Ed solo before opening bands: Trouble by Cat Stevens, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Set list: Last Exit, Animal, Save You, The American in Me by The Avengers, Even Flow, 1/2 Full, Given to Fly, Wishlist, In My Tree, Timeless Melody (by The La's) w/Ben from Death Cab For Cutie, Rearviewmirror;
1st encore (acoustic): Lukin, I Am Mine, Nothingman, Last Kiss, Black;
2nd encore: Corduroy, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), I Believe in Miracles by Ramones, The New World (by X) with Tim Robbins, Fortunate Son by CCR, Alive;
3rd encore: Rockin' in the Free World w/Death Cab For Cutie and Gob Roberts, Yellow Ledbetter

My first live Pearl Jam experience in almost a year, and they didn't disappoint. We were already in our seats when Ed came out for the pre-set. I got a good laugh as thousands of people scurried for their seats. He began to strum "Trouble" by Cat Stevens, and I almost wet myself. I don't think I've ever heard a better version than this evening. Next was "Hide Your Love Away" by The Beatles. Of course, this is one of the all time camp fire sing-a-long songs, and this was no different. Ed then put his guitar down and began to talk about politics. He said there was a republican there, and since he believed in fairness, he would let him speak. Someone then rolled out a man in a wheelchair who briefly spoke, and then BOOM! ZAP! WHAM! The republican slimebag got electrocuted, stood up, and it was none other than Tim Robbins. His band "Gob Roberts" then began their 20 or so minute set. The music was decent, and the lyrics were definitely politically charged. Overall, they did a good job, I liked the message, and it was cool to see Tim Robbins.

After a 15 minute set change, Death Cab for Cutie hit the stage. To be honest, I hadn't listened to them until I heard they'd be opening up for Pearl Jam. I bought their new album and dug most of the tracks. They sounded good, but I think they were a little out of their element. They have a very intricate and abstract sound, a sound that would be brought to its fullest in a smaller venue. I listened to about half of their set and headed for a beer and smoke break.

We got back to our seats about 5 minutes before Pearl Jam hit the stage. The setting was great, I must have seen 5000 smiles as the house lights went down. The band walked out with their usual swagger. Ed placed his book down and the band broke into "Last Exit." They burned through it, as well as good versions of "Animal," and "Save You." Next was a cover, "The American in Me" by The Avengers. I had never heard this before, but now I keep wanting to hear it again. Anyway, Evenflow followed and it was definitely a crowd favorite. Mike was amazing tonight. He sounds better and better every time I see Pearl Jam play.

1/2 Full was strong as Ed used his mirror to reflect the spotlight upon the crowd. The band then switched gears and broke into "Given To Fly." A less than memorable version of "Wishlist" followed. Ed flubbed the lyrics a couple times and apologized to the crowd. "In My Tree" also had some flaws as it appeared Matt had a problem with his equipment. All in all, it was a good version. I had never heard this live before, so I was bouncing up and down in front of my seat. Ed then announced a guest, the singer from Death Cab for Cutie. They sang a cover "Timeless Melody," trading verses with each other. The contrast between their voices provided a really crucial sound. Afterwards, the band broke into a great version of "Rearviewmirror" which brought the first set to a close.

Stage techs then spent about 10 minutes setting up chairs and rearranging equipment for the acoustic set. The band came back out and Ed told us they were going to play some of their more somber songs, and we needed to be as quiet as possible. About 2 minutes later, after the people stopped screaming, Ed lead a great version of "Lukin." Of course, I still don't know what the fucking words are, but who really does? "I am Mine," which is one of my favorite songs, sounded great. "Nothingman" was also beautiful. "Last Kiss" was good, as just about everyone sang along. Ed complimented the audience on their singing, which encouraged us to sing even more! And that we did, as the band gently transitioned into a pretty version of "Black." Boom was great, and the crowd singing really enhanced the song. After jamming for a few minutes the band retreated backstage to shoot some hoops and figure out how to end the show (I don't know what they really did, but that sounds good to me).

5 minutes of darkness preceded Pearl Jam's return to the stage. They started the encore with favorites like Corduroy, DTE, and Betterman. There's no denying the greatness of all 3 songs. Ed then acknowledged his love and feeling of loss for Johnny Ramone. It was pretty sad, his pain was evident by the tone in his voice. But sadness ended right there. The band playing a very touching version of "I Believe in Miracles" by The Ramones. Tim Robbins then came out to sing on "The New World." They sang this together and the sound seemed a bit muffled to me. (Note: Tim Robbins makes Ed look like a midget) The encore was brought to a close with another cover, "Fortunate Son," and an uplifting version of "Alive."

I was really suprised to see a few people head to the exits as darkness remained in the arena. Of course, the loyal majority was waiting anxiously for the 2nd encore. The guys came out after a minute or so, and Ed thanked the tour staff and some other people. He then invited the other acts on stage for an intense version of "Rocking In The Free World." By this time they had the lights up where you could see the whole crowd. It was like watching a rhythmic sea of people, very cool to see. Mike broke into "Yellow Ledbetter" and it didn't disappoint. The Jeff and Stone talked to each other as Ed made up new words to the song. They did an awesome breakdown to the song, and everyone stopped playing and left Mike to end the night with an incredible solo. That brought the show to a close and brought on the traffic jam. Anyway, terrific show, it was like climbing a mountain with no peak, it just kept getting better.

Jeremy
Orange Park, FL