This is Lesha. Lesha turned 18 years old this year. He was born in Russia in 1991. He has survived 18 St. Petersburg winters listening to bootlegged Pearl Jam concerts. Never once has Pearl Jam played the Ice Palace. Lesha’s not alone though. Millions in Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Prince Edward Island, and Mississippi are asking the same question as Lesha. "Why, Pearl Jam, why won't you play here?"
Tomorrow is the first of twenty-nine Pearl Jam concerts in support of their upcoming album, Backspacer. Pearl Jam fans, possibly remembering the angsty beginnings of their favorite band, are not a group who suffer in silence. So, that begs the question, "who has the waited the longest since their last Pearl Jam experience?" The question is a little silly given that if you look at this map, you'll see that whole continents have never seen Pearl Jam play. Seriously guys, no shows in the Middle East? Not even a USO show for the troops? If Pearl Jam has never played your country, state, or province, your Pearl Jam drought has lasted a brutal 6,865 days. In all likelihood, it will last over 7,000 days as it's unlikely that Pearl Jam will be hitting Pakistan, the Congo, or Alaska before the year's end. Of course, technically, Pearl Jam played in Alaska on February 8th, 1992.
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Does Pearl Jam dislike Vietnam, New Brunswick, and Delaware? No, probably not. Are there just not enough Pearl Jam fans in Mississippi or Indonesia to justify a performance? What about those who haven't been completely missed, but have just been waiting a very, very long time: Nebraska (6,502 days), Vermont (6,489 days), Finland (5,883 days, and China (5,279 days)? I don't profess to have the answers. I only profess to report the news.
That being said, here is The Drought List, from shortest drought to longest drought. It includes all U.S. states, all Canadian provinces, all countries in which Pearl Jam has played, the top twenty most populous countries, and a couple other countries I thought were interesting. All numbers are in days, and I've also starred those lucky folks whose drought will end before 2010. Congratulations, folks! Your drought number is about to be Backspaced!
New York 403
Massachusetts 404
Massachusetts 404
Connecticut 407
District of Columbia 412
New Jersey 414
Virginia 417
South Carolina 418
Tennessee 420
Florida 422
Illinois 734*
Belgium 771
Netherlands 772*
Denmark 774
Germany 775*
United Kingdom 782*
Austria 784
Italy 785
Poland 787
Spain 791
Portugal 792
Hawaii 973
Australia 993*
California 1021*
Greece 1043
Croatia 1047
Czech Republic 1051
Switzerland 1060
France 1062
Ireland 1081
Ohio 1111
Washington 1112*
Oregon 1115*
Nevada 1129
Colorado 1132
Wisconsin 1135
Minnesota 1138
Pennsylvania 1142*
Michigan 1174
Ontario 1186*
Mexico 1337
Brazil 1343
Argentina 1351
Chile 1354
Newfoundland and Labrador 1413
Nova Scotia 1416
Quebec 1418
Manitoba 1430
Saskatchewan 1431
Alberta 1433*
British Columbia 1436*
Montana 1440
North Carolina 1767
Missouri 1768
Indiana 2239
North Dakota 2246
Iowa 2248
Kansas 2249
Arkansas 2251
Texas 2252*
Arizona 2254
Kentucky 2301
Georgia 2303
Alabama 2313
Louisiana 2314
Oklahoma 2319
Japan 2347
Idaho 3200
New Mexico 3214
Maryland 3260
Norway 3327
Sweden 3328
Slovenia 3337
South Dakota 4063
Utah 4066*
Turkey 4645
Maine 4699
Wyoming 5167
New Zealand 5250*
Singapore 5272
Thailand 5275
Philippines 5277
Taiwan, Province of China 5279
Finland 5883
Rhode Island 6478
Vermont 6489
Nebraska 6502
Alaska 6865
Delaware 6865
Mississippi 6865
New Brunswick 6865
New Hampshire 6865
Prince Edward Island 6865
West Virginia 6865
India 6865
Indonesia 6865
Bangladesh 6865
Pakistan 6865
Nigeria 6865
Russia 6865
Vietnam 6865
Ethiopia 6865
Egypt 6865
Iran 6865
Congo, Dem. Rep. of 6865
Afghanistan 6865
Iraq 6865
South Africa 6865
