Eddie Vedder at Tower Theater 6/12/09
Eddie Vedder's second night at Tower Theater had a much different energy than the first night. He interacted more with the crowd, which was a rowdier group than Thursday night, and his singing and guitar-playing was on point, without any slip-ups like the night before. He even told the audience that he had been taking pain killers for a recent injury and this was his first night without taking medication, joking that he should play sober more often.
He again opened with "Walking the Cow," followed by the same "Brain Damage" intro leading into "Sometimes." Next were beautiful covers of the Cat Stevens song "Trouble" and "Girl From the North Country" by Bob Dylan, followed by "I Am Mine," "Dead Man," and the Into the Wild songs "Far Behind," "No Ceiling," "Guaranteed" and "Rise."
The next part of the set was slightly different as he played "Picture in a Frame" by Tom Waits and "State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen. "Drifting" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" were next, and then the Pearl Jam favorite "Small Town" brought the crowd to their feet, along with the main set closer "Porch."
Following the break Liam Finn again joined Vedder for "Society," which was followed by a brief version of "Lukin" on the ukelele and then "Soon Forget." Next was another Pearl Jam classic, "Wishlist," and again he closed the show with "Arc" followed by "Hard Sun" with Liam Finn and EJ. However, one of the highlights of the show had nothing to do with the music. At one point during the encore, Vedder mentioned a letter he got from a fan that really moved him, in which the writer of the letter talked about the impact Pearl Jam's music had on his life and how he was inspired by Eddie Vedder to begin volunteering for an organization called the Yellow Ribbon Club that raises money to support US troops. As he told the story, he noticed a visibly emotional couple in the front row and discovered that it was the same couple that had written the letter. It was a very touching moment as he hugged them and thanked them for the letter, and announced that he and Pearl Jam would be contributing to the organization. It is moments like this that make you realize the ability music has to bring people together and impact their lives in a powerful way.
Comments
Thanks Julia for this article. That couple in the front was me and my wife. Do you have a photo of Ed interacting with us? A visual to keep forever would be another part of an already perfect story that we were part of Friday night
for this review and setlist. i went both nights, but had a fair amount of wine on friday and so my memory of that show is a bit hazy. thanks again!
Wow! I know fate interceded somehow here. For the couple in the front row and the Yellow Ribbon Club. What a great cause to donate to. Eddie Vedder ROCKS!!
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was very lucky to have my seats upgraded to the first row three seats to the right of Dave and his wife a few minutes before the show started and was amazed again by Eddie ability to perform. I too would love to be able to see more pics to see if I can see myself more clearly. Thanks for doing the show justice with your review.
Hi Dave - I'm sorry but I don't have any pictures of him interacting with you guys. I hope you're able to track some down, that was such a great moment- and very well deserved! Thanks for reading my review.
No, thank you Julia for your response and this article. Your review has lead more visits to www.yellowribbonclub.org so I appreciate you linking them in your review very much! The positive fall out of what is happening to the Yellow Ribbon Club is an amazing chain of events and Ed is the talk of the town. I hold very much dear to my heart what he and the band have done and are doing now and the parents of the YRC are very excited. It makes a great story doesn't it?! Please feel free to reach out to the contact us page on the YRC's website if you want to get a hold of me if you ever want to follow up on the chain of events..the person you contact can give you my contact info...all of this and more from the power of music and a force called "Pearl Jam".
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!