Pearl Jam to Play Special SiriusXM Concert at New York’s Apollo Theater

By Jonathan Cohen

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Pearl Jam will play its smallest show in New York in nearly 14 years when it visits the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem on March 26, the day before its 11th studio album “Gigaton” will be released on the group’s Monkeywrench label through Republic Records.

The event will be broadcast live on SiriusXM, which has hosted a dedicated radio channel since 2010. Tickets will be available exclusively for Sirius and Pandora subscribers via a variety of on-air contests and promotions. The event is the latest in a series of shows at the Apollo from artists such as Lady Gaga, U2, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney.

Pearl Jam hasn’t performed in a New York venue as intimate as the 1,500-seat Apollo since it celebrated the release of its self-titled “Avocado” album with a May 5, 2006, gig at the 1,200-capacity Irving Plaza. The group’s North American tour in support of “Gigaton” begins March 18 in Toronto and continues to Europe in June.

“ Gigaton” was unveiled to the media  at a Jan. 24 event at NeueHouse in Los Angeles, during which frontman Eddie Vedder discussed its long road to completion. “This record, we worked on over the span of six years,” he said. “I’m hoping the damage done to my brain has been worth it. The lab can be a scary place, but in this case I think we came up with something really positive.”

The album’s first single, “Dance of the Clairvoyants,” has been supported with two distinct music videos. A snippet of its closing track, “ River Cross,” was just featured in a Verizon Super Bowl ad  spotlighting the work of first responders around the world.