With No Album On Horizon, Pearl Jam Touring For Fun
Pearl Jam

April 05, 2007, 11:15 AM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Pearl Jam has "no set date" for returning to the studio to follow-up last year's self-titled album for J, but the group couldn't pass up a series of "pretty cool offers" on the live front this summer, guitarist Mike McCready tells Billboard.com.

Pearl Jam will hit the road in Europe for three weeks beginning June 8 in Lisbon, and will also headline the final day of Lollapalooza in Chicago on Aug. 5.

"People still want to see us and we're having fun doing it," McCready says. "The last year-and-a-half run was a long one for us. We're all getting a little bit older and having families. But these seemed like good opportunities, so we're going to take them." With a laugh he adds, "That being said, we're probably not going to go out for another year-and-a-half tour for the rest of our lives."

Since wrapping that extensive outing in December, band members have been demoing material on their own while staying in occasional contact via email. McCready says he has tested out some ideas with guitarist Stone Gossard and drummer Matt Cameron in separate sessions as well. "When we get it all together, we'll decide to do a record," McCready says. "That may be a year from now or half-a-year from now."

Pearl Jam did hit the studio at the tail end of 2006 to record a cover of the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" for the new Adam Sandler film "Reign Over Me." Sandler approached Vedder to cover the tune at a Los Angeles show last year, but the frontman, an admitted Who fanatic, was a bit nervous about going through with it.


"Eddie asked Stone and I what the guitar players thought, and I told him, 'I know you can nail this,'" McCready says. "I've heard him messing around in the studio, singing Who songs by himself in the vocal room in-between takes, and he's nailing it there. I knew he'd put everything into it, because he'd know Pete Townshend might someday listen to it."

On the Brendan O'Brien-produced final version, which was released as the A-side of the band's annual holiday single for its fan club, Vedder unleashes blood-curdling screams the likes of which have rarely been heard from him on record. "It's funny -- Stone says he has this natural fuzz box on his voice and he's definitely using it here," McCready says.

As reported yesterday (April 4), McCready and his U.F.O. tribute band Flight To Mars will anchor the fifth CCFA benefit on Saturday in Seattle. Vedder and Pearl Jam keyboardist Boom Gaspar will also be on stage April 21-22 in Honolulu for Jack Johnson's Kokua benefit, and Vedder has also signed on for an acoustic set at the Hullabaloo benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music on May 5 at Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theatre.

nice article. Sad about them not doing any major tours like that! although im sure that wil lchange as im guessing they are a bit exhausted and just got done doing a full length year and a half tour or whtaever.


also, i love the fact they are already demoing.

Im betting were going to see alot more short tours with a few months between. I remember Jeff mentioning the long tours before too.

Tour for a month, take 3 off, tour for a month, take 3 off... Kinda like they did back in the 60's / 70's.

ya end up playing about the same about of shows, and on the road just as long in the long run... but its alot less "work"

im hoping for more tours like the 2005 canadian/south jersey tour. that was about a month, right?

Thanks for posting, nice little read.

moar touring.

They deserve a break. They've toured in 03, 04,05,06, and now 07. I'm not complaining if they don't announce any other US dates.

Dr. Gonzo
Gender:Male Age: 24
Mike's Maniac
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 2185
Location: Boston, MA

2003:
# July 02 - Mansfield, MA
# July 03 - Mansfield, MA

2004:
# September 28 - Boston, MA
# September 29 - Boston, MA

2006:
# May 24 - Boston, MA
# May 25 - Boston, MA

2000: Just Boston

2003: Boston (3), Montreal, NYC (2)

2004: Just Boston

2005: Montreal and Ottawa

2006: Hartford, Boston (2), Verona, Milan


I worked three jobs to be able to get to these shows and I've lived in a studio in Boston for the past 3 years. Gotta pay to play, brother.


So suck it up and deal

i live in fucking minnesota....ive seen them every year since 02. like 20 shows in that time.

yeah cono, quit your bitching. all you have to do is get two more jobs or travel hundreds of miles to see them

hah, forgot about the 3rd one



just to see pearl jam?

thats fine with me. i can travel for a weekend once every 4 months (when they dont play chicago/wisconsin).

Nope, so i can live by myself, travel (which includes PJ), and save up some money.

I like shorter tours because the band can put more effort into every show. Plus, Ed's voice won't be blown to hell by the end of it.

thats exactly why canada tore me a new one

Exactly. Best tour the band has ever had. They sounded so damn good.

Eh, I'm travelling thousands on the one job

Historically, McCready always suggests the record first, and it's almost always been 6-18 months longer than he suggests.