Set List: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Animal, Given To Fly, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, Small Town, Rival, Jeremy, Daughter/(?), Insignificance, I Got Shit, Brain of J., Black, Rearviewmirror;
1st encore: Wishlist, U, Better Man, Do The Evolution, Porch, Leaving Here;
2nd encore: Smile, Baba O'Riley

Poster credit: Joseph Morales

My 2000 Pearl Jam experience started in Houston where I saw them at the Woodlands Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday, then capped off my experience with my Fan Club seats at Smirnoff Music Center Tuesday night in Dallas which turned out to be the best Pearl Jam show I've ever been to. And let me give a very big THANK YOU to the Ten Club for my amazing seats, 7th row dead center!!! What a night. The day started early when I made it to the Fan Club will call window around 1:30 in the afternoon. After what seemed like an eternity, the blinds at the will call counter raised and they started to give out the tickets. I was totally in awe when I saw Row G on my ticket. I couldn't have asked for more, except for Row A, but I was totally satisfied. Then I had to go back home to 20 miles north to pick some people up to head back down here. To make a long story short, we got tied up and almost missed the start of the show! Let me just say I barely sat down in my seat when I heard the Baba O'Riley intro music, and then the place went pitch black with the crowd in a frenzy.

Then the band walks out, and even though I'd seen them twice already on the tour, it just sent chills down my spine, it was like I was seeing them for the first time in a long time. Then Eddie started strumming Sometimes, a great opener. Then they played a blistering version of Breakerfall, and right into Grievance, one of the gems of Binaural. Then Corduroy, Animal, and the always awesome Given To Fly. The adrenaline was pumping, and I knew this was the start of a night to definitely remember. Later on, a wonderful version of Even Flow with the crowd singing like crazy was played. Mike was on fire during the solo, and from that point on, he was just unstoppable. Then the always beautiful Small Town with the crowd singing away. And man oh man, I got to hear Rival a few songs later, which was spectacular. Brain of J was intro'd as the song written on the grassy knoll. I knew they couldn't leave Dallas without playing that. The highlight of the first set definitely was RVM. An absolutely exhilarating version with the most intense bridge ever! Stone, Eddie and Mike were just so into it, and Jeff finally had to bring them down. That was just awesome.

And in the second set, I was amazed to hear U. Just spectacular. Great version of Better Man, and Stone's solo in DTE was just stunning. Then the always exciting Porch, and I was happy to hear Leaving Here for the first time. Ed said something about wife beaters and how he hated them before Leaving Here. The whole show, there was a guy holding up a "Smile" sign, and lo and behold, they played it first song of the 2nd encore. The thing I like best about that song it Jeff on guitar and Stone on bass. A rarity. I was hoping to hear Yellow Ledbetter, but when Mike went into Baba, I went crazy. It was also my first time to hear it in person, and the crowd was really vocal on the "Don't Cry" part. What an amazing show, definitely the best of all three I saw. Smirnoff Music Center had a great audience, the band was energetic and really on, and I was 7th row for my favorite band in the world. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I can't wait for the boots for this show, I'll definitely have it in my collection.

Thanks again Pearl Jam and Ten Club for a night I'll never forget.

Joel Watson
jdw0019@unt.edu