From the stage to your speakers — here’s when you can stream every show, and how a live bootleg tradition 25 years strong is still going loud.
Pearl Jam fans, it’s that time again. The band is keeping the bootleg tradition alive and kicking with the release of official live recordings from the Dark Matter Tour 2025. As confirmed on the band’s website, high-quality audio of each show will be dropping just weeks after each performance — ready for your ears in May and June.
Bootleg Drop Schedule – 2025 Tour
Here’s when each show hits the digital shelves:
- May 6 – Hollywood #1 (April 24 show)
- May 10 – Hollywood #2 (April 26 show)
- May 14 – Atlanta #1 (April 29 show)
- May 18 – Atlanta #2 (May 1 show)
- May 22 – JazzFest, New Orleans (May 3 show)
- May 26 – Nashville #1 (May 6 show)
- May 30 – Nashville #2 (May 8 show)
- June 3 – Raleigh #1 (May 11 show)
- June 7 – Raleigh #2 (May 13 show)
- June 11 – Pittsburgh #1 (May 16 show)
- June 15 – Pittsburgh #2 (May 18 show)
All bootlegs will be available via pearljam.com and nugs.net in multiple formats.
A Bootleg Legacy Born in 2000
Back in 2000, Pearl Jam flipped the script on live music releases. Instead of letting sketchy audience recordings take over the market, the band dropped 72 high-quality soundboard bootlegs from their tour — all on official double CDs, sold at a fan-friendly price.
It was bold, it was honest, and it was 100% Pearl Jam.
Since then, the band has kept the tradition alive, releasing live recordings after almost every tour — with just two exceptions:
- The 2004 Vote for Change Tour, tied to the U.S. presidential election
- The 2007 European Tour, which skipped the bootleg treatment
Over the years, formats evolved. CDs gave way to digital downloads (MP3, FLAC, ALAC, FLAC HD, ALAC HD), and streaming and vinyl got into the mix too. What never changed? The uncompromising audio quality and the band’s belief that every show deserves to be heard.
Dark Matter, New Era — Same Spirit
With Dark Matter, their 12th studio album, Pearl Jam hit the road with energy and purpose. The shows have been electric, the setlists deep, and the connection with fans as powerful as ever.
By continuing the bootleg tradition, Pearl Jam is once again making sure these moments don’t just live in the hearts of the fans who were there — but in the speakers, headphones, and memories of fans worldwide.
These aren’t just live albums. They’re sonic time capsules, capturing raw, unfiltered moments between one of rock’s most enduring bands and their fiercely loyal community.
Born in Reggio Emilia in 1980. He created pearljamonline.it in 2001 and wrote the first edition of “Pearl Jam Evolution” in 2009 along with his wife Daria. Since 2022, he is behind 2 podcasts: “Pearl Jam dalla A alla Z” and “Fuori Orario Not Another Podcast”. He has collaborated with Barracuda Style, HvsR, Rolling Stone, Rockol and Il Fatto Quotidiano. He continues relentlessly to try to find “beautiful melodies that say terrible things”.
Favorite song: Present Tense
Favorite album: No Code
Favorite bands/artists other than PJ: Tom Waits, Soundgarden, Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital, Dead Kennedys, Mark Lanegan, Cat Power, R.E.M.