If you are looking for the best Pearl Jam live albums recorded by the Seattle grunge band at its best concerts keep reading.
In this article, we leave studio albums and music videos behind. Instead, we pay tribute to the best Pearl Jam official live recordings and bootlegs the band played.
Official Live Pearl Jam Albums
If you visit Pearl Jam's official webpage, you'll find that it only shows 5:
Release Date: June 20, 2006.
This live EP contains songs from the band's in-store performance at Easy Street Records in Seattle on April 29, 2005. It was reissued on vinyl to celebrate Record Store Day on April 13, 2019.
Pearl Jam performed a sixteen-song set that day, but only seven tracks made it to the album.
Pearl Jam, Kelly Curtis, the band's manager, and Matt Vaughn, Easy Street's owner, held the secret for about a month. A few days before the show, Matt told two managers (held to secrecy), but no one else.
The only information provided was an invitation to join a “work party”. The band hid in the vinyl section upstairs and then played in front of a 200 people crowd.
Check out KEXP's DJ Kevin Cole interview to Matt at Easy Street's youtube channel.
1/2 Full
Lukin
American In Me
Save You
Bleed For Me
The New World
Porch
It is available at Amazon Music.
Release Date: July 27, 2004.
This live album consists of 2 discs recorded on October 22, 2003, from the concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
"Album's warm, wizened feel and unusual set list are appropriate for souvenir-collecting obsessives and lapsed fans looking for a new take on Pearl Jam's substantial catalog." - Christian Hoard (Rolling Stone magazine) gave the album 3/5.
- Of The Girl
Low Light
Thumbing My Way
Thin Air
Fatal
Nothing As It Seems
Man Of The Hour
Immortality
Off He Goes
Around The Bend
I Believe In Miracles
Sleight Of Hand
All Or None
Lukin
Parting Ways
Down
Can't Keep
Dead Man
Masters Of War
Black
Crazy Mary
25 Minutes To Go
Daughter
Yellow Ledbetter
It is available on Amazon Music.
Release Date: January 17, 2011.
This live album consists of songs played during the band's 2003–2010 tours worldwide.
"Inevitably, it's the old favorites that elicit the biggest cheers and carries the greatest power…" - Paul Elliott at Classic Rock Magazine.
Arms Aloft
World Wide Suicide
Animal
Got Some
State Of Love And Trust
I Am Mine
Unthought Known
Rearviewmirror
The Fixer
Nothing As It Seems
In Hiding
Just Breathe
Jeremy
Public Image
Spin The Black Circle
Porch
Alive
Yellow Ledbetter
It is available at Pearl Jam's store.
Release Date: June 26, 2007.
Live At The Gorge 05/06 is a seven-disc live record.
Jason Birchmeier (Allmusic) gave this album 3.5/5.
"It's a great package of shows that fans will want to hear, especially anyone who missed Pearl Jam on their sold-out summer 2006 tour."
I Believe In Miracles
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Off He Goes
Low Light
Man Of The Hour
I Am Mine
Crazy Mary
Black
Hard To Imagine
Given To Fly
Last Exit
Save You
Do The Evolution
Alone
Sad
Even Flow
Not For You
Corduroy
Dissident
MFC
Undone
Daughter
In My Tree
State Of Love And Trust
Alive
Porch
Love Boat Captain
Insignificance
Better Man
Rearviewmirror
I Won't Back Down
Last Kiss
Crown Of Thorns
Blood
Yellow Ledbetter
Baba O'Riley
Wash
Hail, Hail
World Wide Suicide
Severed Hand
Down
Unemployable
Gone
Life Wasted
Why Go
Jeremy
Whipping
Rats
Footsteps
Once
Leash
Inside Job
Go
Dirty Frank
Rockin' In The Free World
Garden
Army Reserve
Wasted Reprise
Marker In The Sand
Green Disease
In Hiding
Fuckin' Up
Comatose
Animal
Gods' Dice
Little Wing
Spin The Black Circle
Satan's Bed
Big Wave
It consists of so many songs because it contains three epic concerts at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA in September 2005 and July 2006.
Release Date: November 24, 1998.
