Pearl Jam received much publicity for its energetic politically charged performances during the tour. The band gave a noteworthy performance during the encore of its February 23, 2003 show in
Perth at the
Burswood Dome where it was joined on stage by
Hunters & Collectors frontman
Mark Seymour to perform "
Throw Your Arms Around Me", a personal favorite of vocalist
Eddie Vedder. At many shows during the 2003 North American tour, Vedder performed Riot Act's "Bu$hleaguer", a commentary on
PresidentGeorge W. Bush, with a rubber mask of Bush, wearing it at the beginning of the song and then hanging it on a mic stand to allow him to sing. The band made news when it was reported that several fans left after Vedder had "impaled" the Bush mask on his mic stand at the band's April 1, 2003 show in
Denver, Colorado at the
Pepsi Center.[1] Following a performance of the song at Pearl Jam's April 30, 2003 show in
Uniondale, New York at the
Nassau Coliseum, the band was met with boos from the crowd and chants of "U-S-A." Vedder responded by defending his right to free speech and the band followed with a performance of
The Clash's "
Know Your Rights".[2]
The song "Arc" was performed by Vedder at nine shows during the second North American leg of the tour as a tribute to the victims of the
Roskilde disaster.[3] On the second leg of the North American tour the band performed a three-day set of
Boston shows at the
Tweeter Center Boston. Pearl Jam played a completely different set list each night, spanning 105 songs from its catalog with only one repeat between the three shows, the popular concert-ending "
Yellow Ledbetter". In May 2003, Pearl Jam extended its North American tour by announcing that it would be playing in
Mexico for the first time. Before the first concert on July 17, 2003 in
Mexico City at
Palacio de los Deportes, the band gave its first press conference in almost ten years. In addition, the third concert was transmitted live on radio and television to all of Latin America for free.