Pearl Jam Announce The Home Shows at Safeco Field

Rumours have been buzzing all weekend about Pearl Jam's 2018 North American tour schedule -- today, we can confirm at least two of those shows. On Wednesday, August 8th and Friday, August 10th, our hometown heroes will take the stage at Safeco Field as part of their series The Home Shows.

It's been five years since the band last played a local show, and this will be the largest headlining concert event in Seattle since the Rolling Stones’ two-night stint at the Kingdome in 1981. The city is celebrating the announce by waving the Pearl Jam flag on top of the Space Needle (check out the band's Instagram account to see guitarist Mike McCready hoist away), and as the sun goes down, the skyline will light up in red and yellow.

The Home Shows is more than just a nod to home plate, baseball, and Safeco Field; these special concerts will spotlight efforts across Seattle and King County to address the region’s homelessness issue. The band are pledging a minimum of $1 million toward local homelessness initiatives and is challenging others in the community to join them, with the goal of raising a minimum of $10 million pledged toward addressing homelessness in 2018. The band is researching a wide range of programs to address Seattle-area homelessness in varied ways with a plan to announce specific beneficiaries closer to the show dates. KEXP is honored to partner with the band alongside a list of area businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and members of the creative community who are collaborating to tackle the biggest public health crisis to hit our community in recent history.

Founding member and guitarist Stone Gossard explains, “Seattle is our hometown. When there are challenges here, we want to be part of the solution. It's heartening so many organizations and individuals coming together to do the same. It's going to take all of us.”

Unsurprisingly, this is just the latest in the band's long-running history of philanthropy. Back in 1992, they headlined Drop In The Park, a free concert in Magnuson Park to encourage people to register to vote. Approximately 3,000 attendees registered to vote, the largest registration effort at the time. And then, back in 2003, Pearl Jam performed a special acoustic concert at Benaroya Hall to benefit the Seattle-based YouthCare's Orion Center for homeless youth. The band debuted two new songs at this show -- "Man Of The Hour," which later appeared on the soundtrack for Tim Burton's movie, Big Fish, and "Fatal" which appeared on the band’s rarities album, Lost Dogs.

Ticket information for The Home Shows will be announced in the days to come, but full details (including hotel and travel information) can be found here.