Episode 153: Mountain View, CA - 6/1/2003

Could this be the best of the five shows played at Wrigley Field? It's a question worth asking. With all that's gone down in Wrigleyville between rain delays to dedications, special and uninvited guests, this can easily be argued as the best of the bunch. Joining the show is our old friend Matt Helbig to help put this massive night into perspective. Both John and Matt were in attendance for this show and right off the bat, you'll notice that they were absolutely stunned by some of the songs they came firing out with. Oceans to open, Footsteps as a #2, Better Man #4 and an old tribute to Jane's Addiction to lead into Corduroy. This set would have Andre Dawson asking what year is this? Because the first 13 songs could've easily been selected from a 1998 setlist and no one would notice. The band went back to their roots for this show and the crowd was rewarded with old favorites like Sonic Reducer and Blood that you wouldn't expect to get busted out on the big stage. As much as this was a night for old cuts, it was also a night for deep cuts as well. The band went into their back catalog to bust out some cherished fan favorites including Black, Red, Yellow that brought Dennis Rodman up on stage. The unreleased crowd-pleaser Of The Earth also made its way onto the set and managed to be one of the top moments of the night. Add those two in with Stone Gossard taking the mic for a little Don't Gimme No Lip and you have a crowd of collectors left satisfied. Overall, this 36-song monster of a setlist that's only had 4 years of life is already considered an all-timer by many hardcore fans. And consider that the Cubs went on a magical run that broke the curse of the Billy Goat that fall, it's safe to say that Pearl Jam spread some magic and left it out on that field to be shared by all. Contribute to the show and receive extra episode content, live song Evolution episodes and Bridge School shows: http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

15 Jul 20202h 6min

This week's guest is the co-author of PJ20, former music booker on The Tonight Show and currently writes for Variety, Jonathan Cohen joins the show to talk about his experience being side stage at the Wrigley 2013 show and getting to witness the commotion backstage during the rain delay. Not only will you get to hear some great stories from that night, but he'll also share a little bit of his experience from writing the PJ20 book and getting a peak into some of the myths and legends from the band's history that went previously undiscovered. We'll talk to him about his time on The Tonight Show and the booking of Pearl Jam week back in 2013 in preparation of Lightning Bolt and shares a special untold detail of one of the original acts that was booked to perform that week (it's a huge reveal!) We'll also ask him about the Gigaton listening party that he attended prior to the album's release and getting a chance to drink tequila with Eddie and get his insight on parts of the album he was proud of. Support the show, sign up to our Patreon here: http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

14 Jul 202059min

We're now 4 episodes into our Wrigley month and in this one we'll talk about some of the best moments from the first night in 2016. The band returned to the friendly confines, this time under better weather conditions, and put on a show with so many special moments befitting of the ballpark atmosphere. One of the first biggest moments we discussed in full detail with the man himself, Dr. John Evans, on the previous episode about his well documented journey as he spent 4 days camped out in front to be on the rail while they played Release. The band dedicated the song to him in an emotional tribute. But it wasn't the only emotional moment of the night. There was also a marriage proposal on stage, a final goodbye to the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie and an inspirational appearance from Steve Gleason speaking to the crowd before an incredible version of Inside Job. As usual with the ballpark shows, there was also a heavy array of cover songs that we'll talk about in full detail. The big ones from this show are without a doubt Masters of War and I Believe In Miracles played acoustically. Near the end of the show Ed would show his love for the Cubs bringing out family members of former 3B Ron Santo and his all-time favorite player, Jose Cardenal, to join him for a special rendition of Cubs anthem All The Way. Help support the show and donate to our Patreon page: http://patreon.com/liveon4legs - new donations in July will receive a special thank you gift!

8 Jul 20201h 38min

We continue our month of Wrigley coverage with a special appearance from our guest Dr. John Evans. The majority of Pearl Jam fans know his story by now from the Let's Play Two movie - he arrived at Wrigley 4 days ahead of time to get in line, Danny Clinch and his crew documented it and we got to witness an all-time personal dedication as Eddie and the boys played Release for John second song in the set. We'll speak to him about some of the stories behind the camera and what was going through his mind both while waiting in line and being on the rail that night in 2016. Also, John has been on the front lines in the fight against Covid-19 and we'll discuss some of the things going on in his world. Bottom line is this - wear your fucking mask. Join us tomorrow for full coverage of Wrigley Night 1 2016 http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

