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What is it about Pearl Jam?

coachchriscoachchris Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 749
in The Porch
I was talking to a coworker about my passion for Pearl Jam and the number of shows I've been to etc. She then asked "What is it about Pearl Jam that you love so much?"

I can go on for hours about setlists, traveling to different cities, meeting new and old friends but it made me wonder.....is their one video I could show her which would sum it all up perfectly.

Suggestions?
Adolescence in essence is all about trust.
Leaving is for the answering machine.

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    Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    These two come to mind:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwamCGQU7_s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDqqlPN0x9o


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    igotid88igotid88 Posts: 27,453
    the fans are alright
    I miss igotid88
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    bosshogg18bosshogg18 Tacoma, WA Posts: 1,082
    No video is going to do it. Next time you see PJ take her. Once she sees them live she will go bananas.
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    coachchriscoachchris Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 749
    Great suggestions. The Fans Are Alright and StoryTellers is perfect!
    Adolescence in essence is all about trust.
    Leaving is for the answering machine.
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,641
    Take her to a show.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    JSBachJSBach Posts: 108
    I agree... it's difficult to explain what PJ is... it's much more than the sum of a certain number of songs or hits... I would say that Pearl Jam is something that,somehow, at a certain point, happens... Also I do agree that the experience of a show is key for PJ "to happen"...
    Sift everything, hold on to what is good!
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,641
    Well, it can certainly explain to someone who doesn't understand why one loves them so much, but I don't think seeing a show is key for PJ "to happen" for those who are cut out to love them. I didn't see my first show for years and years and years, but they still "happened" for me. And I'm obsessed with a few other bands/performers who I still haven't seen yet.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    Caught-A-Bolt-Of-LightningCaught-A-Bolt-Of-Lightning Posts: 1,332
    Pearl Jam is like cilantro. Either you love them/it or you hate them/it. I have never run into a lukewarm Pearl Jam fan...
    Raleigh, NC., 8/31/98, Charlotte, NC., 8/4/00, Greensboro, NC., 8/6/00, Mountain View, CA., 10/31/00, Raleigh, NC., 4/15/03, Charlotte, NC., 4/16/03, Mountain View, CA., 10/25/03, Asheville, NC., 10/6/04, Philadelphia, PA., 10/3/05, Washington D.C, 5/30/06, Virginia Beach, VA., 6/17/07, Philadelphia, PA., 10/28/09, Charlottesville, VA., 10/29/13, Charlotte, NC., 10/30/13, Memphis, TN., 10/14/14, Greenville, SC., 4/16/16, Hampton, VA., 4/19/16, Raleigh, NC., 4/20/16, Columbia, SC., 4/21/16, Boston, MA., 8/5/16, Boston 9/2/18 & 9/4/18., Nashville, TN., 4/2/20., Nashville, TN., 9/16/22.

    EV Solo - Washington, D.C., 8/17/08, Atlanta, GA., 6/24/09, Orlando, FL., 11/27/12.
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,641
    Caught-A-Bolt-Of-Lightning said:

    Pearl Jam is like cilantro. Either you love them/it or you hate them/it. I have never run into a lukewarm Pearl Jam fan...

    I actually know a lot of lukewarm PJ fans....
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    red mosred mos Posts: 4,953
    I agree, a live show will do the trick. They have to experience it and hopefully they get it. I was this way with Bruce Springsteen, seen him 5 times now.
    PJ: 10/14/00 06/09/03 10/4/09 11/15/13 11/16/13 10/08/14
    EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
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    ldent42ldent42 NYC Posts: 7,859
    xpost from fb because relevant
    image
    NYC 06/24/08-Auckland 11/27/09-Chch 11/29/09-Newark 05/18/10-Atlanta 09/22/12-Chicago 07/19/13-Brooklyn 10/18/13 & 10/19/13-Hartford 10/25/13-Baltimore 10/27/13-Auckland 1/17/14-GC 1/19/14-Melbourne 1/24/14-Sydney 1/26/14-Amsterdam 6/16/14 & 6/17/14-Milan 6/20/14-Berlin 6/26/14-Leeds 7/8/14-Milton Keynes 7/11/14-St. Louis 10/3/14-NYC 9/26/15
    LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435
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    brolocobroloco Posts: 1,237
    The trailer for PJ20 my wife was kinda into, and she hates them! It gives me goosebumps.
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    mca47mca47 Posts: 13,257
    Caught-A-Bolt-Of-Lightning said:

    Pearl Jam is like cilantro. Either you love them/it or you hate them/it. I have never run into a lukewarm Pearl Jam fan...

