02/28/96 - PJ are awarded a Grammy for "Spin the Black Circle"July 3-31, 1996 - Three Fish U.S./Canada tour supporting Three Fish album. Featuring Jeff Ament, Robbie Robb, Richard Stuverud, and Scott Seiver; Kristen Barry opened.
08/06/96 - The Palace: Los Angeles, CA (Ed appears at The Ramones' final show)
attendance: sold out
set: Any Way You Want It (only song with Vedder)
notes: Billed as The Ramones' last show, attendees were issued tickets reading "Adios Amigos. Ramones. The 2263rd Show." A variety of special guests accompanied The Ramones at various points throughout the show, including Dee Dee Ramone, members of Soundgarden, Rancid and Motorhead with Ed being the final guest. He takes the stage wearing one of his masks and lends vocals to 'Any Way You Want It,' closing the show.This live performance was later released as We're Outta Here!![[Link to Video Guide]](5hvid.gif)
08/27/96 - No Code is released
09/96 - American tour begins, again using alternate (non-Ticketmaster) venues and ticket purchasing/distribution systems
09/14/96 - The Showbox: Seattle, WA [105m]
attendance: 800
support act: Gus
set: Sometimes, Hail Hail, Who You Are, In My Tree, Habit, Present Tense, Red Mosquito, Mankind, Off He Goes, Animal, Last Exit, Even Flow, Tremor Christ, Not for You, Immortality, Whipping, I Got Shit, Leaving Here
enc: Wash, Go, Dissident, Alive, Around the Bend
notes: A "not so surprise" warm-up show. With a ticket sales announcement leaked prematurely by KNDD, many disappointed fans were left out in the cold (rain). Hoping to hear just a song or two from outside, fans put up with mean spirited Showbox staffers' harrassment and scalpers offering inflated tickets. For the lucky ones who gained entrance, here's how it went:
Ed opens the show with, "Good evening. Welcome to the REM record release party. Welcome to the Pearl Jam reunion tour. Let me just clarify that we play more than Mudhoney. Have you heard the new record? Well, you're about to again." Stone prefaces a rather rough version of 'Mankind' with "All right ... get ready," and Ed says, "This is Stone's song and it's my favorite." Before a somewhat rushed version of 'Off He Goes,' Ed says, "This song's either about me or my roommate. I haven't figured it out yet." Next, Ed announces, "This next part of the show is what we call the 'human jukebox'" and they slam into 'Animal.' Mike really lets go during 'Even Flow.' Ed slips a snippet from Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl' into 'I Got Shit.' 'Wash' is a very cool surprise, unplayed since the '94 Bridge Benefit. Ed hints a bit at Bowie's "C-C-C-C-Changes" before breaking into 'Go.' Before the lovely closing 'Around the Bend,' Ed chats, "It was almost worth leaving the house for this. If I came to this show, I'd probably just stay home Monday night ... cuz we were nervous tonight and so we played ... well, like now we're gonna be cocky and we're gonna suck. I can just feel it ..."
photos09/16/96 - Key Arena: Seattle, WA [135m]
attendance: 13,500
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: Long Road, Better Man, Who You Are, In My Tree, Present Tense, Red Mosquito, Corduroy
set: Long Road, Hail Hail, Who You Are, Animal, Last Exit, In My Tree, Habit, Not For You, Daughter, Dissident, Even Flow, Tremor Christ, Go, Lukin, Whipping, Corduroy, Immortality, Jeremy, Black, Red Mosquito, Alive
enc 1: Off He Goes, Mankind, Rearviewmirror, Leaving Here
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The show is a technical nightmare, with microphones, guitars and lights all failing at multiple times throughout the show. Scratching the setlist after 'Who You Are,' Ed tries guiding the band through the more familiar waters of older songs. Even Stone's guitar fails during 'Mankind' with Scully trying desperately to change out his equipment while Stone continues strumming and singing his heart out, appearing to be oblivious to the problems. Stone is having a blast, Jack has found his drumming groove with PJ now, Jeff is smiling and laughing during most of the show, as is Mike, although he never gets into any of his usually fantastic solos (although he tosses in a 'Sympathy for the Devil' riff just before 'In My Tree' and 'River of Deceit' before 'Daughter'), and Ed basically saves the show by keeping the techs and other band members functioning. His voice is clean (though the sound is poor) and he is playing guitar more often and more skillfully than the '95 shows. Ed tosses out a funny little "mou mou" soundcheck after 'Daughter' when changing microphones.
show poster
reviews with photos09/20/96 - Ed Sullivan Theater: New York, NY (Late Show appearance) [5m]
set: Hail Hail, Leaving Here (cut)
notes: A rare network television appearance on an unusual commercial-free night with David Letterman. The whole band, in seemingly good spirits, whip out a tight version of 'Hail Hail.' At the close of the show, they start into 'Leaving Here,' and, just as Ed begins to sing, the network cut away. Ouch! Regardless, cool performance.09/21/96 - Maple Leaf Gardens: Toronto, Ontario, Canada [115m]
attendance: 16,000
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: Wash
set: Release, Hail Hail, Last Exit, Tremor Christ, In My Tree, Corduroy, Red Mosquito, Animal, Jeremy, Habit, Immortality, Even Flow, Not for You, Daughter/(Cut My Hair)/(The Real Me)/(Young Man Blues), Lukin, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Blood
enc 1: Who You Are, I Got Shit, Leaving Here
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: 'Habit' lyrics are changed from "speaking as a child of the 90s" to "speaking as someone who taken many pucks in the face." Lots of covers songs hinted at: three Who songs as 'Daughter' outros, an intense version of 'Blood,' with a teaser of David Bowie's 'Fame;' and some of Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl' improved into 'I Got Shit.'09/22/96 - John F. Savage Hall: Toledo, OH [105m]
attendance: 9,000
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: Deep, Around the Bend, Mankind, Smile
set: Sometimes, Hail Hail, Animal, In My Tree, Spin the Black Circle, Corduroy, Last Exit, Better Man, Lukin, Not for You, Jeremy, Even Flow, Mankind, Daughter/(I Believe in Miracles), Habit, I Got Shit, Alive, Blood
enc 1: Go, Who You Are, Rearviewmirror, Leaving Here
enc 2: Indifference
notes: Ed totally botches the start of 'I Got Shit.' He tells everyone that has to go to school the next day that he'll write them excuse notes (so they can continue to play). A stunning closing with 'Indifference' with the house lights up. A solid show before a smallish crowd.09/24/96 - Merriweather Post Pavilion: Columbia, MD [115m]
attendance: 18,000
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: I'm Open, Elderly Woman (Ed solo), RVM (opening riff), The Kids are Alright
set: Long Road, Hail Hail, Animal, Spin the Black Circle, In My Tree, Corduroy, Not for You/Jeremy, Red Mosquito, Black, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality (song stopped), Better Man, Whipping, State of Love and Trust, Alive, Blood
enc 1: Who You Are, Even Flow, Daughter/(No More Pain)/(WMA), Mankind, Leaving Here
enc 2: Wash, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: This show opens with a particularly sweet version of 'Long Road.' During 'Not for You,' Ed chats a bit. "If you catch me missing a lyric ... if you catch me making a mistake. It's just I got a lot on my mind. Like I was just thinking a minute ago, 'I hope these people know that this song isn't about them.' I just hate to be misunderstood." 'Red Mosquito' is introduced as 'Song X's' baby brother. Ed makes a joke: "It looks like some of you are on grass ..." (referring to the people on the lawn). 'Habit' is modified to, "Speaking as someone standing in complete darkness." After the band plays the intro to 'Immortality,' Ed takes a drink, the crowd goes wild, the band stops and goes on to 'Better Man,' entirely scrapping 'Immortality.' Quelling the "Ed-die" chants later, he says, "Enough of that. If you could just see what you look like from here. It's just crazy ... it's crazy. Just crazy. You guys are really nice ..." then launches into 'Blood.' The 'Daughter' tag includes a snippet of Embrace's 'No More Pain,' ("Your emotions are nothing but politics, so get control"). Before 'Mankind,' Stone says "Do you want to hear me sing one?" (The crowd goes nuts.) He continues (laughing), "Awww, no you don't!" Returning for a second encore, Stone asks if it rained outside, while Ed references people holding up signs for "super rare songs." The crowd gets a very nice surprise ... a super version of 'Wash.' Excellent show!
review09/26/96 - Civic Center: Augusta, ME [115m]
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: Off He Goes, Garden (several versions), Present Tense, Better Man/Save it for Later jam, I Can't Explain, Let My Love Open the Door, Last Exit
set: Sometimes, Hail Hail, Animal, Spin the Black Circle, Tremor Christ, In My Tree, Lukin, Not for You, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Corduroy, Jeremy, Red Mosquito, State of Love and Trust, Black, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Alive
enc 1: Who You Are, Even Flow, Daughter/(Noise of Carpet), Blood/(Fame), Leaving Here
enc 2: Patriot
notes: The English Beat's 'Save it for Later' snippet tossed into 'Better Man' sound great! Ed pays homage to Josh Ling during a quiet part of 'State:' "I recognize you. You were in the front row just the other night. I recognize you ... how you doin'?" :) In a reference to the lunar eclipse, Ed says, "It's happening right now. I just wanna rip the roof off this place." He get the crowd to yell three times, laughs and launches into 'Habit.' 'RVM' features the slow beginning. Toward the end of 'Alive,' Dennis Rodman takes the stage and puts Ed up on his shoulders, where Ed completes the song. Prior to the 'Noise of Carpet' outro, Ed utters the words, "black red yellow." After 'Blood,' Ed retrieves a shirt tossed onstage, saying "Hey look, plaid, grunge; it's purple." The Fastbacks help PJ with 'Leaving Here,' singing backup vocals and Ed expressing hope that the "boys up front will pay attention to the lyrics." 'Patriot' is performed solo by Ed, accompanying himself on guitar with the rest of the band watching from the side of the stage.09/28/96 - Downing Stadium (Randall's Island): New York, NY [115m]
attendance: 30,000
support act: Ben Harper, The Fastbacks
set: Last Exit, Hail Hail, Animal, Spin the Black Circle, Red Mosquito, In My Tree, Lukin, Not for You, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Corduroy, Jeremy, Dissident, State of Love and Trust, Black, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Alive, Blood/(Noise of Carpet)
enc 1: Who You Are, Even Flow, Daughter/I Believe in Miracles/WMA, Whipping, Leaving Here, Indifference
notes: Despite the torrential downpour, Blues Traveler's John Popper jams with Mike during 'Even Flow.' (Ed gives John a big hug and a handshake at the end.) 'Whipping' is paused very briefly in the middle because someone seems to be hurt or fighting. Ed says, "Is that all?" and with a quick "1, 2, 3, 4," the song resumes right where they left off. Prior to 'Indifference," Ed comments on how it seems to him from letters the band gets, the things they read and people they've met, that lots of people are meeting each other through PJ's music. He adds, "To me, that's the best part of this whole thing and I'm honored to be a part of it." (so true ... and very cool to have it acknowledged)
Caryn's review09/29/96 - Downing Stadium (Randall's Island): New York, NY [168m]
attendance: 30,000
support act: Ben Harper, The Fastbacks
set: Sometimes, Go, Spin the Black Circle, Hail Hail, Animal, Tremor Christ, Who You Are, Corduroy, Lukin, Better Man, Not for You, Jeremy (new), Once, Rats, Last Exit, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Whipping, I Got Shit, Black, Alive, Porch
enc 1: In My Tree, Even Flow, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(ABitW)/(WMA), Mankind, Long Road, Leaving Here
enc 2: Off He Goes, Present Tense, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: 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. During 'Porch,' Ed duct-tapes his *entire* body and jumps into the pit. (Thought we'd never see that again!) Just before the first encore, someone throws an "Eddie Vedder for President" t-shirt up on stage. Ed looks at it and says, "Well I'll tell you the truth ... I smoke pot! I didn't exhale though!" Stone asks for a chant of "Stone, Stone, Stone!" before singing 'Mankind.' During the encore, Mike starts playing 'Yellow Ledbetter' after 'Leaving Here,' Ed stops him and they go into 'Off He Goes' followed by 'Present Tense!' Incredible setlist.
