28 Years Ago: The One and Only Time Pearl Jam Played in Maine

It was September 26th, 1996—what a night for live rock in Maine. A full moon, a sold-out Augusta Civic Center, and thousands of Pearl Jam fans rockin’ out as the band tore up the stage as only they can do for nearly 2 ½ hours. 

You may have been to a concert when a surprise guest shows up to join in on a song or two. Well, on this night, Maine Pearl Jam fans got a surprise from someone that they did not expect. Not even a musician, but instead an eccentric NBA player. It was none other than Dennis Rodman. 

However, his appearance wasn’t some random fluke. He and Eddie Vedder were good friends, and it wasn’t completely uncommon for Rodman to show up at Pearl Jam gigs. That night, during "Alive," Rodman stormed the stage, fed Eddie some wine, and let him ride him around the stage as if Eddie was some type of rock-and-roll cowboy. Just another normal night in Augusta, right?

Unfortunately this was before the days of fans capturing these moments on video, but you can check out the audio of “Alive” from that very night!

This was during the band's No Code Tour, and as you will see, the setlist was stacked. 

You may be asking the question, why hasn’t Pearl Jam been back? Well, the easy answer that most would agree is that the band has only grown in popularity, making them one of those stadium bands. Could they still play a venue like the Maine Savings Amphitheatre in Bangor? Sure, but it continues to be unlikely as they are still filling those larger venues. For example, they just played two nights at Fenway Park. 

If you were there, you know this was one for the Maine rock and roll history books and one that is still talked about among fans to this day.