Episode 244: Saratoga Springs, NY - 8/27/2000

We're celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pearl Jam's memorable run from coast to coast in Canada. This was the first instance where they decided to travel the entire length of the country hitting up 15 different locations from small towns like Kitchener and Thunder Bay, to big cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Eight provinces were represented, including Nova Scotia which saw it's one and only Pearl Jam show in Halifax.. You can tell that the band truly appreciated getting to travel throughout the country and wanted to leave an impact on some of the smaller places in which they'd never return to. From trying a Keith's to playing through some of their rarities, Halifax is one of the tour's most prominent stops, and we'll cover it in this episode. As much as it's the Canadian tour, this run also feels somewhat like the unofficial Lost Dogs tour as well. The b-side album was released in late 2003 and the songs had become popular by the time 2005 came along. Outside of other eras in which these songs may have been played, this was one of the first opportunities that the band had to showcase them in front of a crowd, and this show features two big ones. Eddie came out in the pre-set to perform Driftin', and Hard To Imagine was used as an opener for the first time at a show. This would invite the song into the pantheon of popular openers along the likes of Release, Sometimes, Long Road and others, and it truly elevated the song to a level in which we hadn't seen of it live to that point. The rest of this set is full of more rarities and messes with the standard setlist structure by utilizing songs in spots they aren't usually played. Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

25 Sep 1h 31min

A three night stand is a bit of a rarity in the Pearl Jam world, but any time that it's happened, the shows immediately become a part of the band's folklore. Mansfield's trilogy is always the premiere go to, but the three shows at Jones Beach in 2000 are legendary in their own right. The Daughter/It's OK moment from night two may still dominate the conversation 25 years later, but it's the night three show where the band went to all depths of their catalog to put together an extremely memorable finale on Long Island. The big theme of this show is centered around the high usage of an album that's considered to be a favorite of the die hard fan - No Code. There were seven tracks from the record played, and none of them were what you may consider to be as the commonly played songs from that record at the time (Hail, Hail, Lukin and to an extent, Habit). It's songs like Red Mosquito, Off He Goes, letting Stone sing on an inspired version of Mankind and a late encore performance of Smile, which was not considered to be a common song during this era like it is today. The band took it upon themselves to give this crowd something they'd never forget, and it wasn't just for the fact that these songs appeared, they all blew the doors down. From Immortality as a closer, to a unique usage of Save It For Later as the Better Man tag, the kitchen sink was thrown because the kitchen sink was lit ablaze. We'll dig into heavy discussion on all of the best performances from this show mentioned above, as well as Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror, Black and the rare Binaural tracks for the era! Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

27 Aug 1h 35min

This episode covers night two from Pearl Jam's three night stay at Jones Beach Amphitheater in 2000. This show will forever be known for a moment that's considered to be one of the most emotionally impactful in their history. The first North American leg of the Binaural tour was coming off the heels of one of the worst tragedies in music history when nine fans were killed during their set at the Roskilde Festival. Having decided to stick with the tour plans as scheduled, there was no time for the band to fully enter the grieving process, which meant that a lot of it needed to be done on the road or during their shows. One of the songs that was added to the live repertoire was from a band named Dead Moon called It's OK. This was the song that helped the band heal during this challenging time period. We'll dig into a lot of what this version meant for both the band and fans alike. Featured on the Touring Band 2000 compilation, the majority of the fanbase have been able to relive this moment over and over again throughout the years. The warmth of a song like It's OK and it's lyrics provided a message of hope. When things may appear to be at their worst, there is always a way to pick yourself up. This is how the band was feeling at the time, and this is how many of Pearl Jam fans have felt when they needed this song the most. We'll discuss this rendition being the hurdle that needed to be crossed in order to move forward and continue a life on stage post tragedy. Stay tuned for night three next week! Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

20 Aug 1h 30min

In August of 2000, Pearl Jam was going through a period of growth following the aftermath of the tragedy at Roskilde. As they toured throughout North America, every stop was a chance to heal from that moment. As they hit close to the end of the month, they prepared for three massive shows at Jones Beach Amphitheater located on Long Island in the shadow of New York City. There was a sense that they needed to deliver, and they exceeded every expectation. Night 1's show might not get the same praise as the two that precede it, but it was a great way to warm up this crowd and get things kicked off on the right note. In this episode, we'll spend some time breaking down some classic Binaural performances such as Nothing As It Seems, God's Dice and Sleight Of Hand while sharing our favorite order to hear the Man Trilogy and a superb Long Road open. We'll also talk about this version of Daughter which sets the tone for the legendary Daughter and It's OK tag performance the next night. This is just part one! The next two episodes will cover the remaining Jones Beach shows from 2000, so stay tuned for our breakdown of those legendary nights! Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

