Set List: Love Boat Captain, Corduroy, Save You, Hail Hail, Help Help, Even Flow, I Am Mine,
Better Man/(tag?), You Are, Green Disease, Not For You, Thumbing My Way, Given To Fly, Small Town, Insignificance, Don't Go;
1st encore: Bushleaguer, Do The Evolution, Last Kiss, Black, Crazy Mary, State Of Love And Trust;
2nd encore: Give Peace A Chance sing along, Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter, Keep On Rocking In The Free World

I've been waiting for Pearl Jam to return to Australia since 1998, and finally they have. The show last night in Adelaide can only be described as unbelievable. Mixed with new songs and old the band played a very tight show. They were full of energy with Mike jumping around and Ed talking to the crowd between songs.

Arriving at the entertainment centre at around 6 o'clock I was so excited I wanted to bust down the doors and get straight in to the arena. Unfortunately the doors were locked however we could hear Ed's voice doing the sound check and playing a few unrecognizable tunes. From that moment I knew PJ were back. At around 7pm. the doors to the main arena opened and people hurried in to check out the view from their seats. The crowd was steadily streaming in and there was tension in the air as Johnny Marr and The Healers took to the stage just after 8. They played a good show and seemed to get a welcoming response from the Adelaide crowd. It must be hard to play a show knowing that the punters just want you to fuck off so PJ can come out. But despite this they were rather impressive.

It was just after 9pm. when the lights dimmed and Pearl Jam took to the stage. The roar of the crowd was deafening as Ed stood in the centre of the stage with his guitar belting out the first chords of Love Boat Captain whilst the other 4 members stayed back in the darkness. Once the song kicked in the crowd roared as they band jumped around and got into the show. Corduroy was a crowd favourite as usual and people were dancing around and singing at the top of their lungs.

Hail Hail and Save You were awesome. Ed's aggressive vocals in Save You were so powerful as he flipped his microphone and jumped around like a mad man. Jeff was in his usual position jamming up against the speakers and Mike was complete with his crazy bouncing around. Stone was being ...... well Stone, looking strange and pulling those movements like he always does. Matts drumming was extraordinary, as it is in the live shows I'd previously heard on the American/European bootlegs.

Even Flow was the first song the band played off "Ten." It was complete with a stellar solo from Mike as the crowd watched in awe. Amazed at the mans sheer talent. I Am Mine was well received by the crowd, as was Better Man (which was played surprisingly early in the set). The band pulled out an unrecognizable tag at the end, which was tops.

I was hoping for Lukin to run into Not For You, as it did on some of their American Shows in 2000, however Green Disease did the job nicely. Green Disease is one of my fave tunes off Riot Act and sounded perfect as it linked into the opening beats of Not For You. They didn't even pause for a breath.

The crowd was basically silent as Ed played the gentle chords to "Thumbing My Way." Everyone watched in amazement as they listened to Eddies voice belt out the words to the song. It was after this song that the crowd erupted with a huge roar. People really were appreciating the bands talent to play the heavier rock songs, yet belt out the slower ones just as well.

During Given To Fly Ed and Mike were going off. Ed pulled his top over his head like a hood as he sung the first verse. The band then played "Small Town" and Ed fucked up the first verse. During the 2nd verse Ed changed the lyrics to "My God it's been 5 years, never dreamed we'd return." The entire crowd recognized this and cheered like mad. They played Insignificance and then a rocking version of Go, before leaving the set for a well earned break. The crowd wanted more and the endless cheering was deafening as people banged the back of their seats to make as much noise as possible.

Soon enough they band returned with Ed donning a George Bush mask for Bushleaguer. He sung the first verse in the mask, then took it off before pouring red wine all over it and throwing it away. Last Kiss was dedicated to those fans with the unfortunate seats behind the stage. It was a great gesture by the band it just goes to show that they acknowledge all fans, not just the die hard ones up the front. Ed dedicated Black to a guy who'd beaten him in pool earlier that day and then introduced Crazy Mary to a massive roar. During the song Ed passed his bottle of wine to the people in the front row and encouraged them to pass it around and have a swig. Hence the line "take a bottle, drink it down ..... pass it around." The band jammed in the song for around 7 minutes, to my delight. I was hoping for one of their big jams which usually occur during the likes of Immortality of Porch. It was excellent to hear it during this song.

After the 2nd encore Ed got the crowd involved in a sing-a-long of "Give Peace a Chance" which they eagerly participated in. Earlier he'd spoken at the bands disapproval of war and emphasized the importance of peace. They told how they'd marched for peace in Adelaide earlier that day and how we don't have to agree with our prime minister, even if he does represent the nation - he doesn't represent all our thoughts. Ed attempted Soon Forget on "Luke the Uke" but found himself fucking up around 4 times. At the end he jumped up and down as he strummed the small uke in some overemphasized rock moves. Just before Yellow Ledbetter, in typical Ed fashion he said "Keely turn on the lights," as he does at the end of so many of their live shows. Mikes solo was outstanding. I was sure that they would end the show with this song, however it was not to be. Jeff had already left the stage and looked surprised when he got the call back for Rockin In The Free World. This song was the end I'd truly wanted wished for. Every light in the place was on and the crowd was jumping up and down and dancing the night away. Ed smashed 2 tambourines and Matt threw endless drum sticks into the crowd. It was the best ending, to an amazing set. I couldn't have asked for more. I've still got Melbourne to go on Wednesday and I can't wait.

Also met the band at the Adelaide airport today and they were all really friendly. It certainly proves how important their fans are. Even though they must have been so tired, they still took the time to chat and sign some autographs for the fans.

...........Truly the greatest band in the world.