Pearl Jam is an Americanrock band formed inSeattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in thegrunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries and is considered one of the most influential bands from that decade,[1] dubbed "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".[2] The band has consisted of guitaristsStone Gossard andMike McCready, bassistJeff Ament, and vocalist and guitaristEddie Vedder since its formation. The band had a revolving cast of drummers throughout their early days, includingDave Krusen,Matt Chamberlain,Dave Abbruzzese, andJack Irons. The band's longest-tenured drummer wasMatt Cameron, who joined the band in 1998 and departed in 2025. KeyboardistBoom Gaspar has also featured with the band as a session and touring musician since 2002.
Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament's previous bands,Green River andMother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with their debut albumTen (1991).Ten stayed on the USBillboard200 chart for nearly five years, and has gone on to become one of the highest-selling rock albums ever, being certified13× platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released in 1993, Pearl Jam's second album,Vs., sold over 950,000 copies in its first week of release, setting the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release at the time. Their third album,Vitalogy (1994), became the second-fastest-selling CD in history at the time, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.
Pearl Jam's members often shunned popular music industry practices such as making music videos or participating in interviews. The band unsuccessfully suedTicketmaster in 1994, claiming it had monopolized the concert-ticket market. In 2006,Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame".[3]
Pearl Jam had sold more than 100million albums worldwide by 2018, including nearly 32million albums in the United States by 2012,[4] making them one of thebest-selling bands of all time. Pearl Jam was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 in its first year of eligibility.[5] They were ranked eighth in a readers' poll byRolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time" issue.[6] Throughout its career, the band has promoted wider social and political issues, such asabortion rights sentiments and opposition toGeorge W. Bush's presidency, with Vedder acting as its spokesman on these issues.
Stone Gossard andJeff Ament were members of Seattle-based grunge bandGreen River during the mid-1980s. Green River toured and recorded to moderate success, but disbanded in 1987 due to a stylistic division between the pair and bandmateMark Arm.[7] In late 1987, Gossard and Ament began playing withMalfunkshun vocalistAndrew Wood, eventually organizing the bandMother Love Bone. In 1988 and 1989, the band recorded and toured to increasing interest.PolyGram signed the band in late 1988. Mother Love Bone's debut album,Apple, was released in August 1990, five months after Wood died of aheroin overdose.[8]
Ament and Gossard were devastated by the death of Wood and the resulting demise of Mother Love Bone. Gossard spent his time afterwards writing material that was harder-edged than what he had been doing previously.[9] After a few months, Gossard started practicing with fellow Seattle guitarist Mike McCready, whose band, Shadow, had broken up; McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with Ament.[3] After practicing for a while, the trio sent out a five-song demo tape in order to find a singer and a drummer. They gave formerRed Hot Chili Peppers drummerJack Irons the demo to see if he would be interested in joining the band and to distribute the demo to anyone he felt might fit the lead vocal position.[9]
Irons passed on the invitation but gave the demo to his friendEddie Vedder.[10] Vedder was the lead vocalist for the San Diego bandBad Radio and worked part-time at a gas station. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him.[9] He then recorded the vocals to three of the songs ("Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps") in what he later described as a "mini-opera" titledMamasan.[11] Vedder sent the tape with his vocals back to the three Seattle musicians, who were impressed enough to fly Vedder up to Seattle for an audition. Within a week, Vedder had joined the band.[9]
With the addition ofDave Krusen on drums, the band took the name Mookie Blaylock, in reference to the then-activebasketball player.[12] The band played its first official show at the Off Ramp Café in Seattle on October 22, 1990.[13] They opened forAlice in Chains at theMoore Theatre in Seattle on December 22, 1990,[14] and served as the opening act for the band'sFacelift tour in 1991.[15][16] Mookie Blaylock soon signed toEpic Records and renamed themselves Pearl Jam.[2] In an early promotional interview, Vedder said that the name "Pearl Jam" was a reference to his great-grandmother Pearl, who was married to a Native American and had a special recipe forpeyote-laced jam.[17] In a 2006 cover story forRolling Stone, Vedder admitted that this story was "total bullshit", but added that he did have a great-grandmother named Pearl. Ament and McCready explained that Ament came up with "pearl", and that the band later settled on Pearl Jam after attending aNeil Young concert in which he extended his songs as improvisations (i.e. "jams") of 15–20 minutes in length.[3]
Pearl Jam entered Seattle'sLondon Bridge Studios in March 1991 to record its debut albumTen.[18] McCready said that "Ten was mostly Stone and Jeff; Eddie and I were along for the ride at that time."[19] Krusen left the band in May 1991 after checking himself into rehabilitation for alcoholism;[20] he was replaced byMatt Chamberlain, who previously played withEdie Brickell & New Bohemians. After playing only a handful of shows, one of which was filmed for the "Alive" video, Chamberlain left to join the band forSaturday Night Live.[12] Chamberlain suggestedDave Abbruzzese as his replacement. Abbruzzese joined the group and played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supportingTen.[12]
