Ed solo: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away before opening band
Set List: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Animal, Save You, Given To Fly, Cropduster, Even Flow, Small Town, Love Boat Captain, Ghost, Whipping, Untitled/MFC, You Are, 1/2 Full, State of Love and Trust, Alive;
1st encore: Last Exit, I Am A Patriot (reworked), Better Man, Down, Glorified G, Do The Evolution;
2nd encore: Daughter, Yellow Ledbetter, Baba O'Riley

I am sitting in front of my computer typing these words, still in awe of last night's Pearl Jam performance! This was my third Pearl Jam show ever and it was almost painful knowing that they were moving on to the next city, and I would be unable to follow them and add another show to my experience. Let me being my story, but I apologize if it goes on too long.

I was at the 10c window at 6:30 pm sharp, unfortunately I was unable to get there at 3:00 pm like I'd hoped. My tickets are in my hand and I realize I'm about 20 rows back, dead center. Not as terrific as being 2, 5, or even 10 rows back, but hey, they are Pearl Jam show tickets and no matter where I stand, I'm going to take it all in. As I am walking towards the seats, still without view of the stage...that voice comes ringing through my ears. Eddie is singing!!!!!! What the hell is going on? "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" even sweeter than I've heard before! So what to do but run, not walk to my seat. I only can catch a glimpse of him before he introduces Sleater-Kinney. Damn, but hey I take a seat with my brother at my side (1st PJ concert for him) and enjoy the opening band's performance. I must say, I am not really a fan, but gotta hand it to them, they played a terrific set!! Now it's close to 8:30, S-K has said their farewells and I am just waiting. I didn't look at the exact time, but just before 9:00 pm the crowd roars and then, the opening chords for "Long Road." What an appropriate song, mellow, bittersweet, my second fave opener next to "Oceans." Eddie sounds amazing!!!!!!! I can't stress this enough. His voice would not falter the entire night.

Next, something to jump up/down to, "Breakerfall!" The only song played from Binaural, my fave album. Following came a staple to a PJ concert it seems and it blew me away, "Corduroy," the band was so on tonight it was almost scary. They would blast the audience with a couple of rocking tunes, "Animal" and "Save You" that had the entire venue on their feet, jumping up and singing at the top of our lungs, before easing into one of their most goose-bump producing songs, "Given to Fly!" "Cropduster" followed and it seemed to calm the audience down for some reason, maybe not everyone felt as familiar with these newer RA tunes.

I don't recall when Eddie said this but I am sure he did. He mentioned the crowd at West Palm was one of the best this tour. That of course sent the crowd going even more! "Evenflow" is next, and what an "Evenflow" it was, Ed didn't seem to me to mess up the lyrics as he does traditionally, I may be wrong and Mike's solo was incredible. I looked over to my side and my brother's bottom jaw was literally hanging. Then "Small Town" which is one of my faves, makes the crowd reach in just a little closer to the person next to them, swaying from side to side until that anticipated moment when we can scream at the top of our lungs, HELLOOOOOO! Perfect! The smile on my brother's face was immeasurable at this point! It's a beautiful "LBC" next with the formal introduction of Boom, the stage background changing colors, then going down into an orange fade-out at the end. Then "Ghost," then "Whipping"!!!! Holy crap, I love this song and the audience went crazy jamming to it. "Whipping"!!!!!!!!!! Hell yeah:)

After this, any sanity I had left was shot to hell. The rest of the show would prove better than what I had experienced so far. First they play "Untitled" (this song brings tears to my eyes, don't know why) with many lyric changes including the arrival time.."I'll be there in 22 min. or so"...I couldn't understand what Ed changed the end lyrics to but it seemed to have something to do with Bush...then MFC, of course. Incredible version and Ed is on the money. Jump my ass up, down, up, down like a jumping bean, out of breath and still so much to lose my breath for. "You Are," the one damn song I was DYING to hear from RA, and they go and play it. Believe me when I say this song was meant to be played live. I had no idea how it would come across, but the hair on the back of my head stood up straight:) The play on the lights added to the almost surreal experience. "1/2 Full" is played and it's not one of my faves but I was still all over the place from You Are, but damn what are they doing to me????? "SOLAT"!!!!!! They could've ended with this performance and I would've been satisfied......NAAAAHHHHH! Honestly, though it was that GOOD! The crowd went berserk and it was here that I raised my fists high in the air and punched my brother in the face by mistake! Not too hard though, he is ok. What a performance, from Mikey, Stone, Matt, Jeff, Ed, they were all rocking hard.

