There’s no such thing as “just another Pearl Jam show.” The band has played sold-out arenas for more than a decade, but their dedication to fans and social causes such show that Pearl Jam has never been about the material aspects of stardom, and becoming successful hasn’t gone to their heads.

So when Pearl Jam packed Benaroya Hall last week at a benefit show for Youthcare, fans didn’t seem at all surprised by the reaction of frontman Eddie Vedder when a fan dashed past security, rushed the stage and attempted to hug him: Vedder hugged him back.

Youthcare is the largest assembly devoted to keeping homeless youth (ages 12 – 21) off the streets by offering them educational classes, food, hygiene, and a place to stay. Concert promoters and Pearl Jam donated 100 percent of the profits of the show to help build a new Orion center, the group’s homeless shelter.

The entire concert had a mythical and blissful dynamic to it. The band, dressed in t-shirts and jeans, looked more relaxed than ever against the beautiful backdrop of the Benaroya Hall stage. They adapted to their keyed-down acoustic set with such grace and ease that I often felt like I was watching them play in a coffee shop, until I turned around and saw more than 2,000 other people.

Between songs, Vedder would pause to address the audience, his subtle humor and shyness always leaving him well spoken and comfortable in the position of God-like status in the eyes of the fans. During the 13th song, in contrast to the mellow, low-key dynamic of the entire show, an excited fan jumped across the stage pumping his fists in the air, before being escorted out by security. This prompted Vedder to joke, “Sorry about that. That’s the manager of the group.”

Pearl Jam played for almost three hours, combining many old favorites from their seven full-length albums released over the last 10 years, plus a few new hits. “Fatal,” a song that will soon come out on an album of B-sides was greeted with warm approval, as was “Man Of The Hour,” soon to appear during the last five minutes of Tim Burton’s upcoming film, Big Fish.

The band played a 17-song set, with an incredible seven-song encore. The first song of the first encore was dedicated to “Elliott,” undoubtedly referring to musician Elliott Smith, who committed suicide the night before.

The band cranked out an incredible version of Johnny Cash’s “25 Minutes To Go,” and after much insistence from the crowd, played an additional encore song, “Black,” in which Gossard turned the microphone toward the audience and allowed the crowd to sing the chorus.