Last night was a great time seeing Pearl Jam at the Verizon Center in D.C. Our seats were PERFECT. Dead-center stage, far enough back so that we had a great view and could see everything, but not so far that everybody looked like ants on stage. If I could have walked into the arena and picked our seats like in a movie theater, I probably would have picked the seats we ended up with.

Eddie Vedder came out at 7:22 and performed the Cat Stevens song "Don't Be Shy" on acoustic guitar right before the opening band played. The place went wild! Although, I feel sorry for all those people who were still standing in line for beer of merchandise, as they probably had no clue what was going on.

My Morning Jacket came on right at 7:30. They were so-so. Honestly, i wasn't really paying attention. I tend to ignore opening acts and observe the crowd instead. I do like the MMJ CD, but they didn't translate live for me for some reason. I was bored... mostly I think because I was anxious for Pearl Jam to take the stage.

Then, at about 8:32, Pearl Jam came on stage, and they were truly incredible. Amazingly tight and energetic. The crowd was very appreciative, and you could tell the band was feeding off the crowd's energy.

Set:

Don't Be Shy (pre-set opener) - Cat Stevens cover

Release (Ten)
World Wide Suicide (Pearl Jam)
Severed Hand (Pearl Jam)
Corduroy (Vitalogy)
Animal (Vs.)
Do the Evolution (Yield)
Given to Fly (Yield)
Low Light (Yield)
Unemployable (Pearl Jam)
Grievance (Binaural)
Even Flow (Ten)
I Got ID (single)
Present Tense (No Code)
Better Man (Vitalogy)
Inside Job (Pearl Jam)
Wasted Reprise/Life Wasted (Pearl Jam)
Why Go (Ten)
Rearviewmirror (Vs.)

1st Encore:
Man of the Hour (single)
Masters of War (Bob Dylan cover)
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town (Vs.)
Come Back (Pearl Jam)
Alive (Ten)

2nd Encore:
Comatose (Pearl Jam)
Leash (Vs.)
Fuckin' Up (Neil Young Cover)
Yellow Ledbetter (B-side)

Prior to "Fuckin' Up", Eddie Vedder joked that Dick Cheney had called him to request it. It was the funniest thing.... Eddie said that when he answered the phone and Cheney announced himself, Eddie said, "Hello..... Dick." Most of the audience was clearly anti-Bush, and they made their feelings well-known. Since they show was in D.C., I kind of expected some of the more political songs: Bushleaguer, for example, or Rockin' in the Free World. They obviously did Masters of War, and Grievance, and Eddie made a few references, but it wasn't an overtly political show. It was just about 2 1/2 hours of amazing rock and roll. They finished right at 11:00. They clearly thought it was a great show, they were slapping each other on the back as they left stage, and seemed to have a great deal of energy.

I'm glad we went. Pearl Jam is an amazing band, and its easy to see why they have been so successful and still going strong 16 years since their debut album was released. And tonight I will download a recording of last night's show - it's already available for purchase on their website for $9.99!

Very cool. I was never a huge fan, but I would like to see them live.

man...with My Morning Jacket opening? that's a great ticket.....Eddie did the same thing before one of his last tours with Sonic Youth opening....except he came out and played 3 songs.....he's just cool like that

I'm seeing Pearl Jam with Tom Petty in July


Thanks for this review