Set List: Long Road, Brain of J., Do The Evolution, Animal, Dissident, Faithfull, Even Flow, Corduroy, Lukin, Wishlist, Given To Fly, Hail Hail, In Hiding, Jeremy, Daughter, MFC, Immortality, Alive; Encore: Who You Are, Last Exit, Once, Better Man, Yellow Ledbetter

Nicola:
AWESOME!!!!! To say the least!
I can't think of an other words to describe the concert, there were over 5000 people there, The band was fantastic and I had the time of my life! This concert has made my year, and there will never be another concert that can compare to this one!

THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!

Peter.shaw@xtra.co.nz:
PEARL JAM played at the "Queens Wharf Events Centre" last night and I was there...it rocked. The show began with a very ordinary warm up act but when Eddie and the guys came out the mood totally changed. The 'Events Centre' was sold out and the crowd was right into it especially the songs "Do The Evolution" "Better Man" and "Alive." Eddie's, Mike's and Jack's performances were particularly awesome. Eddie was sharp with calls like, "We like to drink Steinlager" (a local beer) and "I guess you'll be back here for Oasis." They were amazing and got the crowd involved. Walking off half-way through for five or so minutes and then coming back on for the performances of the night. Unforgettable. Truly awesome.

Kirsten (martjenk@actrix.gen.nz):
I've got to admit to being a Pearl Jam virgin, in the live sense, having missed their two earlier appearances in Auckland, New Zealand. I don't belong to their fan club, I've seen them on TV twice: once to accept Grammys for "Ten" and I managed to catch about half of their "Unplugged", and this is the first time I've looked them up on the net. When they walked on stage it was so long since I'd seen them I wondered where their long dark hair had gone. But I've always listened to them, and hearing the music I've loved for years emerge from these almost image-less guys made it all the more special. To me Pearl Jam are simple about the music and the messages, and this concert was a no frills testimony to the power of their songs and musical ability.

Their concert last week was the first time they'd played in Wellington and towards the end of the concert Eddie admitted he hadn't known what to expect. The reaction to the support band "As Ever" might have given him some clues - after three songs the chant for Pearl Jam brought the roof down. This was not a tough audience for Pearl Jam by any means. By the end of the concert five thousand concert goers had apparently humbled him and the rest of the band, and this heartfelt admission and thanks brought the biggest cheer of the night. Eddie had no choice but to wait for us to finish basking in his praise.

Eddie greeted the crowd after "Do The Evolution" and said that they couldn't continue to perform in good conscience unless people in the front settled down. He urged the crowd to take care of one another, which was immediately followed by "That said...." and the "Animal" combusted out of mid air. Nice sentiments, Ed, but not good timing. Security had their work cut out for them all night, pulling heat exhausted people and less innocent moshers from the audience from the first song until the last.

The banter to the audience continued as Eddie unconvincingly explained "Faithfull" was really about his surfboard, and we even got a little demo of his skateboarding skills when the band came back for the encore. It was difficult to reconcile the balance he showed on his board with the near misses he had stumbling around the stage, so caught up in the music as to not notice the odd microphone cord or drum kit!

It always amazes me how people can be in a country for one or two days and cut to the core of its characteristics. After "Lukin" Eddie explained, in perfect New Zealand English intonations which can make statements sound like questions, that the song was written for his mate in Mudhoney, and that Steinlager was his favourite beer. We don't all speak like that, Ed, but we forgive you - if you weren't such a keen observer or such a smart arse, the music wouldn't be the same, would it? He even renamed "Yield" to "Give Way" in deference to our road signs. Ah, the cultural sensitivity of the man only raised him in my hero stakes.

What can I say about the music that you haven't all heard before? Probably nothing. The songs speak for themselves. Whether they were from "Yield" or from "Ten" they were all anthems of the past or present, and the passion with which they were performed was felt by everyone at the concert. Call me cynical but I fully expected the older songs to be either missing from the set or performed less than enthusiastically. If Pearl Jam groaned inwardly as they did yet another performance of "Alive" it certainly didn't show. The thrill of hearing their songs with more guts than any recorded version could ever capture was unforgettable.

Thanks Pearl Jam for coming to this little city of ours and giving us such memories. Thanks for the sincerity of your performance - under normal circumstances dedicating a song to a girl who wasn't allowed to go to the concert would have forced most Kiwis to vomit, but then it wasn't a normal night. Thanks for visiting us so early in your tour, so we got to see your raw energy and fatigue-free renditions.

Come back soon.