TOP PEARL JAM SHOWS OF ALL TIME (according to SVRDhand13)

SVRDhand13

After countless hours I've put together (what I consider to be) the definitive list of Pearl Jam live shows. Being at the Rock Hall ceremony live in Brooklyn is what inspired me to finally finish this list.

Years- Every year is included except 97, 99 and 01 when they barely played. I've capped how many shows one year can get at six shows (I tried 5 but couldn't make it work). The years that include the limit of 6 shows are 1992, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2016.
Regions- Pretty much every region they've played is included (US, Canada, South America, Australia, Europe, Japan).
Tours- I believe every tour has at least one show included. For example, I included a show from '04 even though that show would normally not fit into my best of list.
Official Releases Almost all major releases are covered, including DVDs and the vault series. Bellingham 2000 was omitted though because I reached my cap for 2000 and couldn't find a spot for it.
Omissions There are plenty of shows that just missed the cut. I won't mention them all, but I'm sure you fine people will point them out!
Why 75? I didn't start this list thinking the final tally would be 75- it just worked out that way. I feel like this is a good representation of their entire career.

Presented in chronological order.

10/22/90- Seattle WA
10/6/91- Hollywood, CA
1/17/92- Moore Theatre WA
3/16/92- Unplugged NYC
6/8/92 Pinkpop Festival
6/18/92- Zurich SUI
9/20/92 Drop in the Park WA
12/31/92- NYC NYE
7/16/93- Rotterdam, NL
7/17/93- Rotterdam, NL
11/5/93- Indio CA
11/30/93- Las Vegas NV
4/3/94- Atlanta GA
4/12/94- Boston MA
1/14/95- Washington DC
3/17/95- Melbourne AU
7/11/95- Chicago IL
11/1/95- Salt Lake City, UT
9/29/96- Randall's Island NY
11/3/96- Berlin, DE
3/5/98- Melbourne AU
7/13/98- Inglewood, CA
7/22/98- Seattle WA
9/11/98- MSG NYC 2
9/16/98- Mansfield MA
9/19/98- Washington DC
6/6/00- Cardiff Wales
6/16/00- Katowice 2
6/22/00- Milan Italy
8/25/00- Jones Beach 3
10/22/00- Las Vegas NV
11/6/00- Seattle WA
12/6/02- Showbox WA
3/3/03- Tokyo Japan
5/3/03- State College PA
7/8/03- MSG NY 1
7/11/03- Mansfield 3
7/19/03- Mexico City 3
10/22/03- Benaroya Hall
9/29/04- Boston MA
9/1/05 Gorge WA
9/16/05- Ottawa CA
10/3/05- Philly PA
5/19/06- Grand Rapids MI
7/9/06- San Diego
7/22/06- Gorge WA 1
7/23/06- Gorge WA 2
9/19/06- Torino Italy
11/19/06- Newcastle AU
8/2/07- Vic Theatre IL
6/14/08- Bonnaroo, TN
6/27/08- Hartford CT
10/30/09- Spectrum PA
10/31/09- Spectrum PA
5/18/10- Boston MA
5/21/10- MSG NY 2
9/3/11- East Troy WI
9/4/11- East Troy WI
9/11/11- Toronto CA
11/13/11- Buenos Aires AR
6/27/12- Amsterdam NL
7/19/13- Wrigley Field IL
10/25/13- Hartford
10/29/13- Charlottesville VA
7/8/14- Leeds UK
10/17/14- Moline IL
10/20/14- Milwaukee WI
11/20/15- Belo Horizonte BR
4/16/16- Greenville SC
4/29/16- Philly PA
5/10/16- Toronto CA
6/9/16- Third Man TN
8/7/16- Fenway Park MA
8/22/16- Wrigley Field IL
8/10/18- Seattle WA

mcgruff10

96 is pretty skinny Joe!

