Eddie Vedder and the boys from Pearl Jam have just announced they will play a string of North American concert dates in support of their upcoming album, Backspacer.
Pearl Jam Set to Tour This Fall
According to the Pearl Jam website, “the tour kicks off in the band’s hometown of Seattle, WA ... on Sept. 21 and 22" with two shows being played at Key Arena. The Ticketmaster website, however, lists U.S. dates beginning Aug. 23 in Chicago, Illinois. Adding to the confusion, a July 9 Rolling Stone article lists tour dates beginning Aug. 8 in Calgary, AB at the Virgin Festival.
In the article, titled “Pearl Jam Announce Tour Dates, Backspacer Out September 20th,” author Daniel Kreps also states that Pearl Jam will likely add more dates, pointing out a nineteen day gap between shows in California and Pennsylvania in October.
The band’s website seems to imply that more dates will, in fact, be added, but stops short of stating the additional shows will occur in the U.S. or Canada. “At this time, there are no more North American dates to be added to the current tour. However, keep your eyes on the horizon … Australia and New Zealand are next. Details to come soon [sic].”
Nevertheless, Ben Harper and Relentless7 are scheduled to appear as supporting acts on most of the dates which have been released thus far. Tickets are available to the band’s Ten Club members starting July 13, 2009, through the Pearl Jam website. Tickets are being made available to the general public on July 18 through Ticketmaster.
Backspacer Album to be Released Sept. 20
Backspacer, Pearl Jam’s first release of new material since 2006, is scheduled to hit stores on Sept. 20. The album is to be sold through the band’s website, various indie retail stores, an online vendor, and Target.
Surprisingly, Pearl Jam Partners with Target for Backspacer Release
According to a recent post by Johnny Firecloud titled “New Pearl Jam!” on the website Antiquiet, “Pearl Jam took over the legendary Showbox theater in Seattle … to film what’s [sic] being called a commercial for Target.”
Rolling Stone elaborates that the commercial, filmed by director Cameron Crowe, features a new song called “The Fixer” in an article titled “Pearl Jam Play Secret Seattle Show for Target Ad as Band Strikes Deals for New Release” by Daniel Kreps.
Notorious for shying away from deals with large retailers, Pearl Jam seems to have changed its tune by aligning with the giant chain. Kreps mentions that the band’s manager, Kelly Curtis, confirmed both the filming of the Target commercial and the report that the retailer will somehow be involved in the release of Backspacer.
Pearl Jam North American Tour Dates
The following are Pearl Jam’s upcoming North American tour dates according to the band’s website:
Sept. 21, 2009 - Key Arena, Seattle, WA
Sept. 22, 2009 - Key Arena, Seattle, WA
Sept. 30, 2009 - Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 1, 2009 - Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 6, 2009 - Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 7, 2009 - Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 9, 2009 - Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
Oct. 28, 2009 - Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 30, 2009 - Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
Ticketmaster and Rolling Stone report the following additional dates:
Aug. 8, 2009 - Virgin Fest, Calgary, AB
Aug. 21, 2009 - Molson Amphitheater, Toronto, ON
Aug. 23, 2009 - United Center, Chicago, IL
Aug. 24, 2009 - United Center, Chicago, IL
