Pearl Jam has been on the move, touring in Canada, South America, and Mexico. Now the U.S. gets its turn to experience live the music and energy of the band that dominated American rock & roll in the '90s even as they fought the control and commercialism of the recording industry. Yes, Pearl Jam has been active here, too, notably joining such other performers as Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., Dave Matthews Band, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Death Cab for Cutie, and the Dixie Chicks in the Vote for Change concerts leading up to the national elections in 2004. More recently, Eddie Vedder and the group joined with Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin in fundraising for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament had helped create a promising Seattle-based group called Mother Love Bone, which fell apart in 1990 after its flamboyant lead vocalist Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose. When Gossard and Ament were ready to rejoin the music scene, they brought together Mike McCready on lead guitar and Soundgarden's Matt Cameron on drums, and then Eddie Vedder, to do lead vocals. They named themselves 'Mookie Blaylock,' but to avoid legal complications of using the name of a living person, in fact, an active player in the NBA, they chose again, this time Pearl Jam. The formation of the new group had involved a demo record; many of its songs were packaged as part of their multi-platinum album, Ten, a year later.