Pearl Jam Performs Three-Hour Show in Lexington, KY

LEXINGTON, KY —

Pearl Jam may not get as much radio play as they used to, but their concerts rival those of rock legends.

Clocking in at just over three hours, the show stretched from show-opener “Lightning Bolt,” from their most recent album of the same name, to show-closer “Yellow Ledbetter,” a fan-favorite non-album track from the Ten era. This was the band’s ninth stop on their 2016 tour and was held at UK’s Rupp Arena.

It’s clear Pearl Jam have become comfortable in their status in rock music history, clearly displayed in their choice to leave the house lights on as they walked on the stage. When the house lights dropped out, Pearl Jam ripped into a powerful version of “Mind Your Manners,” followed by an early favorite from the Vs. album, “Animal.”

From there the band didn’t let up, with heavy-hitters like “Even Flow” and “Spin the Black Circle,” as well as crowd favorites “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” and “Daughter.” They also worked in a few rarities, including “Education,” which has only been played eight times since 2008. A high-energy version of “Rearviewmirror” closed out the first set as the audience sang the chorus in unison.

Eddie Vedder returned to the stage alone to start the second set, performing a version of The Beatles’ “Hide Your Love Away” before keyboardist Boom Gaspar joined him for Backspacer track “Just Breathe.” The band returned in full to play Riot Act song “Thumbing My Way.”

A highlight of the second set was a superb cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” including nearly spot-on, Gilmour-esque solos by Mike McCready.

The third and final set started with guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament switching instruments to perform No Code‘s “Smile” as the audience sang along with Vedder while he belted the lines “I miss you already” from the song’s chorus.

Perhaps the most memorable song from the last set was a powerful rendition of “Black” that moved from subtle, refined melodies to screaming guitar solos to the audience singing Vedder’s final lines of the song at peak volume. That, coupled with songs like “Betterman” and “Alive,” as well as a cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” made for an excellent, energetic end to the evening.

And, while the band isn’t in heavy rotation on the airwaves, this show proves the band hasn’t stopped moving and their music is as powerful as ever.