Shaking off the rust from a month-long break between shows, Pearl Jam treated a fan club-only crowd to a rarities-packed set last night (Aug. 2) at Chicago’s intimate Vic Theatre. The gig served as a warm-up for the band’s headlining set on Sunday at Lollapalooza in the city’s Grant Park.
Frontman Eddie Vedder opened the show solo with covers of Cat Stevens’ “Trouble” and Tom Waits’ “Picture in a Frame,” plus Pearl Jam’s “Dead Man” and a made-up ditty about the Chicago Cubs, a dedication that drew equal parts cheers and boos from supporters and White Sox fans, respectively (Vedder will sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” today during the Cubs/Mets game at Wrigley Field).
From there, Pearl Jam launched into a 24-song set that went heavy on obscurities and included just two hits, “Wishlist” and “World Wide Suicide.” The show opened with the rarely performed “All or None” and the B-side “Education” and went on to feature uncommon songs like “Undone,” “Low Light,” “I’m Open” and “Rats.”
“Forgive us,” mumbled Vedder about a third of the way in. “But most of these songs we decided to play about 4:30 this afternoon.” Later, drummer Matt Cameron took the mic for a cover of Kiss’ “Black Diamond,” and for the finale, Ben Harper joined the band for the hushed “Indifference.”
For a full review of the show, click here.
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