“Welcome to Pearl Jam’s fiftieth present in New York Metropolis,” Eddie Vedder mentioned to a rapturous response on stage at Madison Sq. Backyard on Wednesday night time (Sept. 4), the second of two exhibits the enduring band from Seattle performed on the World’s Most Well-known Enviornment this week.
“And for that we’re grateful and need to pay that again. So take pleasure in yourselves to the best — and Mike McCready guarantees to do the identical,” he added, earlier than the lead guitarist ripped right into a searing model of “Evenflow,” enjoying an prolonged epic solo along with his guitar behind his again.
That was one spotlight of a present filled with them, and one which captured the band in its factor: pushing songs to the restrict, having enjoyable with the gang and likewise getting severe about a few of the large points within the nation and the world at massive.
“The rights of girls are usually not simply being threatened, they’re already being taken away,” Vedder mentioned after “Evenflow,” a handful of songs into the band’s two and a half hour set. “I do know it’s a bit early to be stepping into this s–t, however let’s get it over with! So the fitting to decide on challenge, it used to contain non secular fanatics, after which politicians bought concerned, not as a result of they care a technique or one other, they only would love the votes. And it’s advanced into judges, and ladies of all ages are up towards a Supreme Court docket. So there’s excellent news: It’s time to vote, and because the nice Patti Smith mentioned, folks have the facility. By no means have more true phrases been spoken. Ladies, really feel empowered; girls, vote on your personal pursuits, and assist a sister out whilst you’re at it.”
The band then went into “Daughter,” with an prolonged outro to the melody of Pink Floyd’s “One other Brick Within the Wall Pt. 2,” wherein Vedder modified the lyrics to sing, “Hold your bans all off our our bodies/ politicians go away our women alone/ Judges go away our women alone.”
It wasn’t the one time Vedder, sporting a Walter Payton Chicago Bears jersey, and the band addressed the skin world. On a day wherein the U.S. noticed one other mass faculty taking pictures, wherein 4 folks have been killed and extra wounded at a highschool in Georgia, the band pulled out a seldom-performed tune from its sophomore album, Vs., known as “Glorified G” — a cynical sneer on the false bravado of gun homeowners, with Vedder introducing it by saying, “I hate weapons!” Extra poignantly, and extra somberly, two songs later, the band performed “Jeremy,” its first breakout hit from the group’s debut album, which is a few boy who brings a gun to high school and shoots himself in entrance of his classroom bullies. Delivered with full power, the subtext wasn’t misplaced.
In any other case, the band clearly loved the 50-show milestone, with Vedder telling a narrative of the primary time he ever got here to New York Metropolis (“as a Chicago child, after which on the West Coast, I had by no means been East of Chicago earlier than”) whereas introducing “Aged Girl Behind the Counter In a Small City,” whereas there have been large crowd reactions for the high-energy performances of songs akin to “Rearviewmirror,” “Hail Hail” and “Do the Evolution.” (The latter, for this fan a minimum of, takes on a distinct tenor after watching three episodes of the docuseries Chimp Loopy, however I digress.)
After a set break, Vedder got here out solo to carry out the Steven Van Zandt-penned “I Am a Patriot” and the latter-career gem “Simply Breathe,” earlier than bringing tour opener Glen Hansard — “Good human, nice Irishman” — to the stage to carry out the latter’s “The Music of Good Hope,” shouting out a number of followers who had been going by way of tough occasions and saying that the tune had helped him by way of troubles of his personal. The total band — plus former Crimson Scorching Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and producer Andrew Watt, who chipped in with a number of solos over the night — then returned for John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Reality” and the punk anthem “Sonic Reducer.”
The band then ripped by way of one other rarity in fan-favorite “Leash” and its iconic anthem “Alive,” earlier than Vedder introduced Little Stevie himself on stage to run by way of a joyful “Rocking Within the Free World,” full with Hansard, Watt and the complete area lights on, earlier than closing out with their unreleased basic “Yellow Ledbetter” and sending followers residence into the Manhattan night time.
Set Checklist
- “Backyard”
- “Corduroy”
- “Hail Hail”
- “Evenflow”
- “Daughter -> One other Brick In The Wall Pt. 2”
- “Darkish Matter”
- “React Reply”
- “Gained’t Inform”
- “Not for You”
- “Wreckage”
- “I Am Mine”
- “Aged Girl Behind the Counter In a Small City”
- “Glorified G”
- “Do the Evolution”
- “Jeremy”
- “Ready for Stevie” (with Andrew Watt)
- “Rearviewmirror”
—
- “I Am a Patriot” (Eddie solo)
- “Simply Breathe” (Eddie solo)
- “The Music of Good Hope” (with Glen Hansard)
- “Gimme Some Reality”
- “Setting Solar”
- “Sonic Reducer”
- “Leash”
- “Alive”
- “Rockin Within the Free World” (with Little Stevie, Glen Hansard and Andrew Watt)
- “Yellow Ledbetter”
Supply hyperlink
