Pearl Jam Unveil Two New Songs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field Performance

Pearl Jam debuted two new tracks at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on Friday, July 19, during a sold-out concert that was halted for three hours until just before midnight because of a thunderstorm. When Eddie Vedder and company returned, they played until 2AM, slipping in the title track (seen above) from the Seattle band’s forthcoming album, 'Lightning Bolt,' and a ballad called 'Future Days.'

'Lightning Bolt,' which began with a musical invitation to clap along, began appropriately with the line “She comes on like a storm.” The song has a ripping chorus and could well venture into a long explosive jam once the band has taken it on the road a while and fans are familiar with it. The guitarists did rock out on it, but kept the song to five minutes.

“We’re gonna keep playing until they tell us we can’t,” said Vedder later, sitting with his acoustic guitar and mentioning the early morning hour that now meant Pearl Jam had an official Saturday gig.

“We’re gonna try out another new one on you,” he said. “We’ve got a guest who helped us make this new record. His name’s Mr. Brendan O’Brien. We’ve made all our records with him just about. He’s over there on the keyboards in left field -- No. 22, Mr. Brendan O’Brien.” The love song is almost a lullaby it’s so tender.

'Lighning Bolt,' the Seattle band’s tenth studio album, will be released globally on Oct. 14 and in the U.S. the following day. The first single is the stomper 'Mind Your Manners,' which was serviced to radio July 11. They played it live for the first time on July 16 in London, Ontario, and also performed it at Wrigley.

Watch Pearl Jam's Live Performance of 'Future Days'

Watch Pearl Jam Perform Their New Single 'Mind Your Manners'