The night was October 1, 1996. Pearl Jam live in Buffalo, NY. I had just received the call five days earlier saying that I got four tickets to the sold out show, through www.snafzone.com. The Fastbacks opened. I'm not a big fan of punk, but my friend Eric tells me that they've been around for a long time; a Seattle band that never made it big, but has played with the likes of Green River, Nirvana, and of course Pearl Jam.

The show opened with the immense scrim behind the stage basking in blueish-purple light, with the guys calmly walking out to the deafening cheers, and Eddie Vedder belting out the words "Hold on... to the thrill..." "Oceans," one of the few underplayed gems from Ten, was a fitting introduction to the evening.

They quickly picked the pace up with the first track from Vitalogy, "Last Exit," followed by the new kick-ass "Hail, Hail," off of No Code. The pit pulsed with Eddie's every word, with Jack Irons' every beat of the bass drum.

The show continued through an impressive 22 more songs, including most of Vitalogy and varied selections from the other three albums. They didn't stick to the tried-and-true crowd pleasers, however. Pearl Jam played some less-often heard classics, such as "Rats," "State of Love and Trust," and "Footsteps." Their reluctance to play all of the big hits was even more apparent with the decision to leave the new single "Who You Are" off of the set list.

While playing "Porch," they continued their live tradition of improvising during the middle of the song. During the instrumental jam, Eddie invited a fan from the front onstage. The fan was showing his "Quadrophenia" shirt to Eddie, so he brought him onto the stage and had a conversation, yelling into each other's ears. After talking for a while, the two removed and exchanged their shirts and Eddie wore the Quadrophenia shirt for the rest of the night. After the exchange, the guy walked to the front of the stage, raising his arms for the crowd's approval. He then motioned as if to say, "You want me?" and dove into the crowd. Eddie's shirt was instantly torn to shreds by the hands of the crowd, greedy for a piece of Eddie Vedder's clothing.

The lighting was simple, yet very effective. A chandelier was suspended above the stage, lit with a series of electric candles. Real candles were spaced around the stage, and a lone lava lamp sat to the side. A disco ball was suspended above the center of the stage, and it filled the arena with roaming lights during "Off he Goes" and "Immortality."

So if you haven't guessed already, this was the best concert I've ever been to. It was definitely a night to remember, and if it's not an obvious fact of life, don't pass up the chance if Pearl Jam ever comes nearby. I promise, you won't be disappointed.