    Really?
    Can't say I've run into anyone who "hates" them.

    Most people seem to be lukewarm or "yeah, they're pretty cool".
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    deadendpdeadendp Northeast Ohio Posts: 10,434
    I've run into people who hate Pearl Jam. In fact, I work with one. She's a bit of a music snob, so if you don't listen to what she listens to, then you are wrong.

    My husband was lukewarm, but he saw them with me in Cincinnati and now he gets it. I went this summer to a festival of his bands and though I didn't like his bands at all, I understood it and had a really great time. Sometimes seeing a band just gives you an appreciation, even if they aren't someone that you would normally listen to.

    Even though I saw them, I can't pull an appreciation together for Cannibal Corpse, though. :minus_one:
    2014: Cincinnati
    2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
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    what dreamswhat dreams Posts: 1,761
    I remember one time I was at a Shakespeare conference with world-renowned scholars where the keynote speaker's very basic thesis was that "we read Shakespeare because it gives us pleasure." He stripped all theories bare and just spoke about how readers enjoy the pure language of the plays and everything else is extra.

    This reminds of how I feel about Pearl Jam. If you strip everything bare and just speak about the language of the songs -- they give us pleasure. Nobody invests in anything unless they enjoy it. I enjoy Pearl Jam's songs. It doesn't matter how dark, funny, or thought-inspiring. The fact is that when I hear a PJ song, I'm totally immersed in the language of the music -- the instrumentation, the lyrics, the mood, the history, the in-the-moment performance. They give it all. Each song has its own thing. Especially with the songs that I'm unsure of, I want to know more because they plant something in the language that I want to know more about.

    I feel like the best things in life are uncertain, and Pearl Jam songs have an element of uncertainty that make me wonder what I should be thinking about next. Their catalog is not so extensive that if I were crazy I could have memorized them all and moved on. But I don't want to memorize them all and move on. They make me think deeply so that I'm always learning. What is that bass line? What does that lyric really mean? Why do fans react a certain way at this specific moment? If they didn't leave me questions, I would have no reason to keep coming back . . . 20 years later.

    From a literary perspective, that is the definition of genius. It's the questions that matter, not the answers. "I don't question her existence, her modern needs . . . " In that lyric alone, a million questions arise, and that's what it is about Pearl Jam for me.
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    whofeelslikeadrankwhofeelslikeadrank Posts: 2,702
    most people will never get it
    First: ATL2 04/03/1994
    Last: SEA2 08/10/2018
    Next: ??
    http://expressobeans.com/members/collections.php?id=29417
    “I think you won, but I enjoyed the fight” - EV
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    onejourney...onejourney... Posts: 248
    Agreed. Most won't ever get it...to the level that we all feel it.

    But I will never forget two moments where my wife did understand a little more.

    The first was after an EV show during his first solo tour, and she thought Ed's voice was amazing.

    The other was after I forced he to watch PJ20. She looked at me after it was over and says, "Ok, I get it now..."
    here for the music...
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    23scidoo23scidoo Thessaloniki,Greece Posts: 18,541
    whofeelslikeadrank said:

    most people will never get it

    agree..
    Athens 2006. Dusseldorf 2007. Berlin 2009. Venice 2010. Amsterdam 1 2012. Amsterdam 1+2 2014. Buenos Aires 2015.
    Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022
    EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.

    I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
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    63schoefflin63schoefflin Posts: 2,581
    See them live. You will never be able to really get it until you do. Same thing with a lot of great bands.
    '08- Camden 1-2   '09- Chicago 2; Spectrum 1-4
    '10- MSG 1-2   '11- PJ20
    '12- MIA; DeLuna '13- Wrigley; Pitt; Brooklyn 1-2; Philly 1-2; Baltimore; Seattle
    '14- Denver   '16- Philly 1-2; MSG 2
    '17- Pilgrimage Music Fest (Eddie)
    '18- Fenway
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    PJSirenPJSiren Salem, OR Posts: 5,863
    mca47 said:

    Caught-A-Bolt-Of-Lightning said:

    Pearl Jam is like cilantro. Either you love them/it or you hate them/it. I have never run into a lukewarm Pearl Jam fan...

    Really?
    Can't say I've run into anyone who "hates" them.

