Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs
| Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Live album series by Pearl Jam | |
| Released | 2000-present |
| Recorded | 2000-present |
| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge |
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. The band 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 for fans. The band has sold more than 3.5 million copies of shows since launching the bootleg series in 2000. The official bootlegs are a complete record of almost every show the band plays, excluding club "warm-up" dates.
Pearl Jam's official bootleg program was begun for the band's 2000 Binaural Tour. 72 of the "bootlegs" were released to stores in three waves in late 2000 and early 2001, with the 25 European bootlegs coming first. Every show was released in a cardboard sleeve containing two CDs, with the exception of the 72nd and final show on the tour, November 6, 2000 at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle show was released as a triple-disc set, and was the highest-charting of the series, peaking at number 98 on the Billboard 200, and was called an "essential live document" by Allmusic. Eighteen shows from the tour were chosen by the band as "Ape/Man" shows, which, according to bassist Jeff Ament, were shows the band found "really exciting." With the release of these official bootlegs, Pearl Jam would set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard 200 at the same time.
Europe Bootlegs
Released: September 26, 2000
North America Leg 1 Bootlegs
Released: February 27, 2001
North America Leg 2 Bootlegs
Released: March 27, 2001
The CDs continued for the 2003 Riot Act Tour, but they were not available in stores at first. They had to be ordered through the band's official website, and were mailed out. The bootlegs were made available within a week of each show date. After each leg of the tour, however, certain standout shows were released in stores: February 23, 2003 in Perth, Australia, March 3, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2003 in State College, Pennsylvania, July 8, 2003 and July 9, 2003 in New York City, and July 11, 2003 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The State College show was a three-hour, triple disc show, which vocalist Eddie Vedder vowed to make "the longest Pearl Jam show ever played." It was surpassed by the Mansfield show, from the Tweeter Center Boston, in which the band played 45 songs, including an acoustic set. The New York shows, from Madison Square Garden, were released both separately and as a boxed set. The July 8, 2003 show was also released as the Live at the Garden DVD. In 2004, Pearl Jam released Live at Benaroya Hall, and while it came in similar packaging to the bootlegs, it is not considered to be part of the series.
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