Five Horizons: 1997 Concert Chronology for Pearl Jam

1997 Concert Chronology

06/08/97 - Downing Stadium: Randall's Island, New York (Tibetan Freedom Concert)
set: Corduroy, Yellow Ledbetter, Rockin' in the Free World (Ed and Mike only, acoustic)
Long Road (Ed and Mike with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills)
notes: Ed and Mike open up the second day of the Tibetan Freedom Concert, much to everyone's surprise, with acoustic versions of the "new" 'Corduroy,' 'Yellow Ledbetter' and an unusual, slow version of 'RitFW,' with modified lyrics. ("Styrofoam and garbage for the ozone layer" changed to "if it's made in China, it could be prison labor." Ed interrupts 'RitFW' in the middle with a request for $5, which is met with a $20 donation. He then asks for that the crowd sign the petitions circulating for the Tibet cause. (In fact, Ed has been encouraging signatures among attendees both days of the show.) Later, Ed and Mike return to the stage to perform 'Long Road,' with Michael Stipe (with Ed on vocals), Mike Mills (with Mike McCready on guitar) and Tony Shananan (from Patti Smith's band on bass). Ed departs after 'Long Road' and Mike continues for 'Ghost Rider' (Suicide) and 'The Passenger' (Iggy Pop), with Beastie Boys' Mike Diamond sitting in on drums. What a treat!
06/14/97 - House of Blues: Chicago, IL (Ed only sitting in with Pete Townshend)
attendance: 1,200
set: Heart to Hang Onto, Tattoo, Magic Bus
notes: Ed joins Pete Townshend for a few songs from his fantastic nearly three-hour set [Let My Love Open The Door, Pinball Wizard, Drowned, The Shout, Heart to Hang Onto, Tattoo, Save it for Later, English Boy, Cut My Hair, I Put a Spell on You, I'm a Sensation, Behind Blue Eyes, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Christine's Tune, You Better You Bet, I'm One, A Friend is a Friend, I am an Animal, Now and Then, The Sea Refuses No River, Embraceable You, Bargain/(The Seeker), The Kids are Alright, Acid Queen, My Generation, Rough Boys, Magic Bus; Encore: Sheraton Gibson, A Legal Matter, I'm a Boy].
A very reserved Ed joins Pete for 'Heart to Hang Onto' (dedicated to Ronnie Lane who recently passed away), 'Tattoo' and 'Magic Bus' later. The show is a benefit for the Maryville Academy, which provides housing for neglected Chicago children. Oh, to have been at this show in this small venue!!!
Heart to Hang Onto (5h Song X for August)
July 5 - August 5, 1997 - Brad U.S. tour supporting Interiors album. First leg featured Stone Gossard, Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar, Mike Berg and James Hall; Verbow opened.
Oct 1-30, 1997 - Brad U.S./Canada tour supporting Interiors album. Second leg featured Stone Gossard, Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar, Mike Berg and James Hall; Pond or Headswim opened.
11/12/97 - The Catalyst: Santa Cruz, CA [76m]
attendance: 800
support act: Odd Numbers
set: Sometimes, I Got Shit, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Dissident, Even Flow, Brain of J, Given to Fly, Wish List, Off He Goes, Last Exit, State of Love and Trust, Do The Evolution
enc: (Ed phones Neil Young on a cellphone and has the crowd sing him happy birthday) Immortality, Once, Alive
notes: PJ plays a "surprise" warm-up show, billed as the "Honking Seals." Ed stops "Sometimes," saying "Such a nice song; I want to be able to hear it" and it is picked up where left off. New songs (verified from the setlist at the soundboard) are 'Brain of J,' 'Given to Fly,' 'Wish List' and 'Do the Evolution.' This show features a really pretty version of 'I Got Shit' and Ed is screaming during parts of 'Corduroy,' pausing at the end to ask, "How ya been?" 'Last Exit' ends with Ed commenting, "OK, humanoids. This is your first chance to do the evolution, but first we're gonna play 'State of Love and Trust.' Returning for the encore, Stone says, "Thanks a lot, that's very nice." Ed encourages the crowd to be quiet so he can phone Neil and do the birthday thing. The crowd is mellow and respectful but very psyched.
