Pearl Jam's 34 years of touring includes a long and colorful history with New Orleans. It encompasses a dozen concerts, one arrest, a trial, recording sessions, a BP protest and lots of love for Steve Gleason.
On Saturday, Pearl Jam returns to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the third time. But first, a look back at past Big Easy adventures.
Dec. 6, 1991: Hi, we're Pearl Jam
Barely three months after the Aug. 27, 1991 release of Pearl Jam’s debut album, “Ten,” the little-known Seattle band made its New Orleans debut at the Municipal Auditorium — the band’s website incorrectly lists the venue as the State Palace Theater — opening for headliner the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready thanks former Saints player Steve Gleason moments after Gleason introduced the band on the Ritual Stage at the VooDoo Music + Arts Experience on Friday, November 1, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
April 20, 1992: A date at Tipitina’s
Fresh off a European tour and with singles from “Ten” gaining traction at radio, Pearl Jam headlined Tipitina’s. On a bootleg recording, singer Eddie Vedder announces, “I think we have been waiting longer for this one than you have!”
The 14-song set opened with “Oceans” and concluded with covers of the Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Sept. 4, 1992: Lollapalooza at UNO
In the summer of 1992, Pearl Jam joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Ministry, Ice Cube, Lush and The Jesus and Mary Chain for the second edition of the traveling Lollapalooza tour.
It occupied the grounds of the UNO Lakefront Arena. According to setlist.fm, Pearl Jam cranked out eight songs that afternoon, concluding with “Baba O’Reilly.”
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder swigs from a wine bottle on the Acura Stage on the second day of the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday, April 23, 2016.
Nov. 16-19, 1993: A triple gig and trouble
Soon after “Vs.,” Pearl Jam’s second album, solidified the band’s status atop rock’s hierarchy, Vedder and company arrived in New Orleans for an action-packed, and infamous, few days.
They played sold-out shows at the UNO Lakefront Arena on Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 19, 1993. They spent time at U2 producer Daniel Lanois’ Kingsway Studio inside an Esplanade Avenue mansion working on songs destined for the band’s third album, “Vitalogy,” including “Tremor Christ” and “Nothingman.”
In the wee hours following the second UNO show, Vedder and his buddy Jack McDowell, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, got into an altercation with a bouncer and another man outside the Crystal nightclub (previously known as the Blue Crystal) on lower Decatur Street. McDowell was knocked unconscious and went to the hospital for stitches. Vedder went to jail.
He posted a $600 cash bail and was released. The incident was splashed across the front of The Times-Picayune under the headline “Slam Jam” on Nov. 19. That night, Pearl Jam played its third show at the Lakefront Arena.
Pearl Jam performs on the Acura Stage during the second day of the New Orleans Jazz Fest at the Fair Grounds Saturday, April 23, 2016. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Aug. 16, 1994: Vedder’s day in court
In a sport coat and slacks, Eddie Vedder turned up in Division C of Orleans Parish Municipal Court to stand trial for the simple battery charge that resulted from his brawl the previous November.
The only time I’ve ever spoken to Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder was in court.
Right after the prosecution rested, Judge John Shea dismissed the charge against Vedder, citing the witnesses’ lack of credibility. The defense didn’t even present its case, much to Vedder’s disappointment.
Sept. 17, 1995: Pearl Jam vs. Ticketmaster
In the mid-1990s, Pearl Jam took on Ticketmaster by using venues not associated with the ticketing service. Working with New Orleans-based concert promoter Beaver Productions, Pearl Jam booked Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park on July 4, 1995.
The base price for a general admission ticket was $21.50. With the addition of a $2 service fee, $2 in taxes and $1 for parking, the total ticket price came to $26.50.
Unfortunately, the Ticketmaster-less tour faced logistical and other challenges. The New Orleans date was postponed to Sept. 17. Rain resulted in a muddy field and damp crowd.
But opening act The Ramones and Pearl Jam both delivered powerhouse sets. Pearl Jam opened with “Animal” and closed with “Yellow Ledbetter.”
Aug. 14, 2000: An arena epic
Resigned to playing more traditional venues on the “Binaural” tour, Pearl Jam stopped at the brand-new New Orleans Arena (now the Smoothie King Center), where the capacity is double that of the UNO Lakefront Arena.
The show spanned 20 songs in the regular set, then nine more in encores. As with many dates on the tour, the band released an “official bootleg” of the New Orleans concert as a double-CD.
Official bootleg CDs of Pearl Jam concerts at the New Orleans Arena on August 14, 2000 and April 8, 2003.
April 8, 2003: Another arena epic
PJ returned to the New Orleans Arena during the “Riot Act” tour with Sleater-Kinney opening. Once again, the set list was extensive: 19 songs in the first section, then 10 more across two encores. The finale? “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
This concert was also released as an “official bootleg” double-CD and digital download.
May 1, 2010: Post-oil spill venting
Days before the 2010 Jazz Fest opened, BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf blew up, killing 11 men and spilling millions of gallons of oil. The smell of petroleum wafting over New Orleans reportedly caused Aretha Franklin to bail on her scheduled Jazz Fest show at the last minute.
