How did you become a Pearl Jam fan ?.

IGotShit76

A really good friend passed me in 1994 a VHS with MTV unplugged and also a bootleg CD from a concert at Brixton academy. I was instantly hooked. Then I bought Ten and Vs ... and many more PJ stuff. However I only saw them for the first time live in 2000.

deepgreen

The year is: 1997 - when I was 15.
I was listening Nirvana for a year and I had an old rock magazine (from the year '94). You know the rock was equal to grunge at that times! And the title was: Kurt Cobain vs. Eddie Vedder. That is how I heard about Pearl Jam. After a while, in school, I was bored -between the break time of two lectures,- decided to go to music shop and bought Yield (by the way, turned back to class!)
At first times it sounded different, maybe I was waiting something (especially guitar sound) close to Nirvana?!

The second album came after 2 weeks:
I remember breaking the schooll in the morning. Buying V.S. (as cassette), listening it on the way back home with my sony walkmen. Said my mom: "Teachers let us early". Got into my room. Then I listened over and over again, and amazed with the sound and songs of the album.

Then I collected all the albums, Eddie became one of my best friends for 12 years.

kenny olav

Always cool to see new fans, and welcome to the pit! I was 15 when Ten came out and after a friend had left his copy of Ten at my house, I was hooked soon after. I also remember watching the videos for Even Flow and Alive on MTV around the same time. They always seemed to come on right when I got home from school.

Tone

Ahh, it just happened. I was 18 in late '91, finishing school... it was a big time with lots of huge albums being released: Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Nevermind and Ten. I absorbed them all, along with Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains but the band that stuck in my heart, from the off, was Pearl Jam. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of person and, consequently, I've been all about Pearl Jam ever since. Oh, there was also the movie Singles, which I saw 4 or 5 times at the cinema. I bought the Alive single and immediately fell in love with both it and Wash, ditto to Even Flow single with Dirty Frank. To this day, Wash is still my favourite song and I'm still yet to hear it live. One day... hopefully Philly Oct 30th (c'mon guys, it's my birthday... pretty please!)

halszka123

How did I become?

I just started to listen to Ther music

redrock

First heard Eddie's voice on Hunger Strike when TOD first came out. Had to find out more about the guy (and the band!) behind the voice.

pearljam75

It was 1993 and I remember hearing Black on the radio and I didn't even know the bands name at that point but I just knew I had to find out whose voice that was singing that song. Have been hooked ever since.

First saw them the the Patriot Center at George Mason in VA. Apr 94 the same day that Kurt Cobain's body was found. It was an extremely emotional night for the band and especially Eddie. The concert was completely amazing and I have been a follower ever since. Have been to over 45 shows. Going to all 4 Philly shows so I will approaching 50 shows. Wow !!!

Cosmo

Indio, CA. - 1993.

jordan k

I heard the song hunger strike and then even flow and then it was the first CD I ever bought. I bought my first CD player, walked down the street and bought Ten.

And away we go!

redeye

first time i heard alive, i was hooked...
got into the band in 91, been my fav band ever since

whispering hands

Cosmo wrote:

Indio, CA. - 1993.

Absolutely INSANE show wasn't it?!?!!? "... more shoes... shoes for my friends..." I was never so scared.. that was some crazy shit, I was right up front got hit with severeal shoes, split my forehead open.. he he great show though go Pearl jam!!!

Gold 26

In August 1992 I got a £10 record voucher for my 14th birthday. I went out intending to purchase Lies by Guns N' Roses I think it was but when I got to the counter I automatically paid with cash. I then decided just to pick something at random from the Rock section, and Ten it was.

It's better than GN'R Lies.

goldrush

My older cousin left a stack of vinyl behind when he went travelling with his girlfriend in the summer of 1989. I had a rummage through it and borrowed a couple of them.

I kept, ok stole, a few of them: Soundgarden's 'Screaming Life' ep because it was on blue vinyl, Sonic Youth's 'Daydream Nation' because I had never heard anything else like it in my life and Green River's 'Rehab Doll' because it completely blew me away.

I've followed everything that Jeff and Stone have done ever since that summer... not in a stalker way of course... well, maybe a little!...

RGarabed21

in_the_mud wrote:

RGarabed21 wrote:

Older sister put me onto them in 92

That's exactly what happened to me I was 15 years old.
Now I'm 32 and I can't imagine one day without PJ.

Agreed (about the PJ part, im only 25 ). I am taking her to the 10/28 show which will be her first (believe it or not). She's nowhere NEAR as pumped as I am but that's just because she has no idea what she's in for!

Hugh Freaking Dillon

I was 18 at the time. I heard Jeremy on the radio (it was the Top Seven at Seven on 92 CITI FM in Winnipeg), and I was hooked. Then I saw the Even Flow video, and it blew me away. "Josh, turn those lights out! It's a f**king rock concert!".

It was the first time I had seen a band put out a video of a live performance for a single. It was awesome!

My life was never the same since. Pearl Jam was even included by my best man in his speech at my wedding!

Evil-Little-Goat

My cousins were always rocking Ten after it came out, I liked it but then Vs. was released... That album hit my heart instantly!

titchinello

I was a big fan of Mother Love Bone, after andy passed, i followed on jeff and stones, next band, the first time i heard alive, i was totally hooked, i had to order ten from usa, because it wasn't released in the uk until feb '92.

they insantly became my fav band. up until then i couldn't see past Metallica.

ManOftheHr

I had just finished my senior year of high school in 1993 when a close friend was killed in a car accident.
He was a huge PJ fan & as we all got together to mourn we listened to the music of Ten. I'd never heard of the band before then but the music & the lyrics & the emotion from the album were incredible. They played an excerpt from Even Flow at the service & the lyrics were on the memorial cards
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Life again, life again...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Whispering hands, gently lead him away
Him away, him away...
There were hundreds of people in the procession to & from the cemetary & I'll never forget the scence of mourning teenagers driving slowyly away with Even Flow playing from their stereos. I've been a huge fan ever since; taking my friends sister to see them in concert a few months later. The band & their music has been the soundtrack to my life.

hvrsq

Corduroyboy wrote:

I got sick of listening to gangster rap!

Vitalogy, Merkinball, and college radio changed it all for me in the 90s!

BTW, Vinny, I love your name!

I was a senior in high school working in the back room of "Jeans West" in a local mall and was sick and tired of the pop 40 rap crap. Started listening the "the rock avenue" on our local college radio station. Heard "Alive" one time and was hooked. Went the next day to buy the album only to be disappionted by the fact that it wasnt to be released for another two weeks. Saw them for the first time at Lallapalooza in 92 when I traveled to AZ. Scored 2nd row seats center stage! I've been a PJ groopie ever since!

bigbadbill

Well, I got this letter in the mail one day in 1992 (sometime in November). It was from Stone Gossard, and he said "You better be a fan of my group Pearl Jam. We have a video on MTV called "Jeremy." We are so much better than Nirvana. If you're not a fan by Christmas (1992) then you're an idiot and I'll kill your cat." You see, it's all Stone's fault.