Article - Grand Rapida Press - Show not perfect, but long set list satisfies fans
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Pearl Jam provides hours of fun ; Show not perfect, but long set list satisfies fans
Troy Reimink / The Grand Rapids Press
20 May 2006
The Grand Rapids Press
All Editions
E1
Pearl Jam's new album may have reconnected the band with a lot of old fans, but Friday night's show at Van Andel Arena was for the diehards who've stuck with them all along.
As Pearl Jam spent the last decade retreating from the mainstream, a thriving subculture of fans took root and grew in the spotlight's absence. Following the band from city to city, Pearl Jam's cult resembles that of Phish back in the day, only with better hygiene.
This cult -- lately the media have taken, awkwardly, to calling it the "Jamily" -- was out in full force Friday, as the legendary grunge band made only its second visit to Grand Rapids in its 16- year history (2004's Vote For Change show was the first).
And the Pearl Jam cult knows a few things the average concert- goer doesn't.
First, pay attention to the start time listed on your ticket.
No sooner did the clock strike 7:30 than singer Eddie Vedder strolled onstage and treated the relatively few punctual fans to a solo acoustic set that included "Dead Man" (a B-side from the "No Code" era) and a cover of the Who's "I Can't Explain," in honor of Pete Townshend's birthday.
Another thing the diehards know: the lyrics. To everything. The band took the stage in a subdued fashion, and as guitarist Stone Gossard strummed the chords to "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (odd choice for an opener), Vedder seemed to struggle with the words. Fortunately, the crowd of 11,163-plus filled in capably.
But the cult also knows this: Such imperfections are part of the odd perfection of Pearl Jam shows, which in recent years have become like family gatherings -- unpredictable, idiosyncratic and always entertaining.
The band -- Vedder, guitarists Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron, keyboardist Boom Gaspar -- performed a typically strong set of fan favorites ("Why Go," "Hard to Imagine," "Rearviewmirror," "Crazy Mary") and an ample selection from its self-titled new album.
Though some hits found their way into the set ("Even Flow," "Daughter," "Corduroy," "Alive"), the band stuck mostly to the more obscure corners of its now-massive catalog.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit happily belonging to Pearl Jam's family of diehards, so the esoteric stuff is right up my alley. Friday was my 10th show, which means I've seen them more than many fans have, but much, much less than others.
Does this compromise my objectivity as a critic? Perhaps. Virtually the only way I'd give them a bad review was if they'd decided to do Creed covers all night.
That said, Friday's show wasn't the best Pearl Jam concert I've seen. A little nitpicking: The use of lasers during new songs "Severed Hand" and "Army Reserved" was kind of silly. Also, fans got restless during the first encore, which included slower numbers such as "Parting Ways," "Around the Bend" and "Sleight of Hand," which has never been very good live.
But Pearl Jam shows become magical because of small details -- the way "Rearviewmirror" gets jammed out, slows down to almost nothing, then kicks back in for a magnificent finale; how the first encore break means the concert is only 60 percent over; how "Off He Goes" is one of their best live songs; how a Mike McCready solo is the answer to pretty much everything.
So consider this diehard satisfied -- and ready for another show.
Helping considerably was My Morning Jacket, a five-piece band from Kentucky, who performed a blistering set of meaty rock. The show was mostly split between material from last year's "Z" and previous release "It Still Moves."
The otherworldly voice of Jim James guided the group through extended versions of the bouncy "Off the Record" and "Lay Low," which features blowout guitar jam befitting the band's Southern heritage.
Of course, with Vedder sitting in on their first song, MMJ didn't need to work too hard at winning over the audience.
Pearl Jam provides hours of fun ; Show not perfect, but long set list satisfies fans
Troy Reimink / The Grand Rapids Press
20 May 2006
The Grand Rapids Press
All Editions
E1
Pearl Jam's new album may have reconnected the band with a lot of old fans, but Friday night's show at Van Andel Arena was for the diehards who've stuck with them all along.
As Pearl Jam spent the last decade retreating from the mainstream, a thriving subculture of fans took root and grew in the spotlight's absence. Following the band from city to city, Pearl Jam's cult resembles that of Phish back in the day, only with better hygiene.
This cult -- lately the media have taken, awkwardly, to calling it the "Jamily" -- was out in full force Friday, as the legendary grunge band made only its second visit to Grand Rapids in its 16- year history (2004's Vote For Change show was the first).
And the Pearl Jam cult knows a few things the average concert- goer doesn't.
First, pay attention to the start time listed on your ticket.
No sooner did the clock strike 7:30 than singer Eddie Vedder strolled onstage and treated the relatively few punctual fans to a solo acoustic set that included "Dead Man" (a B-side from the "No Code" era) and a cover of the Who's "I Can't Explain," in honor of Pete Townshend's birthday.
Another thing the diehards know: the lyrics. To everything. The band took the stage in a subdued fashion, and as guitarist Stone Gossard strummed the chords to "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (odd choice for an opener), Vedder seemed to struggle with the words. Fortunately, the crowd of 11,163-plus filled in capably.
But the cult also knows this: Such imperfections are part of the odd perfection of Pearl Jam shows, which in recent years have become like family gatherings -- unpredictable, idiosyncratic and always entertaining.
The band -- Vedder, guitarists Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron, keyboardist Boom Gaspar -- performed a typically strong set of fan favorites ("Why Go," "Hard to Imagine," "Rearviewmirror," "Crazy Mary") and an ample selection from its self-titled new album.
Though some hits found their way into the set ("Even Flow," "Daughter," "Corduroy," "Alive"), the band stuck mostly to the more obscure corners of its now-massive catalog.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit happily belonging to Pearl Jam's family of diehards, so the esoteric stuff is right up my alley. Friday was my 10th show, which means I've seen them more than many fans have, but much, much less than others.
Does this compromise my objectivity as a critic? Perhaps. Virtually the only way I'd give them a bad review was if they'd decided to do Creed covers all night.
That said, Friday's show wasn't the best Pearl Jam concert I've seen. A little nitpicking: The use of lasers during new songs "Severed Hand" and "Army Reserved" was kind of silly. Also, fans got restless during the first encore, which included slower numbers such as "Parting Ways," "Around the Bend" and "Sleight of Hand," which has never been very good live.
But Pearl Jam shows become magical because of small details -- the way "Rearviewmirror" gets jammed out, slows down to almost nothing, then kicks back in for a magnificent finale; how the first encore break means the concert is only 60 percent over; how "Off He Goes" is one of their best live songs; how a Mike McCready solo is the answer to pretty much everything.
So consider this diehard satisfied -- and ready for another show.
Helping considerably was My Morning Jacket, a five-piece band from Kentucky, who performed a blistering set of meaty rock. The show was mostly split between material from last year's "Z" and previous release "It Still Moves."
The otherworldly voice of Jim James guided the group through extended versions of the bouncy "Off the Record" and "Lay Low," which features blowout guitar jam befitting the band's Southern heritage.
Of course, with Vedder sitting in on their first song, MMJ didn't need to work too hard at winning over the audience.
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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Comments
I think he was talking about "Sleight Of Hand", and he's still full of shit.