Released on August 27, 1991,Ten (named after Mookie Blaylock's jersey number)[17] contained 11 tracks dealing with dark subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder.Ten's musical style, influenced by classic rock, combined an "expansive harmonic vocabulary" with an anthemic sound.[21] The album was slow to sell, but by the second half of 1992 it became a breakthrough success, being certified gold and reaching number two on theBillboard charts.[18]Ten produced the hit singles "Alive", "Even Flow", and "Jeremy". Originally interpreted as an anthem by many,[9] Vedder later revealed that "Alive" tells the semi-autobiographical tale of a son discovering that his father is actually his stepfather, and his mother's grief turns her to sexually embrace her son, who strongly resembles the biological father. In this lyric, even though Vedder originally looked at "being alive as a curse", as the sadness the speaker in the song suggests, "But as fans quickly turned the title phrase into a self-empowering anthem", particularly at Pearl Jam concerts, Vedder said: "they lifted the curse. The audience changed the meaning for me", he told VH1 Storytellers in 2006.[22]
The song "Jeremy" and its accompanying video were inspired by a true story in which a high school student shot himself in front of his classmates.[23]Ten stayed on theBillboard charts for nearly five years, going13× platinum.[24]
With the success ofTen, Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along withAlice in Chains,Nirvana, andSoundgarden. The band was criticized in the music press; British music magazineNME wrote that Pearl Jam was "trying to steal money from young alternative kids' pockets".[25]
Pearl Jamtoured relentlessly in support ofTen. Ament stated that "essentiallyTen was just an excuse to tour", adding: "We told the record company, 'We know we can be a great band, so let's just get the opportunity to get out and play.'"[26] The band's manager Kelly Curtis stated: "Once people came and saw them live, this lightbulb would go on. Doing their first tour, you kind of knew it was happening and there was no stopping it."[19] Early on in Pearl Jam's career, the band became known for its intense live performances. Looking back at this time, Vedder said that "playing music and then getting a shot at making a record and at having an audience and stuff, it's just like an untamed force... But it didn't come from jock mentality. It came from just being let out of the gates."[27]
The band members grew uncomfortable with their success, with much of the burden of Pearl Jam's popularity falling on frontman Vedder.[9] While Pearl Jam received four awards at the1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its video for "Jeremy", includingVideo of the Year andBest Group Video, the band refused to make a video for "Black" in spite of pressure from the label. This action began a trend of the band refusing to make videos for its songs. Vedder felt that the concept of music videos robbed listeners from creating their own interpretations of the song, stating that "Before music videos first came out, you'd listen to a song with headphones on, sitting in a beanbag chair with your eyes closed, and you'd come up with your own visions, these things that came from within. Then all of a sudden, sometimes even the first time you heard a song, it was with these visual images attached, and it robbed you of any form of self-expression."[32] "Ten years from now", Ament said, "I don't want people to remember our songs as videos."[9]
Pearl Jam headed into the studio in early 1993 facing the challenge of following up the commercial success of its debut. McCready said: "The band was blown up pretty big and everything was pretty crazy."[33] Released on October 19, 1993, Pearl Jam's second album,Vs., sold 950,378 copies in its first week of release and outperformed all other entries in theBillboard top ten that week combined.[34] The album set the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release, which it held until broken byGarth Brooks' 1998 albumDouble Live.[35]Vs. included the singles "Go", "Daughter", "Animal", and "Dissident". Paul Evans ofRolling Stone stated: "Few American bands have arrived more clearly talented than this one did withTen; andVs. tops even that debut." He added: "LikeJim Morrison andPete Townshend, Vedder makes a forte of his psychological-mythic explorations... As guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready paint dense and slashing backdrops, he invites us into a drama of experiment and strife."[36] The band decided, beginning with the release ofVs., to scale back its commercial efforts.[37] The members declined to produce any more music videos after the massive success of "Jeremy" and opted for fewer interviews and television appearances. Industry insiders compared Pearl Jam's tour that year to the touring habits ofLed Zeppelin in that the band "ignored the press and took its music directly to the fans".[38] During theVs. Tour, the band set a cap on ticket prices in an attempt to thwartscalpers.[39]
By 1994, Pearl Jam was "fighting on all fronts" as its manager described the band at the time.[40] ReporterChuck Philips broke a series of stories showing that Ticketmaster was gouging Pearl Jam's customers.[41] Pearl Jam was outraged when, after it played a pair of charity benefit shows in Chicago, it discovered that ticket vendorTicketmaster had added a service charge to the tickets. Pearl Jam was committed to keeping their concert ticket prices down butFred Rosen of Ticketmaster refused to waive the service charge. Because Ticketmaster controlled most major venues, the band was forced to create from scratch its own outdoor stadiums in rural areas in order to perform. Pearl Jam's efforts to organize a tour without the ticket giant collapsed, which Pearl Jam said was evidence of Ticketmaster's monopoly. An analysis of journalist Chuck Philips' investigative series[42][43][44][45][46][47] in a well known legal monograph[48] concluded that it was hard to imagine a legitimate reason for Ticketmaster's exclusive contracts with venues and contracts to cover such a lengthy period of time. The authors wrote: "The pervasiveness of Ticketmaster's exclusive agreements, coupled with their excessive duration and the manner in which they are procured, supported a finding that Ticketmaster had engaged in anticompetitive conduct under section 2 of the Sherman Act."
TheUnited States Department of Justice was investigating the company's practices at the time and asked the band to create a memorandum of its experiences with the company. Band members Gossard and Ament testified at a subcommittee investigation on June 30, 1994, in Washington, D.C.[49] Pearl Jam alleged that Ticketmaster used anti-competitive and monopolistic practices to gouge fans. After Pearl Jam's testimony before Congress,Congressman Dingell (D-Mich.) wrote a bill requiring full disclosure to prevent Ticketmaster from burying escalating service fees. Pearl Jam's manager said he was gratified that Congress recognized the problem as a national issue.[50]The band eventually canceled its 1994 summer tour in protest.[51] After the Justice Department dropped the case, Pearl Jam continued to boycott Ticketmaster, refusing to play venues that had contracts with the company.[52] The band tried to work around Ticketmaster's exclusive contracts by hosting charities and benefits at major venues because the exclusive contracts often contained a clause allowing charity event promoters to sell their own tickets.[53] Music criticJim DeRogatis noted that, along with the Ticketmaster debacle, "the band has refused to release singles or make videos; it has demanded that its albums be released onvinyl; and it wants to be more like its 1960s heroes,the Who, releasing two or three albums a year". He also stated that sources said that most of the band's third albumVitalogy was completed by early 1994, but that either a forced delay by Epic or the battle with Ticketmaster was to blame for the delay.[40]
Pearl Jam wrote and recorded while touring behindVs. and the majority of the tracks forVitalogy were recorded during breaks on the tour. Tensions within the band had increased by this time. ProducerBrendan O'Brien said: "Vitalogy was a little strained. I'm being polite—there was some imploding going on."[19][54] After Pearl Jam finished the recording ofVitalogy, drummer Dave Abbruzzese was fired. The band cited political differences between Abbruzzese and the other members; for example, Abbruzzese disagreed with the Ticketmaster boycott.[19][54] He was replaced byJack Irons, who had connected Vedder to the rest of the band some four years prior. Irons made his debut with the band at Neil Young's 1994Bridge School Benefit, but he was not announced as the band's new drummer until its 1995Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half-hour-long pirate broadcast out of Seattle which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it.[55]
Vitalogy was released first on November 21, 1994, on vinyl and then two weeks later on December 6, 1994, on CD and cassette. The CD became the second-fastest-selling in history, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.[13]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated that "thanks to its stripped-down, lean production,Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album".[56] Many of the songs on the album appear to be inspired by the pressures of fame.[57] The song "Spin the Black Circle", an homage to vinyl records, won aGrammy Award in 1996 forBest Hard Rock Performance.Vitalogy also included the songs "Not for You", "Corduroy", "Better Man", and "Immortality". "Better Man" (sampleⓘ), a song originally written and performed by Vedder while in Bad Radio, reached number one on theBillboard Mainstream Rock chart, spending a total of eight weeks there. Considered a "blatantly great pop song" by producer Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam was reluctant to record it and initially rejected it fromVs. due to its accessibility.[19][54]
The band continued its boycott against Ticketmaster during its1995 tour forVitalogy, but was surprised that virtually no other bands joined.[58] Pearl Jam's initiative to play only at non-Ticketmaster venues effectively, with a few exceptions, prevented it from playing shows in the United States for the next three years.[59] Ament later said: "We were so hardheaded about the 1995 tour. Had to prove we could tour on our own, and it pretty much killed us, killed our career."[19][54] In the same year, Pearl Jam backedNeil Young, whom the band had noted as an influence, on his albumMirror Ball. Contractual obligations prevented the use of the band's name anywhere on the album, but the members were all credited individually in the album's liner notes.[2] Two songs from the sessions were left offMirror Ball: "I Got Id" and "Long Road". These two tracks were released separately by Pearl Jam in the form of the 1995 EPMerkin Ball.
Following the round of touring forVitalogy, the band went into the studio to recordNo Code. Vedder said: "MakingNo Code was all about gaining perspective."[60] Released in 1996,No Code was seen as a deliberate break from the band's sound sinceTen,[61] favoringexperimental ballads and noisygarage rockers. David Browne ofEntertainment Weekly stated that "No Code displays a wider range of moods and instrumentation than on any previous Pearl Jam album."[62] The lyrical themes on the album deal with issues of self-examination,[63] with Ament stating: "In some ways, it's like the band's story. It's about growing up."[63] Although the album debuted at number one on theBillboard charts, it quickly fell down the charts.No Code included the singles "Who You Are" (sampleⓘ), "Hail, Hail", and "Off He Goes". As withVitalogy, very little touring was done to promoteNo Code because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venue areas. AEuropean tour took place in the fall of 1996. Gossard stated that there was "a lot of stress associated with trying to tour at that time" and that "it was growing more and more difficult to be excited about being part of the band".[19][54]
Following the short tour forNo Code, the band went into the studio in 1997 to record its follow-up. The sessions for the band's fifth album represented more of a team effort among all members of the group, with Ament stating that "everybody really got a little bit of their say on the record... because of that, everybody feels like they're an integral part of the band".[64] On February 3, 1998, Pearl Jam releasedYield. The album was cited as a return to the band's early, straightforward rock sound.[65] Tom Sinclair ofEntertainment Weekly stated that the band has "turned in an intermittently affecting album that veers between fiery garage rock and rootsy, acoustic-based ruminations. Perhaps mindful of their position as the last alt-rock ambassadors with any degree of clout, they've come up with their most cohesive album since their 1991 debut,Ten."[66] Lyrically,Yield continued with the more contemplative type of writing found onNo Code,[67] with Vedder saying: "What was rage in the past has become reflection."[68]Yield debuted at number two on theBillboard charts, but likeNo Code soon began dropping down the charts.[69] It included the singles "Given to Fly" and "Wishlist". The band hired comic book artistTodd McFarlane to create an animated video for the song "Do the Evolution" from the album, its first music video since 1992.[70] A documentary detailing the making ofYield,Single Video Theory, was released on VHS and DVD later that year.
