Crazy Mary, Comatose, Alive
second encore: Last Exit, State of Love and Trust, Leash, All Along the Watchtower, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: coming soon!

ADDED January 29, 2007

07/20/06 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR, USA
opening act: David Cross, Sleater-Kinney
Ed pre-set: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
set: World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Brain Of J, Do The Evolution, Even Flow, Love Boat Captain, Low Light, Sad, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Wishlist, Parachutes, Satan's Bed, Why Go, Blood/(Atomic Dog)
first encore: Inside Job, Soon Forget, (Happy Birthday - Stone), Don't Gimme No Lip, Harvest Moon, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted
second encore: All Along The Watchtower, Rockin' In The Free World
third encore: Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: This concert's proceeds benefited the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Comedian David Cross and Sleater-Kinney opened the show. Ed recognizes the purpose of this night early and to Mike who is "the young man we dedicate this night to.". Having just played three straight nights in San Francisco, Ed jokes with the crowd saying "Wait, did I say Portland? This is San Francisco! (boos ensue) I was just seeing if you were paying attention. We know damn well that this is Portland. We have to thank the other people that are on the stage tonight. David Cross... Sleater-Kinney at this time in their lives." Ed talks about the musical similarities of "Sad" to Sleater-Kinney's music, saying "I just remembered that when I was working on ("Sad"), it sounded like a Sleater-Kinney part to me, and that's why it sounded good (plays the riff) ... that's pure Sleater-Kinney". "Wishlist" includes an appropos tag at the end, "I wish I was a scientist / One that had all the cures / I wish I was the President / Wouldn't head into a war / Make it legal to experiment / Make it affordable for the drugs you get / So much you could wish for , yeah / I wish for the ones who get". "Inside Job" is placed prominently at the start of the first encore, and Ed reinforces his and the band's support for their bandmate: "I'd like to point out that that's a song written by Mike McCready top to bottom. I know (Mike) thanks us for his support but he's been incredibly courageous to be up front about what he's been through to support the efforts of others that are going throurgh the same thing. I think it's incredible. It takes fucking guts - and I know his guts were hurting." He segues into playing the Ukelele and the guitar, "on a much smaller level, it takes guts to do this to - to play a tiny instrument. But Mike, ya know, he plays from pain - you can see it coming out of him. He plays guitar and he turns it into a beautiful thing. And I was reminded that maybe by some of the things David Cross was saying, that maybe some of my pain that I sing from goes back to when I was eight days old." "Soon Forget" is then introduced as a song about the "pain of a rich person." Ed leads the crowd in a version of "Happy Birthday" for Stone, after constant "Stone!" chants throughout ("I think that this is a song that most of you have been waiting to hear all night") and lauds his very existence, "this is for someone on the stage tonight who not only am I thankful that he's alive, but he's got a lot of choices in his life and I'm glad that he chooses not only to be our friend, but to be an integral part of this band for fifteen years and counting." As is customary, a birthday cake is brought out and most of it ends up on Stone's face. Stone thanks his parents - who are in attendance - for "procreating", and counts his blessings for the band's longevity "as a 40-year old to be in a band". Sleater-Kinney comes onstage to sing backup on "Harvest Moon". Over the chords of "Wasted Reprise", Ed says "We're lucky to have birthdays, we're lucky to have friends. When i read the newspaper, somethimes I think we can be luckier. We'd be luckier if we had a different President. We'd be luckier if people in countries and outside of our own knew how to get along. But sometimes you see all that and at least I get along with the people I know and the people I love. At least I got that. And if you don't have that, then I guess that's where you gotta start from." The Smiths' Johnny Marr joins Pearl Jam for "All Along the Watchtower". The stage becomes more crowed for "Rockin in the Free World" as David Cross (he thanks "The Pearl Jams") and Sleater-Kinney join, with Ed saying "this stage belongs to everyone, come stake your territory. Thanks to Mike and all his friends."

ADDED July 24, 2006

07/22/06 - The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA, USA
set: Wash, Corduroy, Hail Hail, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman..., Even Flow, Down, I Am Mine, Unemployable, Daughter/(It's OK), Gone, Black, Insignificance, Life Wasted, Blood
first encore: Footsteps, Once, Alive, State of Love and Trust, Crown of Thorns, Leash, Porch
second encore: Last Kiss, Inside Job, Go, Baba O'Riley, Dirty Frank, Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: coming soon!

ADDED July 24, 2006

07/23/06 - The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA, USA
set: Severed Hand, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Gods' Dice, Animal, Do The Evolution, In Hiding, Green Disease, Even Flow, Marker in the Sand, Wasted Reprise, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Army Reserve, Garden, Rats, Whipping, Jeremy, Why Go
first encore: I Won't Back Down, Life Wasted, Big Wave, Satan's Bed, Spin the Black Circle, Alive
second encore: Given to Fly, Little Wing, Crazy Mary, Comatose, Fuckin Up, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star-Spangled Banner)
TFT Notes: coming soon!

2006 continued (Leg Three) ...

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