Set List: Release, Hail Hail, Last Exit, Tremor Christ, In My Tree, Corduroy, Red Mosquito, Animal, Jeremy, Habit, Immortality, Even Flow, Not For You, Daughter/Real Me/Young Man Blues, Lukin, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Blood; 1st Encore: Who You Are, I Got Id, Leaving Here, 2nd Encore: Yellow Ledbetter

Photo credit: Kevin Creary (kec8969@ritvax.isc.rit.edu)

Pearl Jam with the Fastbacks
by: Shanil Virani (shanil@yorku.ca)

They came, they saw, they conquered. After nearly a 4-year absence from the Toronto area, Pearl Jam rocked a capacity crowd at the old hockey shrine to its very foundations.

At approximately 8:50 pm, the house lights at MLG, for the hottest concert of the year, were turned off and the rush towards the front of the stage had begun. PJ appeared on the dark stage to the delight of nearly 15,000 fans and launched directly into "Release", a classic from the band's debut album "Ten". To die-hard Pearl Jam fanatics like myself, this signalled we were in for a hell of show.... and what a show it was!

With the stage lights still off, and only candles and incense on stage to provide any lighting and mood, hearing "Release" qualifies as a religious experience. From that moment on. Vedder, dressed in a pair of slacks and a 1978 Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert t-shirt ("See we have friends who are Canadian"), had the crowd in the palm of his hands and produced a concert that none of us will soon forget.

After "Release", the stage lights came on to reveal a sparsely decorated stage. There was only a large curtain behind drummer Jack Irons, which served as canopy by which images and special effects lighting were projected onto, and the aforementioned candles and incense that were placed on the amps. With the crowd still mesmerized, the band followed with "Hail, Hail", a great rocker from the band's recently released fourth album, "No Code".

What became increasingly obvious as the show progressed was that not only were the fans having a great time, the band appeared to as well. During some songs, it was as if the Vedder of old was on stage -- jumping around, and really getting into the show. During "Jeremy", for example, he walked up to the front of the stage and joined in with the crowd in a sing-a-long. In another instance, he walked over to the amp next to guitarist Stone Gossard, leaned on it, and just watched the crowd with a mischievous grin! Perhaps the funniest moment of the show came when Vedder was in the midst of thanking the audience for coming to the show when he observed guitarists Mike McCready and Jeff Ament had walked off the side of the stage under the impression that Vedder was calling it a night. When he saw this he commented "Where are you guys going? I'm just introducing the next song! I guess they're anxious to get to Toledo...well, Toledo can wait!" And with that the band turned it up a notch and blasted into "Blood."

Pearl Jam are in the midst of a 16 country world tour in support of their new album. They have not toured extensively due to their ongoing battle with Ticketmaster USA and their excessive service charges. By using an alternative ticket agency (FT&T) for their US shows and Ticketmaster Canada (a wholly owned and distinct company from Ticketmaster in the states) for the Toronto show, they have appeared to put all their troubles behind them and have returned to the domain of a hard working, and touring, rock 'n' roll band.

For many fans, the wait was almost unbearable and the concert served as a catharsis of emotions that had been building since "VS.". Pearl Jam, never one to disappoint their fans, played material off all 4 of their albums. Material from "Ten" included the show opener "Release", "Jeremy", "Even Flow", and "Alive". The band showcased "Hail, Hail", "In My Tree", "Red Mosquito", "Habit", "Lukin", and the first single, "Who You Are" from "No Code". Material from "VS." included "Animal", "Daughter" (with the band veering off into The Who's "The Real Me" and "Young Man Blues"), "Rearviewmirror", and "Blood". They also played the rocker "Last Exit" from their 3rd album "Vitalogy". Other songs off that album included "Corduroy", "Not For You" and "Immortality", a song which when heard live would also count as a religious experience! They also played "I Got Shit" from the Merkin Ball EP released last Christmas and "Leaving Here" from the Home Alive compilation CD. The band closed the show with their staple closing song "Yellow Ledbetter".

In spite of the band's popularity, Vedder made it a point to inform his fans that a local paper had made disparaging comments about Pearl Jam and the fact they were tying up the Gardens. It was commonly attributed to Tie Domi (a goon with the Toronto Maple Leafs and a noted Garth Brooks fan) but it was the author of the article, and not Domi, who Vedder took exception with. Vedder didn't think too kindly of the author (to put it mildly!) and felt he owed the crowd an apology. Vedder, however, did incorporate Domi's name into their nose-thumbing song "Not For You".

If there is a complaint to be made, however, it would have to be the relatively short set list by PJ standards. The show clocked in at nearly 2 hours, which seems to be average for this tour. In the past they have known to play for nearly 2.5 hours or more. But given the fact that the band hadn't been in Toronto in nearly 4 years, nobody was complaining. Secondly, they could have played all night and still not have played every song that everyone wanted to hear. When it comes to a band like Pearl Jam, you simply take what you can get and hope they return soon. Real soon!

Pearl Jam in Toronto
by: Eric Chénier

...the lights shut down, the candles are burning... we see 5 people comin' on stage... the crowd is warming up... little guitar.... it's "Release"... Eddie comes in with a hoooooo!... WOW!. It is my second show of Pearl Jam... first one in Verdun (Qc).

I'm from Montreal and I am one of their biggest fans... The Toronto show was my only chance to see them near Montreal... so me and my friend go to Ottawa to buy tickets... At last, Pearl Jam again!

The Toronto show was great!... the new songs are awesome in concert... "Habit" and "Lukin" are unique. In my point of view, the crowd was a little bit dull... me and my 3 other friends were jammin' all over in the stands... but no one around us was like that!... I sang all the songs... except Real Me, Young Man Blues and Leaving Here. It was a religious experience... Eddie has a way for bringing emotions to a sudden peak... Alive was divine, Yellow Ledbetter was, in my opinion, the best way to end a show. It was my first show with Jack Irons on drums, he is very impressive (Red Hot Chili Pepper once)... but he is sticking to his part, with no big solos... but he is good, mostly on the new songs. Pearl Jam, after the set, were waiting for an encore... and were trying to warm up the crowd... it came... Who You Are!... They could have played either songs I would of been screaming anyways.... all their songs are good.... I give my thumb up and keep up the good work!