December 6, 2000: Billboard.com yesterday announced the current slated release dates for the U.S. tour boots. They will be available via tenclub.net starting January 30, and via regular retail outlets starting March 27. Tenclub.net will once again have the discounted ($10.98) pricing. U.S. Live Bootleg News
These dates have not been officially confirmed yet, and can always change, but the source is reliable. Start saving those pennies!
EV At Nader Rally
photo courtesy Associated PressSeptember 23, 2000: Ed made a surprised, unannounced appearance at a Seattle political rally to support Ralph Nader. He appeared following the other speakers on the bill and immediately preceding Nader, whom he also introduced. Two songs were performed: "Soon Forget" (which Ed has mentioned in the past as being a song he thought Ralph Nader would like) and his cover of "I Am A Patriot." [Additional notes are in the Concert Chronology.]
Update, 10/6/00: Ed will be appearing at two more rallies, in both Chicago (10/10) and New York (10/13). Tickets and more details available from votenader.org.
Live At [Insert City Here]
August 18 Update: See updated artwork above! Could not be more reminiscent of Live At Leeds if you tried. =) Each cover is completely different. Twenty-five shows can be advance ordered online now.
August 17, 2000: The polaroids. The posters. Full-color artwork. There's been months of speculation about "what will the covers look like?!" for the official bootleg series, and now we know (see above artwork for the Paris show).
Directly reminiscent of the Who's Live At Leeds, the cover is minimalistic, retaining that essential PJ "do it yourself" feeling.
We don't know what the labels will look like or if there is any other detailed information beyond a tracklist (or if there even is one)! Release date information is below. No, we don't know when you'll be able to order these through the tenclub.net site, probably not until the release date.
To respond to the many, many emails we've gotten asking us to put together a "top ten" to help people decide what to buy: we can't do that. We know we did a survey for the 1998 tour but we wouldn't do that again; unless you've been to every single show, there's no way you can really choose a top ten. Plus, everyone has their own individual criteria for what's interesting and meaningful to them. We have the Concert Chronology, which gives you the tools and information you need to make your own decisions -- which is all part of the fun of it!
More on Live Bootlegs
August 12, 2000: The Epic/Sony mailing list sent out the following update on August 10:
"PEARL JAM FANS,
Pearl Jam will release twenty-five double disc European bootlegs on September 26. Each bootleg is a mastered live show recorded during their recent European tour.
Stay tuned for details at: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam"
Live Bootleg Update
July 30, 2000: Just a short note to point out the recent Rumor Pit Update: the release date for the European shows is September 5. The price will be $10.98 if you buy through the Ten Club. The cd's include the European shows only (not Bellingham or Vancouver). Again, check out the Rumor Pit for full details.
Also, it might be worth talking to your local record store about what their plans are to sell these (they will be available at retail); fans in unlikely locations are reporting that local stores are planning on carrying all and/or many of the shows. If they know people want them, they may order more. Just a thought.
Band's Official Response to Roskilde Investigation
July 26, 2000: Following many confusing and conflicting reports by Danish Police regarding responsibility, moral or otherwise, today Pearl Jam issued their own call for an in-depth investigation of the events leading up to the tragedy at Roskilde. Please see the latest Rumor Pit for the full text of the statement.
Also, there was a previous item in the Rumor Pit regarding a Roskilde Relief Fund being set up by Pearl Jam's sound company, Rat Sound. We've created this banner; if you'd like to take use this banner for your own site, please feel free.
Update 8/2: Please see the latest Rumor Pit Update for the full text of the letter from the Roskilde police.
PJ Responsible for Roskilde? We Think Not
July 21, 2000: As Pearl Jam fans, we feel shocked and dismayed with this week's reports stating that Danish police are holding Pearl Jam "morally responsible" for the disaster at the Roskilde festival June 30. We particularly disagree with Roskilde Deputy Chief Constable Bent Rungstrom's statement: "We have spoken to numerous witnesses who have told us that Pearl Jam are well known for almost appealing for violent behaviour." The police report also notes that crowd surfing is an activity "closely connected with Pearl Jam."
It goes without saying that we unconditionally support PJ manager Kelly Curtis' statement issued yesterday and in further support, offer the following documented sampling of moments from many, many shows that help illustrate the band's concern for the welfare of their audiences ...