In April 1998, Pearl Jam again changed drummers. Jack Irons left the band due to dissatisfaction with touring and was replaced with former Soundgarden drummerMatt Cameron on a temporary basis,[71] but he soon became a permanent replacement for Irons. Pearl Jam's 1998Yield Tour in North America marked the band's return to full-scale touring. The band'santi-trust lawsuit against Ticketmaster had proven to be unsuccessful and hindered live tours. Many fans had complained about the difficulty in obtaining tickets and the use of non-Ticketmaster venues, which were judged to be out-of-the-way and impersonal. For this tour and future tours, Pearl Jam again began using Ticketmaster in order to "better accommodate concertgoers".[72] The 1998 summer tour was a big success,[73] and after it was completed the band releasedLive on Two Legs, a live album which featured select performances from the tour.
In 1998, Pearl Jam recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous byJ. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. It was recorded during a soundcheck and released on the band's 1998 fan club Christmas single. The following year, the cover was put into heavy rotation across the country. By popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single in 1999, with all of the proceeds going to the aid of refugees of theKosovo War.[13] The band also decided to include the song on the 1999 charity compilation album,No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees. "Last Kiss" peaked at number two on theBillboard charts and became the band's highest-charting single.
Following its full-scale tour in support ofYield, the band took a short break, but then reconvened toward the end of 1999 and commenced work on a new album. On May 16, 2000, Pearl Jam released its sixth studio album,Binaural. It was drummer Matt Cameron's studio recording debut with the band. The title is a reference to thebinaural recording techniques that were utilized on several tracks by producerTchad Blake, known for his use of the technique.[74]Binaural was the first album since the band's debut not produced by Brendan O'Brien, although O'Brien was called in later to remix several tracks. Gossard stated that the band members "were ready for a change".[33] Jon Pareles ofRolling Stone wrote: "Apparently as tired of grunge as everyone exceptCreed fans, Pearl Jam delve elsewhere." He added: "The album reflects both Pearl Jam's longstanding curse of self-importance and a renewed willingness to be experimental or just plain odd."[75] The album is lyrically darker than the band's previous albumYield, with Gossard describing the lyrics as "pretty sombre".[67]Binaural included the singles "Nothing as It Seems", one of the songs featuring binaural recording, and "Light Years". The album sold just over 700,000 copies and became the first Pearl Jam studio album to fail to reach platinum status.[76]
Pearl Jam decided to record every show on its 2000Binaural Tour professionally, after noting the desire of fans to own a copy of the shows they attended and the popularity ofbootleg recordings. The band had been open in the past about allowing fans to make amateur recordings,[77] and these"official bootlegs" were an attempt to provide a more affordable and better quality product for fans.[78] Pearl Jam originally intended to release them to only fan club members, but the band's record contract prevented it from doing so. Pearl Jam released all of the albums in record stores as well as through its fan club. The band released 72 live albums in 2000 and 2001, and twice set a record for most albums to debut in theBillboard 200 at the same time.[79][80]
Pearl Jam's 2000 European tour ended in tragedy on June 30, withan accident at theRoskilde Festival in Denmark. Nine fans were crushed underfoot and suffocated as the crowd rushed to the front. After numerous requests for the crowd to step back, the band stopped playing and tried to calm the crowd when the musicians realized what was happening, but it was already too late. The two remaining dates of the tour were canceled and members of the band contemplated retiring after this event.[81]
A month after the European tour concluded, the band embarked on its two-leg 2000 North American tour. On performing after the Roskilde tragedy, Vedder said that "playing, facing crowds, being together—it enabled us to start processing it".[19][54] On October 22, 2000, the band played the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, celebrating the tenth anniversary of its first live performance as a band. Vedder took the opportunity to thank the many people who had helped the band come together and make it to ten years. He noted that "I would never do this accepting a Grammy or something."[82] After concluding the Binaural Tour, the band releasedTouring Band 2000 the following year. The DVD featured select performances from the North American legs of the tour.
Following the events of theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Vedder and McCready were joined byNeil Young to perform the song "Long Road" from the EPMerkin Ball at theAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert. The concert, which aired on September 21, 2001, raised money for the victims and their families.