RS65573

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

F Me In The Brain

Really tough to do - and super subjective - but hats off to you for putting all of that work in to try and come up with your top shows.
Have heard lots of them and seems kick ass to me.
Here is where the subjective comes in....October 31, 1993 was a far superior show to November 5, 1993 by almost any way you could slice it. Crowd, Band, Energy, Venue...but I know that Indio gets so much love because of Fuck Me In The Brain / Shoe the Shoeless. It was an epic show because of that, but for someone that was at that show and saw them in Bezerkely the week prior? Holy shit, there was no competition. They were on fire on Halloween.

Anyway, great list. I will go back and start listening to the shows you listed that I have and do not recall specifically things that I loved about them. Thanks for putting together.

SVRDhand13

mcgruff10 said:

96 is pretty skinny Joe!

They didn't play many shows and it's harder to find high quality boots. What would you include?

SVRDhand13

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agree that's a great show and was on the cusp.

F Me In The Brain

Vancouver 11 belongs on this list just because it gave the world "Manwolfpig"

tbergs

Nice list! Some of my favorites are on here for sure. Some I can think of that didn't make the cut are St. Petersburg, FL '94, Charleston '96, Uniondale '03 and MSG 1 '08. I think the '03 and '00 years are the toughest because there are so many shows and a lot of them were great for different reasons. Chicago '00 and Pinkpop '00 are others that stand out as I'm thinking about it.

helplessdancer

for this encore alone
All Along the Watchtower (w/ Neil Young and Pete Frampton)
Act of Love (w/ Neil Young and Pete Frampton)
Cortez the Killer (w/ Neil Young and Pete Frampton)
Rockin' in the Free World (w/ Neil Young and Pete Frampton)

Pearl Jam - 2004-10-02 Toledo, OH (Full Concert)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuXO7oRP11o

cp3iverson

If you're throwing the Spectrum on there, Spectrum 03 owns the 09 Spectrum shows

PJNB

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

SVRDhand13

PJNB said:

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

So many great comments here and I want to reply to all but I'll wait for them to pile up haha.

Had to comment on this one ASAP though. I went through 2013 like crazy and could make the case for so many different shows. I remember at the time people complaining about Seattle. The expectations overshadowed the possible IMO. This is a 37 song killer set that was a fitting finale to the 2013 LB tour.

mcgruff10

SVRDhand13 said:

mcgruff10 said:

96 is pretty skinny Joe!

They didn't play many shows and it's harder to find high quality boots. What would you include?

check out the lisbon, portugal shows, buffalo and hartford.

cp3iverson

Im more of a performance over setlist guy.

Greatest hits set played with intensity will destroy a sloppy rarities show everytime IMO. I also think singing wise Ed peaked a while ago so im not big on bootlegs from the past few years. He still sounds good tho. Thats a hell of a list tho.

ed243421

Nice list!

Red rocks 95?

SVRDhand13

Okay let's face it this will probably turn into a top 100 list

cincybearcat

This is such a hard task, and everyone will have different opinions for sure. Trying to keep my own personal opinions of the best shows I've seen out of it, I do think you are missing one from your list.

I agree with helplessdancer...Toledo 2004 for Neil/Frampton. Epic. And to keep it at 75, id remove the Third Man stop in 2016.

But again - lots of good work and cool idea. Thanks for sharing.

PJNB

SVRDhand13 said:

PJNB said:

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

So many great comments here and I want to reply to all but I'll wait for them to pile up haha.

Had to comment on this one ASAP though. I went through 2013 like crazy and could make the case for so many different shows. I remember at the time people complaining about Seattle. The expectations overshadowed the possible IMO. This is a 37 song killer set that was a fitting finale to the 2013 LB tour.

I loved it as well. I was not there, I just remember a lot of people not being happy. It reminds me of the same reaction from the MSG shows last year which I also thought sounded great. For 2013 I went to one of the least liked shows (Worcester night 2) and had the time of my life. People do set their expectations to unreachable levels sometimes.

buck502000

Pearl Jam, even when it's bad, it's good

cp3iverson

PJNB said:

SVRDhand13 said:

PJNB said:

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

So many great comments here and I want to reply to all but I'll wait for them to pile up haha.

Had to comment on this one ASAP though. I went through 2013 like crazy and could make the case for so many different shows. I remember at the time people complaining about Seattle. The expectations overshadowed the possible IMO. This is a 37 song killer set that was a fitting finale to the 2013 LB tour.