2/28/92 - ULU, London
"Hold on one second ... see your boots there ... the big shiny metal buckles? See these people's heads here, because they are people's heads and these aren't fucking casaba melons. Everybody, it's a beautiful thing when you lie down on top of the crowd looking like Jesus Christ. But I swear all I wanna do is crucify you when I see you smashing peoples' heads."3/2/92 - Paard, Den Haag
"Just a couple of words. In my whole life, I never wanted to be a policeman or anything of authority. But in fact, all my life I've been in a crowd like this, and whenever I was back there and people throw up onto the stage and jumped back off it always looked so cool, but when you are up here, see all these peoples' heads bein' smashed in by boots and stuff, it's really fuckin' ridiculous."8/19/93 - Verdun Auditorium, Montreal
"Go" is stopped and restarted because the crowd is going nuts.3/28/94 - Bayfront Amphitheater, Miami
"One of you guys up front is hitting people. This guy right here ... get him out. Pull him out. We don't wanna see him anymore."2/5/95 - Moore Theater, Seattle
Ed speaks of how they just got their vaccinations for the Asian tour, and, while speaking of "pains in the ass," says about the "jumping thing" (moshing and stagediving) that they are "beyond that now."3/11/95 - Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney
Ed, experiencing throat problems, sips hot tea and says they won't play until the crowd gets some water.3/22/95 - Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
"... up here, we got a problem. We gotta clear some room. Please everyone, if you wanna do something for me, as a favor ... everyone take like five steps back ... now on the next song, jump up and down not forward, OK?"3/24/95 - Super Top, Auckland
The crowd begins smashing forward, even before PJ takes the stage. Ed takes the stage alone with his guitar and says he wants to start off real slow and for everyone to stay calm, playing 'Throw Your Arms Around Me.'6/20/95 - Red Rocks, Morrison
Four lines into 'RVM', Eddie stops the band to break up a fight in the crowd: "OK, stop for a second ... Come on you guys. What the fuck are you having a fight for? You're in the middle of a rock and roll concert ... peace and love, right? ... Course remember we're the band that starts fights (sarcastically)."
9/16/95 - South Park Meadows, Austin
The show is paused briefly after 'Last Exit' to "get everybody up" and everyone is encouraged to "take two steps back."9/17/95 - Tad Gormley Stadium, New Orleans
Eddie brings 'Tremor Christ' to a halt when a fan bites it in the pit. He says they can't start again until they are helped. "Someone went down in front, we're stopping until they get picked up."10/7/96 - Ft. Lauderdale Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
Ed asks for Eric to come help with trouble in the pit toward the end of 'Dissident.'9/29/96 - Randalls Island, New York
A nearly three-hour show with a raging pit. The band stops playing several times in an effort to get the crowd to settle down. Including:
Eddie addresses the crowd again after the song, saying, "I just want to address y'all again -- you know, if someone got hurt until the point that they weren't living any more, I don't think I could ever play again. Some bands go on -- we couldn't. Music is not that important." He was clearly getting pissed at the inability of the crowd to stop and police themselves. "There's a fuckin' mental hospital up the street -- is that where you came from? It's a little too fuckin' CROWDED to be having a fuckin' MOSHPIT -- with all due respect. Just calm down!" Eddie stops again and points at a girl in the crowd (the second one he spoke to): "Sweetheart, you're not gonna make it -- just come out. Just come out. We'll find a place for you on the side of the stage. The rest of you, every second of dead time we'll make up, don't worry. Oh, now we've got a fight."2/20/98 - Baldwin Amphitheatre, Maui
Not the best crowd, going wild with 'Corduroy' as the unusual opener, and breaking the barrier during 'Red Mosquito.' Ed asks the crowd to step back and references the (ineffective) "Mariah Carey barricade."2/28/98 - Ericsson Stadium, Auckland
After "Hail Hail" Eddie stopped to ask if everyone up front was okay, especially "this six feet either side in front of me here. I knew you guys were going to be a problem" he said, half smiling. As "Brain Of J" got started, you could see he was getting worried and about a minute into it he just shouted "Stop!". After a bit of crowd calming chat, something about how it must be good karma to be born in New Zealand and how it must be good karma for them to make it here, he said "Okay, for all you moshpit virgins out there, if someone falls, you pick 'em up."Pearl Jam's deep and abiding concern for their audience (for us!) is the one fact that cannot be denied. It is the foundation of the connection between PJ fans and the band. To attempt to allege otherwise is nothing short of ludicrous. A new article on Sonicnet today is a good attempt to do the research and get the facts.
