Hold On in Berlin - What it Means to you?

I was shocked to see Hold On played in Sao Paolo a couple weeks ago, and was even more surprised I didn't see many people talking about it here afterwards. From the very beginning  of my PJ addiction - that is, listening to every piece of PJ-related music I could get my hands on, ad nauseum, and nothing else -  this song has stood out. Sure, the Lost Dogs version is great. But for me, the demo/bonus track included on the expanded edition of Vs. is something else entirely. There's no other piece of music that makes me feel so deeply.

Like any of their songs, Hold On is ambiguous enough to relate to any number of things. To me, the song is a constant reminder to stay true to myself, to let the good things come, and to hold on to them when they do.

I also think it represents a significant part of what makes Pearl Jam so great - the way each member has pushed their sound and trajectory in a different direction. It makes me think of their early days when they could hardly keep the band together, but evidently found something together worth holding onto. The fact that Ed and Stone co-wrote it (to my knowledge) only adds to that - the only two de facto creative directors the band has ever really had.

So I ask, what does Hold On mean to you? If you've been lucky enough to hear it live, how was it? Do you hate it? Whatever your take, I'd love to hear it.

And lastly, anyone else want to hear it this summer in Europe? Do you think Ed and Stone would ever do an acoustic encore opener of it - a tribute to the old days and their ability to "hold on?" I'll be following them from Padova to Berlin, and it would be a dream come true.

One last show. I hope for another great Berlin show, and that they keep up the ballsy song picks like in Krakow.