I wrote a review for the two chicago shows

so as the title says, i wrote a short concert review for the two Chicago shows. It was SO HARD to do because it had to be 450-550 words, so to fit TWO concerts in that span was ridiculous but id figured id share.

Two Straight Days of Pearl Jammin’
By: Tony G----

What better way to end a great summer with not one, but two Pearl Jam shows at the United Center? While everyone was dreading the return to school, I was waiting for the return of my favorite band of all time.

They opened night one with “Long Road”, which is a signal to any big Pearl Jam fan that you are in store for a great setlist filled with rare songs that they do not usually play.

The band’s new single “The Fixer” was a big hit with the crowd, and the guys really looked like they were having fun dishing out the new material. It is inspiring to see a group of guys that have been playing together for so long to still get into the music and actually show some legitimate energy.

After they played, “Given To Fly”, bassist Jeff Ament took the microphone. He announced that his good friend, Mike Richter who had never missed a show when they were in town, was missing his first show and it was his birthday. Jeff then asked the audience to sing Happy Birthday, and afterwards lead singer Eddie Vedder said, “We have a lot of emotion to get through tonight”.

After the show, I found out on the website that their friend actually had recently passed away. That explains why they played the songs “Come Back”, “Man Of The Hour”, and “Save You” at the end of their main set.

Pearl Jam are known for covering songs live. For night one, they covered two songs by The Who, “Love Reign Ov’r Me” and “The Real Me”. Eddie also dedicated Neil Young’s “Needle And The Damage Done” to the recent passing of Michael Jackson.

Night two was a very different night. They opened with the great rarity “Hard to Imagine” from the collection of B-sides Lost Dogs. There was no seen emotion like there was for night one, but it did not take away from how great they were playing.

The hit song “Even Flow”, which is a staple of every Pear Jam concert that features epic guitar solos from Mike McCready and a drum solo from ex Soundgarden member Matt Cameron, really got the crowd going. After the song Eddie Vedder said, “We have to play that song every night otherwise Mike McCready will f*cking kill somebody”. That was definitely the most memorable moment of either show.

Everyone was asking me why I was going to both shows. The answer is simple. Not only are they my favorite band, but they are aware that most people are coming to both shows and plan accordingly. Over the course of the two days only six songs were repeated and they played 48 different songs. I am aware the concerts were at an arena that holds 20,000+ people, but Pearl Jam and their fans make each show such a personal experience as if you were seeing a show being played at a local club. If you have not experienced this band live, make it a priority, or at least buy these two shows when they become available through their website.