Pearl Jam played the Fair Grounds as scheduled on May 1, but Vedder didn’t let the disaster pass without comment. He suggested from the stage that BP executives should vacation on the Louisiana coast: "Send your sons and daughters to clean up your f****** mess." (Imagine the awkwardness had the blown oil rig belonged to Jazz Fest title sponsor Shell.)
Another indication Vedder knew where he was: He wore a T-shirt featuring the stop-action “Saturday Night Live” character “Mr. Bill,” whose creator was from New Orleans.
May 3, 2012: Buffett fills in for Vedder
In 2011, Eddie Vedder released "Ukulele Songs," an album of original compositions and covers. Jazz Fest producer/director Quint Davis reached out to Pearl Jam's booking agent to see if Vedder wanted to play ukulele songs at the festival.
He did. Vedder even booked a 13-city theater tour around his May 3 Jazz Fest date.
But in early April, he canceled the Jazz Fest appearance and postponed the tour because of an arm injury.
A few days earlier, Davis had watched his buddy Jimmy Buffett improvise an unplanned acoustic segment during a free Coral Reefer Band concert at Woldenberg Park for the NCAA Men's Final Four festivities. Davis recruited Buffett to play a similar unplugged set at Jazz Fest as Vedder’s replacement. The swap made sense "artistically and geometrically,” Davis said at the time.
At one point during his Thursday evening fill-in gig at Jazz Fest, Buffett cracked, "It's not Pearl Jam, but it's as close as we can come." He also wished Vedder a speedy recovery.
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, left, John Michael Rouchell, middle, and Pete Murano of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue perform at Gleason Gras on Sunday, November 4, 2012, at Champions Square in New Orleans. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Nov. 4, 2012: Gleason Gras jamming
Former Saints special teams star Steve Gleason, now immobilized and confined to a wheelchair by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, grew up in Seattle, where he befriended the members of Pearl Jam. He's especially close with guitarist Mike McCready.
McCready turned up at the 2012 Gleason Gras benefit at Champions Square, which raises money for Gleason's foundation. The guitarist sat in with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and the hard-rockin' Supagroup.
Three months later, McCready returned to play "The Star Spangled Banner" at the start of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in downtown New Orleans on Feb. 24, 2013.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready introduces former Saints player Steve Gleason who in turn announces the band on the Ritual Stage at the VooDoo Music + Arts Experience on Friday, November 1, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
Nov. 1, 2013: Voodoo with Gleason
Steve Gleason served as an honorary band member for Pearl Jam’s stellar performance at the 2013 Voodoo Music & Arts Festival in City Park.
Gleason helped write the hits-laden Voodoo set list and introduced the band using eye-tracking computer software and a synthesized voice.
During the final “Yellow Ledbetter,” Mike McCready walked to the back corner of the stage where Gleason sat, immobilized. McCready locked eyes with Gleason and serenaded him with the elegiac guitar passage that concludes the song. It was a remarkably emotional and intimate gesture in front of thousands of onlookers.
Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON--Pearl Jam performs on the Acura Stage on the second day of the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, La. Saturday, April 23, 2016.
April 23, 2016: Jazz Fest redux
For the band’s 2016 return to the Fair Grounds, Gleason again introduced his buddies. Vedder wore a “Team Gleason” T-shirt.
Acknowledging Prince’s death two days earlier, Pearl Jam played “Even Flow,” which Prince had covered with his band 3rdEyeGirl.
A local horn section goosed a cover of The Who anthem “The Real Me.” For the concluding “Rockin’ in the Free World,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith gleefully thrashed away on drums while his then-bandmate Josh Klinghoffer — who, since 2021, has been a touring member of Pearl Jam — helped out on guitar 24 hours before the Chili Peppers' Jazz Fest show. Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill joined in on tambourine.
It was a gloriously messy, euphoric moment of rock ’n’ roll excess with a bit of poignancy — much like the two hours that preceded it.
May 3, 2025: ‘Dark Matter’ at Jazz Fest
Pearl Jam will make its third Jazz Fest appearance as part of the 2025 leg of the tour for last year's “Dark Matter” album.
“Dark Matter” was produced by Andrew Watt, who specializes in helping veteran rock bands rediscover their mojo. Watt produced the Rolling Stones’ excellent 2023 album “Hackney Diamonds,” making Mick Jagger and company sound crackling and fresh while still true to their sound.
Watt performed a similar service for Pearl Jam. Following the band’s debut and its masterpiece “Vs.,” Pearl Jam albums often favored manic energy over melody. Vedder and company still raise a racket on “Dark Matter,” but the music has room to breathe. And in “Wreckage,” they crafted a melodic gem.
How much of “Dark Matter” will they play Saturday at the Fair Grounds? Will Vedder reminisce about Orleans Parish Prison? Will he note the 15th anniversary of the BP oil spill? Will special guests sit in?
All will be revealed as Pearl Jam writes another chapter of its New Orleans history.
