It is a long-standing joke amongst my friends that I cannot stand Pearl Jam. It is not the band’s fault – it is simply because after working in radio throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, I was burned out on many era-defining bands. ‘
But on May 6th, in a sold-out arena in Nashville, Pearl Jam made me fall in love with them.
Before all those feelings blossomed though, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, a punk rock, all female outfit from Australia kicked off the evening with an arena-shaking performance. With Anna Ryan on vocals, Scarlett McKahey on guitar, Jaida Stephenson on bass, and Neve van Boxsel on drums, they were an impressive opener for the night.
They started off with “I Like That You Like That” and “Treat Me Better,” and Ryan would pace the stage as she sang and screamed, sometimes bending down to engage with the fans up front. She announced, “We are all here for one reason and that is Pearl Jam! So let’s have some fun!”
Photo by Maggie Friedman
Ryan asked the fans to help on “I Love You,” which they did, and I really enjoyed “Up to Summit.” “I Used to Be Fun,” “Cayenne Pepper,” and “I Don’t Want It” also gained big responses from the crowd. For their next track, Ryan declared, “This next song is brand new and we have never played it before,” before debuting “BALCONY.” They closed out with “Lights Out.”
When Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers left the stage, I turned to my friend and commented that I really enjoyed Ryan because female rock singers often fall into two camps: the over sexualized, male gaze category, or the “I have to prove I am scary and aggressive” category and Ryan was neither – she genuinely seemed like an awesome person I’d want to hang out with. The woman in front of us, who had been recording the whole show, turned around and said, “She’s my daughter!” We had a lovely chat and she informed us that the quartet have been friends since they were children – some as young as eight years old!
Photo by Maggie Friedman
It was an excellent performance and I highly recommend you check this band out when they hit LA on May 24th at Moroccan Lounge.
Pearl Jam’s stage set up was pretty simple – no large pillars, risers, or stage decorations. There was just a large screen taking up the entire area behind the band. It acted as a red curtain opening while the band walked onto the stage to kick off with “Indifference,” mostly performed in the dark. The screams were deafening and the phones were out in full force to record. Apparently this was unexpected because the guy behind me kept screaming, “HOLY SHIT! To open the show?! Holy shit!” Ok, he may have been drunk.
When song two, “Low Light,” began, the cheers that I thought could not get louder did. It hosted the first of many incredible guitar solos from Mike McCready and when frontman Eddie Vedder held the ending note… “Damn!” was all I could say.
Vedder now greeted the audience: “We hear you love music here in Nashville and that’s what we love doing best so this seems like a good match. Two songs in and I’m going to say I made a mistake in the setlist. I didn’t mean to tell you that, but I feel like in this day and age, they say no more fact checking and you can’t trust anybody, I want to be totally transparent and honest with the relationship.” The crowd cheered wildly and they launched into “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” After the show, we learned Vedder’s mistake was adding that song in.
“I just want to scream hello” in “Elderly Woman” was the first of many interactive moments – there were sing-alongs, the lights were turned up to illuminate the entire arena for raised hand gestures (i.e., “seemed a harmless little fuck” in “Jeremy”). True Pearl Jam fans know all of these, I am sure, but I was out of the loop (see opening sentence of story).
Photos by Geoff Whitman
It probably does not need to be said, but I am going to anyway: The talent in this band is phenomenal. Well, they ARE in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Vedder, McCready, Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar), and Matt Cameron (drums) are truly incredible in every way. Also Cameron was wearing a Nirvana shirt, which I thought was cool on its own. When the back of it was shown on the large video screen, allowing us to see the infamous “fudge-packin, crack smokin” motto, well, I enjoyed it even more.
“Scared of Fear” and “Why Go” were next and the screen behind the band began to show more visuals. Vedder started getting closer to the fans by standing on stage monitors, and the pit was jumping along.
After “Given to Fly,” one of the band’s newest songs, “Dark Matter” was up. From the 2024 album of the same name, Vedder stated they had been touring for a year and a half in support of it. He became more animated as the set progressed, dancing and jumping along during “Wreckage” and running circles around the mic stand during, oddly enough, “Running.”