Present Tense (5h Song X for October)
Caryn's review
story about the t-shirt with photos10/01/96 - Marine Midland Arena: Buffalo, NY [120m]
attendance: 21,000
support act: The Fastbacks
set: Oceans, Last Exit, Hail Hail, Spin the Black Circle, Animal, Tremor Christ, In My Tree, Corduroy, Lukin, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Not for You, State of Love and Trust, Rats, Jeremy, Off He Goes, Footsteps, Whipping, Immortality, Alive, Porch
enc: Even Flow, Daughter, Blood/(Heaven)/(Fame), Present Tense, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: 'Oceans' hasn't opened a show since the final show of 1995. 'Rats' is started, paused (Ed notes, "OK, we haven't done this one for a while and we're gonna do it right") and the song is picked up again. Lyrical changes to 'Rats' include "drag the bones of the Grateful Dead." After a lyric flub at the start of 'Off He Goes,' Ed modifies the lyrics to "... I should relax." By request, 'Footsteps' is played for the first time this tour. A climactic 'Immortality' makes the smooth transition into 'Alive.' After a problematic 'Porch,' the song is restarted ... with Ed apologizing and saying he has a lot on his mind with the elections and all. During the 'Porch' jam, Ed pulls a kid up on stage who is wearing an old Who shirt and swaps shirts with him. The kid stage dives into the crowd but the shirt is instantly ripped off him by the audience. PJ immediately return after 'Porch,' with Ed commenting about a sign in the crowd reading "Don't delay" and launching into a version of 'Even Flow' with a cool jam. 'Blood' includes a handful of lines from 'Heaven' by the Talking Heads prior to the 'Fame' reference. A request that the crowd "listen to the words" is the lead in to a lovely 'Present Tense.' Great connection between PJ and the audience at this show.10/02/96 - Meadows Music Theatre: Hartford, CT [131m]
support act: The Fastbacks
set: Long Road, Hail Hail, Animal, Last Exit, In My Tree, Corduroy, Better Man, Not for You, Jeremy, Red Mosquito, Black, Rearviewmirror, Lukin, Elderly Woman, State of Love and Trust, Footsteps, Alive, Blood/(Fame)/(Noise of Carpet), Porch
enc: Who You Are, Even Flow, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(WMA), Leaving Here, Present Tense, Yellow Ledbetter (with Little Wing lick)
notes: Great long show with a very talkative Ed. During 'Not For You' Ed talks about the meaning of the song, saying it's not directed towards fans, but "a different entity ... someone who thinks they're more important than the people making the music; the people listening to the music; or the music itself. And this is just a reminder that they're not." 'Alive' is started and stopped, because of technical problems. Ed sings 'Footsteps', while everything is straightened out. Part of the fence comes down during 'Blood' and a near riot ensues. (In reality, when the barrier came down, security guards began using pepper spray. The wind was blowing into the pavilion, forcing people with seats to venture nearer the stage to escape it, making it seem like there was a mad rush to the stage.) During 'Porch' Ed tries to calm the crowd down while Mike plays a little part of Chicago's '25 or 6 to 4'. Ed says, "It's like swimming on coral ... there are chairs and people below you, settle down!" "Darlin' you don't want to be up there. That's for the people up front. The people up top you guys go fuckin' nuts! But the people up front settle down." Before they start 'Who You Are', Ed tries to calm the crowd: "It's a little crazy up here. You can sit down, it's cool. I can see you all if you sit, or stand, you can see me too. Ok, the next three words for the next five minutes are Peace and Love." He changes the second line of the second verse saying, "fuck the stage divers." After the song he reiterates, "This is all good. We're going to keep playing but I want to change the policy in the front row here. Security, you listening? Usually you come over the top you get two, three chances. You guys, anybody who comes over the top, you're going out. Just stay on the floor, you got it, ok? You look good where you are. Just stay where you are." For the 'Daughter' tag, Ed gets the crowd to sing along, "like in New York" to 'The Real Me.'
