Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard on changing the setlist every night
During the discussion, we asked the Pearl Jam guitarist about the band's habit of changing their setlist every night.
It's incredible that you change the setlist so much every night - what's the reality of that? When will the setlist be planned in relation to when you step onstage?
"Well yesterday we got it about an hour and 15 minutes ahead of time. We hadn't played Black, Alive, Jeremy or Small Town in soundcheck or rehearsal in nine months. Because when we rehearse we're always kind of rehearsing the odds and ends that we don't really know that well. So we're always kind of assuming we know the main meat of the set.
"But having said that, not having played something for a long time and you're thinking, 'I know it, I know it' then you can get up to that bridge and it's, 'What the f**k is that part?' You can be up there with your pants down. Luckily, last night, it all worked out - nothing too dramatic."
Do you and Mike take time to sit down together and go over new additions?
"Yes we have a 20 minute sessions backstage when we look at the setlist and say, 'Let's do that one again' and we have a stereo system that has all the Pearl Jam songs on it so we'll play along with that. But it's huge because when we first started out I would have probably been one of those people that thought, 'Let's just go out and play the hits - why play anything other?'
"You can be up there with your pants down."
"But I think the band, particularly Jeff but I think Ed too, and ultimately me to some degree, as you get more songs we consistently work them in. Even the ones that didn't work so well. It's given us so much more room because our fans now expect nothing less than to have something very different each night.
"So even if you f**k something up, the fact that you're trying songs you haven't played before… we rehearsed a song at soundcheck today that we've never played [live], before [that turned out to be Hitchhiker]. It's kind of odd to have 130 odd songs and people are clambering and if we play it people will be on the internet [looking for them]…"
"It's a good thing to be able to have that challenge."
Fair enough...I really shouldn't be promoting "gambling" on this site anyway.
That said (this is simply my prediction for those of you just joining us) :
1. Release
2. Go
3. Whipping
4. Given to Fly
5. Grievance
6. Corduroy
7. The Fixer
8. Small Town
9. I Am Mine
10. Even Flow
11. State of Love and Trust
12. In My Tree
13. Unthought Known
14. Not For You
15. Dissident
16. World Wide Suicide
17. Porch
18. Rearviewmirror
First Encore
19. Love Boat Captain
20. Light Years
21. Just Breathe
22. Do the Evolution
23. Why Go
24. Black
Second Encore
25. Jeremy
26. Better Man
27. Alive
28. Indifference
29. Baba O'Riley
30. Yellow Ledbetter
Would like to see “No Way” and “Habit” in there but...
It being the last show, it may go beyond 30 songs. However, it has been said that EV’s voice is starting to go so 30 songs might end up being on the high side.
Well, at least there hasn't been some sort of apocalypse (real or virtual) that's wiped the rest of the world (and more importantly, the U2start community) out.
Originally posted by RUMMY:I was talking/typing out of my ass when I made that list. Some picks are obvious while others are just random choices.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see - but not for too long!
Okay I'll give it a try, don't know if it's gonna be anything..
1. Corduroy
2. Release
3. Whipping
4. Given to Fly
5. Garden
6. Alone
7. Do the Evolution
8. Small Town
9. I Am Mine
10. Even Flow
11. State of Love and Trust
12. Off He Goes
13. Unthought Known
14. Nothingman
15. Dissident
16. the Fixer
17. Porch
18. Rearviewmirror
First Encore
19. Last Kiss
20. Love Boat Captain
21. Just Breathe
22. Dirty Frank
23. Why Go
24. Black
Second Encore
25. Jeremy
26. Better Man
27. Alive
28. Blood
29. Baba O'Riley
30. Yellow Ledbetter
Used most of your list, just edited here and there..