7 Jul 20201h 10min

After a great conversation with Steven Hyden it's time to get down to business and cover the first Wrigley Field show in the lineage from 2013! Chris Buckley tags in as both he and Randy share experiences of travel, community, weather and merch in one of the biggest and most highly anticipated Pearl Jam events ever. The big story coming out of this day was obviously the 3 hour rain delay and how that factored in to both the band and the fans well being on the night. As the fans evacuated the field to spend 3 hours huddled together in a tunnel with limited access to food, water and, god help us, alcohol, the primary objective of the night of witnessing one of the most epic Pearl Jam performances ever was never in question. Even when the band halted after the first 7 songs, there was still an energy inside the friendly confines that no thunderstorm was gonna put a stop to. As for the set, they busted out some of their best efforts that night. Bringing out Mr. Cub Ernie Banks to play Cubs anthem All The Way was certainly a sight to behold. Versions of Corduroy, Release, Hold On, Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns, Rearviewmirror, BUGS, and Mike's Eruption solo made for this to be a special night that we unfortunately have not been able to relive on soundboard quality bootlegs. That may be the biggest letdown from this show. Aside from that, nothing but magical moments as a kid from Evanston, Illinois' dream came true. For more content, donate to the show and help keep us going - patreon.com/liveon4legs

1 Jul 20202h 16min

Welcome to a month's long celebration of the band's five performances at Wrigley Field! Before we cover each individual show's setlist, we're inviting a special guest in from the either the music industry or the Pearl Jam community to tell their Wrigley stories. This week we have music journalist and host of the Rivals podcast Steven Hyden joining the show. Steven will talk about his experience at 2013 and how it reinvigorated his love for the band after not seeing them live for 15 years. We'll talk about the weather's effect on the day and how shows like this have lifted Pearl Jam into the conversation of one of the best American live bands in history. We'll get his thoughts on Gigaton and where he thinks it belongs among the 2020 album releases. Donate to the show, get cool stuff. Exclusive episodes, monthly bootlegs, a chance to pick your own episode and more - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

30 Jun 202059min

Ciao! This week our Around The World series takes us to Verona, Italy where Pearl Jam performs in the historic Roman amphitheater the Verona Arena - a Colosseum that was built way back in 30 AD. We all remember the Immagine en Cornice DVD that documented all of the amazing scenery and culture of Italy, but it was actually back in 2000 where they played this incredible building for the first time. At a time where, unbeknownst to the band, they were about to hit a major career and life changing transition due to the Roskilde tragedy, this is a rare time in the Binaural era where they are feeling pretty upbeat and positive on stage. The Binaural tracks were continuing to hit their stride - Grievance and Insignificance being two that the allowed Ed to tap into something that brought the anger out of him, and Nothing As It Seems being played with Mike's original pedal brings a special kind of sound that makes the song feel like it's lifted into the atmosphere. This show had other great moments such as a 'f it' moment during Habit where a light was blinding Ed and they'd finish the song with a fury. The band was also doing something uncommon for the time in playing a full 31-song set, but the gap between the stage and the crowd left a little bit of the interaction feeling a bit empty. If you'd like to support the show, please head to our Patreon - patreon.com/liveon4legs and for $1 or more you'll unlock access to all of our exclusive episode content. You'll also get a chance to select an episode and compete in an upcoming setlist draft!

24 Jun 20201h 28min

We're back at the festival circuit this week! From Pinkpop 2000's incredibly speedy sprint of a set, we change the landscape a little by bringing in the jammy atmosphere from the 2008 Bonnaroo show. Joining us to share his experiences is patron and friend of the podcast Mike Packard who was one of 80,000 that waited hours to get to see the band play. The curation of this set list was next to perfect, you had your hit songs that you'd expect from any set, but versions of Better Man, Black and Porch hover round 10 minutes long with the latter including one of Ed's most impassioned speeches about making change. Along with hits and songs that give you energetic festival vibes, they busted a few songs out for the serious collectors. Lost Dog opener All Night makes it's first ever live appearance on this show, as well as a full version of W.M.A. that hadn't been performed in that fashion since 1995. We'll also get to talk about the Kanye West controversy that came out of this show. His elaborate stage construction that took 2 hours to rig added in with his narcissistic demeanor threatening the show promoter to put him on stage at a time where no one else was playing. So Pearl Jam took advantage of the timeslot and played for an hour longer than alotted. Kanye's response? Well, it was the beginning of a massive downward spiral that we hear at LO4L don't give a rats ass about! If you want to be like Mike and join the show to talk about your favorite gig, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/liveon4legs. Your donation will get assess to all of our exclusive content including our Bridge School episodes and setlist drafts.

17 Jun 20201h 55min