Photo by Geoff Whitman
Vedder then turned to drummer Matt Cameron and told the crowd, “At the risk of embarrassing himself in front of all these kind people, these great musicians. What’s he going to do? [to Cameron] Are you going to fire me? [to crowd] No, but he could quit. I just want to say, when you come to a city like this, where there’s street performers, there’s people playing guitar, in any given honky tonk or any corner that might be twice as good as you, and they’re getting dollars put in their guitar case. When something happens, like you’re getting voted into something, let’s say, like the Rock or a Hall of Fame.”
The crowd began to cheer and Vedder continued, “It’s all relative, but you accept it as an honor, and it’s nice to be recognized by your peers. You always knew you were going to be institutionalized at some point. (laughing) But you still don’t really acknowledge or accept it. However, there’s some people on this stage who just got elected in for the second time. So when you’re inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame like Mr. Matt Cameron, at that point, I think you have to realize that, ‘Yes, I am a fucking badass.’ Let’s congratulate him, our hero, from Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Matt Cameron.”
Photo by Geoff Whitman
After a roar of applause for Cameron, they kicked into “Even Flow” and it became another exuberant sing-along. Vedder was swinging the mic and the energy level was sky high. When it was over, Vedder reminded us it was off the first Pearl Jam record, “Ten.” He then told a story of how intense things were between the first and second records and the fans’ rabid desire for the second record – some even breaking record store windows before the on sale to get their hands on “Vs.”
Vedder said there was a girl who was about 12 or 13 who had been begging her parents to go to the record store to get the album at midnight. After her pleas, her parents did not relent and she had to go to bed without the new Pearl Jam album. “Her parents, being wise and smart, and maybe she could be trusted… They might not have trusted all the other freaks who were waiting in line at midnight,” he joked.
May 6, 2025
Nashville, Tennessee
Photo by Geoff Whitman
“But she went to bed disappointed, a little angry at her parents. Then she woke up the next day, a school day, she’s having breakfast at the breakfast table. Her dad walks into the kitchen, walks up to the table, and throws the CD in front of her cereal. If you’re out there and you’re a parent, especially if you have a daughter – I have a daughter – you know what a privilege that is,” he explained.
He went on, “That story really rang true and meant a lot to me. To know that this woman, Laura, is here tonight. When she was losing her dad just last year, they talked about that story and had another laugh and a bit of a cry. We wish he could be here, but she came here by herself to celebrate her 46th birthday. But I just knew that she wouldn’t be alone as she’s with us. Happy birthday. Thanks for sharing this with me. We love you. This is for all of you.”
Photo by Geoff Whitman
And now, I was crying. Then they started “Daughter.” My heart. The emotions were put back into concert mode when Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” was mixed in, and “Brain of J.” brought singing and hopping throughout the crowd.
Busting out a new guitar that Vedder said was a gift from Jack White, they did “Green Disease” for its live debut, followed by “Jeremy,” “Got to Give,” an appearance by astronaut Scott Kelly, “Corduroy,” “Come Back,” and “Porch.” Vedder was drinking wine, sharing it with pit via Solo cups, and having an absolute blast before throwing the mic stand down as part of a big finish. They disappeared for a few moments, but Vedder returned alone for the encore.
Photos by Geoff Whitman
With just one spotlight and his acoustic guitar, Vedder spoke of the loss of surfer Shane Herring and played “Keep Me in Your Heart,” a Warren Zevon cover, asking the arena to hold their phone lights up in memorial.
The full band returned and started “Setting Sun,” but Vedder noticed an incident in the pit thanks to fans signaling with the phone lights. Vedder made sure the person in question was assisted, and then they restarted the track.
Photo by Geoff Whitman
The last few songs became a party of sequin outfits (on Vedder), tossed out tambourines, handfuls of guitar picks thrown out, and wine served in sequin shoes, all while the arena lights were on and the band could fully see the crowd.
After “Do the Evolution” and “Rearviewmirror,” it was a massively loud sing-along of “Alive,” rounded out by a cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley and Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.”
Photo by Geoff Whitman
Alas, the magical night was over and it was time to say goodbye to all things Pearl Jam.
Luckily for CA fans they are headed to Ohana Fest on September 26th in Dana Point, but for now, I must run to join Ten Club and relive the memories of the out of this world show! C’mon, there was a freakin’ astronaut!