I loved it as well. I was not there, I just remember a lot of people not being happy. It reminds me of the same reaction from the MSG shows last year which I also thought sounded great. For 2013 I went to one of the least liked shows (Worcester night 2) and had the time of my life. People do set their expectations to unreachable levels sometimes.

Yep. The bar is too high in people's minds. MSG and Philly have such a history that a regular great show there is a letdown. Its bizarre

I saw Lebron get a triple double once and people left disappointed because there were no Sportscenter like highlights. I dont get people

pjhawks

cp3iverson said:

If you're throwing the Spectrum on there, Spectrum 03 owns the 09 Spectrum shows

definitely. i also think Spectrum 1 of 2009 is a highly underrated show.

on the OP's list I hit 7 of those shows.

Merkin Baller

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agreed, while I liked seeing Boston '10 on the list, I'm surprised it made the cut over Hartford. (I thought both shows were great mind you, but that Hartford show...........)


I know it's all subjective, and props to the OP for putting this together, but here's my real gripe:

No Denver '14? That was one for the ages.

Gripe aside, good work @SVRDhand13!

Merkin Baller

PJNB said:

SVRDhand13 said:

PJNB said:

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

So many great comments here and I want to reply to all but I'll wait for them to pile up haha.

Had to comment on this one ASAP though. I went through 2013 like crazy and could make the case for so many different shows. I remember at the time people complaining about Seattle. The expectations overshadowed the possible IMO. This is a 37 song killer set that was a fitting finale to the 2013 LB tour.

I loved it as well. I was not there, I just remember a lot of people not being happy. It reminds me of the same reaction from the MSG shows last year which I also thought sounded great. For 2013 I went to one of the least liked shows (Worcester night 2) and had the time of my life. People do set their expectations to unreachable levels sometimes.

Do people set the bar too high? Damn right they do, but that Worcester 2 show was an off night for them.

IDK if Eddie was hung over or what, but the energy wasn't what it normally is, and it was probably my least favorite of all the times I've seen them. (that doesn't mean it wasn't a good show……. Even an off night for PJ is still going to be a good show, but that was definitely an off night)

SVRDhand13

Merkin Baller said:

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agreed, while I liked seeing Boston '10 on the list, I'm surprised it made the cut over Hartford. (I thought both shows were great mind you, but that Hartford show...........)


I know it's all subjective, and props to the OP for putting this together, but here's my real gripe:

No Denver '14? That was one for the ages.

Gripe aside, good work @SVRDhand13!

I loved that show. I admit I was pretty stingy with 2014 as well as 2005 and 2013.

I seriously might revise this list to include 100 shows but sticking with the 6 shows per year max. I have to think about it.

PJNB

Merkin Baller said:

PJNB said:

SVRDhand13 said:

PJNB said:

2016 is pretty spot on except I would swap out Toronto night 1 for Quebec. Interesting that you have Seattle 2013 in there. I really like the boot but I remember lots of people coming out of that show disappointed.

So many great comments here and I want to reply to all but I'll wait for them to pile up haha.

Had to comment on this one ASAP though. I went through 2013 like crazy and could make the case for so many different shows. I remember at the time people complaining about Seattle. The expectations overshadowed the possible IMO. This is a 37 song killer set that was a fitting finale to the 2013 LB tour.

I loved it as well. I was not there, I just remember a lot of people not being happy. It reminds me of the same reaction from the MSG shows last year which I also thought sounded great. For 2013 I went to one of the least liked shows (Worcester night 2) and had the time of my life. People do set their expectations to unreachable levels sometimes.

Do people set the bar too high? Damn right they do, but that Worcester 2 show was an off night for them.

IDK if Eddie was hung over or what, but the energy wasn't what it normally is, and it was probably my least favorite of all the times I've seen them. (that doesn't mean it wasn't a good show……. Even an off night for PJ is still going to be a good show, but that was definitely an off night)

Ya he was sick for sure and definitely hung over. He said early in the night that he is going to need some help singing and it was more of a "hits" style night. We still got to see "Otherside" though and that was worth the price of admission for me alone.

