Pearl Jam Celebrates 30th Anniversary With ‘MTV Unplugged’ Release

Pearl Jam played their first show together as a band, which was named Mookie Blaylock at the time, at The Off Ramp in Seattle 30 years ago today. One of the ways Pearl Jam are honoring the occasion is with the first ever full-scale release of MTV Unplugged, including its availability on digital streaming services.

Vocalist Eddie Vedder, guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Dave Abbruzzese assembled in New York City on March 16, 1992 to film a performance of stripped-down acoustic versions of seven songs for MTV’s burgeoning Unplugged series. The set was originally a limited-edition vinyl release on Record Store Day 2019. Pearl Jam recently put a second vinyl issue up for pre-sale, which quickly sold out. Today, the album is available on all streaming platforms and on CD.

Pearl Jam focused on songs from their debut album, Ten, for their appearance on MTV Unplugged including “Alive,” “Black,” “Jeremy” and “Even Flow.” The band’s MTV Unplugged performance and release also features “State Of Love And Trust,” which initally was issued as part of the soundtrack for the 1992 film, Singles.

Tonight, Pearl Jam will premiere official video of their April 29, 2016 concert via nugs.tv. The show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia features a full performance of Ten as part of the 32-song setlist. The pay-per-view broadcast will be available through Sunday, October 25.

Listen to Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged album below: