Set List: Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Save You, Deep, Dissident, Small Town, Even Flow, Jeremy, Thumbing My Way, You Are, I Am Mine, Habit, Untitled, MFC, Given To Fly, Nothingman, Blood, Porch;
1st encore: Driven To Tears by The Police, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fortunate Son;
2nd encore: Blue Red Grey by Pete Townshend, Black, Alive, Baba O'Riley

Last nights show was incredible. I was so exhausted from the nearly 3 hour drive to and from Champaign (from DeKalb, IL) and from the energy spent at the show, I fell right asleep when I got home.

This, my second PJ concert, was extra special for me because I shared it with my girlfriend. We went to the Chicago show in 2000 when we had only been dating for two weeks, and I'm proud to say after two and a half years and two Pearl Jam shows, we're still going strong. All you need IS love.

Anyway, on to the show. As I said, it's been 2 1/2 years since my last PJ show, and it seems like a different band. They seem 2 1/2 years younger, rather than older. I remember the energy from 2000 being great, but this show there was even more. Eddie was jumping, Mike was all over the stage, Boom exploded for an amazing keyboard solo during Black...it was so intense...and the crowd was in a frenzy.

Eddie opened the show with a "Let's go" and never looked back. Evolution was a shocking opener, as I was expecting a slower opener such as Sometimes or Long Road, but I loved it, it set a great pace. Corduroy, Save You, Deep, and Dissident followed...Eddie doing his best Who impression during Corduroy.

After Small Town and Even Flow, the band played Jeremy, and Eddie sung EVERY WORD. I know in the recent past he's shied away from singing the "Jeremy spoke in class today part" but he nailed it down along with all the "Whos" and "Woahs," but he let us finish it off (and I was especially happy to oblige, as I let out a gut wrenching "WOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" that sent my head in a spin). It was amazing. I think Eddie giving it his all on Jeremy really showed and secured the high energy of the show, and for the rest of the night I knew the show was going to be something special.

The next three songs, all off the new record sounded great, and the light show during You Are was really cool, it fit the song perfectly. Eddie then dedicated Habit to all of us on Crystal Meth.

MFC, Given To Fly, and Nothingman were sandwiched inbetween Untitled, and Blood & Porch, three songs I was very happy to hear live for the first time.

The band came back for the first encore, and Eddie started with a "Still here" and asked who had class tomorrow..."We don't have class tomorrow...class my ass" and started the bombardment of covers with Driven To Tears, a complete surprise that they played flawlessly like they have been doing it for years.

After Better Man and Crazy Mary, Eddie Speaks again: "Here's a history lesson" and he teaches the constitution and history with Know Your Rights and Fortunate Son. I loved the placing of Fortunate Son, as I thought that would have been a great closer, but they played it in the first encore and everyone knew there was more to come. (By the way, I'll take Professor Vedder over any one of my instructors any day)

Ed comes out alone for the second encore with the Uke, so here comes Soon Forget...or is it??...Ed talks about Soon Forget and how it was inspired by a Who song off Who By Numbers..."Aww, whom I kidding, it was stolen off a Who record...well...parts of it were." So he says they're going to play the stolen song for the first time, and I can't believe I'm at a show for a first like this, and Ed strokes the Uke and churns out Blue Red Grey, which was simply amazing.

Black followed, and as I said before, Boom had a great keyboard solo. He ended by throwing up his hand, and Mike steps up, and it's his turn for a solo. Mike was so into the whole show, the solos were incredible, I think at one point my ears actually bled.

Well, I know they can't end on black, so I'm crossing my fingers for the next song...and after two and a half years of waiting, I finally get to hear the song I love, THE song, the song that got me through high school...I can't believe it...ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time it ends I just want to sit down, but the tambourines are out, so I have to stand up for more crowd participation, because Baba O'Riley's coming, and it's gone before I know it. I couldn't believe the show went by so fast...it kind of saddened me that it was over. But I was by no means disappointed. What an incredible show. There are no words...yet there are so many...see you all in June for Chicago and East Troy.