I have met a couple of people in my travels watching this band and some have seen these guys over 100 times. I stood beside them on the rail and they did not show any excitement or interaction during the songs and just stood there. If Eddie came by they would jump around to get his attention but when he was gone it was back to standing and staring. I always wondered if these are the same people that leave a show and complain how the crowd was bad or the show was not "special" enough. I also know some fans that have seen them plenty and rock out like it was the last show they will ever see.

Merkin Baller

SVRDhand13 said:

Merkin Baller said:

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agreed, while I liked seeing Boston '10 on the list, I'm surprised it made the cut over Hartford. (I thought both shows were great mind you, but that Hartford show...........)


I know it's all subjective, and props to the OP for putting this together, but here's my real gripe:

No Denver '14? That was one for the ages.

Gripe aside, good work @SVRDhand13!

I loved that show. I admit I was pretty stingy with 2014 as well as 2005 and 2013.

I seriously might revise this list to include 100 shows but sticking with the 6 shows per year max. I have to think about it.

With all the shows they did, it's pretty damn hard to get all of them. Good job.

(if you DO expand the list, I would suggest Brooklyn @ from '13 also, that was an incredible set list, and while the energy didn't quite match what happened in Hartford a week later, it was still a great show!)

EDIT: I meant to specify Brooklyn II

Zod

I would of put Boise 2000 on there.

I caught the last 4 shows of the 2000 tour and Boise was amazing. It's still in my top 4 for shows I've seen. While shorter I thought it was even better than the 2nd Seattle show that year (which made your list)

The thing is there weren't many 10c members at the boise show to defend it :(

Similar in 2013. Seattle 2013 was pretty good, but Vancouver 2 nights earlier was blazing hot awesome.

SVRDhand13

Merkin Baller said:

SVRDhand13 said:

Merkin Baller said:

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agreed, while I liked seeing Boston '10 on the list, I'm surprised it made the cut over Hartford. (I thought both shows were great mind you, but that Hartford show...........)


I know it's all subjective, and props to the OP for putting this together, but here's my real gripe:

No Denver '14? That was one for the ages.

Gripe aside, good work @SVRDhand13!

I loved that show. I admit I was pretty stingy with 2014 as well as 2005 and 2013.

I seriously might revise this list to include 100 shows but sticking with the 6 shows per year max. I have to think about it.

With all the shows they did, it's pretty damn hard to get all of them. Good job.

(if you DO expand the list, I would suggest Brooklyn @ from '13 also, that was an incredible set list, and while the energy didn't quite match what happened in Hartford a week later, it was still a great show!)

Thanks!

I was at both Brooklyn shows and loved them.

erocshifty

SVRDhand13 said:

Merkin Baller said:

SVRDhand13 said:

Merkin Baller said:

RS65573 said:

Great list! Id have to add Hartford 2010 somehow.

Agreed, while I liked seeing Boston '10 on the list, I'm surprised it made the cut over Hartford. (I thought both shows were great mind you, but that Hartford show...........)


I know it's all subjective, and props to the OP for putting this together, but here's my real gripe:

No Denver '14? That was one for the ages.

Gripe aside, good work @SVRDhand13!

I loved that show. I admit I was pretty stingy with 2014 as well as 2005 and 2013.

I seriously might revise this list to include 100 shows but sticking with the 6 shows per year max. I have to think about it.

With all the shows they did, it's pretty damn hard to get all of them. Good job.

(if you DO expand the list, I would suggest Brooklyn @ from '13 also, that was an incredible set list, and while the energy didn't quite match what happened in Hartford a week later, it was still a great show!)

Thanks!

I was at both Brooklyn shows and loved them.

I'm listening to Brooklyn 1 right now. I love both of these shows and completely agree with you about Seattle '13. Cool list, I was using as a checklist and to see what to add.

rustneversleeps

honorable mention: BUF '03, DET '14

mcgruff10

rustneversleeps said:

honorable mention: BUF '03, DET '14

Honorable mention: any show from 92-98 lol