Pearl Jam commenced work on a new album following a year-long break after its full-scale tour in support ofBinaural. McCready described the recording environment as "a pretty positive one" and "very intense and spiritual".[83] Regarding the time period when the lyrics were being written, Vedder said: "There's been a lot of mortality... It's a weird time to be writing. Roskilde changed the shape of us as people, and our filter for seeing the world changed."[84] Pearl Jam releasedRiot Act on November 12, 2002. It included the singles "I Am Mine" and "Save You". The album featured a much morefolk-based and experimental sound, evident in the presence ofB3 organistBoom Gaspar on songs such as "Love Boat Captain".Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "Riot Act is the album that Pearl Jam has been wanting to make sinceVitalogy—a muscularart rock record, one that still hits hard but that is filled with ragged edges and odd detours."[85] The track titled "Arc" was recorded as a vocal tribute to the nine people who died at the Roskilde Festival in June 2000. Vedder only performed this song nine times on the 2003 tour, and the band left the track off all released bootlegs.[86]
In 2003, the band embarked on itsRiot Act Tour, which included tours in Australia and North America. The band continued its official bootleg program, making every concert from the tour available in CD form through its official website. A total of six bootlegs were made available in record stores: Perth, Western Australia; Tokyo; State College, Pennsylvania; two shows from Madison Square Garden; and Mansfield, Massachusetts. At many shows during the 2003 North American tour, Vedder performedRiot Act's "Bu$hleaguer", a commentary on PresidentGeorge W. Bush, with a rubber mask of Bush, wearing it at the beginning of the song and then hanging it on a mic stand to allow him to sing. The band made news when it was reported that several fans left after Vedder had "impaled" the Bush mask on his mic stand at the band's show in Denver, Colorado.[87]
In June 2003, Pearl Jam announced it was leaving Epic Records following the end of its contract with the label. The band stated it had "no interest" in signing with another label.[88] The band's first release without a label was the single for "Man of the Hour", in partnership with Amazon.com.[89] DirectorTim Burton approached Pearl Jam to request an original song for the soundtrack of his filmBig Fish. After screening an early print of the film, Pearl Jam recorded the song for him. "Man of the Hour", which was later nominated for aGolden Globe Award, can be heard in the closing credits ofBig Fish.
The band releasedLost Dogs, a two-disc collection of rarities andB-sides, andLive at the Garden, a DVD featuring the band's July 8, 2003concert at Madison Square Garden through Epic Records in November 2003. In 2004, Pearl Jam released the live albumLive at Benaroya Hall through a one-album deal withBMG.[90] 2004 marked the first time that Pearl Jam licensed a song for usage in a television show; a snippet of the song "Yellow Ledbetter" was used in thefinal episode of the television seriesFriends.[91] Later that year, Epic releasedrearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003), a greatest-hits collection spanning 1991 to 2003. This release marked the end of Pearl Jam's contractual agreement with Epic Records.[92]
Pearl Jam played a show at Easy Street Records in Seattle in April 2005; recordings from the show were compiled for the albumLive at Easy Street and released exclusively to independent record stores in June 2006. The band embarked on a Canadiancross-country tour in September 2005, kicking off the tour with a fundraising concert in Missoula, Montana for Democratic politicianJon Tester and playingThe Gorge Amphitheatre. After touring Canada, Pearl Jam proceeded to open aRolling Stones concert in Pittsburgh, then played two shows at theBorgata casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, then closed the tour with a concert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The official bootlegs for the band's 2005 shows were distributed via Pearl Jam's official website in MP3 form. Pearl Jam also played a benefit concert to raise money forHurricane Katrina relief on October 5, 2005, at theHouse of Blues in Chicago. On November 22, 2005, Pearl Jam began its first Latin American tour.[93]
The work for Pearl Jam's follow-up toRiot Act began after its appearance on the 2004Vote for Change tour. The time period between the two albums was the longest gap between Pearl Jam's studio albums to date and the new album was its first release for a new label.Clive Davis announced in February 2006 that Pearl Jam had signed with his labelJ Records, which like Epic, is part ofSony Music Entertainment (then known asSony BMG), though J has since folded intoRCA Records.[94] The albumPearl Jam was released on May 2, 2006. A number of critics citedPearl Jam as a return to the band's early sound,[95][96] and McCready compared the material toVs. in a 2005 interview.[97] Ament said: "The band playing in a room—that came across. There's a kind of immediacy to the record, and that's what we were going for."[98] Chris Willman ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that "in a world full of boys sent to do a man's job of rocking, Pearl Jam can still pull off gravitas".[99] Current socio-political issues in the United States are addressed on the album. "World Wide Suicide", a song criticizing theIraq War and U.S. foreign policy, was released as a single and topped theBillboard Modern Rock chart; it was Pearl Jam's first number one on that chart since "Who You Are" in 1996, and first number one on any chart in the United States since 1998 when "Given to Fly" reached number one on theMainstream Rock chart.Pearl Jam also included the singles "Life Wasted" and "Gone".
To supportPearl Jam, the band embarked on its2006 world tour. It toured North America, Australia and notably Europe; Pearl Jam had not toured the continent for six years. The North American tour included three two-night stands opening forTom Petty and the Heartbreakers.[100] The band served as the headliners for theLeeds andReading festivals, despite having vowed to never play at a festival again afterRoskilde. Vedder started both concerts with an emotional plea to the crowd to look after each other. He commented during the Leeds set that the band's decision to play a festival for the first time after Roskilde had nothing to do with "guts" but with trust in the audience.[101]
In March 2009,Ten was reissued in four editions, featuring such extras as a remastering and remix of the entire album by Brendan O'Brien, a DVD of the band's 1992 appearance onMTV Unplugged, and an LP of its concert of September 20, 1992 at Magnuson Park in Seattle.[110] It was the first reissue in a planned re-release of Pearl Jam's entire catalog that led up to the band's 20th anniversary in 2011.[110] A Pearl Jam retrospective film directed byCameron Crowe titledPearl Jam Twenty[111] was also planned to coincide with the anniversary.[112] In 2011,Vs. andVitalogy were reissued in the spring time in deluxe form.[111] The rest of the bands catalog has yet to be reissued with no word on whether or not it will be.
