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Pearl Jam Break Out New Songs, Rarities, Ronnie Wood in London
8/12/09, 10:41 am EST

Last night in London Pearl Jam broke out rarities, brand new songs and even the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood. Playing in the legendary Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Eddie Vedder and Co. kicked off the evening with “Sometimes” from No Code before briefly visiting Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive,” which served as a segue into “Corduroy.” The band then introduced “The Fixer,” the first single from their upcoming Backspacer, to the 2,000 stoked fans packed inside the tiny venue.

Just four songs into the gig, frontman Vedder told the unsuspecting crowd, “You’re supposed to save the best for last, but we’re not,” as Wood sauntered onstage to lend his guitar skills to “All Along the Watchtower.” The group reveled in the moment while jamming out at length to the Dylan masterpiece before riding the momentum with inspired takes on old favorites “Why Go” and “Dissident.”

The energy of Wood’s appearance returned midway through the first set during “Even Flow” as Mike McCready bolstered the track with searing guitar leads and Matt Cameron added a thunderous drum solo. The band also dusted off gems including “Down,” “Present Tense” and “Low Light” for the fan club only audience. Pearl Jam introduced “Brother” and “Got Some,” two more tracks from Backspacer, at the end of the 18-song first set, separating the two with “Do the Evolution.”

A solo Vedder opened the first encore with an acoustic performance of “The End,” the last track on the new album (watch it, above). The band returned for “Inside Job” and the crowd took over on “Betterman,” singing along on the first two verses with gusto. When the band launched into “Alive,” the room seemed to time-travel back to the early ’90s as crowd surfers stumbled their way to the front of the stage.

Answering the calls for a second encore, the band reclaimed the stage and Vedder spoke about his introduction to Arthur Alexander, the composer of their next tune, “Soldier of Love.” After rocking out to “State of Love and Trust” Pearl Jam enlisted Simon Townsend for help on his older brother’s tune “The Real Me” from the Who’s Quadrophenia. The familiar first notes of “Yellow Ledbetter” signaled the end as Vedder told the faithful, “This is how we say goodbye.”

Pearl Jam’s mini European tour continues Thursday in Rotterdam with additional stops in Berlin, Manchester and London’s O2 Arena. The band recently announced more U.S. dates this fall and will also play a half-dozen outdoor gigs in Australia and New Zealand. Backspacer is due out on September 22nd.

did woody actually play or just mug for the camera's?

Mel Belli wrote on Aug 12^th, 2009 at 10:05am:

All Along The watchtower
good one

Ron is my favorite Stones right now.

Saint Sway wrote on Aug 12^th, 2009 at 10:26am:


It's great that he's active, but ... as usual of late, he can't play his way out of a paper bag.

should pug be thanked over and over?

good to see him play,

Let's hope Keith's ready too...

You can say what you want about Ronnie, and many people say not very nice things, but you have to respect his ability to maintain friendships, play at the drop of the hat anywhere with anyone, and his energy. I wish Keith would get the bug to play live and start jet-setting around doing gigs like RW seems to always find a way too.

seems the video has been deleted....bummer,  i was just about set to give it another listen

Mel Belli wrote on Aug 12^th, 2009 at 1:29pm:




Neither can Keith. So what? At least he's out rocking!

Plus, Ronnie was great in Shine A Light!

He's still got it!

think about it... without him there'd of been no guitar on "You Got The Silver" on the last tour.


My point is, even with dimished skills, Ronnie is still the Ronnie we've always loved. He's still a Rolling Stone to this day. Still out galavanting and rocking. The others are more interested in sitting around and playing shuffle board.

You know, LJ, if it was up to Ronnie, the Stones would be playing a gig this very second.

Ronnie's monetary concerns being what they may be has no effect on him doing what he loves - playing live! It certainly hasnt stopped him from traveling around the world to play with other bands on his own dime.

if the Stones went out and did a tour like other bands - small gross, theatre shows... riding in a van -- Ronnie would have no problem doing it and even love it. The others??? Not a chance in hell.

Echo whats said above about Ronnie - for all his flaws - being the only Stone who still seems interested in playing anywhere and with anyone for the pure love of music. Its ironic because it appears that hes the only band member who could realistically be expected to have any financial motivation for a mega tour.

How many shows has Keith guested on during the last 10-15 years? Ten at most?

Interesting to see that this PJ show was one for fan club members, in a small theatre and with a setlist appararently choc-full of rarities.

In a dream world, you can just imagine Ronnie mentioning that idea as a concept for what could be an intergral part of the next Stones tour and the rest of the band's eyes lighting up at the prospect.

However, we all know how far Ronnie's well-intentioned ideas usually go (releasing an album every 18 months in future (1997), playing entire albums at theatre shows (2002), playing a 'Ronnie Wood & Fiends' show in London every month (2005)...)...