There are many “good” bands out there, ones that put on a solid show, play for 90-minutes to 2 hours, and it’s a great time. You leave feeling satisfied, and go on your merry way. Pearl Jam, however, is not one of those bands. Pearl Jam is band that rises well above any expectations; they are a band on a level that very few acts can only ever dream of being on. When you think of those shows that put you on Cloud 9, the ones that are a never-ending marathon, in which the band pulls out all the stops and plays like it could be there last show, the band that plays for the fans, the band that gives you gives you 3 hours of pure, unadulterated rock n’ roll, you think of acts like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, U2, Neil Young, The Who, the Grateful Dead, and even Phish for that matter. And if you haven’t seen any of the aforementioned acts, then you will have no clue what I am talking, and you need to get a move on it….and quickly at that.
These are the types of acts that lay it all out on the table, bands that push the envelope, and bring you the goods each and every night. Pearl Jam is most definitely in that category. Friday night’s show at Hartford, CT’s XL Center was yet another clear-cut example of why Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Matt Cameron (let’s not forget longtime keyboardist Boom Gaspar) are one of the most prolific units in music over the last 20+ years. Not only do they play a live show that is absolutely mind-blowing, but they come off as such normal, down to earth guys, which makes you like them even more. Eddie Vedder is as candid a front man as there is, sharing stories, joking around, downing bottles of red wine, discussing various causes that the band stands for, and all without being in your face about it, or coming across as having some holier than thou attitude. Natural, casual, and humble would be terms that come to mind when describing not only each member of the band, but the group as a whole.
On paper, the 33-song, over 3+ hour setlist barely scratches the surface as to the sheer force of the live Pearl Jam experience; because, that is exactly what it is, a total experience. First and foremost is the actual band, and what they are able to attain with their vast catalog of songs in the live setting. These songs quite literally come alive; they are fleshed out and given some room to develop some tasty jam moments, in which you just stand there in awe thinking to yourself, “WOW! These guys are killing it.” Opening with “Pendulum” off their new album Lightning Bolt, the group followed that up with one of the most somber and beautiful pieces Eddie Vedder has ever written, “The Long Road,” which was first released on Merkinball, the companion piece to 1995′s Mirror Ball, the album Pearl Jam did with Neil Young; a true fan favorite that sounds amazing in the arena setting.
“Corduroy” got things going and began to warm the crowd up for two new tracks – grungy, guitar-driven rocker “Lightning Bolt” in which Mike McCready let loose, and the punk rock-fueled single “Mind Your Manners.” The segment of Vitalogy tracks “Last Exit” and “Immortality” into Ten‘s “Evenflow” brought the crowd’s energy up a couple of notches, letting you know that this was still only the beginning, despite being 8-9 songs deep into the set. The “traditional” main set ended with “Do The Evolution” and “Better Man.” The latter song is a rather slow, melancholic song, until the end; yet, Pearl Jam finds a way to take the song to another level, completely jamming the final section of the song, which served as a fitting end to the main set.
The first encore could have been a show in and of itself, given the fact that it was 12 songs, and clocked in at roughly an hour. Starting out as an acoustic set, with each member of the band taking a seat, the real treat of this part of the show was a pair of Mother Love Bone covers, in “Chloe Dancer” and “Crown of Thorns.” The show could have ended at this point, and not one complaint would have been heard. Instead, Vedder tells the crowd that he wants to play a song that the band hasn’t played since the last time they played the XL Center (2010), but first McCready was going to play something….a spot on rendition of the Eddie Van Halen/Van Halen instrumental powerhouse “Eruption”, which was followed by another Van Halen cover in “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” which saw both band and crowd alike go wild.
What else could these guys possibly do to top themselves? Apparently, a lot. A “Wasted Reprise”, and a set ending “Porch” had the crowd rolling. The final encore saw a beautiful rendition of the Victoria Williams track “Crazy Mary,” a crowd favorite that gave Gaspar and McCready an opportunity to trade organ and guitar licks. And how can you go wrong with “Alive”? Well, you can’t. Over yet? Not quite. A shout out to Neil Young and his Bridge School Benefit, which was being played on the West Coast, saw Vedder apologize to the icon for the scheduling conflict, as they “fucked up,” and then went into the Young cover “Fuckin’ Up” with house lights turned on, allowing the band to see the raucous crowd seemingly not ready to call it quits just yet either. Pearl Jam ended with “Indifference” to an applause fit for kings, and deservedly so.
What these guys accomplish in three hours at any given show is a feat that most bands can only hope to aspire to. For a bunch of dudes in their late-40′s, you would think they have peaked, but that is just not the case. They are as good as ever; with a new album in Lightning Bolt (which is pretty damn good, check out our review here), and putting on marathon shows, let’s hope Pearl Jam can continue in this fashion for a long time. The music scene needs bands like Pearl Jam, as there is simply not enough of them out there these days.
Several highlights outside of the music:
– Besides the fact that Vedder downed like three bottles of red wine? He went around at one point, in a “Take a bottle, drink it down” moment and proceeded to pour some red down the throats of eager and lucky fans during the “Crazy Mary” jam.
– Vedder gave a very touching speech about meeting three fathers of victims of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting victims. Not preaching by any stretch of the imagination, Vedder gave a simple, poignant speech about how it’s not about taking away anybody’s 2nd Amendment rights, but more importantly using your 1st Amendment rights to have a legitimate discussion to come up with methods to ensure that tragic events such as these never occur again. The #1 thing we need to concentrate on here is protecting our children.
– Mike McCready talking about a non-profit organization based out of Hartford, Advocacy for Patients, that is very near to his heart, that both he and Pearl Jam have given plenty of support to over the years. It was founded by his friend, Jennifer Jaff, who passed away due to complications from Crohn’s disease, in September of 2012. The organization acts as advocates for those without medical insurance that need assistance and medical attention. If you are someone, or know of a friend, that can benefit from their assistance, or would like to make a donation, visit http://www.thejenniferjaffcenter.org/
– In a lighter moment, Vedder gave an intro to “Future Days” by describing it as a song about bringing the love back into a relationship between a husband and wife, once the kids have left the nest. When you are raising children, you often lose that initial feeling that you had when you were dating, or at the beginning of the marriage….and as Vedder explained, “this song is really about fucking….for those parents that brought kids with them, I’m sorry….maybe you can explain it to them after the show….or maybe you would like me to explain it now.”
– Several family moments: The crowd singing Happy Birthday to Matt Cameron’s son, as well as Vedder wishing Cameron and his wife a Happy Anniversary. Also, bringing Boom Gaspar’s eldest son to the stage, and the two giving each other a warm embrace. It’s moments like these that show you how important family is to the band, and how difficult it is to be away from them for such long stretches.
– Chris Meyer
Check out some great videos from the show:
“Eruption>Ain’t Talking Bout Love”:
“Last Exit” into “Immortality”:
Various clips from the night:
