35 years into a storied career, Pearl Jam sold out 2 shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The short tour in support of the 2024 release, Dark Matter, was the bands first stop in Nashville in 3 years.
It wasn’t hard to spot the well traveled fans in the crowd. Wearing shirts from previous shows from this tour all the way to shows a decade or more before. The band even had a photo op spot in the arena where you could list your show count along with a picture.
The enthusiastic Pearl Jam fans would return just as much energy back as the band would give off. At times throughout both shows the arena seemingly turned into a karaoke bar. The crowd would nearly drown out frontman Eddie Vedder’s vocals. Even the deep cuts had the devoted fans signing their lungs out. “I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room” from the night 1 opener “Indifference” really set the tone for what was to come.
Vedder referenced different spots throughout the city, including his friend Jack White’s record store Third Man Records. Vedder would also be playing a brand new guitar that Jack White gave to him this week. Another reference was to a local venue called DRKMTTR, which aptly shares a name with the newest release. Dark Matter would be prominent in each set, as the band played 8 of the 10 tracks over the 2 night run.
Even with the unpredictability of a Pearl Jam setlist, you can always expect to hear some of the staple hits each night. If you were to miss one of the shows, you would still get the chance to hear “Even Flow” and “Alive”. However, for rare tracks such as “Green Disease” on night 1, and “Insignificance” on night 2, it could be several tours or even years before the band plays them again. “All hail the lucky ones” not only refers to the lyrics of the track “Hail Hail” but also in reference to those who were lucky enough to catch the rare tunes.
The biggest highlight came on night 2, when Vedder introduced one of his musical heros, Peter Frampton. Frampton would guest on one of the fan favorite tracks, “Black” while adding his own flair to it. Frampton and guitarist Mike McCready would exchange solos while Vedder would throw in a few “Do You Feel Like I Do” lyrics. A great surprise for the fans in attendance to see another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member join the stage for a unique take of the song.
With each show nearing 2 and half hours, the band still has tons of energy and endurance to give lengthy career defining shows.
Photos from May 6th