review
poster10/04/96 - Memorial Stadium: Charlotte, NC [140m]
attendance: 25,000
support act: The Fastbacks, Ben Harper
soundcheck: Throw Your Arms Around Me, Better Man
set: Long Road, Last Exit, Animal, Spin the Black Circle, Hail Hail, In My Tree, Corduroy, Lukin, Not for You, Jeremy, Better Man, Red Mosquito, Black, State of Love and Trust, (MFC riffs), Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Alive, Porch
enc 1: Who You Are, Even Flow, Whipping, I Got Shit, Leaving Here, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(Noise of Carpet)/(The Real Me)
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: With the election less than a month away, this show had a definite cause: Jesse Helm's going away party (it didn't work). Gloria Steinem spoke in an effort to get people to think and register to vote (Rock the Vote). Concerned about the barriers breaking, people getting crushed, and the fire marshall threatening to cancel the show, someone on the crew pleads with the crowd to back up and chill out. After the first song, Ed says, "... we're about 30 seconds from kicking in here and I just want to make sure that everybody watches their neighbor ... that everybody keeps up. Don't do too much of this spinning pit stuff or someone's going to get hurt, and that would suck." Then later: "...I would like the audience myself to just take two steps back. Can we all do that? On the count of three ... one, two..." (crowd steps back and cheers). Ed says something to the effect of, "I knew this was an intelligent crowd." The crowd does listen and the show continues without further problems. The mirrorball is set into motion during a cranked 'Better Man' and drops down midway through 'RVM.' Ed is into a lot of Townshend windmills and jumps and tags 'Habit' as "speaking as my own bad self." Brendan O'Brien helps out on bass on 'I Got Shit.'
poster
ticket (different than the other tix)10/05/96 - North Charleston Coliseum: Charleston, SC [130m]
attendance: 9,000
support act: The Fastbacks
soundcheck: In My Tree, Off He Goes, Mankind
set: Sometimes, Last Exit, Animal, Go, Hail Hail, Dissident, In My Tree, Corduroy, Better Man, Not for You, Jeremy, Black, State of Love and Trust, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Elderly Woman, Alive, Blood/(Fame)
enc: Present Tense, Even Flow, Daughter, Improv, Off He Goes, Mankind, Whipping, Footsteps, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The venue is smallish; the crowd and staff are kind and not killing each other here. PJ takes a while to warm up, not really smoking until midway into the show. During a pause near the end of 'Not for You,' Ed asks, "How we doin' so far?" (crowd cheers) "You don't seem so bad yourself." A rocking 'State' is intro'ed as "... a little number by request." During 'Habit,' Ed pauses, looks out and says, "Speaking as an individual in a band who has never been in this town before." Taking a break after 'Go,' Ed jokes about how when he was a kid he always thought seeing bands on the last night of a tour was great because they would be happy the tour is over and they would be "... drinking and dancing in the street, and they're playing really loud and it's gonna be a four-hour show ..." etc.; but he says that really the second to the last show is the best, and the crowd goes wild! With Ed's voice showing fatigue, he enlists audience assistance ("Want you ... HELP ME! ... in my ... rearviewmirror"). 'Present Tense' is explained as a song that Mike wrote great music for and Ed, when coming up with lyrics, "... needed anything ... anything to make me think. Just a starting point ... so I thought of Pete Townshend. I took his initials and this one is called 'Present Tense.'" Ed plays a brief improv (?) after 'Daughter,' about taking a drive to South Carolina and picking up his best friend.(2,424k) 'Whipping' is dedicated to the crazy people in the front. The audience selects the next song via an "experiment in voting in November." The choices are 'Leash' ("kinda Bob Dole"), 'Leaving Here' (kinda Ross Perot) or 'Footsteps' ("that would be Bill Clinton"). 'Footsteps' is played. Ed's final comments are, "I don't know if it's easy to like this band, but we sure appreciate the fact that you do."
