Billboard.com reports: Pearl Jam closed the 2007 edition of Lollapalooza on a political note, bringing injured Iraq War soldier Thomas Young on stage to urge the audience to rededicate itself to ending the conflict in the Middle East. The two-hour-plus set concluded with a stage full of friends (including Ben Harper) and fans flanking Pearl Jam for a ferocious cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World."
Pearl Jam, who has largely eschewed festival performances since nine fans were crushed to death during its set at Denmark's Roskilde Festival in 2000, leaned heavily on its time-tested hits, galvanizing the capacity crowd with renditions of "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," "Even Flow," "Daughter," "Better Man" and "Alive." Frontman Eddie Vedder, who grew up in nearby Evanston, made clear the band's appreciation for the occasion, telling the audience, "There's a deep amount of meaning that comes with playing on this stage tonight."
My Morning Jacket teed up the crowd for Pearl Jam's performance by playing most of its set with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. The teenage musicians gave extra sonic girth to tracks like "Gideon," "Dondante," "Just One Thing" and "Wordless Chorus," while the band itself, decked out in tuxedos, excelled on classic rock-inspired cuts like "One Big Holiday," opener "Anytime" and the reggae-tinged "Off the Record." The set closed with a cover of Curtis Mayfield's classic "Move on Up."
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