Show Notes
Eddie Vedder once called Chicago's Wrigley Field the "crown jewel of planet Earth" during their first performance there in 2013. 13 years and seven shows later, Wrigley has been a staple of the touring circuit, and a pilgrimage for many fans to experience the band in the ballpark of Ed's favorite baseball team. At one point, it felt like a once in a lifetime experience, but as the years went on and the demand grew, the friendly confines and Pearl Jam would be connected in a plethora of ways including the Let's Play Two documentary chronicling the band's shows and Cubs long awaited World Series victory in 2016.
This episode was recorded on the Live On 4 Legs summer baseball trip where Wrigley Field was of course one of the main destinations. This was also recorded in a hotel room with horrible service, so please mind all of the technical difficulties entrenched in the episode. The five of us spend time breaking down the setlist as well as the history of Wrigley Field shows, which will lead to a difficult, yet interesting conversation - has the aura of the ballpark shows been lost? This was the first instance where Wrigley shows were smack dab in the middle of a tour, which meant they didn't have the same spectacle type atmosphere as they had in the past. Add to the fact that the setlists may not be considered to have that same special identity that ones in the past have had, but it does feature memorable moments such as an early set Porch, Better Man with a Save It For Later tag reminiscent of Ed's solo version, Dark Matter with the Scared Of Fear intro and a dedication to Wrigleyville legend, Beth Murphy.
This episode was also recorded 3 days before the untimely death of Glen Hansard. What you'll hear in this episode is a pure honor of the man while he was still with us on this planet, as his moments with Falling Slowly and Smile feel more surreal with recent hindsight.
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.
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.
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.