05/10/06 – Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

Set: Release, Worldwide Suicide, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Hail Hail, Unemployable, Dissident, Even Flow, Corduroy, I Am Mine, Improv-> Whipping, You Are. I Got Shit->Cinnamon Girl (tag), Betterman/(Save It For Later), Jeremy, Marker in the Sand, Black, Rearviewmirror

Enc 1: Wasted Reprise->Man of the Hour, Small Town, State of Love and Trust, Do the Evolution, Alive
Enc 2: Go, Outshined tease, Happy Birthday to Sean Kinney, Crazy Mary (w/ Sean Kinney), Fuckin Up, Indifference,
Enc 3: Yellow Ledbetter (Beast of Burden tag)

The last time I saw Pearl Jam was 1996.  So, as I walked into the Air Canada Centre and made the realization that it had been almost 10 years since seeing the band, combined with the fact that I was more excited for opener My Morning Jacket, I have to say that I am still reeling from the performance last night.

The set list provided a great trip down memory lane for me, as Pearl Jam held a strong monopoly on my ears during the early to mid 1990′s.  Some of the new material was great live, especially “Life Wasted” and the first single “World Wide Suicide.”  However, as I expected it was their older material that I really enjoyed last night.  I can’t put into words how great is was to watch Eddie running up to the band members as Yellow Ledbetter’s final notes were splashing across our excited/satisfied/exghausted faces, only to have them launch into a couple of lines from my favorite Rolling Stones song, “Beast of Burden.”

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My Morning Jacket’s performance was great as well.  There weren’t too many people in the venue when they hit the stage, but by the time their set came to a close, there were thousands of people that I think wouldn’t have minded hearing a few more tunes.  “Off the Record,” is an absolute killer live, and was definitely meant to be played in large venues.

My two weeks in Toronto come to a close, and I have to catch a flight in a few minutes, pictures and adventures to come…