Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs
The Pearl Jam "official" bootlegs are a large, continually growing series of live albums by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam noted the desire of fans to own a copy of the shows they attended and the popularity of bootleg recordings. They had been open in the past about allowing fans to make amateur recordings, and these "official bootlegs" were an attempt to provide a more affordable and better quality product. The official bootlegs are a complete record of almost every show the band plays, excluding club "warm-up" dates."The Official Bootlegs series is them working outside the system… That's revolutionary. They're geniuses, I'm telling you… I've spent way too much money on Official Bootlegs, but the [2010] Hyde Park show when we supported them is my favourite, mainly because Eddie [Vedder, singer] dedicates 'State of Love and Trust' to me… Pearl Jam are good enough to justify that many bootlegs. They vary their set pretty extremely from night to night… You get different versions of songs, compare them, see how a tour went. Maybe it started off a little rough and it got awesome in the end." – Brian Fallon, singer, The Gaslight Anthem
The cover of the first release in the collection, #1 of the 2000 series, May 23, 2000, in Lisbon, Portugal
The digital image for #16 in the 2009 bootleg series, September 30, 2009, in Universal City, California
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Jack Irons, Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain and Dave Abbruzzese are all former drummers for the band. Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands from that decade, dubbed "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".
Pearl Jam performing in Amsterdam in 2012. From left to right: Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, and Stone Gossard.
Pearl Jam performing in July 1991
Pearl Jam with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office in April 1994
Lead guitarist Mike McCready performing in Columbia, Maryland in September 1998