photos10/07/96 - Ft. Lauderdale Stadium: Fort Lauderdale, FL [142 min]
attendance: 25,000 tickets sold (venue holds 8,000; go figure)
support act: The Fastbacks
set: Sometimes, Last Exit, Animal, Go, Hail Hail, Dissident, In My Tree, Corduroy, Better Man, Lukin, Not for You, Jeremy, Black, State of Love and Trust, Satans Bed, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Alive, Porch
enc 1: Present Tense, Even Flow, Blood, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(ABitW), I Got Shit, Leaving Here
enc 2: Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Ed asks for Eric to come help with trouble in the pit toward the end of 'Dissident.' 'Better Man' is for "... everyone except Josephine" (the tropical storm in the Gulf). 'Satan's Bed' hasn't been played since Las Cruces on 9/14/95 and a fast version is played by request here. Ed changes 'Habit' lyrics to, "Speaking as a man who not only surfs, but catches the big waves." Ed climbs the left light tower during 'Porch' ... not jumping, saying he just wanted to get a better look at the crowd. A fan gets on stage during 'Daughter' and Ed climbs on his shoulders for the 'Real Me'/'ABitW' outro/sing along. Ben Harper and The Fastbacks help PJ out with 'RitfW.'
poster10/19/96 - Shoreline Amphitheatre: Mountain View, CA (Bridge School Benefit) (acoustic) [51m]
soundcheck: new song, Dead Man, new song, Off He Goes, Around the Bend, Footsteps, Elderly Woman, Nothingman
set: Footsteps, Sometimes, Better Man, Corduroy (new), Off He Goes, Nothingman, Black, Daughter/(Song X), Elderly Woman, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Neil Young announces a "special guest," saying, "I'm just gonna bring him out ... Pete Townshend." Pete (in excellent spirits) performs 'The Kids are Alright,' 'I'm a Boy,' 'A Legal Matter,' 'Let My Love Open the Door,' 'Drowned,' and a great version of 'Behind Blue Eyes.' Patti Smith is just on FIRE. David Bowie plays a set, including 'The Man Who Sold the World.' Although Neil put it when he walked out, "It's called, everything you'd never expect to hear acoustic!" PJ pretty much does the standard Bridge songs we've been hearing for years. Ed, sporting shorter, slicked back hair, jokes, "I just told Neil I had a stomach ache." 'Corduroy' is a very different, slower version featuring a modified tune. The biggest surprise is 'Nothingman' ... only the second time played live. Ed introduces 'Elderly Woman' saying, "This song was written over in the foothills behind you and is the longest song title we have." Brendan O'Brien plays keyboards during PJ's set. Neil set is wonderful, playing 'Helpless' last with most everyone joining him onstage helping sing backup, Patti doing some verses herself.
Bridge Benefit program
Bridge Benefit button
Caryn's review
setlist scan10/20/96 - Shoreline Amphitheatre: Mountain View, CA (Bridge School Benefit) (acoustic) [44m]
set: Sometimes, Elderly Woman, Corduroy (new), Off He Goes, Nothingman, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(Noise of Carpet), Footsteps, Porch (new), Around the Bend
notes: PJ comes out at sundown ... very nice. Some fans down front on the left have a big banner with "PORCH" painted on it in big letters. 'Corduroy,' again, is the new version from last night. This "new" version of 'Porch' is very, very unusual ... sort of funky/reggae arrangement with some Spanish-like guitar work. Sounds excellent! 'Around the Bend' is wonderful. PJ is on and off very quickly (perhaps to go see The Who's Quadrophenia later). Surprises: Bonnie Raitt and Billy Idol ('White Wedding') each played sets. Bowie added 'China Girl' and 'Whitelight/White heat' to his set.
Bridge Benefit program
Bridge Benefit button
Caryn's review
setlist scan
Copyright © 1996-2004 Jean Bruns, All Rights Reserved
