Article - The Evening Standard - O2 Concert Review
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PEARL JAMMING WITH THE FANS IN PERFECT HARMONY; REVIEW - PEARL JAM; 02 ARENA; JOHN AIZLEWOOD
19 August 2009
The Evening Standard
NS
17
FROM the Borderline in '92 to the O2 in '09, it's been a long slog for Pearl Jam. With Soundgarden and Nirvana long gone, they are the last band standing of the Seattle grunge titans who changed the course of pop music in the early Nineties.
These days, they're standing taller than ever and last night's 28-song jamboree sold out in 14 minutes.
More to the point, having spent much of this century in a water-treading coma, they have re-engaged and for all singer Eddie Vedder's protestations that 'we have to pace ourselves these days', last night's nearly three-hour set suggests these fortysomethings are not wilting.
It's taken them a while and although you wouldn't know it from Vedder's unbecoming outfit of shorts, trainers and socks, Pearl Jam have grown up.
Where once they were sulkier than a poutload of supermodels, these days Vedder is Mr Chat and his colleagues Mr Smiles.
Surprising as it seemed, Vedder (now resembling the improbable offspring of Bill Bailey and Mission-period Robert De Niro) actually seemed to enjoy himself.
When covering The Who's Love Reign O'er Me; Holland-Dozier-Holland's Leaving Here or even the ominous Victoria Williams obscurity Crazy Mary, he glowed, a singing child in a musical sweetshop. To the delight of an audience including actors Josh Brolin, Jonah Hill, Tim Robbins (to whom Vedder dedicated Blood) and Diane Lane, they embraced old and new.
During the elderly Even Flow, Mike McCready's guitar solo lasted so long Vedder had time to smoke a cigarette. They are Pearl Jam; they are above the law.
The new material sizzled too, particularly the fierce Got Some and, on its live debut, Supersonic. Along the way, they paid homage to O2 no-show Michael Jackson with a burst of Ben before Rats (Ben being a rat in Jackson's song) and snuck in rarities such as I Got ID.
Ultimately though, this was that rarest of exchanges: a band and their audience in perfect harmony, literally during the singalong that was Alive. 'After tonight, we won't be in Europe for some time,' explained Vedder. They're welcome back any time.
Mr Chat: the usually sulky frontman Eddie Vedder was in a talkative mood
PEARL JAMMING WITH THE FANS IN PERFECT HARMONY; REVIEW - PEARL JAM; 02 ARENA; JOHN AIZLEWOOD
19 August 2009
The Evening Standard
NS
17
FROM the Borderline in '92 to the O2 in '09, it's been a long slog for Pearl Jam. With Soundgarden and Nirvana long gone, they are the last band standing of the Seattle grunge titans who changed the course of pop music in the early Nineties.
These days, they're standing taller than ever and last night's 28-song jamboree sold out in 14 minutes.
More to the point, having spent much of this century in a water-treading coma, they have re-engaged and for all singer Eddie Vedder's protestations that 'we have to pace ourselves these days', last night's nearly three-hour set suggests these fortysomethings are not wilting.
It's taken them a while and although you wouldn't know it from Vedder's unbecoming outfit of shorts, trainers and socks, Pearl Jam have grown up.
Where once they were sulkier than a poutload of supermodels, these days Vedder is Mr Chat and his colleagues Mr Smiles.
Surprising as it seemed, Vedder (now resembling the improbable offspring of Bill Bailey and Mission-period Robert De Niro) actually seemed to enjoy himself.
When covering The Who's Love Reign O'er Me; Holland-Dozier-Holland's Leaving Here or even the ominous Victoria Williams obscurity Crazy Mary, he glowed, a singing child in a musical sweetshop. To the delight of an audience including actors Josh Brolin, Jonah Hill, Tim Robbins (to whom Vedder dedicated Blood) and Diane Lane, they embraced old and new.
During the elderly Even Flow, Mike McCready's guitar solo lasted so long Vedder had time to smoke a cigarette. They are Pearl Jam; they are above the law.
The new material sizzled too, particularly the fierce Got Some and, on its live debut, Supersonic. Along the way, they paid homage to O2 no-show Michael Jackson with a burst of Ben before Rats (Ben being a rat in Jackson's song) and snuck in rarities such as I Got ID.
Ultimately though, this was that rarest of exchanges: a band and their audience in perfect harmony, literally during the singalong that was Alive. 'After tonight, we won't be in Europe for some time,' explained Vedder. They're welcome back any time.
Mr Chat: the usually sulky frontman Eddie Vedder was in a talkative mood
Up here so high I start to shake, Up here so high the sky I scrape, I've no fear but for falling down, So look out below I am falling now, Falling down,...not staying down, Could’ve held me up, rather tear me down, Drown in the river
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Ive felt like this almost after every PJ show I have seen.
for the least they could possibly do
It is amusing to me people still take this seriously. Soon as he said something about not coming back, I leaned over and said to my friend, "looks like another euro tour is in the making." Listen to shows from 1998,2000, 2003 etc. He says it over and over and OVER again. It means nothing. If anything, I assume just the opposite.
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and that was a nice review....maybe the writer was not that familiar with a live PJ show though....there hasn't been one without a singalong in years...maybe ever. Or, maybe the writer was simply pointing out the rarity of a big band such as PJ willfully encouraging singalongs....now that is a rarity
They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all