Rolling Stones & Pearl Jam - 1997

This poster supported the Oakland, California appearance of the Rolling Stones during their 1997-1998 Bridges to Babylon Tour, which grossed $274 million.

The tour began on September 9, 1997 in Toronto, Canada, and comprised fifty-six shows in North America, nine shows in South America, six shows in Japan and thirty-seven shows in Europe. It concluded on September 19, 1998 in Istanbul, Turkey. Oakland was the only city in North America where the Stones played 4 shows and they grossed more than New York or any other North American city.

Oakland was also the only venue where the Stones were paired with Pearl Jam. These four shows were the only concerts played by Pearl Jam in 1997, plus one show on November 12 to warm up at The Catalyst, a nightclub in Santa Cruz, CA. For that show they were billed as “The Honking Seals”

The rumors had been flying that Pearl Jam would be doing a club show as a warm up for their opening slot for the Rolling Stones in Oakland. In Santa Cruz, some people were alerted by familiar notes wafting through closed doors onto the street during their soundcheck at the Catalyst. By showtime, a sizable crowd had gathered, but there was no hope of latecomers getting tickets. "The Honking Seals are sold out!" said a sign with a hand drawn picture of a seal on a rock.

The performance featured three new Pearl Jam songs and roughly a dozen previously recorded numbers. Eddie Vedder came out for the encore with a phone in his hand, dialed up Neil Young from the stage and led the audience in a rousing Happy Birthday song to the idol of the Grunge Rock movement.