Pearl Jam continued their short U.S. tour on Saturday night with their first of two shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Last night’s show at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs was a homecoming gig for Eddie Vedder, who grew up in the nearby suburb of Evanston. The iconic grunge-era act delivered a career-spanning 32-song show that featured an appearance by Dennis Rodman, the World Series trophy and the debut of a David Bowie cover.
Vedder & Co. got their night in The Windy City going with “Wash,” which originally appeared as the B-side on the single for “Alive.” From there the Seattle-based band would deliver a pair of 2018 staples with “Low Light” and “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” before reaching for “Breakfall” serving up the Binaural track for the first time since May 2016. After a string of classics which included “Courdory,” “Hail, Hail” and “Animal,” Pearl Jam looked to “Getaway” delivering the track from their most recent studio album for just the third time in three years. The band served up another rarity next with their cover of “Leaving Here.” The Motown tune was originally recorded by Eddie Holland, while Pearl Jam put their stamp on it for 1996 compilation Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense.
Classics like “Even Flow,” “Not For You,” “Wishlist” and “Porch” helped fill out the 19-song main set. While the five-piece act also included their second ever take on Chris Cornell’s “Missing” and their third cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker’s “Won’t Back Down” this summer. Pearl Jam kicked off their first of two lengthy encores with “Just Breathe.” Vedder looked to his solo catalog next as he requested a ukulele from backstage. To the surprise of the audience former Chicago Bulls power forward, Dennis Rodman emerged with it as Vedder then delivered “Sleeping By Myself” from his aptly-titled 2011 release Ukulele Songs.
A song later the band looked to their contribution to the Singles soundtrack with “State Of Love And Trust” and “Breathe.” “Know Your Rights” from The Clash, “Do The Evolution,” “Alone” and “Rearviewmirror” closed out the band’s first encore. When Pearl Jam emerged to start their second encore, Vedder, a lifelong diehard Cubs fan, paused to acknowledge his favorite team and bring out the team’s 2016 World Series trophy. Pearl Jam then offered up their debuted take on David Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel.” “Better Man” and “Alive” came ahead of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” with traditional show-closer “Yellow Ledbetter” bringing things their evening to an end.