On a Sunday evening in 2023, Pearl Jam pulled into the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN to prepare for a sold out show. However, a few band members fell ill and were forced to postpone the show shortly before doors opened. Now a year later, fans returned to fill up the large amphitheater to capacity to welcome back a now healthy and ready to go Pearl Jam.
The patient fans waited nearly a full year to scan their tickets as well as brave an afternoon and evening in the mid 90 degrees heat. Glen Hansard kicked off the evening with a short set while fans filled in the pavilion and massive lawn.
Walking on the stage just as the sun is setting, the band ripped through 6 straight tunes from the early to mid 90’s. With no visible front lighting, the band was completely silhouetted for the first few songs. Frontman Eddie Vedder mentioned that the show opener, “Wash”, was also the first song they ever played in Indiana back in 1991. A nice surprise for the longtime fans as the band is touring in support of their newest release, this year’s Dark Matter.
The next string of songs featured several tracks from Dark Matter as well as touring staples such as “Even Flow” and “Daughter”. Touring for the first time with a large LED video wall brought even more life into the already polished and tour ready newer tunes. A highlight of the new touring tech was a graphic comic during another staple, “Do The Evolution”.
After a brief encore, Vedder returned to the stage with just Hansard for a duet of Hansard’s song “Song of Good Hope”. Vedder noted that the song was dedicated to a friend of the band that was going through a struggling time. The song was perfect for her. A common occurrence at a Pearl Jam show with Vedder dedicating songs to friends and fans. He would follow that up with a wedding anniversary request, as well as a shoutout to local basketball star Caitlin Clark before the band played the title track of their 2013 release Lightning Bolt.
With the show stretching just beyond 2 hours and 20 minutes and songs covering a 33 year period, there was an excited buzz leaving the venue. The show was indeed worth the wait.