Pearl Jam Plays ‘Binaural’ & Jams With Prince’s Guitarist In Toronto

Seattle rockers Pearl Jam brought their triumphant Spring Tour to Toronto on Tuesday night for their first of two performances at Air Canada Centre. Pearl Jam was supposed to conclude the visit to Toronto tonight, but the show has been postponed until Thursday due to the Toronto Raptors game tonight. Frontman Eddie Vedder made mention of the delay and said the Raptors better win. Last night’s show was highlighted by the first-ever full performance of Pearl Jam’s 2000 album Binaural and a guest spot from Prince & 3rd Eye Girl guitarist Donna Grantis.

Pearl Jam kicked off Tuesday’s show with quick romps through “Go,” “Do The Evolution” and “Mind Your Manners” before performing Binaural in its entirety for the first time. The full play of Binaural marks the third time this tour the band has tackled one of their studio albums in its entirety following performances of Vs. in South Carolina and Ten in Philadelphia. Six of the evening’s seven tour debuts were off Binaural: “Evacuation,” “Thin Air,” “Insignificance” “Grievance,” “Soon Forget” and “Parting Ways.”

Vedder & Co. began the first of two lengthy encores with a full band version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” which was followed the night’s lone remaining tour debut, “Let Me Sleep.” Pearl Jam then treated fans to a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” and ended the first encore with “Even Flow,” “Down,” “Better Man” and “Porch.” The group’s seven-song second encore featured classics “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,” “Given To Fly,” “State Of Love & Trust,” “Black” and “Alive” as well as covers of The Who’s “The Real Me” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World.” Pearl Jam was joined by Grantis for the Neil Young cover finale and she tore it up with Mike McCready.

Videos (Captured by mfc172)

[Rockin’ In The Free World w/ Donna Grantis]

[Sleight Of Hand]

[Rival]

[Grievance]

[Evacuation]

[Thin Air]