Pearl Jam

Looking at Pearl Jam's tour itinerary, the show in St. Louis appears as if it wouldn't have much to offer. Directly after Pearl Jam's show in Chicago, which is almost always a standout performance, I expected a bit of a letdown during the band's next night out. Luckily, the fans were treated to what ended up being, while maybe not the best, certainly one of the unique shows of the tour. \nAfter a relaxed opening "Of the Girl," the band charges through a slew of some of its hardest rocking numbers, including "Go," "Brain of J" and an amazing take on "Insignificance." The first half of the show just flies by, and the electricity comes blasting out of the speakers. \nIt's not until a one-two punch of "Small Town" and "Wishlist" that the band really stops to catch its breath and in the process seems to lose a bit of its momentum. Perennial hits "Even Flow," "Daughter" and "Betterman" follow soon thereafter, and while solid, they seem to lack passion performancewise. "Daughter" is missing its usual cover song tagged on at the end, instead having only a small call-and-response bit, and "Betterman" never quite builds to its usually powerful ending.\nThe band finishes the set on a high note, first with an amazing, mellow version of b-side "Footsteps," complete with a lilting harmonica throughout, before closing with "Rearviewmirror," where the middle bridge has become a cacophony jam of noise, ebbing and flowing back and forth before careening back into the end of the song, one of the highlights of the show. \nThe encore is a strange mix of the common and obscure. Besides standard songs like "Porch," "Do the Evolution" and "Yellow Ledbetter," Pearl Jam delves into rarely and sometimes never before covered territory. The world premiere of Yield b-side "U" is roughshod and raw but pulled off nicely, and a majestic moving performance of "Parting Ways" is followed by the rare Dead Boys cover "Sonic Reducer." \nSt. Louis was treated to an unusual set list, as "Corduroy" and "Grievance," normal staples for most of the tour, were omitted, and the band pulls out some gems in its wake. The show is strong, and the few moments where it sputters are made up for by its uniqueness.