Ed now talks about how last time they came down to WPB, he was introduced to a guy with a shiny, bald head due to the chemo he was undergoing. He saw him again now and he now has a head full of thick hair, thankfully! Ed dedicates Alive to him and by now I have tears welling in my eyes that would last through the entire song. Not only because of the boy, but because in Ed's voice the dedication was heartfelt and he sang this classic song as if it was the first time he'd ever sung it. The band rocked and rocked, man oh man! My heart is beating like Matt's drumming, and they now leave...NO DON'T GO! Only five minutes or so and they're back! "Last Exit" is next and if the boys ever read this, thanx for that one. What a song to get you going, this is my last exit baby!!!! Love it! Next the time we've been all waiting for. Eddie, it's time to speak your mind and let me tell you he did. There were a few people at the front with flags and Ed decided to say this was a great country. Did I sense a little sarcasm??? Maybe? The crowd roared and Ed mentioned how he had worked at a gas station and Matt at a Kinko's. "Damn right this is a great country" he said. Ed goes on to mention what's great about it is the ability to express one's opinion. He talked shit about Bush, but I'm glad it didn't turn into a spectacle, the crowd respected Eddie and just applauded when he was done. Perfect way to lead into "I Am A Patriot." Great version, Ed changed the lyrics most of them anyway, and my fave was when he said something like, 'I ain't no Democrat, and I ain't that other shit either,' that was classic.

Now came my older brother's FAVORITE, "Betterman." I've heard people say this song is played out, or it just doesn't have any magic to it. Bulls***! The opening to this song still gives me chills, and the way the crowd responds to the lyrics, like it or not, is amazing. "Down" comes next, and I love this b-side so I was still high in the clouds when it was over and these are the words from Ed's mouth..."We haven't played this one in ages"...what???? what are you going to play ED? People are still in shock over this one, including me. The band goes on to play, "GLORIFIED G!" Oh my God, they are playing this song, a song I thought I had forgotten. Hell no, it all came back to me in a rush, this song is amazing!!!! And they play it hard. The crowd is beside themselves and at this point people I don't know are turning around and smiling at me, yelling "Glorified version of a pellet gun..." It was awesome and a perfect precedence to "DTE"! This song tickles my funny bone, it's about letting loose and the band has such a good time playing it, the lights shine on the crowd during the hallelujah part and people take advantage to shine, singing hallelujah with their arms swaying from side to side. I don't know how much more I can handle, but I know I am loving every second, taking it all in and not wanting it to end. Something tells me it is about to. The band leaves the stage and I knew they would be back, but not for much longer. They haven't played "Black," a song I live for. And they haven't played "Dirty Frank," which I prayed they would decide to uncover this tour in this venue. It was not to be. Hey they haven't played "Daughter," what's up with that?

Just wait girl, here they come again. Those opening chords, so familiar. Yes, they will play "Daughter" tonight. They played it so right and the lyrics at the beginning bring a special person in my life to my mind, "Alone, listless, breakfast table in an otherwise empty room...." I just take it in, I closed my eyes for a moment and just enjoyed. The lights up top of the stage moved down, just as "the shades go down" and then they moved on to a tag, I think it was Hey, Hey. This part I loved because Ed would sing hey, hey, and the crowd would follow. He raised each "hey" to another level until a climax, and the crowd made the most of it. It was fun but then "Yellow Ledbetter" begins and I am about to lose it. I don't want them to go and I still believe they will not end this show with YL. C'mon it can't happen. The lights slowly go up before Mikey ends the song with that familiar expertise. I try to make people who don''t feel the way I do about music understand the power that lies in a guitar chord or someone's voice. It's almost impossible to explain, you either feel it or you don't. Honestly, whoever could stand in that place last night, listening to Mike and not feel that power, has a serious problem! Here I am, not knowing what is going to happen next, but YL is over and from what I could see, Ed is grabbing two tambourines!!! YES, YES, YES. It is not over yet! The end is near, but it's gonna be much sweeter after this. "Baba O'Riley" with the house lights on. It's happened before, but now it is happening here! I was at the 2000 show when they played this song, but it wasn't the same. Now every single person here is feeling at the highest level what a Pearl Jam show is all about. My brother is going nuts by now, and I hardly recognize myself. I am in my little space, but it seems I am all over the place. I can't help throwing my arms in the air (I get chills remembering this now ), jumping in the air and singing until my throat burned. The tanbourines go flying into the hands of some lucky few who can catch them, and my heart is about to burst. I just lived through another two hours I will add on to my PJ scrapbook. My brother now has a better understanding of my obsession with this band and may develop one of his own. Two hours that moved me beyond words and that have motivated me to sit here and share all I felt last night. The crowd was amazing and I think the band fed off it the entire night.

Thank you Pearl Jam for such an incredible performance, for giving it your all. Do not ever stop because this will not be the last time I experience this feeling! You guys are the best at what you do. Thanks for the memories!!!!