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

Well what a night!!! While you read through this, you guys may want to get comfortable, put your feet up, get a scotch, Iced Tea or how about a bottle of red wine...?

I have been a huge Pearl Jam fan since the Ten Album and had been lucky to attend the 1995 and 1998 Pearl Jam gigs. They were brilliant but neither of those compared to what I witnessed on Sunday night. And out of that came something incredible that I will never forget...and something that I want to share with all you Pearl Jam fans, especially those who were part of the action in Adelaide.

We picked up our pre allocated tickets at about 6pm. We soon realised we got front row seats!!! Section B Row A seat 39 to be precise. Other friends of ours got seats about three rows back but right in the middle of the stage! (You can read his fanview too "Chris"). We had one of the best seats in the house...right up against the front barrier/railing, with only a set of amps and a few "macho meathead security personel" between us and the stage. As if sitting in the front row of a Pearl Jam concert wasnt enough. No, it got better!

Everyone who went to the Adelaide concert saw Eddie move over to the side and front of the stage during "Crazy Mary" to give his bottle of wine to someone in a white T-Shirt...well... THAT PERSON WAS ME!!!

This has been documented in other Adelaide Fanviews posted to this website (you can read them for yourselves). But now you get to hear it from the guy who actually received the bottle from Eddie...and I would love more than anything to take this opportunity to share this once in a lifetime experience with my fellow Pearl Jam fans.

So for all those who were there and wanted to know the sequence of events and what actually eventuated, well...here tis!

Pearl Jam played "Crazy Mary" during their first encore set (from now on I will refer to it as "Crazy Benny"). During the second chorus, as Eddie was singing the lines "Take a bottle drink it down...pass it around" and while holding a bottle of red in one hand, he glanced his eyes over to our direction, where I was frantically "beckoning" him and encouraging him to come over and give me a swig of his wine as per the lyrics of the song (My mate next to me told me that he was sort of doing the same thing).

Towards the end of the song, during the guitar solos, and with his wine bottle, Eddie made a b-line to where we were standing...he clambered and stubbled over a few electric power cords, sound equipment and climbed over some amps near the side of the stage!!!

To my absolute shock (I am still in shock even now) and amazement, Eddie stepped down on the huge amps that were in between the railing and the stage where a security guy was standing and leaned towards us...

Now just in arms reach and just above eye level, Eddie (who looked a bit "how ya goin" - as a result of the wine no doubt) was moving his eyes around trying to find the guy in the white t-shirt who tried to get his attention only 45 seconds before hand. A few others around me who I didnt know put their arms out to reach the bottle... Eddie looked at them and said, "No...No...".

Then it happened...realising it was me Eddie was looking for, he fixed his eyes upon me and thrust the wine bottle into my hand. Even though the guitars and drums were still pounding out of the amps in front of us, his words were still audible...

"...Here....pass it around"

Not really knowing what to do...and certainly not thinking straight at all (for obvious reasons!), I was stupid enough to ask him, just as he was straightening himself up to make his way back to the stage...

"Eddie...can I take a swig (or did I say "sip") first?..."

He replied in his deep smooth american voice, "Yeah...sure...but pass it round!..." while he had his arm sort of waving in a circular motion. So I did.

There was only a few mouthfuls left, so I probably got all the backwash! It was a bloody nice drop though (and my fiancee thinks she recognises the label!). Eddie watched as well as I passed it to my mate (after without thinking, gave it to this poor guy I never knew before to the left of me before I "came to" and snatched it out of his hands before he took a swig to give the bottle to my mate!!! - so cruel of me - really sorry mate - whoever you are). When my mate got hold of it, I looked up at Eddie who was waving his hand at me indicating that he wanted me to pass it into the crowd behind me...

"No...pass it back..." he boomed.

My fiancee and my mate's fiancee did the same, before the bottle was lost (unfortunately) in the crowd somewhere behind us...(Whoever finished up with the bottle or got a sip from it, can you email me and let me know where it got to, or even better, who was the lucky fan who ended up with it for good?)

Eddie walked backwards slowly to the centre of the stage, while looking at us and trying to keep tracks on where the bottle was...I was too busy trying to wave at him to thank him (don't remember if he acknowledged that!?!?!)

So there you have it. The event in full.

It feels like a dream but I know it's not a dream. Well it used to be but it is a dream no more. How many people get a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet or talk to their "heros" in the flesh??? - Very few. And this is why I wanted to share this experience with all of you as fellow Pearl Jam fans.

I don't mean to be sentimental or philosphical about the whole thing but there is a very clear message which has come out of my experience. Something along the lines of "Some dreams do come true." Let's just say that something like this had always been on my "Wishlist."

Nothing now as far as Pearl Jam events is concerned, will ever be as good as this moment that I experienced at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 16th February, 2003.

The only regret we have is not passing the bottle to a work collegue of mine and her husband who were standing only 10 metres or so to the left of me. They know who they are (C & B) and we are sorry that we were so caught up in the excitement of the moment that we didn't even think of it!!!

But there is something else...What if I couldn't contact someone or find anyone who may have taken a photo or filmed some footage just at that critical point in time when Eddie passed me the bottle??? Now that would be depressing!!! For that reason, I am appealing to all you guys to help me out!!! I need to get in contact with someone who may have captured this moment on camera or film, or someone who knows of someone who did!!!

So please, I would urge anyone at all to email me who may be able to assist! I would love nothing more now but to get a physical record of this (not just a memory). I really hope that there is someone kind enough out there who would like to help me out.

Thank you all for your time and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Pearl Jam and the Pearl Jam fan club for making this an unforgettable concert and for allowing me to post this on this website. Until next time Pearl Jam...