This is a show that has been in my collection for years and I decided to break it out the other day and give it another listen. The show is from June 24, 1995 in San Francisco, California.
The majority of the recording is made from an outstanding audience tape while a small portion of the Vedder / Pearl Jam set comes from another audience source that, while isn't quite as good as the Neil part, is also pretty darn good.
The show starts out with the Neil part first even though chronologically , it was last.
The Pearl Jam set starts out with Vedder on board and sounding pretty much like he normally does. The problem was, he was actually sick as a dog. After just seven songs, he announces his dilemma to the crowd, apologizes, and exits. Luckily, Neil Young was also on the bill this day and being good friends with Pearl Jam, offers to fill in for the ailing Vedder.
While most of the audience didn't seem to mind the thought of seeing a legend fronting their favorite band, there were of course a few people who weren't very happy about the situation and there are people actually booing at times. This obviouly doesn't bother Young, in fact, he seemed to thrive on the adversity.
He leads the band through a blistering set of songs, including 7 selections from the Neil / Pearl Jam collaboration 'Mirror Ball', the only time they would be performed during the tour.
In addition to the 'Mirror Ball' songs, Neil performs many of his own classics including Powderfinger, Needle and the Damage Done, and of course Rockin' in the Free World. There's also killer versions of Down By the River and Cortez the killer. Neil was obviously inspired to be jamming with these young rockers that he so obviously influenced.
This cd is very enjoyable and I would recommend it to both Pearl Jam and Neil fans alike.
It was definitely a rare occasion and thankfully, someone was there to capture it on tape.
I believe I picked this up in NYC a few years back but I saw it recently on the blog http://musictravellerstwo.blogspot.com
Good stuff. Enjoy.
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