    Most people seem to be lukewarm or "yeah, they're pretty cool".
    My Bestie's hubby HATES them...I can't get a reason out of him...other than "Eddie Vedder Sucks" in much more colorful words that I won't repeat of my idol...
    Music is my Religion and Pearl Jam, my Savior!
    Tattooed Dissident!
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,641
    63schoefflin said:

    See them live. You will never be able to really get it until you do. Same thing with a lot of great bands.

    Totally disagree. That may be true for some, but not even close to all (i think I addressed this earlier in this thread actually).
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    PJSirenPJSiren Salem, OR Posts: 5,863
    63schoefflin said:

    See them live. You will never be able to really get it until you do. Same thing with a lot of great bands.

    I disagree with this too...as I've been a fan for 20 years...and NEVER SEEN THEM LIVE...never had the funds when were in town, life happened, I just haven't been able to go...I plan on it next time, but shit has happened and I totally get it, I am IN LOVE with Pearl Jam, OBSESSED with Pearl Jam some might say...
    Music is my Religion and Pearl Jam, my Savior!
    Tattooed Dissident!
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    oftenreadingoftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,838
    PJSiren said:

    mca47 said:

    Caught-A-Bolt-Of-Lightning said:

    Pearl Jam is like cilantro. Either you love them/it or you hate them/it. I have never run into a lukewarm Pearl Jam fan...

    Really?
    Can't say I've run into anyone who "hates" them.

    Most people seem to be lukewarm or "yeah, they're pretty cool".
    My Bestie's hubby HATES them...I can't get a reason out of him...other than "Eddie Vedder Sucks" in much more colorful words that I won't repeat of my idol...
    Jealousy. It's a terrible thing.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
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    Leezestarr313Leezestarr313 Temple of the cat Posts: 14,346
    edited March 2015
    what dreams said:

    I remember one time I was at a Shakespeare conference with world-renowned scholars where the keynote speaker's very basic thesis was that "we read Shakespeare because it gives us pleasure." He stripped all theories bare and just spoke about how readers enjoy the pure language of the plays and everything else is extra.

    This reminds of how I feel about Pearl Jam. If you strip everything bare and just speak about the language of the songs -- they give us pleasure. Nobody invests in anything unless they enjoy it. I enjoy Pearl Jam's songs. It doesn't matter how dark, funny, or thought-inspiring. The fact is that when I hear a PJ song, I'm totally immersed in the language of the music -- the instrumentation, the lyrics, the mood, the history, the in-the-moment performance. They give it all. Each song has its own thing. Especially with the songs that I'm unsure of, I want to know more because they plant something in the language that I want to know more about.

    I feel like the best things in life are uncertain, and Pearl Jam songs have an element of uncertainty that make me wonder what I should be thinking about next. Their catalog is not so extensive that if I were crazy I could have memorized them all and moved on. But I don't want to memorize them all and move on. They make me think deeply so that I'm always learning. What is that bass line? What does that lyric really mean? Why do fans react a certain way at this specific moment? If they didn't leave me questions, I would have no reason to keep coming back . . . 20 years later.

    From a literary perspective, that is the definition of genius. It's the questions that matter, not the answers. "I don't question her existence, her modern needs . . . " In that lyric alone, a million questions arise, and that's what it is about Pearl Jam for me.

    You made a lot of points that I think are doing it for me too. I keep thinking about this. We have gotten a couple of tickets to shows of other bands for the summer, and I am looking forward to it, but I know it will not be the same.
    I try to find out what it is. It is all of what you said. And then for me, there is another element. I am so familiar with them. So I love their music. And since I am familiar with it so much, I am having a fantastic time at the shows, I am "into it". I can get overwhelmed in such a way by stuff that I don't know yet too, but then it has to be something really really really good. To me. I guess I am a habit animal. Even if I have seen a PJ song a thousand times, I can still get goosebumps. Just because I am in that space. At that moment. With tons of others who are like me in that respect. And I feel at home with their music. It calms me down, it fuels me, it makes me think. As a non native speaker maybe in a different way than for a native speaker. Or not. I don't know. do we have to explain it? :tongue:;)
    Post edited by Leezestarr313 on
    Please, Pearl Jam, consider a Benaroya Hall vinyl reissue!
    http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/148993/please-pearl-jam-consider-a-vinyl-benaroya-hall-re-issue


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    joseph33joseph33 Washington DC Posts: 1,216
    Thats funny. My girlfiend asked me the other day "Is Pearl Jam really all you listen to?" I looked over at her and proudly said absolutely. You rather get it or you dont. Trying to explain eats up too much valuable listening time.
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