Pearl Jam began work for the follow-up toPearl Jam in early 2008.[113] In 2009, the band began to build on instrumental and demo tracks written during 2008.[114] The albumBackspacer was its first to be produced by Brendan O'Brien sinceYield.[113]Backspacer debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard music charts, the band's first album to do so sinceNo Code in 1996,[115] and has sold 635,000 copies as of July 2013, according toNielsen SoundScan.[116] The music on the record features a sound influenced by pop andnew wave.[117] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "prior toBackspacer, Pearl Jam wouldn't or couldn't have made music this unfettered, unapologetically assured, casual, and, yes, fun".[118] Regarding the lyrics, Vedder said: "I've tried, over the years, to be hopeful in the lyrics, and I think that's going to be easier now."[119] "The Fixer" was chosen as the album's first single.[120] Pearl Jam did not re-sign its record deal with J Records, and the band released the album through its own label Monkeywrench Records in the United States and throughUniversal Music Group internationally. Pearl Jam reached a deal with Target to be the exclusive big-box retailer for the album in the United States. The album also saw release through the band's official website, independent record stores, online retailers, and iTunes.[121][122] In an interview in September 2009 McCready revealed that Pearl Jam was scheduled to finish theBackspacer outtakes within six months,[123] and told San Diego radio stationKBZT that the band may release an EP in 2010 consisting of those songs, and Vedder instead suggested that the songs may be used for the band's next studio album.[124]
In August 2009, Pearl Jam headlined theVirgin Festival,[125] theOutside Lands Music and Arts Festival,[126] and played five shows in Europe and three in North America.[127][128][129] In October 2009, Pearl Jam headlined theAustin City Limits Music Festival.[130] Later in October on Halloween night, the band played in what was the last performance at the Philadelphia Spectrum. An additional leg consisting of a tour of Oceania took place afterwards.[122] In May 2010, the band embarked on a month-long tour starting with theNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The tour headed to the East Coast and ended May 21, 2010 at Madison Square Garden in New York.[131] A European tour took place in June and July 2010, where the band performed in Northern Ireland for the first time at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.[132] In late October 2010, Pearl Jam performed at the 24th AnnualBridge School Benefit Concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.[133] A live album, titledLive on Ten Legs, was released on January 17, 2011.[134] It is a compilation of live tracks from their 2003 to 2010 world tours, and is a follow-up toLive on Two Legs, which consisted of songs recorded during their 1998 North American tour.[135]
In March 2011, bassist Jeff Ament toldBillboard that the band had 25 songs and they'd be heading into the studio in April to begin recording the follow-up toBackspacer.[136] On May 16, 2011, the band confirmed that they would play the Labor Day weekend at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, followed byten shows in Canada.[137]
On September 8, 2011, the band released a new song titled "Olé".[138] On November 18, the band releasedToronto 9.11.11—a free live album available through the launch of Google Music. On November 21, 2011, as part of their PJ20 World Tour, Pearl Jam visitedCosta Rica for the first time to a 30,000 crowd of fans at theNational Stadium.[139] The following month, the band announced atour of Europe, which started in June 2012.[140]
On July 11, 2013, the band announced that their tenth studio albumLightning Bolt would be released internationally on October 14, 2013, and on the next day in the United States, along with releasing the first single "Mind Your Manners".[141] The band played atwo-leg tour in North America during October and November,[142] followed by headlining the finalBig Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand in 2014.[143][144] The second single, "Sirens", was released on September 18, 2013.[145] After selling 166,000 copies in its first week,Lightning Bolt became Pearl Jam's fifth album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.[146] At the57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, the album won the award forBest Recording Package.[147] In November 2015 the band played anine-date tour of Latin America.[148]
Pearl Jam performing in London in June 2018
In January 2016, the band announced atour of the United States and Canada, including appearances at theNew Orleans Jazz Festival andBonnaroo.[149] In April 2017, Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony they were inducted by comedianDavid Letterman.[150] In August 2017, the band announced the release of the live album and concert filmLet's Play Two from the band's shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago the previous year.[151] The band launched a2018 tour with shows in South America in March 2018, including shows atLollapalooza events in Brazil and Chile.[152] followed by performances in Europe and North America.[153] The tour included two shows for homelessness-related charities in the band's hometown of Seattle.[154] Prior to the first shows of the tour, Pearl Jam released the song "Can't Deny Me".[155][156]
In December 2019, Pearl Jam confirmed that they would betouring Europe in the summer of 2020.[157] On January 13, 2020, the band announced that its eleventh studio albumGigaton would be released on March 27, 2020.[158] In conjunction with the release of the album, the band also announced tour dates in North America during March and April 2020.[159] However, the North American leg was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim to reschedule them for a later date.[160][161] In September 2020, the band confirmed that theirMTV Unplugged live set would be released on vinyl and CD for the first time the following month.[162]
