TORONTO - If you were at Pearl Jam's 2006 world tour kick-off show last night at the Air Canada Centre, consider yourself lucky.

Not only was it possibly one of the band's final Toronto performances (they play a second show tonight but have said this may be their last tour), but it may very well go down in history as one of the greatest live performances to ever hit this city.

Even though there are no other Canadian dates on the tour, it was clear the group has a particular fondness for Canada.

"This is the first night of our tour," said vocalist/guitarist Eddie Vedder. "It seems like this side of the border is a safe place to start."

The Seattle quintet -- rounded out by guitarist Stone Gossard, drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist Mike McCready and bassist Jeff Ament -- are touring in support of their eighth studio album, released last week and simply called Pearl Jam.

They've said they rehearsed more for this tour than any other. And it showed.

Awash in multicoloured lights and smoke, the band flawlessly delivered an audible lesson of their 15-year history.

Songs from their epic 1991 debut, Ten, including Even Flow and Garden, were, not surprisingly, the best received.

Even the new songs, including their latest single, World Wide Suicide, were performed with an energy that was fierce and raw and so deeply reminiscent of the early '90s Pearl Jam that we all fell in love with in the first place.

Shaggy and unassuming in their signature jeans-and-T-shirt uniforms, the band had no trouble at all getting the crowd -- a traditional lighter-in-the-air (and not cellphones) rock fan set -- to sing along.

The highlight of the night came during a tradition for Toronto Pearl Jam dates -- the awe-inspiring, chill-inducing Better Man sing-a-long, with the sold-out crowd's Daughter accompaniment coming a close second.

And of course, Pearl Jam have never been ones to disappoint during the encores.

Last night's included crowd favourites Do The Evolution, Jeremy and Alive as well as a ballad from the new album, Come Back.

It's a remarkable ability, they have, to make their encore sets feel special, impromptu and genuine -- not at all like the standard contrived and obligatory encore offerings concert-goers have become so accustomed to.

Swigging from his trademark bottle of wine, Vedder, always the everyman, took the opportunity to further befriend the crowd.

"So, where are you guys going after this?" he asked. "'Cause I feel like having a drink."

In standard Pearl Jam style, they capped the show with a request for the house lights to go on, a rugged cover of Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World and an energetic Yellow Ledbetter.

If the impeccable musicianship, hypnotizing stage performance and utterly engaging audience interaction for this show didn't move you enough, the notoriously philanthropic band gave us even more to feel good about.

They've decided to donate one dollar from every ticket sold to a local charity in each city they play -- and that money will come directly out of their own pockets for the Toronto dates. Last night's show will benefit the White Ribbon Campaign, a renowned anti-violence-against-women group. Tonight, the guys will dish out for Sketch -- a non-profit initiative that engages homeless youth in the arts.

And if you can still get a ticket tonight, I highly recommend you do.

You can thank me later.