Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Watch Pearl Jam Play At Tower Records In 1991
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 2, 2012
Modified Oct 2, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 2, 2012
Modified Oct 2, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On August 27th, 1991, Pearl Jam released their debut studio album, Ten. This past August, twenty one years after its release, the album had sold 9,963,000 copies in the U.S., and is still the band's most popular. Back in the day, however, they were touring relentlessly in support of it, and Ten didn't really take off until late the following year, when it finally reached #2 on the Billboard charts. Their manager, Kelly Curtis, reminisced about the time, saying, "once people came and saw them live, this lightbulb would go on. Doing their first tour, you kind of knew it was happening and there was no stopping it."
During that 1991 tour the band played Wetlands and The Marquee Room in NYC, and also took their show outside of the traditional venue by doing in-store performances. Below, you can watch their entire set from November 14th, 1991 at a Tower Records (R.I.P.) in Yonkers, New York. It's almost depressing until you see Eddie Vedder's smile... and realize that by the next year they would be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, have their own MTV Unplugged special, be playing the main stage at Lollapalooza, and appear in Cameron Crowe's Singles (as well as on the soundtrack).
Intro
"Black"
"Wash"
"Oceans"
"Alive"
"Porch"
Aftershow
Tagged
eddie vedder
pearl jam
tower records
yonkers
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .