Photos and Review by Jeff Lasich
Friday May 16, 2025 Pearl Jam made their return to Pittsburgh for the first time in over 10 years to play two sold out shows at PPG Paints Arena. While being a casual fan, I knew there were some Pearl Jam diehards that travel all around to see them so I was interested in the show. Despite buying Ten at National Record Mart at Century III Mall when it first came out, this would be the first time I would see them. They opened the two plus hour set with “Footsteps,” a deep cut that included Eddie Vedder on harmonica. This is a slow, brooding song and the band appeared on the stage as silhouettes for the most part. It was the calm before the storm. Into “Low Light” was the next song of the night. What has been great about this tour is every day is a different setlist. This is really a testament to how good of musicians they are. At one point in the show, Vedder asked a member of the crowd what song she would like to hear. She chose “Grievance,” which the band has not played live since 2016. They jumped right into it, not missing a note. The band played songs throughout their extensive catalog, including “Alive,” “Daughter,” “Even Flow,” “Black” and “Jeremy.” Vedder’s voice sounded as good as it does on the records, which is not always the case with some singers. He often would interact with the crowd and acknowledged the strong sports history of Pittsburgh, which will always get cheers from the crowd. He went too far as to make a bad joke (pun) about Pittsburgh legend, Franco Harris. While being a serious musician, it was nice and refreshing to see Vedder not take himself too seriously. These were the last dates of this tour, but in the future I would recommend going to see them if they are in your area. You will not be let down.
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