Dark Matter and Cameron's departure (2021–present)
In May 2021, Pearl Jam announced the release of a digital collection of nearly 200 concerts dating from 2000 to 2013.[163] The collection of 5,404 individual songs, titledDeep, is accessible by members of the Pearl Jam Ten Club.[164] On September 18, 2021, the band played their first show since 2018 at theSea.Hear.Now Festival inAsbury Park, New Jersey, where formerRed Hot Chili Peppers guitaristJosh Klinghoffer made his debut as a touring musician with the band.[165] In May 2022, Pearl Jam began to tour for their postponed shows, originally intended to be played in 2020. That same month, Matt Cameron was forced to miss his first shows in 24 years since joining the band after testing positive forCOVID-19. Josh Klinghoffer andRichard Stuverud played drums for Cameron.[166] Krusen also returned to play numerous songs during the band's show in Fresno, California.[167] In April 2023, Pearl Jam announced a 4th leg of their Gigaton Tour, primarily focused in theMidwestern United States.[168] In September 2023, their show inNoblesville, Indiana, was postponed due to illness within the band.[169]
At the privateTroubadour playback in Los Angeles, the band confirmed their twelfth album, titledDark Matter, produced byAndrew Watt. The album's packaging featureslight painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. The album was released to critical acclaim on April 19, 2024[170][171] shortly before a2024 world tour.[170] The announcement of the album occurred alongside the release of the title track as the lead single.[172][173] The album receivedGrammy nominations forBest Rock Album,Best Rock Song ("Dark Matter"), andBest Rock Performance ("Dark Matter").[174] The tour featured stage visuals by Seattle nativeRob Sheridan, known for his work withTrent Reznor andNine Inch Nails; this marked the band's first use of such video visuals on tour, with Sheridan's work also appearing in their "Wreckage" live music video.[175][176] In June and July 2024, the band canceled three shows inLondon andBerlin because of significant illness in the band, which Vedder described as a "near-death experience" similar tobronchitis.[177]
On July 7, 2025, Cameron announced his departure from Pearl Jam, with the band releasing a statement thanking him for his 27 years of service.[178]
A sample of "Given to Fly" fromYield (1998), ahard rock song which features Vedder's distinctive baritone vocals and McCready's prominent lead guitar throughout
Pearl Jam has broadened its musical range with subsequent releases. As he had more influence on the band's sound, Vedder sought to make the band's musical output lesscatchy. He said: "I felt that with more popularity, we were going to be crushed, our heads were going to pop like grapes."[3] By 1994'sVitalogy, the band began to incorporate more punk influences into its music;[199] the record also features what Erlewine describes as Pearl Jam's "strangest music", citing atypical songs such as "Bugs", "Aye Davanita" and "Stupid Mop".[200] The band's 1996 album,No Code, was a deliberate break from the musical style ofTen. The songs on the album featured elements ofgarage rock,worldbeat, andexperimentalism.[2] After 1998'sYield, which was somewhat of a return to the straightforward rock approach of the band's early work,[65] they dabbled with experimentalart rock on theBinaural album of 2000, and withfolk rock elements on the 2002 albumRiot Act. The band's 2006self-titled album was cited as a return to their early sound.[95][96] Their 2009 album,Backspacer, contains elements of pop andnew wave.[117]
Critic Jim DeRogatis describes Vedder's vocals as a "Jim Morrison-like vocal growl".[201] Greg Prato of AllMusic stated: "With his hard-hitting and often confessional lyrical style and Jim Morrison-esque baritone, Vedder also became one of the most copied lead singers in all of rock."[202] Vedder's lyrical topics range from personal ("Alive", "Better Man") to social and political concerns ("Even Flow", "World Wide Suicide"). His lyrics have often invoked the use of storytelling and have included themes offreedom,individualism, and sympathy for troubled individuals.[203] When the band started, Gossard and McCready were designated as rhythm and lead guitarists, respectively. The dynamic began to change when Vedder started to play more rhythm guitar during theVitalogy era. McCready said in 2006: "Even though there are three guitars, I think there's maybe more room now. Stone will pull back and play a two-note line and Ed will do apower chord thing, and I fit into all that."[204]
While Nirvana had brought grunge to the mainstream in the early 1990s withNevermind, Pearl Jam's debutTen outsold it in the United States,[205] and the band became "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s" according to AllMusic.[2] Pearl Jam has been described as "modern rock radio's most influential stylists – the workmanlike midtempo chug of songs like 'Alive' and 'Even Flow' just melodic enough to getmoshers singing along".[206] The band inspired and influenced a number of bands, includingSilverchair,the White Stripes andthe Strokes.[207][208] The band has also been credited for inspiring the indie rock scene of 90s-era urban Pakistan, that has since evolved into a rich rock music culture in the country.[209]
