About an hour or two before Pearl Jam’s long-awaited first of two shows at Fenway Park last night, photos of the band’s anticipated set list started surfacing online. And jumping right out among the 30-plus names scribbled on a white sheet of paper headed by a scrawled “Fenway #1” was the lead title of the final encore: “Draw Line”.
We thought it could be a cover of the title track to Aerosmith’s 1977 album, and we — and the sold-out crowd — were not disappointed. Pearl Jam blasted through the classic rock track (watch video below), dedicated to guitarist Joe Perry, and the gesture was just one of several hat tips and raised glasses to the city and our music scene.
Bassist Jeff Ament donned an SSD shirt for most of the show (noted by frontman Al Barile on Facebook), the pre-concert music blared Mission of Burma, the Cars, and Pixies, and a few notable on-stage guests felt right at home, including former Red Sox players Bronson Arroyo (playing guitar on “Black”) and Kevin Youkilis (presenting Eddie Vedder with a ukulele) and Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons.
As the Globe’s Steve Smith writes, Pearl Jam also dedicated “Faithfull” to the retiring David Ortiz, and shouted out late historian, social activist, and Boston University political science professor Howard Zinn. On Pearl Jam b-side “Down”, Radio.com notes, the lyric “You can’t be neutral on a moving train” is pulled from the title of a 1994 Zinn autobiography.
For more on last night’s show, check out Jambase’s report from the scene, and stay tuned for more Boston salutes when Pearl Jam wrap up their Fenway double-header Sunday night.