Pearl Jam’s much heralded return to the Mecca of arenas that is Madison Square Garden proved once again to be a marathon show with unsurpassed energy emanating from the sold out crowd. Night one at MSG was filled with a powerful set list of even more powerful performances, special guests, and the magic and vibrancy that only a New York night can deliver.

Settling into the Garden run with the passive and seductive “Hard To Imagine,” you could sense the band was ready to let things burst and entice the crowd to get the stage bouncing, and that they did on songs like “Save You,” “Why Go,” “Corduroy” and “Whipping.” Wanting to do something special for these New York City shows, the band was augmented by three R&B background vocalists on “All Night,” “Who You Are” and “W.M.A.”

The encore sets from this night really set this show on fire. From the brilliant and striking cover of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” through “Leash,” “Spin The Black Circle” and the over-the-top antics of “Porch,” the first encore felt like the energy level had been doubled from the already high flying main set. And there was no slowing down at this point, as encore two contains a riveting “Crazy Mary” and a guest appearance from C.J. Ramone on bass for “I Believe In Miracles.” Top it all off with a third encore double dose of “All Along The Watchtower” and “Indifference” and you’ve got another notch in the Madison Square Garden legacy of awesome Pearl Jam shows.