Pearl Jam & Grateful Dead Comparison (article)
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From: Pastemagazine.com
Published at 8:15 AM on September 18, 2009
By Justin Jacobs
Pearl Jamband: Is Pearl Jam a Modern Grateful Dead?
Pearl Jam has long been linked to flannel, but what about tie-dye?
As the band closes in on its second decade making music, Pearl Jam and its follow-them-anywhere fans have slowly become one of the tightest communities in rock ’n’ roll, complete with a vibrant bootleg trade centered around the band’s ever-changing, much-lauded live show that many claim transcends the pomp and circumstance of normal rock shows for something more human.
Sound like a mouthful? Sure. Sound like the Grateful Dead? Absolutely.
The most quantifiable Pearl Jam/Grateful Dead parallel came in cassette tapes, and now comes in MP3s. Just like the Dead’s intricate network of tapers and bootleggers, Pearl Jam fans have got you covered if you couldn’t make the show. PearlJamBootLegs.org, to name just one site, has 665 Pearl Jam shows recorded and available for your listening pleasure. While even that figure pales in comparison to some Deadhead tapers (Rob McKeever of WheelToTheStorm.com has 2,318 Dead shows archived), it’s still approximately 55 days worth of Vedder and Co.
The argument exists, of course, that Pearl Jam, not being a real "jam band" complete with 25-minute guitar solos, couldn’t truly be the successors of the Grateful Dead. Phish would, right? Well, maybe not.
The Grateful Dead was the first band in a genre it created, spawning countless musical children (Phish, Widespread Panic, moe., String Cheese Incident), and the band’s following was stronger than all of the bands that came after. Pearl Jam, similarly, is the forebear of a genre (though it hasn’t released a real grunge record in 15 years), and has spawned countless musical children (Everclear, Silverchair, Creed, etc.). And Pearl Jam’s following is undoubtedly stronger than any of these so-called "post-grunge" bands.
Beyond each band’s genre, the Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam fill similar roles overall in pop culture. Both bands are known by virtually any music fan by their hits (we all know “Jeremy”; we all know “Truckin’”), and they remain ever-present on the peripheral of the public’s musical mindset. Putting Pearl Jam’s mid-'90s superstardom aside, of course, the band is no Coldplay just as the Dead were no Rolling Stones.
Where the Dead/Jam parallels fray a bit, though, is in fan identity. Mention "Deadhead" to the guy sitting in the next cubicle and he’ll likely summon the usual image: tie-dye T-shirt, fingers in a peace sign and a joint dangling from his lips. Although even that stereotype is increasingly false (Even Ann Coulter has admitted Deadhead tendencies), the image sticks.
So what do Pearl Jam fanatics look like? Sleeveless shirts and long hair? Dudes in flannel? Unless we’re speaking of the lumberjack constituency of the band's fanbase, the answer is tough to conjure.
To Einat Shaul, a 28-year-old Pearl Jam fanatic from Israel, fans are united not in appearance, but in dedication. As the Vedder’s “All the Way,” an ode to the Chicago Cubs, goes, she says, “We aren’t fair weather fans; we’re foul weather fans.”
Few people understand the bands’ connection better than Dean Simmons. At 53, the Philadelphia retail manager has lived in the communities of both bands. “Jerry Garcia got onstage and my eyes opened up and my mouth dropped open,” he said of his first Grateful Dead experience. And though it happened decades later, his first Pearl Jam show in 2003 wasn’t so different: “There’s a flow of energy, from the band to the people and the people to the band. It’s like a group karaoke. Like a group hug.”
The correlation goes well beyond the rapturous musical experience that Pearl Jam and Grateful Dead fans ascribe to their favorite band—the concerts of both bands are like a town hall meeting of the faithful, with friends reconnecting and new friendships made—as well as other things
“We like to party loud before and after the shows,” said Shaul of her 46 (and counting) Pearl Jam shows. She's currently following her favorite band on their European tour—and it’s not her first time, either. Like the generation of Deadheads that followed the band in VW vans, Shaul has traveled behind Pearl Jam with a whole assortment of similarly-obsessed fans through Australia, the States and thrice through Europe.
