A Record Store Day 2023 exclusive,
Give Way captures a March 5, 1998 concert that
Pearl Jam gave in Melbourne, Australia, during the supporting tour for their fifth album,
Yield. Originally broadcast on Australian radio, the concert wound up being heavily bootlegged, yet its official release is welcome as it captures a specific moment in time -- namely the time just prior to
Matt Cameron becoming
Pearl Jam's full-time drummer.
Jack Irons, the drummer who took over for
Dave Abbruzzese in 1994 after the release of
Vitalogy, played his last gigs with the band during the early leg of the
Yield tour, which is when this concert was recorded.
Irons doesn't sound tired; he helps give
Pearl Jam true propulsion during this hard-hitting set. Although the group doesn't avoid the
Ten standards -- "Even Flow," "Alive," and "Black" are all here -- the set seems more of a testament to the deep songbook the band was developing, pulling heavily from
Yield,
No Code, and
Vitalogy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine