The Official 2026 Tour Rumor Thread

pjhawks

mcgruff10 said:

pdalowsky said:

Always interesting to see how others receive the albums after several years have expired. IMO gigaton hasnt aged well at all, and DM was and remains a phenomenal upgrade. Perhaps I never really got past Dance of the Clairvoyants being the lead single.......it still leaves me scratching my noggin (although it did translate much better live for me)

Gigaton has some solid tracks don't get me wrong but is not anywhere near the level of DM 

Agree with this 1000%.  gigaton was a big let down especially live.  DOTC was just an awful song and just felt so out of place at a pearl jam show.  I remember them playing it at sea hear now as the opener and you could just feel the energy and excitement being sucked away into the waves as they first started playing it.  Such a bad choice.  

It was a terrible choice to start with 3 Gigaton songs at Sea Hear Now. First show after COVID crowd ready to explode and just a downer start.   Rest of the show as good, but beginning was not.

raindog80

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

given2flym said:

raindog80 said:

JG242853 said:

drfox said:

JG242853 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

2019 was also the year after the “forthcoming album” with Brendan O’Brien was supposed to drop that never did. 

It was for mid/end of the 2018. Then, they scrapped the whole thing. 

Will always wish to have been a fly on the wall with that whole thing. 

Hold up.  This is the first im hearing of a scrapped album from 2018.  Brendan OBrien was producing?? Anyone know more details on this? 

It was teased on the Can’t Deny Me single (from their “forthcoming album”). I don’t think it was entirely scrapped and I had seen mentioned somewhere that some of the songs eventually made Gigaton (River Cross, Quick Escape etc). Suppose we will find out eventually if the band ever does another b-side album. 

Interesting... Thank you - We did hear River Cross at Ohana in 2017 and at the time we had no idea what it was, so that makes sense for that song.  

Between 2017 and 2018, they laid down a ton of material, much of which is still unreleased. Back in 2018, besides Can't Deny Me — “taken from the forthcoming new album” — there was supposed to be an actual single, already mixed and ready to go. Around mid-2018, though, they scrapped most of those tracks produced by Brendan O’Brien and started over with a few songs they already had, like Quick Escape, the DOTC demo, and River Cross. The rest is history — basically, they spent the rest of the time recording the tracks that would eventually make it onto Gigaton.

Of course, no one in the band has ever talked about a scrapped album, but judging by the unreleased tracks “left behind” from those 2017/2018 sessions and the switch in producers — from O’Brien, who still plays on a couple of Gigaton tracks, to Josh Evans — it’s fair to say something changed along the way.

It sounds like they were doing a lot of work toward an album in 2017/2018. Demos and the like. Rumor is there was a lot material and some of it quite good. Definitely interesting and unique with some of the precursor sound to Gigaton. 

I can’t think of anything I’d like to hear more than this “scrapped album”. 

Obviously, the songs that made it onto Gigaton have more cohesion as a whole, but among the tracks scrapped in 2017/2018 there are at least four or five that I really hope they don’t abandon entirely (they were basically finished anyway) and that they might revisit and rework on a future album.

Wow wow wow and where do we get a listen to these scrapped tracks?

All those 2017/2018 songs that never saw the light of day? They’re still locked away in the Pearl Jam vault.

I think Gigaton is a solid record, especially the first six tracks — honestly one of the strongest album sides they’ve ever done. The flip side’s a bit of a letdown, though, with too much filler, even if Retrograde and River Cross help bring it home toward the end. Still, for me, Gigaton easily beats Backspacer and Lightning Bolt (especially that one).

Dark Matter, on the other hand — just my take — is their best album since Riot Act. No question. That record hits hard and feels fully dialed in.

JG242853

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

given2flym said:

raindog80 said:

JG242853 said:

drfox said:

JG242853 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

2019 was also the year after the “forthcoming album” with Brendan O’Brien was supposed to drop that never did. 

It was for mid/end of the 2018. Then, they scrapped the whole thing. 

Will always wish to have been a fly on the wall with that whole thing. 

Hold up.  This is the first im hearing of a scrapped album from 2018.  Brendan OBrien was producing?? Anyone know more details on this? 

It was teased on the Can’t Deny Me single (from their “forthcoming album”). I don’t think it was entirely scrapped and I had seen mentioned somewhere that some of the songs eventually made Gigaton (River Cross, Quick Escape etc). Suppose we will find out eventually if the band ever does another b-side album. 

Interesting... Thank you - We did hear River Cross at Ohana in 2017 and at the time we had no idea what it was, so that makes sense for that song.  

Between 2017 and 2018, they laid down a ton of material, much of which is still unreleased. Back in 2018, besides Can't Deny Me — “taken from the forthcoming new album” — there was supposed to be an actual single, already mixed and ready to go. Around mid-2018, though, they scrapped most of those tracks produced by Brendan O’Brien and started over with a few songs they already had, like Quick Escape, the DOTC demo, and River Cross. The rest is history — basically, they spent the rest of the time recording the tracks that would eventually make it onto Gigaton.

Of course, no one in the band has ever talked about a scrapped album, but judging by the unreleased tracks “left behind” from those 2017/2018 sessions and the switch in producers — from O’Brien, who still plays on a couple of Gigaton tracks, to Josh Evans — it’s fair to say something changed along the way.

It sounds like they were doing a lot of work toward an album in 2017/2018. Demos and the like. Rumor is there was a lot material and some of it quite good. Definitely interesting and unique with some of the precursor sound to Gigaton. 

I can’t think of anything I’d like to hear more than this “scrapped album”. 

Obviously, the songs that made it onto Gigaton have more cohesion as a whole, but among the tracks scrapped in 2017/2018 there are at least four or five that I really hope they don’t abandon entirely (they were basically finished anyway) and that they might revisit and rework on a future album.

Wow wow wow and where do we get a listen to these scrapped tracks?

All those 2017/2018 songs that never saw the light of day? They’re still locked away in the Pearl Jam vault.

I think Gigaton is a solid record, especially the first six tracks — honestly one of the strongest album sides they’ve ever done. The flip side’s a bit of a letdown, though, with too much filler, even if Retrograde and River Cross help bring it home toward the end. Still, for me, Gigaton easily beats Backspacer and Lightning Bolt (especially that one).

Dark Matter, on the other hand — just my take — is their best album since Riot Act. No question. That record hits hard and feels fully dialed in.

Totally agree on DM being the best since Riot Act

HailHailVitalogy

I love DOTC live. I actually listened to Gigaton yesterday, and I think the song that didn’t translate live was Quick Escape. Comes Then Goes is an all timer for Ed.

I’m hoping that they plan around Ohana:
Calgary x2 - Gorge x2 - Denver x2 - Ohana x2

Would like to see Boise, SLC, Spokane, Albuquerque, and Edmonton thrown in this hypothetical west coast “leg” but don’t see the format changing with or without Matt

Also wouldn’t mind a Radiohead format

DM282158

Love reading all these takes. 

I personally loved Gigaton. And associate it with COVID and all that. Love the lyrics. 

Always liked LB. I think Gigaton and LB either have awesome tracks or total whiffs. 

Dark Matter on the other hand - still can’t believe they got something like that out 35 years in. I think Andrew Watt was essential in getting the process the way it needed to be. But the glossiness he has in the drums on the production I can’t stand. 

He reminds me a bit of Rick Rubin. Young wonder kid - can do pop, metal, rock, etc etc

coco butter

Gigaton is the album I play the least as it instantly takes me back to spring/summer of 2020... NO THANK YOU! But I will always love Dance of the Clairvoyants and Superblood Wolfmoon.   

Go Animal

#JusticeForGigaton ✊️

ddeschler

Gigaton will always remind me of covid times, especially 7 o'clock.  Quick Escape is a banger live.

CarryTheZero

I love Gigaton. Listened to it so much during 2020. I love the songs, lyrics, production, it’s great! A huge upgrade for me from LB. I am not a huge fan of that one (although some songs, especially live, are great).

I was so excited with Gigaton and I still listen a ton.

That being said, Dark Matter is absolutely incredible! Such a great record, and I still love playing it front to back. It is truly awesome.

vedpunk

IMO - Gigaton had some great songs but didn't really translate in the live setting.  Seven O'Clock was an absolutely brutal stretch of boredom that went on and on that tested the patience of 99% of the concert crowd.  Comes Then Goes was a wasted opportunity and should have been played at the beginning of every 1st encore though.  (understand why it wasn't)

Shaindli1

Obviously PJ doesn't have a "bad" album. The rest if obviously about personal musical inclinations.
Love DM & Gigaton, as well as several LB tracks!

FrankieCom

mcgruff10 said:

pdalowsky said:

Always interesting to see how others receive the albums after several years have expired. IMO gigaton hasnt aged well at all, and DM was and remains a phenomenal upgrade. Perhaps I never really got past Dance of the Clairvoyants being the lead single.......it still leaves me scratching my noggin (although it did translate much better live for me)

Gigaton has some solid tracks don't get me wrong but is not anywhere near the level of DM 

Agree with this 1000%.  gigaton was a big let down especially live.  DOTC was just an awful song and just felt so out of place at a pearl jam show.  I remember them playing it at sea hear now as the opener and you could just feel the energy and excitement being sucked away into the waves as they first started playing it.  Such a bad choice.  