Pearl Jam was ranked at number 8 byRolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time".[6] Pearl Jam has been praised for its rejection of rock star excess and its insistence on backing causes it believes in. Music critic Jim DeRogatis stated in the aftermath of the band's battle with Ticketmaster that it "proved that a rock band which isn't comprised of greed heads can play stadiums and not milk the audience for every last dime... it indicated that idealism in rock 'n' roll is not the sole province of those '60s bands enshrined in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame".[210] In 2001, Eric Weisbard ofSpin wrote: "The group that was once accused of being synthetic grunge now seem as organic and principled a rock band as exists."[19][54] In a 2005 readers' poll inUSA Today, Pearl Jam was voted the greatest American rock band of all time.[211] In April 2006, Pearl Jam was awarded the prize for "Best Live Act" inEsquire's Esky Music Awards. The blurb called Pearl Jam "the rare superstars who still play as though each show could be their last".[212] Pearl Jam's fanbase following has been compared to that of theGrateful Dead's, withRolling Stone magazine stating that Pearl Jam "toured incessantly and became one of rock's great arena acts, attracting a fanatical, Grateful Dead-like cult following with marathon, true-believer shows in the vanishing spirit of Bruce Springsteen, the Who and U2".[3]
Pearl Jam tours with a dedicated crew that includes longtime live monitor engineer and “mic girl”Karrie Keyes, who has worked with the band for over 30 years.213 Kille Knobel serves as Pearl Jam's longtime touring lighting designer,214 having started with the band in 2000 as an operator and programmer. Kevin Shuss has been the band's longtime videographer and archivist, as well as a self-described “pack rat.”215 The band maintains an extensive vault of archives, unreleased material, B-sides, masters, and other recordings, which are managed by Shuss, recording engineer John Burton, and the band members themselves.216
When asked about Pearl Jam's legacy in a 2000 interview, Vedder said: "I think at some point along the way we began feeling we wanted to give people something to believe in because we all had bands that gave that to us when we needed something to believe in. That was the big challenge for us after the first record and the response to it. The goal immediately became how do we continue to be musicians and grow and survive in view of all this... The answers weren't always easy, but I think we found a way."[213] Their 1992MTV Unplugged performance was ranked second inRolling Stone's list of its 15 Best Episodes.[214]
Throughout its career, Pearl Jam has promoted wider social and political issues, from abortion rights sentiments to opposition toGeorge W. Bush's presidency. Vedder acts as the band's spokesman on these issues. The band has promoted an array of causes, including awareness ofCrohn's disease, which Mike McCready suffers from,Ticketmaster venue monopolization and the environment and wildlife protection, among others.[215][216] Guitarist Stone Gossard has been active in environmental pursuits, and has been an advocate of Pearl Jam'scarbon neutral policy, offsetting the band's environmental impact.[217] Vedder has advocated for the release of theWest Memphis 3 for years andDamien Echols, a member of the three, shares a writing credit for the song "Army Reserve" (fromPearl Jam).[218]
The band, and especially frontman Eddie Vedder, have been vocal supporters of the abortion rights movement. In 1992,Spin printed an article by Vedder, titled "Reclamation", which detailed his views on abortion.[219] In anMTV Unplugged concert the same year, Vedder stood on a stool and wrote "PRO-CHOICE!" on his arm in protest when the band performed the song "Porch".[19][54] The band are members of a number of abortion rights organizations, includingChoice USA andVoters for Choice.[216]
As members ofRock the Vote andVote for Change, the band has encouraged voter registration and participation inUnited States elections. Vedder was outspoken in support ofGreen Party presidential candidateRalph Nader in 2000,[220] and Pearl Jam played a series of concerts on the Vote for Change tour in October 2004, supporting the candidacy ofJohn Kerry for U.S. president. In aRolling Stone feature showcasing the Vote for Change tour's performers, Vedder told the magazine: "I supported Ralph Nader in 2000, but it's a time of crisis. We have to get a new administration."[221]
In 2006, the members of Pearl Jam founded the non-profit organization Vitalogy Foundation. Named after theirthird studio album, the foundation supports non-profit organizations working in the fields of community health, the environment, arts, education and social change.[222]
Vedder sometimes comments on politics between songs, often to criticize U.S. foreign policy, and a number of his songs, including "Bu$hleaguer" and "World Wide Suicide", are openly critical of theBush administration. At Lollapalooza 2007, Vedder spoke out againstBP Amocodumping effluent in Lake Michigan,[223] and at the end of "Daughter", he sang the lyrics "George Bush leave this world alone / George Bush find yourself another home". In the beginning of the second encore Vedder invited Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, the subject of the documentaryBody of War, onto the stage to urge an end to the war. Young in turn introducedBen Harper, who contributed vocals to "No More" and "Rockin' in the Free World".[224] The band later discovered that some of the Bush-related lyrics were excised from theAT&T webcast of the event, and questioned whether that constitutes censorship.[225] AT&T later apologized and blamed the censorship on contractorDavie Brown Entertainment.[226]
Pearl Jam has performed numerous benefit concerts in aid of charities and causes. For example, the band headlined a Seattle concert in 2001 to support the United Nations' efforts to combat world hunger.[227] The band added a date at the Chicago House of Blues to its 2005 tour to help the victims ofHurricane Katrina; the concert proceeds were donated toHabitat for Humanity, theAmerican Red Cross and theJazz Foundation of America.[228]
In 2011, Pearl Jam was named 2011 Planet Defenders by Rock the Earth for their environmental activism and their large-scale efforts to decrease their own carbon emissions.[229]
Pearl Jam supported the re-election efforts of SenatorJon Tester with concerts inMissoula, Montana during their 2012, 2018, and 2024 tours.[230]
^Gordinier, Jeff (October 28, 1994)."The Brawls in Their Courts".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. RetrievedSeptember 3, 2007.
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