Pearl Jam’s first-ever Fort Worth show was magical, even with COVID setbacks
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While it’s true no two Pearl Jam shows are alike, the rock band’s first-ever show in Fort Worth Wednesday night was something magical.
After the band postponed its Sept. 10 show in Indianapolis because of illness, fans immediately started speculating. Who got sick? Was it COVID? Would the two shows at Dickies in Fort Worth still go on? What did this mean for the shows in Austin?
In Fort Worth, the show did go on, just in a different way.
It was obvious that drummer Matt Cameron wasn’t at the kit when the band walked onstage Wednesday night at Dickies Arena. Frontman Eddie Vedder addressed the lineup change after two songs: Cameron is recovering from a bout with COVID-19, and touring musician Josh Klinghoffer stepped up to take his place to avoid postponing another show.
Not only that, but Vedder had the flu.
Vedder, likening playing a show without Cameron to playing a Chicago Bulls game without Michael Jordan or a Texas Rangers game without Nolan Ryan, said the band was determined to put on a great show in Fort Worth regardless. He praised Klinghoffer, who has been involved with the band since 2020 and performed with them on their recent “Gigaton” tour.
“We don’t get [to Texas] as often as we’d like, but we’re very grateful to be here,” he said.
What followed was a set that was equal turns intimate and rollicking, featuring just as many rarities as old favorites. It was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen — Pearl Jam or not, health issues or not.
The waiting drove me mad
Sometimes a Pearl Jam show starts off with a bang, and slows down later. This one started slow and took its sweet time ramping up. Every band member stayed seated for seven songs, conserving their energy until the end of “Present Tense.”
As someone who prefers the “Down Side” of the “Rearviewmirror” greatest hits compilation album, this part of the setlist was heaven. For a brief few minutes while screaming along to “Black,” I was a teenager in my room again mourning my first breakup. I finally heard “Footsteps” live, and got chills (as I always do) from the collective “Hellllooooo!” in “Elderly Woman.” Those seven songs made the full-capacity crowd at Dickies feel like a small club show.
Then, once everyone was standing (besides Klinghoffer), the band launched into a 10-minute version of “Corduroy” and didn’t sit down for the rest of the night. Vedder, known for drinking wine on stage, mostly pulled from a cup of tea to help his voice.
Whatever was in that tea, it worked. Vedder guided Klinghoffer, collaborated with bandmates Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Boom Gaspar and Jeff Ament and kept the crowd riled up for more than two-and-a-half hours.
Fans were treated to rarities like “MFC,” Untitled,” and “Pilate,” as well as intense versions of old favorites. Everyone got their chance in the spotlight — especially McCready, who did the solo for “Even Flow” behind his back and filled time with an extended instrumental solo while Vedder rested his voice.
The sports reference Vedder made at the top of the show could not have been more apt. More than anything, Wednesday night’s show highlighted Pearl Jam as a unit, with every individual member pitching in to serve the whole. They operated like a championship sports team. That level of adaptability is just one of the reasons why they’re the best touring rock band in America today.
Jam band
Ask any longtime fan what the appeal is about Pearl Jam, and they’ll tell you it’s the live shows. You just have to be there. Wednesday night’s show had many moments that highlighted the band’s growing community.
Vedder dedicated “Given to Fly” to a NASA astrophysicist who was standing in the pit, which brought her to tears. Later, before performing “Wishlist” in the encore, he donned the sparkly jacket he wore to take his daughter to see Taylor Swift (“My daughter said this would help me feel better,” he joked).
He made several cracks at Texas sports teams in addition to stating his love for Nolan Ryan (“My sister is an Astros fan but I still love her”), bantered with the crowd and again mentioned how happy the band was to be playing Fort Worth after several previous stops at other North Texas venues.
And then, as he came back on stage for the encore portion of the show, Vedder had four words for Pearl Jam’s inaugural Cowtown crowd:
“F— yeah, Fort Worth.”
PEARL JAM SETLIST, DICKIES ARENA, FORT WORTH TEXAS (SEPT. 13, 2023)
Oceans
Footsteps
All Those Yesterdays
Daughter (with “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” [Pink Floyd cover] tag)
Black
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Present Tense
Corduroy
Mind Your Manners
Even Flow
Given to Fly
Pilate
Hail, Hail
Eruption (Van Halen cover)
Satan’s Bed
Untitled
MFC
Not For You (with “Modern Girl” [Sleater-Kinney cover] tag)
Rearviewmirror
Encore
Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams cover)
Wishlist
Do the Evolution
Lukin
Porch
Alive
Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)
Indifference