Although Shaul’s never been a Grateful Dead fan, you wouldn’t know it from the way she describes Pearl Jam shows: “You’re all on one trippy journey together, like you’re around a campfire with your closest friends. People coming back for their 90th show feel like they’re coming home.”
Published at 8:15 AM on September 18, 2009
By Justin Jacobs
Pearl Jamband: Is Pearl Jam a Modern Grateful Dead?
Pearl Jam has long been linked to flannel, but what about tie-dye?
As the band closes in on its second decade making music, Pearl Jam and its follow-them-anywhere fans have slowly become one of the tightest communities in rock ’n’ roll, complete with a vibrant bootleg trade centered around the band’s ever-changing, much-lauded live show that many claim transcends the pomp and circumstance of normal rock shows for something more human.
Sound like a mouthful? Sure. Sound like the Grateful Dead? Absolutely.
The most quantifiable Pearl Jam/Grateful Dead parallel came in cassette tapes, and now comes in MP3s. Just like the Dead’s intricate network of tapers and bootleggers, Pearl Jam fans have got you covered if you couldn’t make the show. PearlJamBootLegs.org, to name just one site, has 665 Pearl Jam shows recorded and available for your listening pleasure. While even that figure pales in comparison to some Deadhead tapers (Rob McKeever of WheelToTheStorm.com has 2,318 Dead shows archived), it’s still approximately 55 days worth of Vedder and Co.
The argument exists, of course, that Pearl Jam, not being a real "jam band" complete with 25-minute guitar solos, couldn’t truly be the successors of the Grateful Dead. Phish would, right? Well, maybe not.
The Grateful Dead was the first band in a genre it created, spawning countless musical children (Phish, Widespread Panic, moe., String Cheese Incident), and the band’s following was stronger than all of the bands that came after. Pearl Jam, similarly, is the forebear of a genre (though it hasn’t released a real grunge record in 15 years), and has spawned countless musical children (Everclear, Silverchair, Creed, etc.). And Pearl Jam’s following is undoubtedly stronger than any of these so-called "post-grunge" bands.
Beyond each band’s genre, the Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam fill similar roles overall in pop culture. Both bands are known by virtually any music fan by their hits (we all know “Jeremy”; we all know “Truckin’”), and they remain ever-present on the peripheral of the public’s musical mindset. Putting Pearl Jam’s mid-'90s superstardom aside, of course, the band is no Coldplay just as the Dead were no Rolling Stones.
Where the Dead/Jam parallels fray a bit, though, is in fan identity. Mention "Deadhead" to the guy sitting in the next cubicle and he’ll likely summon the usual image: tie-dye T-shirt, fingers in a peace sign and a joint dangling from his lips. Although even that stereotype is increasingly false (Even Ann Coulter has admitted Deadhead tendencies), the image sticks.
So what do Pearl Jam fanatics look like? Sleeveless shirts and long hair? Dudes in flannel? Unless we’re speaking of the lumberjack constituency of the band's fanbase, the answer is tough to conjure.
To Einat Shaul, a 28-year-old Pearl Jam fanatic from Israel, fans are united not in appearance, but in dedication. As the Vedder’s “All the Way,” an ode to the Chicago Cubs, goes, she says, “We aren’t fair weather fans; we’re foul weather fans.”
Few people understand the bands’ connection better than Dean Simmons. At 53, the Philadelphia retail manager has lived in the communities of both bands. “Jerry Garcia got onstage and my eyes opened up and my mouth dropped open,” he said of his first Grateful Dead experience. And though it happened decades later, his first Pearl Jam show in 2003 wasn’t so different: “There’s a flow of energy, from the band to the people and the people to the band. It’s like a group karaoke. Like a group hug.”
