“There’s something about the first time,” said Eddie Vedder, a few songs into his set at the Centre in Vancouver, Brtish Columbia. “Whether it’s good or bad. There’s nothing else like it.” For Vedder, this first time meant a sold out, two-night residency in a city not too far north of his native Seattle for the opening of a solo tour.

On a stage set like a living room jam session, Vedder perched on a stool in a Butthole Surfers tee he’d brought out of “semi-retirement” for the gig (”I think I wore this shirt the first time the band played,” he mused). And with that, he proceeded to play songs from his rapidly expanding solo catalogue: “Guaranteed” from Into the Wild stirred the crowd, as did protest ballad “No More War,” which brought Vedder to tears. (more…)