What to say.... what to say.... this concert is definetely worth talking about. It was my 5th Pearl Jam show ever, and my 2nd '98 show (1st was Dallas). I came with really high hopes, and survived a whole lotta shit to get to this show... and it was all worth it.
I won't even go into the fiasco about me getting jipped out of my legitimate press passes, or how my engine blew out 2 exits before Arco, or how I missed meeting up with my friends before the show... that was all trivial bullshit. I got to see Pearl Jam, so I'm happy. Even though I was busy getting hassled by security, instead of standing in line - which cost me good seats - it was still unbelievable.
Ok... fast forward to entering Arco Arena, in the 104 degree heat of sunny Sacramento, California....
Aaaahh... the welcomed gust of air conditioning! We decide to satisfy our shopping needs and update our ever-so-fashionable Pearl Jam wardrobe at the first stand we see.... yess! Pearl Jam socks! :)
We then enter the seating area of the arena... we have a hard choice to make: to stand in the back of the pit and get squished to death and chance squirming our way to the gates.... or take a seat and accept the fact that we're not gonna make eye-contact with the band or get one of Mike's picks... or have that kind of contact with our heroes this time around...
As we're deciding, the pit totally fills and our decision is made for us; so we take the first two available seats we see. Ahwell, we can still see the stage and hear the tunes, it's all good.
We sit in our seats, straining to scan the sidelines of the stage for any sign of band members... no such luck.. I noticed that the pit was especially rowdy and already had several crowd surfers. We watch the roadies bring out instruments and props... and we quickly spot "Mr. Pickles" on one of the amps. My friend sees them take out two bird props and decides that means they are going to play Lowlight (the booklet in Yield has two birds for a picture). I watch them bring out a small tree, and place it on the left of the stage. I decide that means they're finally going to play In My Tree again... which I didn't really expect to hear, just hoped...
As we are debating what the setlist will consist of, X finally comes out. But they are not alone! They arrive on the stage escorted by none other than Mr. Vedder, himself! He greets the crowd and tells us that "these last few nights have been some of the best in our lives.... this is one of the best bands ever to write, sing, and play live... " and Ed takes a seat on the right of the stage next to Stone.
X was pretty good, they were far better than previous openers (such as the Fastbacks and the Murder City Devils), in my opinion. However, I still consider Ben Harper to be the best PJ opener of all time. Anyhow, they jammed for a while and won me over, along with my applause. About half way into X's set, some punks in the mosh pit made a few lewd comments towards the lead singer, which she promptly told to "fuckoff, fuckoff, fuckoff." Haha... She later reprimanded them once more, by commenting that "it would be a shame to get thrown out right before Pearl Jam comes out for being mean to me.." and the guitarist also says asks the crowd to be kind to each other.
After X exits the stage, the lights go back on and people start racing to the pit, trying to push their way down past security or hop the railing (the gates had already been closed to pit access; it was more than over-filled). A fight breaks out at the back of the floor, I think it was some kid starting shit with a security guard. He got handcuffed and taken outta there.
And then.....
P E A R L J A M !
Then it was time to show our support by cheering for an encore. And we did. The band came back and Eddie opened the next song by muttering something to the effect of "you guys don't wanna hear me talk about this... no no... I don't wanna go off... so let's just play..." and they went into Do The Evolution. He came out and started pouring wine onto the people in the front of the pit. Then they played Betterman, or should I say, the audience sang Betterman.... Ed laughed because we started singing the lyrics so loud and well before he even started... and then they started the song over and he tried it once more. Next was the coolest thing ever; they played In My Tree !! Before they began, Ed dedicated it to Jack Irons. I have to admit that although I will always think Jack plays the best In My Tree, Matt did an excellent job. Next, they played my all-time favorite song - Black. It was the best Black I've ever heard live, in-person (and I've heard it 3 times). He really got into it and emotional, and towards the end, he put his hands over his face and it looked as if he was trying to hold back tears. Next, they played a song that always makes for a good concert, Porch. The boys really strung out the solos and it was as great as ever. During the song, Ed said "you guys really piss me off" and continued the song. I'm certain it was in regards to the terrible behavior of the crowd. I'd be more than pissed off if I was up there performing to thousands and they threw garbage at me all the while... and I certainly wouldn't have been able to handle it as smoothly as they did..
Then we cheered again to bring them back for a second encore. They closed with Yellow Ledbetter. It was awesome. It looked like they may have planned to do a 3rd encore, but decided not to at the last moment... the crew was up, onstage, changing instruments.... and then all of a sudden the lights went on. But I'm not complaining. The show, as we got it, was wonderful. I can't seem to get enough live Pearl Jam! Now I'm planning to see them 2-3 more times before the end of the tour. Some people go on vacations with their saved money - I go on a Pearl Jam trek... hehe... but it's all worth it. :)
-by Melissa Thorne