Photo Credit: Lee Butterworth

Last night, August 31, Pearl Jam took the stage at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The concert represented the first time this group of musicians had assembled in nearly a year, making it a special occasion for fans as the band dug into their music catalog and dusted off a selection of material, reigniting the flame of past performances as they breathed renewed energy into the music. 

The initial display saw the group weave in and out of tracks that reflected their 1990s discography. During the first five songs–which the group delivered seated–they landed on numbers that initially appeared on Vs. (1993), No Code (1996), Yield (1998) and Ten (1991), the only outlier was “Something,” which originated on Pearl Jam’s 2020 release, Gigaton. With the arrival of “Given to Fly,” the band rose from their seats and began the run-through of songs, “Given to Fly,” “Mind Your Manners,” “Why Go,” and “Seven O’Clock.” 

“Even Flow” came next, prefacing modern material from the group’s latest project, “Dance of the Clairvoyants.” Pearl Jam returned to a ‘90s cut next, working through “I’m Open” before the high point of the main frame, a bust out of “Insignificance,” last performed on May 10, 2016, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. They followed up the special moment with “Daughter” and a fitting “Superblood Wolfmoon,” the night after the night sky was enchanted by the arrival of a blue moon. 

 Before turning to the night’s encore, Pearl Jam added “Love Boat Captain,” “State of Love and Trust,” and “Porch.” After running off stage, a solo Eddie Vedder returned and delivered a stunning take on Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” The latter was positioned with commentary from Vedder, who mentioned recently deceased friends, David Bowie, Prince, Sinead O’Connor, Robbie Robertson, and others, including Petty, who had touched his life. The band returned and helped their frontman conclude the concert with “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” “Go,” a cover of Victoria Williams’ “Crazy Mary,” “Alive,” and “Yellow Ledbetter” to cap the evening in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. 

Pearl Jam 

Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, Minn. 

August 31, 2023

Set: [Seated] Indifference, Buckle Up, Sometimes, Wishlist, Black, [Standing] Given to Fly, Mind Your Manners, Why Go, Seven O’Clock, Even Flow, Dance of the Clairvoyants, I’m Open, Insignificance+, Daughter, Superblood Wolfmoon, Love Boat Captain, State of Love and Trust, Porch

Enc.: Wildflowers (Tom Petty)*, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Go, Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams), Alive, Yellow Ledbetter 

Notes:

+ Bust out, last played 2016

* Vedder solo