This is the first major live album by Pearl Jam. This recording marks the beginning of Matt Cameron playing drums.
While some bands have lost key members, since 1998, the band members have been the same: Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Matt Cameron, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic) gave the album 3/5.
"Pearl Jam still sounds good, but they lack a wild energy that distinguished their early years. Professionalism has its good points, however, and it's true that Live on Two Legs is eminently listenable, thanks in no small part to a fine track selection...Is a souvenir, a thank you to fans who have stood by throughout the years, and on those terms, it's successful."
This album contains "Daughter" where Vedder sings lyrics to Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World".
Corduroy
Given To Fly
Hail, Hail
Daughter
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Untitled
MFC
Go
Red Mosquito
Even Flow
Off He Goes
Nothingman
Do The Evolution
Better Man
Black
Fuckin' Up
The album is available at Amazon Music.
Bonus: Bootlegs
Pearl Jam has an extensive collection of official bootlegs that deserve attention.
Started in 2000, here are some of the bootlegs we have been spinning.
This PJ album was recorded live in Lima, Peru on November 18, 2011. It is the first show that Pearl Jam played in my hometown. This two-disc bootleg album includes 32 tracks.
Interstellar Overdrive
Corduroy
Why Go
Hail, Hail
Do The Evolution
Severed Hand
Immortality
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
The Fixer
Even Flow
Setting Forth
Not For You
Lukin
Amongst The Waves
Better Man
Black
Go
The End
Just Breathe
Daughter
Unthought Known
Ole
Blood
Jeremy
Porch
Given To Fly
Last Kiss
The Real Me
Alive
Rockin' In The Free World
Indifference
Yellow Ledbetter
Release date: September 16, 2003.
One of the three official bootlegs that Pearl Jam released from its North American Riot Act Tour. It is a three-disc live album.
James Christopher Monger (Allmusic) gave the album 4/5.
"Frontman Eddie Vedder sounds tired yet incrementally possessed as the show continues."
Long Road
Of the Girl
Sometimes
Off He Goes
All Those Yesterdays
Driftin'
Thin Air
Sleight of Hand
Footsteps
All or None
Parting Ways
Indifference
Can't Keep
Breakerfall
Brain of J.
Spin the Black Circle
Ghost
Green Disease
Tremor Christ
Given to Fly
Nothing as It Seems
Cropduster
Faithful
Why Go
Wishlist
Leatherman
Nothingman
Better Man
1/2 Full
Untitled
MFC
Blood
Encore Break
Breath
Habit
Down
Mankind
U
Black
Jeremy
Encore Break
I Believe in Miracles
Know Your Rights
Fortunate Son
Rockin' in the Free World
One Note
Encore Break
Yellow Ledbetter
Available at Amazon.
Release Date: July 15, 2003.
This PJ album was recorded live in University Park, Pennsylvania. It is the first official bootleg that Pearl Jam released in stores.
Jason Birchmeier (Allmusic) gave it 3/5.
"It's a fittingly spirited finale to a spirited trek across America during a spirited time by a spirited band led by an especially spirited frontman."
Release
Save You
Animal
Corduroy
Cropduster
Small Town
Even Flow
Grievance
I Am Mine
Improv
RVM
Nothingman
Daughter
Lukin
Whipping
MFC
Jeremy
Improv
Blood
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Gimme Some Truth
Breath
Do The Evolution
Black
Alive
Last Exit
Mankind
Down
Betterman
Satan's Bed
Leaving Here
Crazy Mary
Porch
Fortunate Son
Rockin' In The Free World
Yellow Ledbetter
This bootleg album comes from the high-energy concert at Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA, USA on April 3, 1994 (Vs. Tour). Some fans would say that "This is the absolute peak of this band".
Rock Intersection´s Pick (OK 2 picks)
After listening to so many live albums the seminal band from Puget Sound has been putting together for its audience, our picks are Live at Easy Street and the Lima bootleg.
It is worth noting that Pearl Jam decided not to release bootlegs for some shows that we attended in the past. For example the 2004 Vote for Change Toledo show or the 2007 Lollapalooza show. Last but not least, Pearl Jam hit the road last Summer.
Last but not least, check out our curated selection of the best Nirvana live albums.