Clearly nothing very special compared to the singles from previous albums, but DOTC, for example, pleasantly surprised me when I heard it often in the playlists of young people, including my sister, who was 20 and discovered it on her own, giving Pearl Jam a nice refresh (at least in my area). DM, on the other hand (I agree it's better), doesn't seem to be having the same effect as DOTC. 

pdalowsky

JG242853 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

given2flym said:

raindog80 said:

JG242853 said:

drfox said:

JG242853 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

2019 was also the year after the “forthcoming album” with Brendan O’Brien was supposed to drop that never did. 

It was for mid/end of the 2018. Then, they scrapped the whole thing. 

Will always wish to have been a fly on the wall with that whole thing. 

Hold up.  This is the first im hearing of a scrapped album from 2018.  Brendan OBrien was producing?? Anyone know more details on this? 

It was teased on the Can’t Deny Me single (from their “forthcoming album”). I don’t think it was entirely scrapped and I had seen mentioned somewhere that some of the songs eventually made Gigaton (River Cross, Quick Escape etc). Suppose we will find out eventually if the band ever does another b-side album. 

Interesting... Thank you - We did hear River Cross at Ohana in 2017 and at the time we had no idea what it was, so that makes sense for that song.  

Between 2017 and 2018, they laid down a ton of material, much of which is still unreleased. Back in 2018, besides Can't Deny Me — “taken from the forthcoming new album” — there was supposed to be an actual single, already mixed and ready to go. Around mid-2018, though, they scrapped most of those tracks produced by Brendan O’Brien and started over with a few songs they already had, like Quick Escape, the DOTC demo, and River Cross. The rest is history — basically, they spent the rest of the time recording the tracks that would eventually make it onto Gigaton.

Of course, no one in the band has ever talked about a scrapped album, but judging by the unreleased tracks “left behind” from those 2017/2018 sessions and the switch in producers — from O’Brien, who still plays on a couple of Gigaton tracks, to Josh Evans — it’s fair to say something changed along the way.

It sounds like they were doing a lot of work toward an album in 2017/2018. Demos and the like. Rumor is there was a lot material and some of it quite good. Definitely interesting and unique with some of the precursor sound to Gigaton. 

I can’t think of anything I’d like to hear more than this “scrapped album”. 

Obviously, the songs that made it onto Gigaton have more cohesion as a whole, but among the tracks scrapped in 2017/2018 there are at least four or five that I really hope they don’t abandon entirely (they were basically finished anyway) and that they might revisit and rework on a future album.

Wow wow wow and where do we get a listen to these scrapped tracks?

All those 2017/2018 songs that never saw the light of day? They’re still locked away in the Pearl Jam vault.

I think Gigaton is a solid record, especially the first six tracks — honestly one of the strongest album sides they’ve ever done. The flip side’s a bit of a letdown, though, with too much filler, even if Retrograde and River Cross help bring it home toward the end. Still, for me, Gigaton easily beats Backspacer and Lightning Bolt (especially that one).

Dark Matter, on the other hand — just my take — is their best album since Riot Act. No question. That record hits hard and feels fully dialed in.

Totally agree on DM being the best since Riot Act

I still maintain since No Code. Its just a fantastic ride, almost flawless,

pdalowsky

FrankieCom said:

mcgruff10 said:

pdalowsky said:

Always interesting to see how others receive the albums after several years have expired. IMO gigaton hasnt aged well at all, and DM was and remains a phenomenal upgrade. Perhaps I never really got past Dance of the Clairvoyants being the lead single.......it still leaves me scratching my noggin (although it did translate much better live for me)

Gigaton has some solid tracks don't get me wrong but is not anywhere near the level of DM 

Agree with this 1000%.  gigaton was a big let down especially live.  DOTC was just an awful song and just felt so out of place at a pearl jam show.  I remember them playing it at sea hear now as the opener and you could just feel the energy and excitement being sucked away into the waves as they first started playing it.  Such a bad choice.  

Clearly nothing very special compared to the singles from previous albums, but DOTC, for example, pleasantly surprised me when I heard it often in the playlists of young people, including my sister, who was 20 and discovered it on her own, giving Pearl Jam a nice refresh (at least in my area). DM, on the other hand (I agree it's better), doesn't seem to be having the same effect as DOTC. 

I remember not really thinking much of it on the first listen, but being determined to love it, so playing it probably another 40 times on repeat.....and quite honestly for me it never really got any better. I still cringe at the lyrics. 

I was hoping for that 'Who you are' moment but it just never came. 

