My ‘All-Encompassing Trip’ following Pearl Jam shows finally comes home to Fort Worth

Howdy, Pearl Jam! Welcome to Fort Worth.

This is “Where the West Begins,” as the slogan goes.

I’ve seen you guys all over North America but never in my hometown. What took so long?

Just about every huge band since Elvis has played Cowtown. The Rolling Stones recorded two concert films here. U2 and B.B. King shook Tarrant County Convention Center for Rattle and Hum. Willie Nelson smoked his first joint in Fort Worth. Jazz legend Ornette Coleman grew up here. John Denver attended high school less than two miles from where you’re playing this week. The Toadies were formed here. And the late, great Townes Van Zandt was a descendant of one of the city’s founders. We know our music, and we’ve been waiting for you.

I’ve been a devout Pearl Jam fan since 1991, a card-carrying Ten Club member (their official fan club) since 1995, and I’ve traveled all over the country (and Canada!) to see them in concert.

And finally, 33 years after singer Eddie Vedder joined guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, and original drummer Dave Krusen on stage for the band’s first show in Seattle (billed as Mookie Blaylock on Oct. 22, 1990), they’re playing in Fort Worth. Twice!

I still can’t believe it.

Yes, they’ve played Dallas, Denton, University Park and even Ennis (for Lollapalooza in 1992) but they’ve never been in Tarrant County.

America’s greatest all-time rock band (Yeah, I said it.) brings its ever-changing shows to Dickies Arena on Wednesday and Friday.

Ever-changing shows? Let me explain.

Remember how much was made of Metallica playing two nights at AT&T Stadium last month without repeating any songs from night to night?

Pearl Jam has been doing that for 30 years. But it’s not just when they play multiple nights in one city. It’s every time they play.

Over their two nights in Fort Worth, we’ll likely hear very few duplicates, and the setlists will be unlike any other Pearl Jam show. Ever. Every show is like a person: Each is unique.

My first PJ show was on Nov. 20, 1993, at The Super Pit in Denton while I was attending North Texas. I had become an “official” dedicated fan a few weeks earlier when their second album, “Vs.,” was released. I was shocked that it was as good as their debut album, “Ten,” which has sold more than 15 million copies. “Vs.” sold nearly a million copies in its first week.

I enjoyed “Ten” when it was released but I wasn’t ready for it. In fact, to me, it sounded too good. The skeptic in me prevented an immediate devotion. I didn’t know anything about the guys in the band. I didn’t know if their earnestness was believable. They seemed too good for a debut album. They had to be a Hollywood concoction, right?

Nope.

Their second album and early interviews with the band, however, eased those concerns, and I was hooked. I was in for the long haul.

The band, and specifically Vedder as chief lyricist, proved early on that they were indeed authentic, and even better live than on record.

I have since seen them more than 60 times in 18 states, Washington D.C. and Toronto. If you think that sounds ridiculous, trust me, I know people who have seen them several hundred times. And I’m eternally envious!

I’ve never regretted a Pearl Jam trip. In fact, I’m always wistful when headed back to Texas and not headed to the band’s next stop.

I’ve met a lot of good people at shows. Many of us have shared awkward glances in the pit in front of the stage before it dawns on one of us, “Oh, yeah, the Forum in LA, 1998. How have you been?!”

Why Pearl Jam? First, I have a few other favorite bands that I’ve also seen an embarrassing amount of times. I’ve seen U2, Wilco, and Bruce Springsteen all over the country (and beyond). With Pearl Jam, however, the timing was perfect. I turned 20 when “Ten” was released in August 1991. Like The Who in the late ‘60s, Neil Young in the ‘70s, and U2 in the ‘80s, their sound, their values, and their message hit my generation like a two-by-four to the head. It left a beautiful mark on those of us who remained loyal to the band through their shifting sound and their growth from young, reluctant rock icons to husbands, fathers and activists.

And while they are still making great new music, including 2020’s “Gigaton,” it’s their live shows that remain sacred, transcendent gatherings, and keep us coming back.

Will they come out hot with up-tempo rockers? Or will they start slow and build to a rock-and-roll explosion? You never know from one show to the next.

Few bands have done what Pearl Jam does in concert. In this day and age, when an artist’s setlist is available online in real time, their dedication to keeping an evolving setlist stands out more than ever. It also adds fuel to those of us who can’t get enough and attempt to see the band as much as we can, no matter where they’re playing.

I’ve seen them in a rainstorm in Kansas City in 2003. I saw them play their first show after nine concertgoers were killed by a crush of fans at Denmark’s Roskilde Music Festival in 2000. I saw them play for nearly three hours in San Diego in 2013. I saw Bono join them for “Rockin’ In the Free World” in Toronto in 2005. And I saw Brandi Carlile join them on stage at Seattle’s SafeCo Field in 2018. That was especially memorable, because it’s the one and only show I had to leave early to catch a red-eye flight to New York City to cover the Texas Rangers playing the Yankees for the Star-Telegram the next day. You know, so I could afford more Pearl Jam trips.

