Pearl Jam blow the roof off Nashville with surprise guests, deep cuts, and a Peter Frampton cameo for the ages. Photos: Amanda DiDomenico (via ConcertPants).
Pearl Jam
Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
May 8, 2025
Opening Act: Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
Setlist: Long Road, Garden, Rearviewmirror, Hail, Hail, React, Respond, Once, Black/Do You Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton, w/ Peter Frampton), Even Flow, Dark Matter, Wreckage, Not For You/Modern Girl (Sleater-Kinney), Wishlist, Insignificance, Won’t Tell, Spin The Black Circle, Better Man/Save It For Later (The English Beat), Porch
Encore: Just Breathe (Ed Vedder & Boom), State Of Love And Trust, Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams), Do The Evolution, Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World (Neil Young, w/ Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers), Yellow Ledbetter
After an already killer opening night, Pearl Jam raised the bar even higher for Night 2 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Aussie punks Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers kicked things off at 7:30, lighting up the crowd with their raw, no-nonsense energy. But at exactly 9:02 PM, when the house lights dropped and the band walked out, the real magic kicked in.
They opened with a haunting Long Road, followed by a powerful Garden that felt like some hidden anthem rising from the depths. Then, bam – Rearviewmirror took us on a cathartic ride, and Hail, Hail sparked the first big crowd roars.
Eddie had a cheeky shoutout for all the folks who traveled far to be there: “We’re gonna give ya one hell of a show… before they deport ya.” The crowd laughed, feeling the love wrapped in his dry wit.
But the real jaw-dropper came soon after, when Eddie brought out Peter Frampton: “One of the all-time great inspirations… the guy who made us wanna release bootlegs.” With the whole band seated, they delivered a Black for the ages, stretching over 10 minutes with Eddie weaving in lyrics from Do You Feel Like We Do, leaving the arena straight-up emotional.
The moment hit even harder knowing Frampton’s history: back in ’76, his double live album Frampton Comes Alive! became one of the best-selling records of the ‘70s—still the top-selling double live album ever, at 11 million copies (8 million in the U.S. alone). A heartfelt tribute from a band that’s made live recordings their signature move.
From there, things only heated up. Even Flow unleashed a wild frenzy, while fans started chanting for Stone to sing. Eddie smirked: “I ask him every day if he wants to sing… okay, once a week… okay, once a tour.” Then came the Dark Matter bangers – the title track and Wreckage – proving the new jams already vibe hard with the classics.
Not For You (with a sneaky Modern Girl tag from Sleater-Kinney) brought some extra bite, then Wishlist slowed things down for a reflective breather. Eddie took a sec to thank Jack White for the guitar he was playing. And before launching into Insignificance—its first appearance on the tour – Eddie told the crowd: “This one’s about what happens when the folks in charge forget about the regular people.”
The energy snapped back up with Won’t Tell, and Eddie cracked up the crowd with a story about Chrissie Hynde kicking his hand after he accidentally touched her boot. Then came the storm: Spin The Black Circle tore through the arena, leading into an epic Better Man blended with Save It For Later, where Eddie dropped some heartfelt advice: “Sometimes you gotta leave toxic relationships… to save your life.”
Porch closed the main set, but Eddie wasn’t done yet. He picked up a hat tossed from the Wishlist Foundation crowd, shouted out the group, and dedicated Just Breathe “to all the strong moms.” Then he invited Ashley McCready and April Cameron (wives of Mike and Matt) on stage to celebrate Mother’s Day, sharing smiles and tender applause.
The encore was pure fire: State Of Love And Trust, an absolutely soaring Crazy Mary, Do The Evolution, Sonic Reducer (with Eddie honoring the late David Thomas of Rocket From The Tombs and Pere Ubu, who penned the lyrics), and Alive featuring Mike shredding on a super-rare Flying V loaned out just for the night.
And then… the grand finale. Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers returned for a rip-roaring Rockin’ In The Free World, followed by the always heart-tugging Yellow Ledbetter, Mike’s guitar gently saying goodbye to Nashville under those last sweet notes.
A night that blew past all expectations—proving once again that second nights? Yeah, they’re usually the best.
Bonus tidbit: Gods’ Dice was listed on the original setlist but didn’t get played, while State Of Love And Trust and Yellow Ledbetter were last-minute surprises not originally planned.



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.