Show Notes
2026 has been a good year for Pearl Jam milestone anniversaries. It marks the 20th anniversary of Avocado's release, 35 years since Ten, and for this episode's purposes, 30 long illustrious years for the No Code record. Back in 1996, the music world that was still attempting to grab on to the last lingering traces of the grunge movement was anticipating Pearl Jam's 4th album after Vitalogy skyrocketed the band to the top of the charts. People that expected to get more of the same raw sound from the previous record were shocked to find that No Code took a completely new direction that didn't quite captivate their audience like their first three albums did. Along with their continued boycott of Ticketmaster venues, Pearl Jam was losing mainstream appeal at a time where rock music was fading out of interest.
The episode that we cover in this episode is the official kickoff to the 1996 tour at the home of their beloved Seattle Supersonics, the Key Arena. The band came into the show with a full arsenal of new material to showcase to friends and neighbors, but a bevy of technical difficulties halted some of the excitement and anticipation to play the new tracks. Over half of the album was played, but staple songs like Hail, Hail, In My Tree and Habit don't have the same punch that they'd have as the tour continued onward. However, we get to hear a great version of Red Mosquito at this show while songs like Go, Corduroy and Immortality continue to shine after being huge factors on setlists in 1995.
We'll spend the show reflecting on No Code's change within the band's song writing approach and self awareness, and we'll dive back into current Pearl Jam topics discussing future tours and recording, and whether or not they need new music in order to move forward.
Become A Guest Producer On LO4L - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdVXXa9OgtGmdH-6Sx-c45OuLwaGH8fFETgaKre_AM-psuRQ/viewform
Visit The Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com
Contact the Show - [email protected]
Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs
More from Live On 4 Legs: Pearl Jam Podcast
To celebrate an album birthday, this week we are going back to 1993 on the Vs. tour to talk about a show in Dallas that happened at the prime of their popularity. This show takes place a month after the release of Vs., which was a massive hit selling a then record 950,378 copies in its first week. While everyone wanted a piece of this band, they chose to keep things simple while going on tour to promote the album. Instead of selling out massive basketball arenas, they stuck to smaller venues including many on college campuses so that they could keep prices affordable for their young fanbase.
After Jack Irons' abrupt exit from Pearl Jam in early 1998, the band was left to scramble for a replacement to help support them on a 47 show tour for North America. With Soundgarden having split up a year prior, old friend Matt Cameron was available as a temporary replacement until a new member could be found. As we know, Cameron transitioned from temporary to permanent within a few months remaining in that position for 27 years. The show that we're covering in this episode is his 11th full performance with the band in St. Louis near the beginning of that long tour.
After much anticipation over who was going to be behind the kit for Pearl Jam for the first time since Matt Cameron left last summer, we have finally found our answer... or so we think. Abe Laboriel Jr., who has made a name for himself as the drummer for Paul McCartney, was revealed as the guy holding it down for the band as they played for the first time since May of 2025. We'll have plenty of reaction to how Abe approached these songs and what kind of chemistry he had with the band that led to the festival being a big success. But there is also the fallout after Ohana with some added speculation on whether or not Abe is fully a part of Pearl Jam's future. We'll address comments from the band and try to make sense of the next steps involving their future.
The time is finally here! We've been waiting for a year and a half to find out who the new drummer of Pearl Jam is going to be, and this weekend at the Ohana Festival, we'll finally have our answer. Will it be Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins? Zak Starkey from The Who? Dave Krusen making a triumphant return? Or maybe a guy like Abe Laboriel Jr., Josh Freese or Richard Stuverud. The time has finally come to turn the page to the next chapter, and we're here to get you ready for it with this week's episode going back to the most recent Ohana performance back in 2024.
Pearl Jam is about to play their first show in over a year beginning a brand new chapter in the band's 36th year of existence. At the Ohana Festival, we'll find out who will be named the band's sixth drummer to replace the long reign of Matt Cameron. The next two episodes will prepare for this occasion with a lot of drummer discussion as well as coverage of the last time they played at Eddie's Ohana Festival two years ago.