All of these cherished memories shared with friends, wives and girlfriends, remain a soundtrack for my life. I have more framed concert posters than I have wall space. I could wear Pearl Jam T-shirts for three months without doing laundry. I have a cat named Eddie. I know, I’ve got it bad, whatever it is.

When inevitably someone asks, why see a band so many times? Why travel all over to see the same band? My answer is simple.

Why do people go to church? For fellowship, for celebration. It’s a way of connecting with something bigger than yourself, a community. And on some special nights, it is a spiritual experience that will codify any disorder in your life, and solidify all that you hold dear.

There’s a reason why we sing in church. There’s a reason why we sing at weddings and funerals. Music is powerful. It’s primal. It’s precious.

Pearl Jam in concert is all of those things.

Welcome to my town, boys!

10 Pearl Jam gems you might not know

These are the songs that have made Pearl Jam such an integral part of diehard fans.

“In My Tree”: Jack Iron’s drumming propels this dirge from 1996’s “No Code” about Vedder finding solace from the intense spotlight and intrusion the band’s massive success brought early on. It was an early example of the band stretching its sound.

“Present Tense”: This is a great example of a Pearl Jam song finally getting a wider audience when it was used in the finale of the Chicago Bulls/Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance.” Millions of viewers were asking, “Wow, what is that song?” That’s a deep-cut Pearl Jam classic from “No Code.”

“Undone”: This B-side from 2002’s Riot Act has Vedder considering the helplessness we feel in the political process, the instinctual desire to get involved, and learning that activist movements and social change take time.

“Black, Red, Yellow”: This deep cut, presumably inspired by Dennis Rodman (including the use of Rodman’s voicemail message) is one of the coolest, funkiest songs Pearl Jam ever recorded. It’s rarely played live, and the few versions I’ve heard never do the song’s outro jam justice. There’s a guitar build-up leading into Rodman’s voicemail that is almost too intense.

“Untitled”: There are probably a hundred “untitled” improvised songs dotting shows going back to the early days. Some are more memorable than others. And every once in a while, Vedder and the band find something truly special in a moment of improvisation right before your very eyes. One of my favorites is from a 2000 show in Nuremberg, Germany. I’ve labeled it “Share A Kiss On the Moon.” It’s a lovely, seemingly off-the-cuff ode to lovers separated by a great distance. One of their most well-known “Untitled” songs was performed during their 1998 Yield tour and the band included it on their “Live On Two Legs” concert compilation.

“Inside Job”: McCready penned the deeply personal lyrics to this 2006 album-closing epic about coming to terms with yourself and your struggles, and giving yourself grace.

“River Cross”: I first heard this song at a Vedder solo show in September 2017, days after former President Trump cursed at Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem. Vedder opened with the song on an organ. He took a knee in solidarity at its conclusion. Some of its power is muted as the finale on the band’s most recent release, 2020’s “Gigaton.” Vedder’s voice and an organ. That’s all this meditation on race relations, racism and standing for something needs.

“4-20-02”: This unnamed track is hidden at the end of Disc 2 of “Lost Dogs,” the compilation of B-sides, fan-club singles and other songs that never made it onto an album. It is a jaw-droppingly emotional ode to Layne Staley, the Alice In Chains frontman who died of an overdose on April 20, 2002. “So all you fools, who sing just like him, feel free to do so now, because he’s dead,” Vedder sings before frantic guitar strumming takes off. “Sad to think of him all alone … lonesome friend, we all knew, always hoped, you’d pull through.” It will leave you speechless with tears in your eyes.

“No Jeremy”: Yes, you read that correctly. This was the name given to the reworked, slow-jam version of “Jeremy,” which the band played live at Red Rocks in 1995 but I don’t think they have played since. I don’t know why. It is mesmerizing. While the original, uptempo version, written by Ament, remains a concert staple and always packs a punch, this slow-build version is still my white whale to hear at a Pearl Jam show.

“Yellow Moon”: This Ament-penned tune from 2013’s “Lightning Bolt” includes some of Vedder’s most soulful, elegant singing. It’s part of a subgenre of their songs focused on nature, the earth, and our relationship with the natural world. Deep, mindblowing questions.

10 songs that make Pearl Jam shows special

Here are a few examples of what we PJ freaks consider concert highlights:

“Release”: The quintessential Pearl Jam opener, especially in an arena. The slow build works in concert with the lighting as the stage goes from near darkness to light as the anticipation escalates. What song the band is about to explode into? Vedder’s slow, deep growl is the perfect way to begin a spiritual experience.

“Porch”: This is probably the best example of turning a good song from “Ten” into a special concert showpiece moment. In its perfect form, the band expands the 3:30 album version into an eight-minute jam, with McCready and Gossard grooving and trading licks until Vedder brings it to a hair-raising crescendo. There are hundreds of classic live versions of “Porch,” but my favorite is from a March 17, 1995, show in Melbourne, Australia. It is peak PJ.

“Alive”: This might seem a no-brainer, but its power can’t be overstated. In fact, the longer Pearl Jam exists as a live act, the more power it engenders. The sing-along finale, including Vedder’s arm raising with every affirmative “Yeah!” along with the crowd, celebrating the gift of life, of persevering, is in itself, life-affirming.

