The No Code Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Pearl Jam to support their fourth album, No Code.
Pearl Jam promoted No Code with tours in North America and Europe in the fall of 1996. The short tour of North America focused on the East Coast of the United States. As with Vitalogy, very little touring was done in the United States to promote No Code because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venue areas.[1] The band chose to use alternate ticketing companies for the shows. Nevertheless, the band toured the United States playing shows in locations such as Downing Stadium on Randall's Island and The Meadows in Hartford, Connecticut. Chicago Bulls player Dennis Rodman attended the band's September 26, 1996 show in Augusta, Maine at the Civic Center, and during the climax of "Alive" came onstage to offer Vedder some red wine. To the excitement of the crowd, Vedder responded by hopping on Rodman's back and riding him piggyback style across the stage while singing. Rodman later received a Walkman carved with Vedder's initials containing the concert recording and cited this as one of his most thrilling experiences.[2] A European tour followed in the fall of 1996. The band's November 3, 1996 show in Berlin, Germany at Deutschlandhalle was broadcast on many radio stations worldwide. This show is commonly called "Checkpoint Charlie" by fans.[3]
During the North American tour fans complained about the difficulty in obtaining tickets and the use of non-Ticketmaster venues, which were judged to be out-of-the-way and impersonal.[4] Guitarist Stone Gossard stated that there was "a lot of stress associated with trying to tour at that time" and that "it was growing more and more difficult to be excited about being part of the band." He added, "Ticketmaster, as monopolistic as it may be, is very efficient so we weren't playing the venues we wanted to play."[5] This is their last full-date tour with Jack Irons, who later departed from the band during their 1998's Yield Tour.
Information taken from various sources.[6][7][8][9]