Pearl Jam hadn’t been back to the recording studio since the band’s 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction — not since 2013’s “Lightning Bolt,” in fact — but that drought is coming to an end. The group announced Monday that a new album, “Gigaton,” will arrive March 27.
The band hasn’t been quite so absent from concert stages during that interim, but a tour of North American arenas has been set to accompany the new release, too, with a first leg set to begin March 18 in Toronto and conclude with two-night stands in L.A. and Oakland in mid-April, with a March 30 gig at Madison Square Garden among the stops on the short jaunt.
A debut single from the album, “Dance of the Clairvoyants,” is said to be imminent but hasn’t yet been released.
In a statement, Mike McCready acknowledged that it’d been a while. ““Making this record was a long journey,” said the guitarist. “It was emotionally dark and confusing at times, but also an exciting and experimental road map to musical redemption. Collaborating with my bandmates on ‘Gigaton’ ultimately gave me greater love, awareness and knowledge of the need for human connection in these times.”
The album cover suggests a climate change undertone: Taken in Norway by Canadian marine biologist Paul Nicklen, the “Ice Waterfall” photo “features the Nordaustlandet ice cap gushing high volumes of meltwater.”
A “Verified Fan” presale for the tour dates goes on sale Jan. 23 through Ticketmaster, and a general sale for remaining tickets happens Jan. 24. (In case you’re still mired in the ’90s, yes, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster have gone from nemeses to BFFs over the years.)
Pearl Jam has already announced a summer tour of Europe. More U.S. dates are expected to follow these 14 initial ones later in the year.
Full ticket information for the tour can be found here. Registration for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan registration, a program designed to weed out scalpers, takes place Monday through Wednesday here. Under Ticketmaster’s SafeTix program, tickets are nontransferable except through the ticketing agency’s Fan-to-Fan Ticket Exchange.
Pearl Jam’s tour dates:
| March 18 | Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena |
| March 20 | Ottawa, ON | Canadian Tire Centre |
| March 22 | Quebec City, QC | Videotron Centre |
| March 24 | Hamilton, ON | FirstOntario Centre |
| March 28 | Baltimore, MD | Royal Farms Arena |
| March 30 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden |
| April 2 | Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena |
| April 4 | St. Louis, MO | Enterprise Center |
| April 6 | Oklahoma City, OK | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| April 9 | Denver, CO | Pepsi Center |
| April 11 | Phoenix, AZ | Gila River Arena |
| April 13 | San Diego, CA | Viejas Arena |
| April 15 & 16 | Los Angeles, CA | The Forum |
| April 18 & 19 | Oakland, CA | Oakland Arena |