“Baba O’Reilly” or “Rockin In the Free World”: Either of these covers from The Who and Neil Young signal that a show is coming to a close. And the band is going out with one last bang. Turn the house lights up!

“Yellow Ledbetter”: One of the most common closers is the perfect mix of wistful guitar wailing from McCready – and sometimes an added bonus solo – to go along with Vedder’s yearning lyrics, which have long been rumored to be primarily first-take gibberish (I’ve been singing along for 30 years and I still don’t know what I’m singing!). It’s the perfect way to come down from two hours of life-changing music. The house lights are usually up and everyone is reveling in the show they just witnessed. How special is McCready’s guitar? Two songs are featured in the 2004 “Friends” finale, and this is one of them.

“Daughter”: For years, a high point to many shows was Vedder tagging the end of certain songs with snippets of others, often classics from other artists. The end of “Daughter,” from 1993’s “Vs.” has often turned into a seance if the mood strikes Vedder. These are potent moments because fans are anticipating the surprise song and the band, if the tag hits right, deftly fills in behind Vedder, and an authentic moment is born before the audience. When the band is in the zone, these are the memories that remain with fans forever.

“Given To Fly”: The rush that swirls through the pit in front of the stage as fans bounce in unison to the explosion of guitars is always breathtaking, whether you’re in the middle of it or watching from the nosebleed section.

“Better Man”: Vedder’s song about spousal assault is somehow transformed into an uplifting singalong. And if he decides to tag the ending with “Save It For Later,” an early-1980s song by The Beat, it is undoubtedly a highlight of the night.

“Lightning Bolt”: The title track from the 2013 album is a classic PJ groove and typically includes an extended on-point jam in concert.

“Blood”: Vedder’s pushback at the music press from “Vs.” was a cataclysmic live moment back in the mid-90s when the wounds were still fresh. How his vocal chords survived screaming this nightly is a rock and roll miracle.

My top 10 Pearl Jam songs

If forced to choose – and I’m not – here are my 10 favorite PJ songs:

“Long Road”: This non-album track about the death of a loved one is sometimes used as a show opener. From the opening, lonely, bell-chiming D-chords, to the droning pump organ provided by Neil Young, few songs cut deeper and as immediately. Even in despair, Vedder keeps hope. “And the wind keeps roaring, and the sky keeps turning grey, and the sun is setting, the sun will rise another day,” he sings.

“Corduroy”: Few songs are played more regularly at PJ shows. This diary-page entry from Vedder about the horrors of fame instantly became a fan anthem. The raw, wide-open anger it evoked from Vedder on stage has morphed slightly as he has gotten older and shed some of the burdens that initially inspired the song.

“Rearviewmirror”: There’s no better song for driving away – in all senses of the term – all your angst, regret and bad memories. And when Vedder screams “Oh, yeah!” at the 4:06 mark, it’s rock and roll therapy.

“Insignificance”: Never was quite sure what this song was about, but it has some of the best driving drum and guitar interplay in the PJ canon. And it also may include a sly nod to my other favorite band. “Turn the jukebox up, he said, dancing in irreverence, play C-3, let the song protest,” Vedder sings. But in the “Binaural” liner notes, the lyrics are written as “play V-3, let the song protest.” A coded reference to U2 and their own anti-war, protest songs? V-3 is just one letter and one number off from U-2. How could you make that typo, even if the “c” and “v” are next to each other on the keyboard? Should I up my medication?

“The End”: Perhaps the most melancholy song PJ has ever released. The finale to 2009’s “Backspacer,” complete with strings, hits like a ton of bricks. It’s sung from the perspective of a husband and father contemplating his mortality and the love he’ll leave behind.

“Black”: My view of this heartbreaking lament of the disintegration of a relationship has improved since its 1991 release. Upon first listen, it was too perfect, like “Ten” as a whole. It was tough to comprehend a rock band so fully formed and realized so quickly. But after decades of performing it, nothing quite hits as hard as an arena of fans singing in falsetto with Vedder to the song’s climax: “Da-da-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.”

“Thumbing My Way”: Another Vedder gem about longing for a lost love and includes some of his most direct, cleverly-written lyrics.

“Not For You”: In the same vein as “Corduroy,” also on 1994’s “Vitalogy,” this is another example of a profoundly seething song that Vedder might struggle to get inside of 30 years later. One of their most moving tags — Sleater-Kinney’s “Modern Girl” — has been added to the end of this song in later tours.

“In Hiding”: This never took off as a live staple as expected when 1998’s “Yield” was released. It’s one of the most purely uplifting PJ anthems.

“Marker in the Sand”: Off what I could argue is Pearl Jam’s best album, 2006’s eponymous “Avocado” seethes with the world’s problems, of war and peace, deep inner struggles, and this song, which propels you forward in a frenetic swirl of drum fills, and frantic guitar phrases before changing its time signature as Vedder contemplates “God” being used by both sides of a holy war.