13 Aug 1h 30min

As we sit here only mere weeks after Matt Cameron stepped down as Pearl Jam's drummer after 27 years, it's completely understandable to be a little bit anxious for what the future of this band holds. While Cameron has been a staple since taking over for Jack Irons in 1998, there were a very small handful of times that we got to witness the band perform shows without his presence. In 2022, Cameron had to pause on touring in order to deal with a positive covid test. The band had about 24 hours to scramble and plan with the knowledge that he wasn't going to be available, so in stepped three drummers to help - Josh Klinghoffer who had just joined the band a year prior and was opening the show with solo material, long time friend and bandmate of Jeff Ament's in RNDM, Richard Stuverud, and a lucky fan who was plucked out of the crowd to be involved with a once and a lifetime experience named Josh Arroyo. After the first Oakland show in 2022, we got the opportunity to interview Josh which you can listen to here: https://liveon4legs.com/podcast/pearl-jam-fan-profile-josh-arroyo/ Since that time, Josh has become a great friend to the podcast and community, and we're thankful to have him join us on this episode to discuss the departure of Matt Cameron, and also get to hear another side of the story that he didn't get to share in our original interview. He'll take us through his backstage tryout and how the Pearl Jam security team and management knew him prior to his appearance on Ledbetter. He'll also share stories of mingling with Ed at Bridge School and Ohana shows, and he'll share his opinion on who he thinks the next drummer for Pearl Jam will be. We'll also run down the setlist and talk about Rockin In The Free World opening a show for the first ever time, the origins behind Nothingman in connection with Richard Stuverud, and what to be prepared for as we move into a new chapter of Pearl Jam without Matt Cameron. Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

23 Juli 2h 4min

On July 7th, 2025, the news broke that Matt Cameron, Pearl Jam's drummer for the last 27 years, would be stepping down effective immediately. It was a stunning revelation to the Pearl Jam world. As a unit, this band has been at the top of their game creating seven studio albums and hundreds of memorable live shows with Cameron behind the dish. But with the band having reached their 60's now, the idea of them lasting forever was untenable. We just didn't expect it to come so soon. As we do in this podcast community during times like these, we gathered together to share all of our personal reactions to Matt Cameron leaving. You'll hear some familiar podcast voices, and a few new ones as well as we navigate through this difficult time. It was a therapeutic discussion. No speculations or predictions, just pure admiration for someone who was one of the best to ever do it. Our hope is that this can be as therapeutic for you the listener as it was for all of us, so please take a listen and feel free to share your own thoughts about what happened through any of our social media platforms.

8 Juli 1h 18min

On June 30th, 2000, Pearl Jam headlined the Roskilde Festival in Denmark while touring Europe for their Binaural album. About an hour after they took the stage, there was a sudden surge towards the front. Multiple fans lost their footing on the muddy terrain, and some were trampled. The outcome is one of the worst tragedies in live music history as the lives of nine fans were lost. This incident permanently changed the lives of each member of Pearl Jam, and everything from that point forward about their live show changed. From heightened security, to a renewed sense of empathy and compassion, their goal was to ensure that nothing like Roskilde would ever happen at one of their shows again. They've made good on that promise. On the 25th anniversary, we look back and examine the stories and healing process that followed in the aftermath. Part two takes a look at the band's return to Copenhagen for the first time since the tragedy, how general admission at shows would slowly be reinstated over time and powerful performances of Black and Love Boat Captain played at pivotal moments where they paid tribute to the families who lost loved ones. You'll get to hear from our esteemed panel who will share their personal stories of how they reacted to the incident, and will discuss why sticking together was always the best and only option for the band. Make sure you check out the part one episode of this series if you wish to hear this story told chronologically. Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com./liveon4legs

1 Juli 59min

On June 30th, 2000, Pearl Jam headlined the Roskilde Festival in Denmark while touring Europe for their Binaural album. About an hour after they took the stage, there was a sudden surge towards the front. Multiple fans lost their footing on the muddy terrain, and some were trampled. The outcome is one of the worst tragedies in live music history as the lives of nine fans were lost. This incident permanently changed the lives of each member of Pearl Jam, and everything from that point forward about their live show changed. From heightened security, to a renewed sense of empathy and compassion, their goal was to ensure that nothing like Roskilde would ever happen at one of their shows again. They've made good on that promise. On the 25th anniversary, we look back and examine the stories and healing process that followed in the aftermath. We'll share powerful performances of songs from the 2000 tour and how Eddie's song writing at that time was impacted by the incident. Joining us on this episode is author of the PJ20 book, Jonathan Cohen, to bring perspective to the story, and we invite Pearl Jam community members on to share their personal stories, including witnessing the band at their Virginia Beach show, and one of the nine live performances of Arc. Please stay tuned for Part 2 which should be released shortly after the release of this episode. Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

30 Juni 57min