After almost 2 years Pearl Jam returned to the legendary Madison Square Garden last night to play an amazing 2 ½ hour + set of classic PJ songs and new songs off their recent record, Dark Matter! They even threw in a full 3:30 version of Out Of My Mind for the serious collectors as Ed said.
Thanks to PJ‘s management and their crew.
Having attended shows on almost every Pearl Jam tour since 1996, I was really looking forward to seeing them on this tour with the big screen behind them and the Dark Matter visuals/graphics I’ve been hearing about – wondering how they would light the stage to compliment that.
They did a really great job with the screen especially for React, Respond, Dark Matter and Classics Do The Evolution, and Porch with a multi cam views on the screen; and overlaying video of the band with abstract light visuals.
The curtain on the massive screen slowly opened to reveal a curved light source coming up from the stage, as if the sun was rising behind Pearl Jam as they graced the dimly lit stage. Pendulum was the opener and with the band being back lit, they were all very distinguishable dark silhouettes.
This was a nice change from the last tour where the first few songs were seated, and set a great vibe for the evening. I still get all the feels hearing those first notes of a Pearl Jam MSG show, brings me right back to seeing them there when I was 18 in 1998, going with my mom in 2003, and all those friends made at shows along the way.
I really love how Ed puts so much thought into these set lists and how great they sounded last night. Ed’s voice sounded amazing and they all seem to be having the best time on stage. Stone was moving around a lot last night, even at one point during Baba O’Riley Stone when down on one knee while jamming with Jeff and then reached out to hit the strings of Jeff’s bass while still playing his guitar. Never saw stone do that before!
Scared of Fear was the first song off their recent record Dark Matter and it sounded amazing live, followed by React, Respond another song I hope to hear again soon as it was a rocker!
Taking us back to Vitalogy fans were gifted a rockin’ version of Satan’s Bed, then Even Flow, and then Out Of My Mind which was an amazing surprise so early in the set. The Pearl Jam song catalog is so vast at this point and looking at the set lists this tour, they have really worked to bring some classic deeper cuts with a set list that covers almost every record. It will be interesting to see what Night 2 brings us at MSG!
Towards the end of the first set Ed dedicated a song to a special kid named Adam who’s 13 years old and who recently lost his mom. Ed dedicated this next song to him, and sent love to Adam and his dad who were at the show. Ed mentioned that Adam has autism and had been bullied about it even having to switch schools because of it. This really triggered Ed as he explained THERE IS NO ROOM FOR BULLYING IN ANY SCHOOL and that he’s sending even more love to Adam and his family.
Matt Cameron and the band went into a thunderous version of Given To Fly and The Garden began to shake, and all the feels were being felt by everyone in the room. PSA: As a kid who was bullied in school…. if you’re reading this and are being bullied or know someone who is being bullied, please tell someone who you trust; you don’t deserve to be treated that way and violence is not the answer or resolution…. and please teach your kids to not be a bully and to help those that are bullied!
The first set came to a triumphant close with a version of Porch that once again shook MSG as I felt the bounce under my feet.
Ed returned to the stage with a guitar and played solo a very poignant and moving version of John Lennon’s song Imagine saying to the crowd how he wondered if John may have once played this song in this room. The Encore just flew by with classic songs Inside Job, Unthought Unknown, Running, Once, Alive, and then the classic MSG closer of The Who’s classic Baba O’Riley – bringing me right back to those EPIC 1998 shows when i first heard them play it!
I thought this was it for their set as the house lights were now on, but then Jeff came back out with the electric upright bass and they went into the most perfect version of Indifference – Baba O’Riley into Indifference is just something you hope for as a Pearl Jam fan, and we got to experience it last night!
… Stay tuned for night 2 coverage!
SET LIST MSG Night 1
1. Pendulum
2. Better Man/Save It For Later (The English Beat)
3. Immortality
4. Scared of Fear
5. React, Respond
6. Wreckage
7. Satan’s Bed
8. Even Flow
9. Out of My Mind
10. Mind Your Manners
11. Dark Matter
12. Do the Evolution
13. Upper Hand
14. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones)/Love Boat Captain
15. Black
16. Given to Fly
17. Porch
Encore:
18, Imagine (John Lennon)
19. Inside Job
20. Unthought Known
21. Running
22. Once
23. Alive
24. Baba O’Riley (The Who)
25. Indifference
Michael’s first offical photo pass was given to him by Team Chris Cornell in 2011. Shortly after that (in honor of his dad who had recently passed away) Michael launched WATERMRK Studios (2012), his freelance design & photography company based in Monmouth County, NJ. Since his first offical gig in 2011 Michael has had the pleasure of working with Blind Melon, Chris Cornell, Pearl Jam, G. Love, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Ohana Music Festival and the Sea Hear Now Festival, and many more.
Michael’s photographs have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Variety, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Daily News, Time Out NY, The Asbury Park Press, Artists Websites, Artists Newsletters & National Marketing Campaigns.