Pearl Jam to finally come alive again in the Twin Cities with two-night late-summer stand

Not seen in Minnesota since 2014, Pearl Jam will make up for lost time with a two-night stand at Xcel Energy Center on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2.

The grunge era's most enduring band included those two St. Paul shows on a modest tour itinerary announced Thursday with only nine arena dates total, including two more Sept. 5 and 7 at Chicago's United Center.

A special ticket presale for all tour dates is already underway for members of Pearl Jam's fan club, Ten Club. General public tickets will be sold through the Ticketmaster Verified Fan program, registration for which already began and closes on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. The Verified Fan sale then begins on April 28 at 10 a.m.

Ever vigilant about fighting inflated ticket prices, the band has disallowed "dynamic pricing" on the tour and is prohibiting ticket transfers for these concerts, along with other unique ticketing policies. Tickets are all one price, which winds up being around $161 total after fees and taxes for St. Paul.

Pearl Jam scaled back on rampant touring in the 2010s, and then scrapped big tour plans as the COVID-19 pandemic hit around the time of its last album, "Gigaton." The band's return to the road last year was a bumpy one, as several shows had to be canceled because of COVID cases and to Eddie Vedder struggling with vocal-cord problems — which likely explains the night off between shows this time out.

Still, reviews and fan response were highly favorable to the concerts that did happen last year, thanks in part to the addition of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer as an auxiliary band member. It's unclear if Klinghoffer will be back aboard for these 2023 dates.

Despite the long wait for its return, Pearl Jam has built up a familiarity at Xcel Center after several shows there going back to 2003. Its history at the X includes two special shows opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 2006 during the latter's 30^th anniversary tour.

This year marks Pearl Jam's 32nd year as a band — not counting its early inception under the thankfully ditched, basketball-inspired moniker Mookie Blaylock.

A bad coincidence for fans of middle-aged American dude rockers: The Sept. 2 show at the X falls on the same night the Hold Steady, Bob Mould Band and Dillinger Four are taking on the Minnesota State Fair grandstand. Good thing PJ is playing a doubleheader.