The correlation goes well beyond the rapturous musical experience that Pearl Jam and Grateful Dead fans ascribe to their favorite band—the concerts of both bands are like a town hall meeting of the faithful, with friends reconnecting and new friendships made—as well as other things
“We like to party loud before and after the shows,” said Shaul of her 46 (and counting) Pearl Jam shows. She's currently following her favorite band on their European tour—and it’s not her first time, either. Like the generation of Deadheads that followed the band in VW vans, Shaul has traveled behind Pearl Jam with a whole assortment of similarly-obsessed fans through Australia, the States and thrice through Europe.
Although Shaul’s never been a Grateful Dead fan, you wouldn’t know it from the way she describes Pearl Jam shows: “You’re all on one trippy journey together, like you’re around a campfire with your closest friends. People coming back for their 90th show feel like they’re coming home.”
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Comments
It is true.
The only difference is that PJ's music is MUCH MUCH better
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
With both Springsteen and Pearl Jam fans, it is 100% about the music, and the call and response between the band's energy and the crowd's. The vibes are very similar too, especially nowadays, having experienced 2 Springsteen shows in '09 (Nassau Coliseum, and Giants Stadium 3) and 3 Pearl Jam shows since the Springsteen shows (Philly 4 '09, and MSG 1 & 2 this year). They are not identical since the Springsteen crowd is generally about 10-20 years older than a Pearl Jam crowd, but both crowds share a similar passion for their bands, and the bands both tend to put on long intense shows that span their catalogue and include a few rare songs here and there. I would even hypothesize that the energy during Alive is very similar to the energy in the room during Born to Run. They also play similar styles, maybe extending songs a little as appropriate, but don't tend to jam extensively throughout the evening. I am somewhat biased, and would still give Pearl Jam the slight edge mostly because I think one of Eddie Vedder's true talents is sequencing a set list, and that they do mix up their show slightly more than Springsteen, but these are very nuanced points...at the end of the day, these are the two best live acts I have ever seen, and they do it in similar fashion, and they are definitely comparable at that level in my opinion.
I do, however, believe the other article makes a very valid point as far as the sense of community between the bands and their fans. Bruce doesn't quite operate in the same way as PJ and the Dead.
But, ultimately, your point is better because there is no greater energy to be found between audience/artist and no greater feeling in the world than being in the midst of a crowd at a PJ or a Springsteen concert. It's a life-changing experience. Religious even.
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
Keep em coming!
And brad klausen's artwork towers over anything the dead ever put on an album cover or poster imo
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
for instance springsteen's show is generally over rehearsed to the max. every little detail
the dead and pj aint rehearsed at all. it's a very loose show where anything can happen at any time, which is very unbruce like. bruce ain't the worst at being loose but compared to pj and the gd he ain't even close...even bruce's sign campaign during the last tour was fixed!
and as far as bringing out rare nuggets all bands qualify equally, certainly fall tour 89 is a great example of the gd at their best
and too many people try to tie up the gd to the drug scene while missing the most important aspect of it, that being the music. the music comes before anything else and it is the legacy that still lives in the hearts of their fans. not the drug scene. simply put robert hunter is one of the best lyricists alive and coupled with a musician like garcia, trust me when i say, it has little to with drugs. the music IS the drug in that band. too bad they get such a bad rap from people who don't really know.
as far as music and religion goes lots of bands offer up the church. u2, bruce, gd, pj, michael franti, neville brothers etc
anyways when bands like this get compared it's really never a thing about who's worse cause they all have what it takes to be in my top 5...the rest is just nit picking
it is about the bootlegs! not many other bands offer up that variety of songs / tour so it actually makes you want to buy/trade for more than 10 shows
an um album covers...i bet brad would even give up some kudos to Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse and Rick Griffin
not that rolling stone even matters but this was 8th all time best album cover ever, in 1991 poll
http://tinyurl.com/375j38y
Are we also going to say for the record that a Phish show is a sober affair?
