Earlier this year Pearl Jam announced their twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, followed by a World Tour with 35 dates, currently coming to an end in North America with an Australian Leg ahead. On September 3 and 4, they returned to Madison Square Garden (MSG) for the first time in two years, making this appearances #49 and #50 at the World’s Greatest Arena.
During Night 1, Eddie and the band plowed through a massive 2+ hour set with 25 songs filled with emotional dedications to various fans in attendance. The entire show is built around a giant projection screen which integrates breath-taking visuals by the great Rob Sheridan, whose most notable work has been with Nine Inch Nails. It really set the mood for each songs and elevates the band, the performance and the space to a higher level.
Other than the usual staples (“Alive,” “Even Flow,” “Porch”) Eddie played a solo cover of “Imagine” by John Lennon, and the band rocked out a The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” all with six songs off Dark Matter, which all sound fresh and integrated seamlessly into the set.
Pearl Jam – Madison Square Garden, NYC – Tuesday, September 3
Setlist: Pendulum, Better Man (with The English Beat’s “Save It for Later” tag), Immortality, Scared of Fear React, Respond Wreckage, Satan’s Bed, Even Flow, Out of My Mind, Mind Your Manners, Dark Matter, Do the Evolution, Upper Hand, Love Boat Captain (with The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” intro), Black, Given to Fly, Porch
Encore: Imagine (John Lennon cover), Inside Job, Unthought Known, Running, Once, Alive, Baba O’Riley (The Who cover), Indifference
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