Ed Vedder Improv 2002?

Ed did a couple solo acoustic/uke shows back in 2002. From these shows we got our first taste of "Thumbing My Way", "You're True", "Goodbye", "Brokenhearted", "Satellite", "Longing To Belong", and "Can't Keep"

02/26/02 - Wiltern Theatre: Los Angeles, CA (Concert for Artists' Rights)
attendance: 2400
also on bill: Mike Ness, Beck
set: If It's Monday Morning [Lee Hazelwood cover, with Beck and Mike Ness], Drifting, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Dead Man, Parting Ways, Can't Keep [new song - uke], You're True [new song - uke], I Am Mine [slightly different lyrics], Thumbing My Way [new song - guitar], Broken Hearted [new song - uke], Sleepless Nights [Everly Bros. cover w/Beck]
Ed and Mike McCready come on later with Mike Ness to perform 'Ball and Chain' (by Social D)
Ed with Beck: Little Hands [Skip Spence (Moby Grape) cover, EV on guitar and vox], Evil Things [vox only]
All artists come on to sing 'Sweet Virginia' (Rolling Stones cover) to close the show
notes: The show opened with Beck onstage, alone, singing 'If It's Monday Morning.' He gets to the second verse, and Ed walks out - "it was like Beatlemania." Third verse, Mike Ness walks out. Ed's set was next. He's got a fedora on, covering the mohawk. The overwhelming tone of the set was very dark and pretty heavy - this wasn't a "light" show. Early in the set, he is adjusting his harmonica, and he takes that hat off for the first time. The crowd goes nuts. Ed gets that evil grin on his face and says, "You like it?" And then makes the now famous comment that he's keeping his hair like that until we stop killing people overseas. Ed's ukulele playing is incredible. 'Dead Man' is stunning. The new songs are great. 'Thumbing' is about hitchhiking: "I'm thumbing my way back to heaven." Later in the set, Ed comments that Sunday night, when he was getting ready for the show, he had the TV on, and he saw Bon Jovi at the Olympic closing ceremonies. "I realized that a 40 year old butt rocker with an American flag around his neck was America's symbol to the world, and I felt better..." Lots of "EDDIE I LOVE YOU" screamers in the audience, which Ed smacked down nicely: "I thought with the $50 tickets, this would be a classy crowd," and "You should have been at soundcheck so we could have worked on your tone." Instruments: Red Vox, Martin acoustic, ukulele. The new song titles are from the setlist, so they are 100% correct (at least as of tonight, who knows if Ed will change his mind later!).
review w/ photos

03/15/02 - Royce Hall, UCLA: Los Angeles, CA (All Tomorrow's Parties LA2002)
set: Soon Forget, Happy Birthday, Can't Keep, new song, Broken Hearted, Satellite, Thumbing My Way, I Am Mine, You're True, Longing To Belong [new song], Parting Ways
encore from tribute set: No Fun
notes: Someone throws a joint onstage as Ed enters; he catches it, proffers it and says, "I'll get busted at the border going back to Seattle." After 'Soon Forget,' someone screams "It's my cousin's birthday!" and Ed says, "Point well taken," and asks for the birthday boy's name. The answer was unintelligible, but Ed then sings 'Happy Birthday' with the uke. Ed mentions that this is an experimental festival, and as such the next number is representative of a very small genre of music: "Speed thrash ukulele... a genre so small I think this is the only song," leading to 'Can't Keep.' After the song's end, Ed says something about promising to not say anything political tonight: "My political statement is to play love songs all night ... apparently Lydia Lunch spoke here last night and she apparently said it all." He also relates a conversation with Mike Watt where they both talked about how in order to grow something good, you need a lot of manure, and there would be a lot of good art coming out of the recent period. The next song, a new one, is another song of lost love - "I've got our love to remember... the sun is shining, there's no sun in my eyes, because I know that this is goodbye." 'Broken Hearted' begins with a mistake, Ed winces - "I'm like a band, and we're arguing right now." (The 'just just just' at the end of the Wiltern version of this song was a mistake as it's not present tonight.) Ed says,"There's a guy in Arkansas who's on death row ... a lot of people, including me, don't think justice was served," and then talks about how this individual (one of the WM3) had gotten into a relationship while in prison. "I was writing a song about something that was more - personal, and I ended up writing about their relationship." He introduces the song by name - the infamous 'Satellite' from the Bowling Alley show (and given the WM3 connection, now it's easy to understand why it was played that night). Moving to guitar for a stellar 'Thumbing My Way,' followed by 'I am Mine' and then 'You're True.' A story next: "I met a guy a few months back - 30 yards off the continent down here, in the waves. I heard he played a four stringed instrument too - his was the violin. I don't know how old he is, but we've been practicing "after school." This is James," and the young violinist comes on the stage. The next song is another love song ("I'm falling further than I've ever fallen before... I dream of circles perfect"). 'Parting Ways' is a raucous, totally punked out version, ending with dual jumps from James and Ed.
Ed later walks on during the encore of the awesome Mascis/Asheton/Asheton/Watt Stooges tribute, performing 'No Fun.' An amazing performance and a great moment, Ed does Iggy proud
stooges tribute - review, photos, mp3 [note: this is on another site as it has very little pearl jam content]