Pearl Jam played a shoulda-been legendary set at the E Center in Salt Lake City on Monday — the closest they’ll come to Denver this year. Photos and text by Soren McCarty.

Pearl Jam skipped Colorado on its current tour, so with the seasonal close of Red Rocks and the band skipping our state, I decided to take a Reverb road trip to Salt Lake City to catch their show last Monday at the E Center. It gave me a chance to enjoy the fall colors and Indian summer before winter sets in. Turns out Pearl Jam had not played Salt Lake City in over a decade.

When road-tripping to Utah, one must be cognizant that our wholesome neighbors generally have more strict laws that those of Colorado. I enjoy the beauty of Utah, but I always leave with a bad after-taste. Despite the strict liquor laws and emphasis on the Latter-Day Saints, Pearl Jam put on an incredible show that did not disappoint.

Ben Harper and Relentless7 opened with a strong set that instantly won over the crowd. Harper mentioned several times about how great it was to be able to lead off a show for Pearl Jam and how their fans have been very accepting of his music over the years. His new band allowed him to shy away from hits such as “Burn one Down” and other songs he had been performing for the past decade with the Innocent Criminals.

Pearl Jam’s set had the frenetic energy that helped them rise to the top of the Seattle scene in the early ’90s. Eddie Vedder was playful with the crowd, jumping and dancing with the passion of a man who lived his life with each breath. He apologized a couple times for use of the F-bomb after he noticed two young children in the front row. He later gave the youngsters props for staying up late and rocking out to the show, advising the parents not to make them go to school the next day. He also dedicated the song “Marker in the Sand” to his three friends at the show who all happened to be named Norman.

The band received a strong response from the crowd for the new tracks from “Backspacer.” They played six new songs including “The Fixer,” “Got Some,” “Amongst the Waves” and “Supersonic,” the last of which sported a Ramones-style riff). The new songs were spaced out between classics such as “Daughter” and rarities such as “Bee Girl.” Mike McCready is a monster on the guitar and showcased his skills on “Severed Hand,” “Given to Fly” and “Satan’s Bed.”

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