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Erica R. Maier

@ericarmaier

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🎙️Voiceover talent @ericavoiceover
🎸Pearl Jam & 90s grunge fanatic
💿 Vinyl collector
📚 Voracious reader

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I don’t even know if I can properly articulate how much stinkin’ fun it was to be there for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past Saturday.

When Soundgarden was a lock, Scott said, “We’re going!” And it was a lovely, lovely, LOVELY stroke of serendipity that it was Cyndi Lauper’s year too, not to mention The White Stripes!

About Cyndi: The first cassette I owned was She’s So Unusual, my parents bought it for me when I was 8 years old. And I listened to it over and over and over, solidifying my decades-long fandom. (Still have the tape!) As I watched Cyndi perform and give her acceptance speech, I thought back on that little girl, and whispered to her, “you’ll get to watch Cyndi in 41 years be recognized for the music coming out of your boom box right now, and you’ll choke up the whole time, and it will be incredible.” ❤️

About Soundgarden: Scott and I often say that one of our greatest musical regrets was never getting to see Chris Cornell in concert. Watching the band, though, finally receive an accolade that is so richly deserved was a privilege and an honor. Getting to witness Matt Cameron at home behind the kit, and BONUS getting to see my favorite favorite favorite guitarist Mike McCready ❤️shred as he always does was oxygen to my soul. And, from our seats, Scott painstakingly captured for posterity the entire 35-minute tribute. Amazing.

Marry all that with finally getting to meet in person a slew of extended Pearl Jam fam made it an even more joyous weekend!

Being in LA also created the opportunity to spend time with my BFF, which was just the cherry on top of it ALL! So very grateful!!

“Long live rock and roll!!”

@rockhall @soundgarden @chriscornellofficial @hunterbhunted @themattcameron @hiroyamamotobass @mikemccreadypj @cyndilauper @thewhitestripes @pearljam @jasonkerepesi @concertpants @anita_stelmasiuk @90theoriginal @kimmi0415 @mike_dziama @danisthoughtfulcorner @samaier1 @bellebalsells by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

TL; DR: I am a ghost because this night slayed me dead.

So here we are. Pearl Jam - Pittsburgh, Night 2. May 18, 2025.

I think a lot of the reason I put off posting these recaps was because writing about this particular show — this night — was not something I was emotionally ready to re-visit.

You know when you experience something so exceedingly good that just the mere thought of it feels like too much for your brain to handle, like too much of an electrical charge? This was Night 2 in a nutshell.

Of the 4 (only 4!) times I’ve seen Pearl Jam, this was the BEST show by far. I should note that similar sentiments were written by people who’ve seen them dozens of times!

This night, we were on the Mike side (🤗) of the stage and most of the row in front of us was empty (!) (corporate seating), so my view was perfect.

PJ opened with Garden and immediately — waterworks. 😭 I hadn’t yet heard Garden live and it was one of my absolute favorites as a teen. Never gets old, that one.

But then they Just. Kept. Slaying. with banger after banger after banger — like Deep and Running and RVM and ONCE, omg, ONCE. Come ON. My goodness, this whole setlist. 🔥 🫶🏼

But then. Then. For the encore, Eddie sang Future Days, and if you’re a fan of HBO’s The Last of Us, this night coincided with the airing of the episode where Joel sings Future Days to Ellie. What!?! My heart!

But then. THEN. THEN.

Lemmie give a little background.

May 18 was the 8th anniversary of the passing of Chris Cornell. And we knew the band would acknowledge this somehow.

(Here is where my brain starts to sense something supercharged.)

After Future Days, we hear the opening notes for Hunger Strike.

A song they had not played in the U.S. since 2014, three years before Chris’s death.

The energy, the electricity, the POWER in that arena when Hunger Strike started? Indescribable. I could barely see through my tears. Why? Because we, the audience, collectively sang Chris’s parts. And it was utterly TRANSCENDENT.

(Continued in comments) taken in PPG Paints Arena by @ericarmaier

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11

a year ago

Today, XM Radio will drop Pearl Jam’s Pittsburgh - Night 1 recording, so now’s a good time to finally recap.

Last December, Scott and I learned which cities were slated for PJ’s spring tour. Our April NYC plans were already set (unfolding around the time the tour was to begin in FL), so we decided to see them in Pittsburgh for the final two concerts of the tour (and of 2025).

Which brings us to Fri, May 16. Scott and I began the day in the merch line, thinking we were smart to queue 2 hours before the tent opened. Oh, silly silly, naive Maiers. Hundreds were already there, and we waited 5 hours total. But at least we were prepared with shade and seating. And we got the merch we wanted. Mostly. Pretty much. (Still sorry about the license plate, @keithkelly2677 😩)

But anyway, THE SHOW.

