Set List: I Am a Patriot (EV solo before Hovercraft), Long Road, Act of Love by Neil Young, Hail Hail, Dissident, Given To Fly, Corduroy, Wishlist, Not For You, All Those Yesterdays, Daughter/(Rockin in the Free World)/(WMA), Whipping, Immortality, Push Me, Pull Me, Faithfull, Present Tense, Rearviewmirror, Black, Do The Evolution; Encore: I Got Shit, Better Man, Alive, Soldier of Love by Arthur Alexander (1962), (Gloria Steinem thanks everyone), Yellow Ledbetter

Aaron Cunningham (acunning@asbmb.faseb.org):
People have slighted the opening acts in fanviews up to this point, and I cannot do them justice, but I want to talk about Hovercraft for a moment. It seemed like a number of people obviously did not dig Hovercraft, and that really surprised me. It's hard to imagine that anyone in the same room for what I saw would not have been swept away by the sonic barrage that we were treated to. I described it to a friend who arrived late as a truckload of kiwi being dropped out of a jumbo jet into a crowded school yard. Maybe that's just what was left of my brain when they were done. They played without stopping for what seemed like a brief eternity. The music accompanied, or was accompanied by a projected film. The timing between the music played and the projected images (bees, rockets, ships tossing on waves, machinery, the earth) was so tight that even though I wanted to see that other band, I was hoping that they would play more. I probably would have missed Mookie Blaylock if they had. If you ever have a chance to see them, do not hesitate. They are an Interplanetary Soul-taking Projectile of Chaos.

Without re-hashing the entire set list, let me fondle some highlights for ya. Long Road was awesome as an opener. Very moving. There were times when I wasn't sure if the spotlight was going to or coming from Mike McCready and his merciless thunderstick. I don't know how he survived the solo he played during Black. Stone Cold Steve Gossard is amazing, too. He played a good portion of the show facing Matt Cameron, or at least away from the spotlight when it hit him. He also did those neat little Single Video Theory dance moves. Ames seemed to be back in his time machine, as other fanviews have suggested, getting crazy air, and doing what he does best: hammering out tight, melodic basslines. Jeff and Stone also did really great backing vocals, which added another dimension. Matt Cameron must sleep like a baby at night, because he has two human-sized arms, and thirteen smaller arms playing little drums and cymbals with little sticks. I really dig Jack Irons, and his vibe, and his playing. I hope he is getting better, and will return to the band, and play on future tours. That said, MC adds elements to songs that are just preternatural. I'm glad I got to catch him twice on this tour. Crazy fills, crazy energy. Do you guys have room on that stage for two kits?

After a head kicking version of Not for You, they surprised us again with a chill version of All Those Yesterdays. They teased us with Rockin' in the Free World as the Daughter tag before W.M.A. They got us in a frenzy with Whipping and then they brought it back down with Immortality. This was an awesome version, (great middle jam, great ending solo,) and it set us up nicely for Push Me, Pull Me. Eddie sang the chorus on this one in a more melodic way than on the album. After a great version of Faithful, everybody but EdVed and MM left the stage. Eddie made some very poignant comments about how people wanted us to focus on Whitewater and Monicagate and a bunch of other crap, so that we could overlook what Congress was doing as it related to what really matters, issues, such as reproductive freedom. Someone yelled "we love you, eddie" and Eddie laughed and said something like "hey, keep it consensual...." before continuing with what he was saying. Then, Mike and Ed began a stirring version of Present Tense, and everybody else jumped in on a dime. I Got "id" was a great way to return to the stage as an encore by itself, but the guys are astute enough to know when not to quit. McCready closed the show tossing a little tease of Hendrix's Machine Gun into the Yellow Ledbetter closing solo, and then seemed to say goodnight by himself, as the band watched. They waved and disappeared as soon as they had appeared.

There were other moments that I can't place within songs, but that are also worth mentioning. At one point, Eddie had a tambourine with condoms on it, and began tossing condoms out into the audience. He grabbed another handful and tossed them out, tucking one in his shirt pocket. Also, Gloria Steinham, after much cajoling, convinced Beth to come out. The crowd roared like a lion, and Beth and Eddie sorta danced together for a moment. I guess there's a million other little moments that really touched me, but you don't need to read all that shit. The bottom line is that for all the talk about Pearl Jam mellowing or getting soft or this or that, some things clearly haven't changed. It's still about the music and the love between the band and the fans. It's still about the fact that you can fake a lot of things, (are you listening Creed? Days of the New?) but passion is clear, love is real, and rock and roll is here to stay.

Thanks Gloria, Hovercraft, Eddie, Jeff, Mike, Matt, and "steve" for an amazing night. Along with Ben Harper &The I.C., ya'll made this weekend an experience I will never forget. Rock over, London. Rock on, D.C. Pearl Jam is the Boxer. We're just happy to be the bag.

Robert Tross (Robert_Tross@mail.amsinc.com):
First off, I (along with four of my friends) must say thank you to the "phish" bouncer. We had no business seeing the show, but you made it happen (in style). Thanks. You rule. Anyway, having just seen the band the night before, I didn't know what to expect. Friday was a great concert, but personally I was hoping for more new stuff and less from TEN. Once we got in to the show, which is a miraculous story in itself, we knew this was going to be a can't miss show. And boy were we right. By far, this was the best show I have seen. I don't know if it was the intimacy, the setlist or what, but it absolutely rocked. Highlights for me were ATY, Faithful, Push Me/Pull Me, and Mike jamming at the end of Black. I could recount countless other moments like Eddie asking for help with the words to Immortality, Ament jamming like I have never seen him jamming before, or hearing Solider of Love for the first time. All in all, the show was absolutely spectacular. The band sounded great, the fans were loud as hell and knowledgeable (except in front of McCready, who brought down the house - C'mon), and the band played a phenomenal mix of music. What a night!