SEATTLE (CelebrityAccess) – Pearl Jam is set to release their twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, on Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records on Apr 19 and kickstart a 35-date global tour this May. The album’s title track is available now. Dark Matter, produced by multi-Grammy award-winning producer Andrew Watt, is the band’s first release since the critically acclaimed Gigaton (2020).
In 2023, Pearl Jam members Eddie Vedder [vocals], Jeff Ament [bass], Stone Gossard [rhythm guitar], Mike McCready [lead guitar], and Matt Cameron [drums] retreated to Shangri-La Studios in Malibu. There, they plugged in and played under Watt’s guidance. The band communicated sonically at the highest level, with all members facing each other in the same space. They wrote and recorded in a burst of inspiration, creating Dark Matter in just three weeks. The result is an album that channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room, playing as if their lives depended on it.
The band previewed the record with a listening party at the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood during Grammy week. Vedder said, “I’m getting chills because I have good memories. We’re still looking for ways to communicate. We’re at this time in our lives when you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful and that we hopefully think is our best work. No hyperbole. I think this is our best work.”
Ament added, “What Ed said about getting us in a room at this point, we felt like we were about to make a really important record. A lot of that had to do with the atmosphere Andrew set up. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of our history, not only as a band and how we wrote songs but also as players. He could pinpoint things we did on old songs to the point where I was like, ‘What the fuck is he talking about?’ His excitement was contagious. He’s a force. I just want to say thanks for keeping us on track. I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band. I feel so grateful for the fans, but mostly for my brothers and these people I’ve made music with.”
The band is celebrating indie record stores with the release of a special edition on Apr 20. It will be available only at participating stores as part of Record Store Day.
The album’s packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. Light painting is an artistic form of photography. Images are created by adjusting a camera’s exposure for an extended period and using a light source, such as a flashlight, to “paint” in the dark. The album cover art was crafted using a sizeable self-made kaleidoscope. Each letter visible on the cover was individually captured and handwritten midair with a specially designed flashlight to create the pearlescent effect.
Dark Matter Tracklist
Scared of Fear
React, Respond
Wreckage
Dark Matter
Won’t Tell
Upper Hand
Waiting for Stevie
Running
Something Special
Got to Give
Setting Sun
In support of Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will embark on a global tour this year, marking the first time the band has announced a new album and tour simultaneously and the first time the group has unveiled all worldwide tour dates at once. Their tour, hitting nine countries and 25 cities, kicks off at Rogers Arena in Vancouver and will cover much of North America, including shows at Wrigley Field, Madison Square Garden, Fenway Park, and their first hometown performance in six years at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero certified arena.
The tour continues with performances in the UK and Europe, including their first performance at London’s brand new and state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, through September, followed by the group’s long-awaited ten-year return to New Zealand and Australia this November. Full routing is below.
Special guests Deep Sea Diver (North America Leg 1), Glen Hansard (North America Leg 2), The Murder Capital (UK/EU), Richard Ashcroft (Dublin and London) and Pixies (Australia and New Zealand) will serve as support for these dates.
Tickets will be available in two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale will be held through Ticketmaster Request for eligible members. Only paid Ten Club members active as of Monday (Feb 12) can participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com
- Fans can register for a chance to participate in the registration sale at shops.ticketmasterpartners.com/pearl-jam by Sunday (Feb 18) at 11:59 pm local time for Europe, UK, Australia and New Zealand shows and by Sunday (Feb 18) at 11:59 pm PT for North America shows. This will be the only way for fans to participate in the on-sale. Registration does not guarantee access to the sale. The tour will use all-in pricing across all North America, Europe and UK shows to ensure the ticket price listed is the full out-of-pocket price inclusive of fees.
For fans in North America who can’t use their tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange beginning later to give fans the best chance to buy tickets at face value. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make mobile tickets for this tour only and restricted them from transfer. This applies to all shows except those in Illinois and New York, where law prohibits non-transferability. You must have a valid bank account or debit card within the country of the event(s) to sell through the Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange.
Dark Matter World Tour Dates:
May 04 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
May 06 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
May 10 Portland, OR Moda Center
May 13 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
May 16 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 18 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 21 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
May 22 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
May 25 Napa Valley, CA BottleRock Festival**
May 28 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
May 30 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
Jun 22 Dublin, IE Marlay Park
Jun 25 Manchester, UK Co-op Live
Jun 29 London, UK Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Jul 02 Berlin, DE Waldbühne
Jul 03 Berlin, DE Waldbühne
Jul 06 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
Jul 08 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
Jul 11 Madrid, SE Mad Cool Festival**
Jul 13 Lisbon, PT NOS Alive Festival**
Aug 22 Missoula, MT Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Aug 26 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Music Center*
Aug 29 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
Aug 31 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
Sep 03 New York, NY
*Rescheduled date from 2022 / **Festival dates already on-sale