Who you are came out when I was on holiday in Florida, i still remember heading to the Florida Mall to grab the CD single and was insanely excited to hear it - banged it in my discman in the car, and was so confused. Wasnt at all what I was expecting, and it definitely took a few listens to grasp it, but once it was grasped all bets were off. And Habit as a B side? I didnt love it at all at first but dear god once that one hit it hit hard. Fantastic single. 

DOTC.....maybe one day the connection will come. 

eboweddie

Hard to believe No Code is 30 next year 
 I must have listened to that Berlin show 1000 times over the years.  

drfox

pdalowsky said:

JG242853 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

given2flym said:

raindog80 said:

JG242853 said:

drfox said:

JG242853 said:

DM282158 said:

raindog80 said:

DM282158 said:

2019 was also the year after the “forthcoming album” with Brendan O’Brien was supposed to drop that never did. 

It was for mid/end of the 2018. Then, they scrapped the whole thing. 

Will always wish to have been a fly on the wall with that whole thing. 

Hold up.  This is the first im hearing of a scrapped album from 2018.  Brendan OBrien was producing?? Anyone know more details on this? 

It was teased on the Can’t Deny Me single (from their “forthcoming album”). I don’t think it was entirely scrapped and I had seen mentioned somewhere that some of the songs eventually made Gigaton (River Cross, Quick Escape etc). Suppose we will find out eventually if the band ever does another b-side album. 

Interesting... Thank you - We did hear River Cross at Ohana in 2017 and at the time we had no idea what it was, so that makes sense for that song.  

Between 2017 and 2018, they laid down a ton of material, much of which is still unreleased. Back in 2018, besides Can't Deny Me — “taken from the forthcoming new album” — there was supposed to be an actual single, already mixed and ready to go. Around mid-2018, though, they scrapped most of those tracks produced by Brendan O’Brien and started over with a few songs they already had, like Quick Escape, the DOTC demo, and River Cross. The rest is history — basically, they spent the rest of the time recording the tracks that would eventually make it onto Gigaton.

Of course, no one in the band has ever talked about a scrapped album, but judging by the unreleased tracks “left behind” from those 2017/2018 sessions and the switch in producers — from O’Brien, who still plays on a couple of Gigaton tracks, to Josh Evans — it’s fair to say something changed along the way.

It sounds like they were doing a lot of work toward an album in 2017/2018. Demos and the like. Rumor is there was a lot material and some of it quite good. Definitely interesting and unique with some of the precursor sound to Gigaton. 

I can’t think of anything I’d like to hear more than this “scrapped album”. 

Obviously, the songs that made it onto Gigaton have more cohesion as a whole, but among the tracks scrapped in 2017/2018 there are at least four or five that I really hope they don’t abandon entirely (they were basically finished anyway) and that they might revisit and rework on a future album.

Wow wow wow and where do we get a listen to these scrapped tracks?

All those 2017/2018 songs that never saw the light of day? They’re still locked away in the Pearl Jam vault.

I think Gigaton is a solid record, especially the first six tracks — honestly one of the strongest album sides they’ve ever done. The flip side’s a bit of a letdown, though, with too much filler, even if Retrograde and River Cross help bring it home toward the end. Still, for me, Gigaton easily beats Backspacer and Lightning Bolt (especially that one).

Dark Matter, on the other hand — just my take — is their best album since Riot Act. No question. That record hits hard and feels fully dialed in.

Totally agree on DM being the best since Riot Act

I still maintain since No Code. Its just a fantastic ride, almost flawless,

I agree with you Paul, DM the best album since the No Code / Yield era. Setting Sun, Waiting for Stevie, Upper Hand and Scared of Fear are absolute PJ classics and some of the best tracks they’ve written. Only song I can’t get into is Something Special. 

Gigaton I find a mixed bag. Whoever Said probably my favourite track on there now. A few other ones that aren’t bad (Retrograde, Quick Escape etc). The album is really let down by that Never Destination, Take the Long Way, Buckle Up section. If those songs didn't make the album (and were replaced with others) I think people would have had a better view of it. 

RatherStarved

27 new posts today and it’s a Gigaton debate? Where the 2026 rumors at?

JG242853

RatherStarved said:

27 new posts today and it’s a Gigaton debate? Where the 2026 rumors at?

We dont have any lol - go ahead and kick one off I'll definitely be right there with you.

For me, Seven O'Clock is better live than on the album.  And there's this part in Never Desination in the bridge where Matt Cameron and the guys bring on a serious Police vibe.  MC sounding like Stewart Copeland in there.  Love that section. 

pdalowsky

RatherStarved said:

27 new posts today and it’s a Gigaton debate? Where the 2026 rumors at?

Bit thin on the ground it seems, i guess we can forget the first half of next year at the very least and continue to cross everything for something a bit later in the year

Jodestar22

I wish was true, I would die to see them. man