Friday, December 21, 2012

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2012, #4

MISSOULA, MONTANA

Pearl Jam tried pretty hard to avoid those us here in the United States this year.  Anyone with a U.S. Tour shirt sporting four dates on the back can attest to that.  They were swept up into a couple of festival appearances, but only one stand-alone date.



In a year that Democrats were fighting to hold onto control of the Senate, Pearl Jam decided to throw their support behind one embattled Democrat, John Tester.  Many of the best seats were only available through Tester's website, including two recliners on the side of the stage raffled off to two lucky donors.



It wasn't the first show Pearl Jam has show Pearl Jam has done in support of Tester, but it's significant in that it was the only opportunity for fans west of the Mississippi to see Pearl Jam in 2012.  Missoula is a hard day's drive from Seattle, but it's doable for Pearl Jam's most ardent fans.  That combined with a relatively intimate venue led to an incredible show.  In the end, Tester won.  Was it because of Pearl Jam?  We're still waiting to hear from Nate Silver.


The stand-alone show allowed Pearl Jam to bust our rarities like Ghost.



... but they still ripped up rockers like Comatose.



Look for #3 on Wednesday, December 26th, and have a Merry Christmas!