Friday 27^th November Pearl Jam finally hit New Zealand for the first time in 11 years. With Liam Finn and Ben Harper and the Relentless7 also on the bill, this was always going to be a night to remember…and it was.

I was personally fresh off an overseas flight with no sleep, so an afternoon of catching up with good friends over some drinks playing various Pearl Jam albums nd all hoping for various tracks was just the tonic. We arrived at the stadium just in time to hear Eddie Vedder come on stage with Ben Harper to perform a stirring version of the Queen and David Bowie song `Under Pressure.’ This set the scene for what was to come.

Pearl Jam walked onto the stage still in daylight, with Eddie grasping a bottle of Hawkes Bay Merlot which he got through as the night progressed. They opened with Daughter, a rarity apparently, but it really started the set with an up vibe song.

One of the next songs was `Faithful’ off the Yield album, dedicated to the New Zealand fans that have waited for so long to see the band. Other highlights for me included the crowd singing on Betterman and Corduroy. Eddie was in great form and very chatty throughout and his voice really seems to only get better with age.

Black was also a crowd favourite, a song that everyone I think really wanted to hear sometime during the concert, it didn’t disappoint. This gave Stone Gossard and Mike McCready a chance to show their stuff.

One final highlight was Neil and Liam Finn joining Pearl Jam on stage for a version of Chris Knox song `Not Given Lightly’ as a tribute to Chris who has had a stroke. Before introducing the guests Eddie revealed he once wrote a letter to Neil Finn about how much he inspired him, he never sent it but has two special Uncle Neil’s; Neil Young and Neil Finn.

Cheers Eddie and the boys, hopefully see you again soon. One final quote from Eddie Vedder that made me laugh. “If you see me on the street call me Eddie and I’ll buy you a drink..”  Then the crowd screamed, Ed laughed and muttered “you’ll never see me in the street…”

Set List: Daughter, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Faithfull, Got Some, Hold On, Even Flow, Johnny Guitar, Small Town, Unemployable, Unthought Known, Black, Given To Fly, Grievance, Amongst The Waves, Wasted Reprise, Better Man / Save It For Later-(Charley, Cox, Morton, Steele, Wakeling)

1st encore: Just Breathe, Red Mosquito w/ Ben Harper, Love, Reign O’re Me-(Townshend), Do The Evolution, Why Go, Porch

2nd encore: Not Given Lightly w/ Neil Finn & Liam Finn-(Knox), The Fixer, Rockin’ In The Free World-(Young), Yellow Ledbetter