review
ticket
11/14/97 - Oakland Stadium: Oakland, CA [60m]
supporting: The Rolling Stones
set: Hail Hail, Animal, Dissident, Even Flow, Jeremy, Last Exit, Given to Fly, Daughter/(Hey, Hey, My, My), Corduroy, Wish List, Better Man, State of Love and Trust, Do the Evolution, Black
notes: This marks the first of an unusual four-show series where Pearl Jam opens for The Rolling Stones. PJ appears really nervous, taking a while to loosen up. Ed quips, "There'll be more rain tomorrow night than groupies at Altamont," and later, "We're gonna try a new one on ya and see if it fits," leading to 'Given to Fly.' After 'Better Man,' they do a funny bit. Ed asks "Where's the biggest Rolling Stones fan?" and looks out over the crowd and then over at Mike and points to him. He makes a crack about how Mike used to count all the grooves in his RS vinyl records and asks him how many grooves there are in Some Girls and Mike makes up some bizarre answer like "2,220." Cheesy, but effective :) Prior to 'Black,' Ed says, "OK, we've got one more ... then the real party starts. Piece of cake!" The sound system is good, they play wonderfully, are very pumped, Ed's voice sounds great and they are on!
Given to Fly (5h Song X for February)
review
poster
11/15/97 - Oakland Stadium: Oakland, CA [60m]
supporting: The Rolling Stones
soundcheck: Go, Daughter/(unknown tag), Long Road
set: Long Road, Last Exit, Animal, Hail Hail, Even Flow, Jeremy, Brain of J, Daughter/(Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying), Corduroy, Wish List, Better Man, Do the Evolution, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The band is much more confident and taking more "chances" tonight. Stone is back to his marching and Ed a lot happier, loose and talking more ... moving up to the front of the stage. Ed changes the 'Animal' lyrics to "I'd rather be with an English boy." After 'Even Flow,' Ed makes a mini anti-war political speech and talks about about how this show is the first time he can smell cigars from the crowd. 'Brain of J' rocks! Ed brings out the maracas during 'Daughter.' PJ doesn't have a lot of room to move around on the stage. It is blocked off ... they seem to have less room to move than the Letterman show last year. Still, an even better performance than last night :)
review
poster
11/18/97 - Oakland Stadium: Oakland, CA [64m]
supporting: The Rolling Stones
set: I Got Shit, Hail Hail, Animal, Dissident, Even Flow, Jeremy, Brain of J, Daughter/(Rain), Better Man, Corduroy, Immortality, Do the Evolution, Alive, Black
notes: In absolutely pouring rain, stage hands come out to sweep water from the stage just before PJ's set. Surprise ... one of the people sweeping is Eddie! The whole band is dressed in grey and blue rainsuits and Ed notes, "We came prepared." After 'Dissident,' Ed removes the rainsuit, balls it up and tosses it to the crowd, saying someone probably needs it more than him. During 'Even Flow,' Ed leans back trying to catch the raindrops in his mouth and Mike goes running down the side ramp. After a killer version of 'Jeremy,' Ed says, "I used to think this song was old but the last three nights we found it again." Stone plays his ass off during 'Brain of J' while Ed is doing the swim. 'Rain' is a Beatles cover (they've covered 'Rain' previously). During 'Corduroy,' Jeff removes his raincoat and he and Ed do the "Ed and Jeff lean." After 'Alive,' Ed makes reference to winding down for The Stones to begin ("We're as anxious to see them as you are ...") and 'Black' ends the show, with Ed tossing in all of the emotive "we belong together" phrases. Despite the downpour and sound problems due to wind and rain, the crowd is really into it and cheering and PJ performs with a "let's do it" attitude.
review
poster
11/19/97 - Oakland Stadium: Oakland, CA [64m]
supporting: The Rolling Stones
set: Sometimes, Hail Hail, Animal, Do The Evolution, Dissident, Even Flow, Given To Fly, Better Man, Off He Goes, Corduroy, Beast of Burden, Go, Black, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The band is apparently really on again tonight. Ed plays maracas once again, this time during 'Animal.' 'Even Flow' is a long, extended jam with the band members all facing Jack, their backs to the audience. "It was so fuckin' pretty last night" Eddie says just before 'Given To Fly.' After Mike plays a little 'Start Me Up' teaser riff, a nearly complete cover of 'Beast of Burden' is performed, though Eddie kind of looks down and mumbles when they reach the "all I want/is for you to make love to me" lines. (Awww, how cute!) During 'Alive' Eddie loses his place and substitutes "I forgot the words to the song, she said." He then dumps wine on people in the audience and runs the ENTIRE length of the Stones' stage, from left to right. They close with an awesome version of 'Yellow Ledbetter,' ended with Mike just soloing (and including a bit of 'Sympathy for the Devil'), and the rest of the band applauding him at the finish. Stone was brave enough to wear his glasses tonight, even.
Later: Ed comes out and duets with the Stones on 'Waiting on a Friend.' The Stones make a total mess of the song, but Ed kisses Mick, Ronnie and Keith on the cheek at the end.
review
poster