Pearl Jam has been apprehensive, in recent years, to do shows in their hometown. Rumors have been that the guest list filled the venue before any paying fans could get in. Well, Pearl Jam solved that issue by opting to play the largest venue that they could find, Safeco Field.
The band even went one better by using the two shows that they played in Seattle to raise more than $10 million for homeless in the area. They partnered with thousands of partners to make it easy for fans to give money to their Homelessness fund. If you were in Seattle and bought chocolate, coffee, beer, wine, or bourbon, ate at a restaurant, shopped on the right day, or stayed in the Edgewater Hotel you put some dollars into the fund. They released videos and posters to campaign all over the country for donations toward their goal. You can even review how that worked out with a special, interactive page on their website.
Fans lined up for hours to purchase merchandise then waited in line for hours to be at the front of the crowd. Then the band dug deep, barely touching their last three albums in favor of their classic jams, even busting out fan favorite covers like Crown of Thorns, Sonic Reducer, and I've Got a Feeling. Great shows. Great causes.
