Reviews

The June 20, 2000, concert in Verona, Italy, along with the show two days later in Milan, may well be the best stretch of {$Pearl Jam}'s 2000 European tour. Lead singer {$Eddie Vedder} promises the crowd in Verona an extra long set to make up for not being there for four years, and the band comes through with a 30-song overview of the band's ten-year history. The show begins with a great version of {&"Long Road"} from the 1995 {^Merkin Ball} EP and the {^Dead Man Walking} {\soundtrack}, and builds from there. There are some small missteps in songs like {&"Hail Hail,"} {&"Immortality,"} and {$Vedder}'s ukulele-only number {&"Soon Forget,"} but they don't take away from the overall momentum of the show. The set list is well-balanced, as none of the band's six studio albums gets more than five songs played or fewer than three. The band even manages to fit in some nice surprises, like {&"Pilate"} from {^Yield}. To start the encore, there's a short improv based on {&"In the Coliseum"} by {$Tom Waits}. Later, there's a rare and under-rehearsed cover of {&"I Got You,"} the {$Split Enz} signature song. All these factors make this concert recording one to get in {$Pearl Jam}'s official bootleg series. ~ Steven Jacobetz, All Music Guide