This year marks Pearl Jam’s 25th anniversary as a band. In a new interview with Popmatters, Jeff Ament discussed how the band plans to mark the occasion. Along with a North American tour set to kick off next month, the band “is trying to get into the studio and mess around a little bit,” Ament explained.
“Everybody’s ready for the challenge and everybody’s ready to do something different,” Ament added. “Maybe the last couple of records have been trying a different formula. Everybody’s sort of on board with that. It feels like there’s inspiration, like people are inspired right now. That’s exciting.”
Beyond recording and touring, however, Ament said it’s unlikely Pearl Jam will do anything on the scale of PJ20 to mark their 25th anniversary. He explained, “I think largely because PJ20 really does almost feel like it was last year. That’s how fast time goes at this point. Going out and playing shows, having people show up, having our fans be so great and so engaged in the shows—all the shows that we play feel like celebrations. I’m enjoying acknowledging that on stage more than I ever have and really taking that in and being humbled by it. Being really proud of what we’ve created as a band and the decisions that we’ve made. That’s the PJ25 answer.”
Pearl Jam 2016 Tour Dates:
04/08 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
04/09 – Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
04/11 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
04/13 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
04/16 – Greenville, SC @ Bon Secours Wireless Arena
04/18 – Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
04/20 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
04/21 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
04/23 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz Fest
04/26 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
04/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
04/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
05/01 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
05/02 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
05/05 – Quebec City, QC @ Centre Vidéotron
05/08 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
05/10 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
06/11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
07/09 – Telluride, CO @ Ride Festival
08/05 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/07 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/20 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
08/22 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