--the band's official response to roskilde--
European Tour Cancelled
July 1, 2000: The remaining two shows on the European tour have been cancelled. This is verified by phone calls to both venues.
Deaths At Roskilde
June 30, 4:48pm: It is with the most profound sadness we share with you the news received from a mainstream journalist moments ago. Prelminary reports indicated that there were five deaths at the Roskilde Festival today; this was later updated to 9 dead.
Other reports (and these vary, depending on the news organization) indicate that there have been many others in critical condition (as many as 19) and others hospitalized for other injuries (as many as 30).
At this point your best bet for continued coverage of this tragic event are the traditional news outlets, such as CNN, MSNBC.com, or any other international news outlet. [These links are not endorsements of either of these news outlets, but simply an example of the kind of thing to get you headed in the right direction.]
Roskilde Set Cancelled Midway Due to Injuries
June 30, 2000, 3:50pm: We just received a phone call from fans who were at the Roskilde Festival. Approximately one hour into the set, following "Daughter", approximately 10-15 fans in the mosh pit were seriously injured. PJ cancelled the rest of their set and Eddie walked offstage visibly upset (as was the rest of the band).
We have no further details at this time; eyewitnesses (folks on the rail in front of Ed) were also extremely upset (and understandably so). When and if we hear more, we will update accordingly. We send out all possible good thoughts to those hurt and injured at the show and hope the rest of you will do the same.
Next Single Confirmed by Sony
June 19, 2000: On Saturday we published a link to a story in the NME regarding the next single - and today Sony confirms (in a story in Billboard [scroll down to see the PJ story] that the next single is "Light Years," with two b-sides from Bellingham (5/10/00): "Soon Forget" and "Grievance". The single will be released in the U.S. on July 18, and in the U.K. on July 3. No word at this time on releases in other territories.
The Soundboard Mystery Continues
May 15, 2000: Stone allegedly alluded to this in a pre-show CFOX interview last week, and then today this was sent to us, from ICE Magazine, a usually highly reliable source. (Please note, you won't find this on their web site, only in the printed issue.)
"Two independant, highly placed sources at Sony Music have informed ICE that Pearl Jam has tentative plans to release a double live CD, or 'official bootleg,' for each and every concert that it will perform on its upcoming world tour. If the plan holds together, that would result in an astounding 68 (or so) live double CDs being released this year by the renegade band. But anything is possible with the internet, right? 'There'll be a retail component to it, too,' one of the sources tells ICE.The key line we heard in researching this story was uttered by another top label source: 'It's a work in progress... everything you're asking me is going to change.' But as it stood in early May, the CDs would be manufactured by Sony Music, but as to which label they appear under -- the band records for Epic Records -- was 'still to be determined.' But they'll be recorded and mixed by the bands own live engineer, Brett Eliason.
'They'll be very quick-to-turn and low-tech,' one source says. 'But each set will be identified by a letter grade...each one accorded a rating by the band, depending on the quality of the show. The band will rate the shows themselves.'
One thing is set in stone: Pearl Jam kicks off its world tour on May 23 with a show in Lisbon, Portugal. Their European jaunt winds up six weeks later on July 3 in Rotterdam, Holland. The thinking presently is that the CD sets would then go on sale 'four to six weeks' after the European tour concludes, but that's probably the most liquid of all the plans. That would correspond with the beginning of Pearl Jam's 41-date American trek, which commences on August 3 in Virginia Beach and wraps on November 4 in - naturally - Seattle."
If this even partially comes to fruition, it's a fucking godsend.
Update, 6/4/00: This scheme has been officially confirmed by the Rumor Pit. FYI, we know the Sony release schedule has a "live album" scheduled for 8/22, so that could be this starting.
PJ Web Chat!
April 30, 2000: The latest Rumor Pit informs us all that PJ are going to be doing a web chat on (of all places!) Lycos on May 15 at 9pm EDT.
