Pearl Jam noted the desire of fans to own a copy of the shows they attended and the popularity of bootleg recordings.

They had been open in the past about allowing fans to make amateur recordings,[1] and these "official bootlegs" were an attempt to provide a more affordable and better quality product.

[2] The official bootlegs are a complete record of almost every show the band plays, excluding club "warm-up" dates.

– Brian Fallon, singer, The Gaslight Anthem[3]The band has sold more than 13.5 million copies of shows since launching the bootleg series in 2000.

[4] Pearl Jam's official bootleg program was begun for the band's 2000 Binaural Tour.

The Seattle show was released as a triple-disc set, and was the highest-charting of the series, peaking at number 98 on the Billboard 200, and was called an "essential live document" by Allmusic.

"[6] With the release of these official bootlegs, Pearl Jam would set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard 200 at the same time.

It was surpassed by the Mansfield show, from the Tweeter Center Boston, in which the band played 45 songs, including an acoustic set.

In 2004, Pearl Jam released Live at Benaroya Hall, and while it came in similar packaging to the bootlegs, it is not considered to be part of the series.

Pearl Jam released bootlegs of shows from their 2009-2010 Backspacer Tour exclusively on its website.

The 2012 bootlegs each premiered one week before their official release on SiriusXM Pearl Jam Radio.

The 2022 and 2023 bootlegs each premiered on the day of their official streaming broadcast release on SiriusXM Pearl Jam Radio.