Pearl Jam Diary #3: Any Requests?

In this installment of the Pearl Jam diaries, our traveling fan, Shaun Gibson, heads to the Prairies and Ontario's North and gets a little validation for being a hardcore Pearl Jam fan...

Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, Ontario

One of the most frequent and irritating questions I hear throughout my Pearl Jam travels, from friends and family, is "So, does the band know you go to so many shows? They must know you by now." It seems every time I spend a few days travelling to see them, I return to about a dozen people asking me that. It is irritating for two reasons:
# 1. There are many, many Pearl Jam fans who travel to as many shows as I do, if not more shows. With arenas full of 20,000 people, how can they expect the band to pick me out once, if not on several occasions?
# 2. Don't you think I wish that were the case?!! Thousands of dollars later, it would be very cool if Eddie could give me a nod of recognition just once.

Well, with the knowledge that Saskatoon would have a very low fan club turnout, thus giving me great seats, I took some initiative and from now on I can answer that question a little differently.

Bored out of our minds in the West Edmonton Mall, travel partner Jeremy and I went to a craft store and bought a few poster boards, and a marker. We headed to one of many food courts, ingested what must have been poisonous kiwi yogurt and started making a sign. Upon completion the sign was bordered with the 14 cities that I was travelling to on this tour, George, Washington through Quebec City, and it read "IN HIDING."

As most Pearl Jam fans know, this gem on the Yield album is not played very frequently and going into my 12th Pearl Jam show, I had yet to hear it. For a little hometown kudos, we wrote "WINNIPEG" a little bigger than the other cities, and directly in the middle. Trying to avoid passing out from the marker fumes, as well as the previously mentioned poison-yogurt, we called it a day and prepared for the drive to Saskatoon.

When we arrived in Saskatoon, we went directly to Credit Union Centre to pick up our tickets and see if we could hear the band soundcheck a song or two. The latter task proved fruitless, but after receiving third row tickets, neither of us cared. We spent the next few hours wandering around downtown Saskatoon, visiting great used CD and vinyl stores, giant statues of Gandhi and spotting a couple stars of Corner Gas.

By 8:45 p.m., openers The Supersuckers had wrapped up their set. Pearl Jam came on about 10 minutes to 9 p.m. I waited about eight songs before attempting to raise the sign. Result: Unsuccessful. The lights went dark the second I raised it. A few songs later, I tried again very successfully... or was it? Guitarist Mike McCready spotted it as soon as I held it up, but made a face as if to say, "Err... not going to happen today." This was the first time I could be sure anyone in my favourite band even knew of my existence.

Sadly, it did not seem like I was going to hear my request. I continued to watch Pearl Jam blast through song after song, even diving into No Code a little more often than usual (hurray!). During the second encore though, Eddie Vedder came stage right, only about three feet from where Jeremy and I stood. I reached down for the sign, held it up, and hoped for a glance. Knowing that they would not play it so late in the set, I made a quick move to point out the name of my hometown on the sign. Eddie looked right at it, started laughing, and mouthed the words, "You want us to play it tomorrow?" I nodded. He laughed. "Tomorrow?" I nodded again. He nodded back and walked away. A few songs later, the show ended and I went back to the hotel with a few more bragging rights.

After a long drive back to Winnipeg the next day, a bunch of friends gathered at a restaurant inside the new MTS Centre to prepare for the show. I told everyone the above story, to their, and my, disbelief. I was really nervous about Pearl Jam playing in my hometown. I have talked about how great their shows are for years and on this day the majority of my friends were going to judge for themselves. I took my brother as my guest to this show, hoping that he would finally understand why this band was worth seeing so often. "Better Man" unconventionally opened this show, much to my brother's enjoyment (he only really knows the hits). The crowd was unbelievably responsive to the band, making me very proud to be from Winnipeg. A few songs in, during "Even Flow" Eddie came over to Stone Gossard's side of the stage, where we happened to be sitting in the fifth row. I hoist up my sign one final time, and right away, Eddie points at it and motions for me to sit tight. So I do. Then comes the encore.

As the band made their way back to the stage, the guy next to me grabs my arm and tells me that he can hear Stone practising the opening chords to "In Hiding." Seconds later, the band kicks right into it, Vedder points at me, smiles and I go ballistic. My favorite band has just played a song for me.

I was not the only lucky fan that night. A fellow touring fan was brought on stage to help sing her constant request of the song "Smile." I think everyone in the arena that night went home with that song on their faces.

On Friday, with my girlfriend Bobbi taking over guest duties, we drove eight hours to Thunder Bay for the smallest show on the tour. Despite the size, it was one of the most daring performances I have seen of the band in many years. Late in the set, Vedder climbed about 10 rows up into the crowd for a giant singalong of "Last Kiss." During a cover of Neil Young's "Keep On Rocking In The Free World," they brought out The Supersuckers to join in, because it was their last show opening this tour. In possibly the cutest moment in rock 'n' roll, the toddler son of Supersuckers front man, Eddie Spaghetti, came out with them, grabbed a microphone and proceeded to yell overtop of the classic song. While this was not the greatest Pearl Jam show I have seen, it certainly one of the more unusual.

At least after 14 Pearl Jam shows (21 by tour's end), the next time I am asked if the band knows of me, I can respond with a little more enthusiasm, "Maybe, yeah."

—Shaun Gibson