In any event, having been right up front at a Springsteen show, I can tell you that man does not fake a thing...he really is the James Brown of rock n roll, and he truly exudes the belief he has in the power of the music up there. While they might not deviate far from the setlist on a given night, they give every ounce of themselves on the stage when they are playing their music. And their fanbase is more comparable to Pearl Jam's to the extent that the energy and the give and take between the band and the crowd is very authentic. They don't rehearse the crowds before the shows.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
The difference between Pearl Jam & Grateful Dead bootlegs is that the Dead let fans tape, they even had set up fans' taper section, in front of the soundboard, where fans could bring & set up recording equip. Also SELLING Of bootlegs was a no-no. No money was to be made off of the music. It was to be Free. Trades only.
PJ, not so, boolegs only available for sale. (Definitely still better than not at all though!_
98 pj tour was cool. 12th row dead ctr. me in my tie dyed...plug in mics ok...no mic stand, but the plan was working...then it got silly stupid...
oh well hard to knock pj cause they have been very cool with the boots from 2000 and on
which begs to ask...why is it only the deadheads that get this?
the drugs are long gone...but the music still gives me the goosebumps today. go figure!
Actually, that is totally not true.
and the sign campaign on the last tour was totally spontaneous??
sure bruce calls audibles sometimes...if you saw that exhibit at the RnR HoF you'd realize that bruce is way over rehearsed(and extremely detailed in every way, from top to bottom) especially compared to pj and the gd, who don't rehearse at all...
also the new doc about the making of darkness will further convince you that bruce is a perfectionist(a control freak who details things a million times over before giving his "boss" approval) which is also why he freaks out on people taking pictures and making bootlegs of his shows, cause he doesn't like what he can't control.
but i'd love to hear your side
maybe i'm wrong.
I also think it is naive to think that Pearl Jam doesn't rehearse. If they didn't at all, they would be way sloppier than they are. They don't just pick 100 or so songs out of the blue and hope it comes out well when they tour - they rehearse those songs before they take off for a tour, and practice them at soundchecks. Bruce does not have the same variety that Pearl Jam does when it comes to night to night setlists, but at the same time, to say that every detail of every show is completely planned out and he's just an actor on the stage is not fair either.
As far as the Grateful Dead goes, call it a bad reputation if you will, but the reputation is there for a reason. I am sure this is not the first time in your life you heard about the drug scene at Grateful Dead concerts.
pearl jam rehearse way less than bruce, but probably way more than the dead and i made no absolutes when making my comments.
people who don't know every dead song by heart tend to focus on anything but the music. the music is what has survived the test of time, and jazz musicians have smoked pot for years. nothing new there. drugs and improvising have always been linked at the hip. so has creativity and art and music and drugs.
I am not going to tell you this is untrue because I have no idea for sure...but how do you know for sure?
I never suggested that it was a nothing but a drug infestation...and no one is saying the music wasn't good. I am saying that the drug culture surrounding the Grateful Dead is a major reason why Pearl Jam and the Grateful Dead are not as similar as people suggest. I also wouldn't characterize what drugs were being injested at Grateful Dead concerts as merely a joint or two. You are posting as if every Grateful Dead show you went to in the 60s, 70s, and 80s were clean shows where some jerk brought a joint and ruined the fun for everyone. It is well documented that it was far more than that.
In any event, I still think that the experience in the live show for Pearl Jam is more comparable to a Bruce Springsteen show, especially from a fans perspective. Both fanbases are very passionate about the music, live and die for the songs, and the bands deliver them in somewhat of a similar fashion - with lengthy concerts that run their whole catalogue without the need for flashy stage pyrotechnics or light shows. With both of them live, the music and the atmosphere speak for itself.
Have your qualms with Springsteen if you want, but making him out toi be a phony is kind of silly.