It’d been roughly 8 months since we saw them in Baltimore and in that time, via many deep dives into the band’s history (books, articles, videos, interviews), my adoration and appreciation for lead guitarist Mike McCready grew by leaps and bounds. So while I was hyper-focused on Eddie in Chicago, then hyper-focused on the band as a whole in Baltimore, I knew I would be zero’d in on Mike in Pittsburgh. Because that man. Whew. That man can play. And he’s also just pretty damn cool. (Turns out I was crushing on the wrong guy when I was 16. 😜)

Ed put together an amazing setlist, and made my Gen-X heart extra happy when they played my all-time favorite song, State of Love and Trust (which I also got to hear in Chicago). But Given to Fly, the trio of Sleight of Hand, Severed Hand and Upper Hand, and Indifference to close were all noteworthy.

But another fun, unexpected part was when Ed singled out my new friend @pizandbooby to request a song. And her choice of Grievance propelled her into the Pearl Jam Fan Hall of Fame 😄. Chatter inside PJ’s Ten Club membership forums resoundingly agree with this assessment. PJ hadn’t played Grievance for nearly 10 years, so it was a massive crowd-pleaser.

As expected, I left N1 thoroughly fulfilled and overjoyed. These guys just light me up inside like few can. But I was not ready for the transcendence of N2 … at all. More on that later. ❤️ taken in PPG Paints Arena by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Milan - Stop 6 of 6

The #Inter v Milan game absolutely defined this leg of the journey. It was Scott’s and my first time an international #futbol game (soccer in American speak 😜), and it was every bit as high energy as you would imagine. The passion of futbol fans is next level.

Our only full day in Milan was very cold and rainy, so we didn’t get as much in as we otherwise would have. Still, did some good #vinyl shopping, which was a welcome and fun escape from the elements. taken in Milan, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Venice - Stop 5 of 6

Sigh, Venice. My favorite stop of the trip.

We were originally supposed to return home the day before Thanksgiving, but decided to give ourselves an extra day to recoup, coming back Tuesday instead.

Scott asked me if we had stuck to the original plan, what would we have done with that day? I said, “Tack on that extra day in Venice.”

Venice was all magic. I felt like I walked into a Christmas card, and immediately wanted to lose myself in the city, which I did get to do on our final night. I longed for more time to soak it alllll in. Hopefully one day, we’ll return …. it’s every bit as lovely as you’ve seen in movies or TV, but even better. taken in Venice, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Palermo - Stop 4 of 6

It’s here we had the best pizza of the entire trip, @apudjatum_panormus. taken in Palermo, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Florence - Stop 3 of 6

Well … Florence, #Pisa and cities along the #Tuscan countryside, thanks to a fabulous 12-hour bus tour. taken in Florence, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Madrid - Stop 2 of 6, the “side trip” to attend the #MiamiDolphins vs #WashingtonCommanders game taken in Madrid, Spain by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

25th Anniversary Trip
#Rome - Stop 1 of 6 taken in Rome, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

MILAN, ITALY - Day 13 & 14 adventures with @mikemccreadypj

Final leg of this #25th anniversary trip. This stop felt fast and furious, likely due to the cold, rainy final full day!

Regardless, this big journey was months and months in the making! VERY grateful it’s now in the books!

#milanitaly #milan #italia #anniversarytrip #futbol #italianeats #mikemccready #pearljam @pearljam #funko taken in Milan, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

VENICE, ITALY - Day 11 & 12 adventures with @mikemccreadypj

#Venice was pure magic. That is all. That’s the tweet. 😄

I hope we can return to Venice one day and stay longer. Beyond incredible.

#veniceitaly #venicethecityoflove #venice #mikemccready #pearljam @pearljam #25thanniversarytrip #25thanniversary #italytravel #Funko #FlorianCafeVenice #FlorianCafe #NevodiVenice #Nevodi #TrattoriaLaDivinaComida #LaDivinaComidaVenice taken in Venice, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago

PALERMO, ITALY - Day 10 adventures with @mikemccreadypj

Walking tour, #PeakyBlinders bar, beachside stroll and treats, dinner at #stuzzicando. Also lots of random baths to rid food and sand remnants. 😄

#palermoitaly #italyadventures #25thanniversary #palermo #pearljam #mikemccready #funko @pearljam #italygram taken in Palermo, Italy by @ericarmaier

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a year ago