Le forum francophone des fans de Pearl Jam

The first Saturday night show of Eddie Vedder’s 2011 Summer U.S. Tour, and the man did not disappoint. A long setlist – including the debut of Into The Wild track “Long Nights”, 4 guest spots from the most excellent Glen Hansard…we’ll post what we find on the evening here. You’ll see a dedication to the Big Man himself, legendary E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons (may he rest well in peace); PJ message board users posted explanations:

Ed was in the process of dedicating Better Man to Clarence…under the assumption that he was on the mend, when one of the stage people (George Webb-editor) came out and pretty clearly told him the news that Clemons passed. You could tell Ed was visibly emotional and shook up…so was i since it was pretty clear what happened and i’m also an enormous Springsteen fan… Ed changed the lyrics in Betterman from “she loved him” to “I loved him” from there on out.

http://www.twofeetthick.com/2011/06/edd ... ne-182011/

As someone said earlier, Ed received the news onstage; he was in the middle of a story/dedication wishing Clarence a speedy recovery when one of his crew approached, leaned towards his ear and put a hand on his shoulder. Ed dropped his head for a long pause, welled up and delivered one hell of a version, replete with some improvised lyrics in the last verse:

I love him/I don't want him to go out this way/I need him/I want him to come back today

The song ended with a string of 'I can't find a better man' with one 'I can't find a bigger man' thrown in.

Hoping someone got this on tape, as it was a genuinely touching moment that many here would love to hear or see.

Although this was news I would prefer not to have heard, I can't think of a more poignant way to receive it. At no time was there an announcement of Clarence's passing to the audience, but for those of us who had been pulling for him it was entirely clear what had happened.