There were no other details besides that. There is NOTHING on Lycos right now that tells you if you need to download anything, or where exactly the chat will be; we'll keep a close eye on things and post any information we find out as we find it.
Update, 5/8:: There is now a special page on Lycos about the chat. Go and register for Lycos now and try out any chat room a few times before Monday so you are prepared!
Warming Up in Bellingham, WA
April 27, 2000: The rumored May 10 Bellingham popup show is apparently a reality, with the Rumor Pit's announcement that tickets go on sale at the Mt. Baker Theater at 4pm PDT today. Those who have phoned the venue are being told that wristbands are being handed out at 4pm; tickets are actually being sold tomorrow morning. However, if you don't get a wristband today, you're probably out of luck. Good luck everyone!!
Binaural Media Alert!
April 19, 2000: The band stayed in NYC last week after the Letterman show to do a few days of press for the new album; we'll start seeing this show up soon. The first evidence of this is a somewhat interesting interview on MTV's web site, where you'll find a snippet of another Binaural track ("Rival") as well as some RealVideo footage of Stone and Jeff.
Update: All Binaural media is now being tracked in our Binaural Media Watch
Online Single Official Debut; Album Date Change
April 8, 2000: Yep, it's true; "Nothing As It Seems" will be officially available in streaming format (in other words, you can't download it... or, alright, someone will, but that's not the point) on Synergy, tenclub.net and allegedly at Apple's Quicktime showcase site (since the file format is Apple Quicktime media). Many radio stations have the single now, and are playing it.
Late Friday afternoon, an updated tracklist (with sequence) was sent out and posted to Synergy, only to vanish without a trace later. So it would seem the band are still tweaking the album up until the last minute! =)
Update: The final tracklisting is now up at Synergy.
We'll also point out that the Epic email sent out confirms the official release date of the album as May 16. (Postcards only please, usual address.)
Single Release Info
April 6, 2000: tenclub.net now has their own Binaural page (in case you didn't have enough places to be checking for info!). Unfortunately it is inconsistent with other info that's already out there - it lists the single release date as April 11, when that's been corrected by the Rumor Pit as being April 25 (which, as we posted a few weeks ago, matches the information we have).
It's safe to say you can't buy the single until April 25, although it has already been released to radio and there are bad quality mp3's making the rounds. (No, don't ask us where you can find it, it's easy enough, and we ourselves are waiting for the Letterman appearance [where it is highly likely that the single will be played] to hear it.) The radio single is a promo with no artwork and only one song, so no use calling and asking for "Insignificance." =)
The important info from the Ten Club's album page:
- The album is being released one week earlier abroad (although we do hear that it may also come out May 16 in the U.S., heaven forbid we should suggest this and get flamed again)
- The European and Australian/New Zealand markets get BONUS TRACKS, while U.S. fans don't. (Thanks, we love paying $$$ for imports.) However, the bonus tracks are "Footsteps" and "Better Man" from 1999's Bridge School Benefit shows, so it's not like we haven't all heard this already. (But, still.)
Binaural Tracklisting!
March 29, 2000: Our sources have provided us with the tracklisting for the forthcoming record, as follows:
Breakherfall
Insignificance
Evacuation
Letter To The Dead
Rival
Grievance
Light Years
Of The Girl
Thin Air
Nothing As It Seems
Fatal
Sleight Of Hand
Soon Forget
In The Moonlight
Parting Ways
EducationThe countdown continues!! (Yes, we're excited, damn it. So sue us.)
Album Artwork Debut
March 28, 2000: As debuted on Synergy today, above is the actual album artwork for the forthcoming album.
This is an actual image taken by the Hubble Telescope called "The Hourglass Planetary Nebula" and you can read more about it at this web site. Very cool.
More Opening Band News: The Monkeywrench
March 25, 2000: Steve Turner has announced that The Monkeywrench will open the two London PJ dates at the end of May. More info about the band can be found at Mudhoney and from Estrus Records (including sound files). The Monkeywrench is Mark Arm and Steve Turner (Mudhoney, Mr. Epp, Green River), Tim Kerr (Poison 13, Big Boys), Tom Price (Gas Huffer, U-Men), Martin Bland (Lubricated Goat, Bloodloss).
The Dismemberment Plan Opening Band for Late European Dates
March 21, 2000: It was just announced that four-member band the Dismemberment Plan will join Pearl Jam's late spring European tour dates (Prague through Rotterdam). The band, currently touring the U.S., have details on their web site at www.dismembermentplan.com.
Vancouver Madness
March 20, 2000: Vancouver radio station CFOX 99.3 FM (this site appears to be getting flooded right now) just announced this morning that Pearl Jam are going to play a FREE club concert in Vancouver, Canada on May 11th to kick off their tour. Confirmed by news releases on both the Ten Club and Synergy sites, they plan to play at the small Commodore Ballroom. Apparently the only way to get in is to win tickets through listening to CFOX.
Maybe this will help quell some of the disturbance coming from the Vancouver area over no tour date in that beautiful city. We know we'd love to make into this show :) Who wouldn't?
North American Tour Dates, Letterman, New Rumor Pit
March 17, 2000: As if we haven't had enough news this week...today the band announced the long-awaited North American tour schedule, as well as an upcoming appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman on April 12; please see the most recent Rumor Pit for the full details.
At this time there is no additional news about venues, tickets, or anything else; we plan to put together a version of Going Mobile for the U.S. tour once there's something to work with besides dates and cities!
"Binaural"
DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM RELEASE!bin·au·ral [bi náwrel, bináwrel] adjective
1.involving both ears: relating to both ears, or the perception of sound by both ears
2.in stereo: recorded onto two separate channels using two microphones, so as to sound realistic when heard through headphones
March 15, 2000: The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here....
Release date: May 23
First single: "Nothing As It Seems"
Album title: Binaural"And there was much rejoicing...."
Rumor Pit update: The Rumor Pit provides the single release date as 4/11, with a b-side of "Insignificance".
Release Date Madness
February 10, 2000: As we've mentioned a few times, the release dates you keep hearing/seeing/reading originate from release sheets sent out by Sony Music to retailers & record stores. They are not confirmed dates or set in stone, they basically represent the record company's 'best guess' in order to give their customers something to hang onto.
Dates causing Pearl Jam withdrawal mania have been 11/8, 2/22, 2/29, 3/25, and most recently, 4/4. The latter date has especially been driving people nuts as apparently a music retailer has taken out an ad in a magazine listing that date as though it's 100% definite.
We have recently been told that we should not expect to see the album before May, and it is our understanding that the album is its final stages of work at this writing. We would also like to assure people that there is no way this album will be released and you won't know about it, well in advance!
We hope this helps quell some of the Pearl Jam fever making people a little cranky lately. =)
Catching Up on News / January 31, 2000
The Rockfords Arrive!
As evidenced by the lovely banner above, Mike's side project, The Rockfords, hits the stores February 1. We know you are all going to rush out and buy it (or you can place your order online by clicking on the banner). The Rockfords also have a song on the soundtrack of the new movie "Down To You." (The song doesn't actually appear in the movie, however.)
We hear that any plans for live dates (we're not going to call it a "tour," since it will be a handful of dates at best) should be announced shortly. No, we don't know when, but when they are announced, we will report them here.
For your most up-to-date information, please be sure to check our sister site, Sidetracked: A guide to Pearl Jam Side Projects, as well as pay a visit to our friend The Rockfordphile over at rockfords.net.
More European Festival Dates
According to the official Roskilde Festival web page, PJ will be appearing at this festival in Denmark at the end of June (June 29-July 2). The band played Roskilde in 1992 (one of their their first big festivals). That makes three confirmed festival appearances in Europe this summer in the June-July timeframe.
The Ten Club has told fans who have written that PJ will be doing their own dates in addition to "a few" festivals.
We will note that at this time there are LOTS of dates flying around and that there has been no official confirmation from the band just yet. (Yes, we remember that the entire 1998 Australian tour sold out before the band officially confirmed those dates! =) ) We are going to organize the most reliable ones into a list and add them to the On The Road page shortly.
The End of Loosegroove
As reported by the Seattle Weekly, Loosegroove is shutting its doors after five years. The official reason given is that Stone wants to devote more time to Pearl Jam. The story is here.
Copyright © 2004 Five Horizons
