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Flint Journal Review On Pearl Jam At The Palace
IamMine
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http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/features-2/1148392279193830.xml&coll=5#continue
Motor City intensity: Pearl Jam works hard to rock Palace
Review
AUBURN HILLS
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
By Doug Pullen
dpullen@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6140
AUBURN HILLS - Pearl Jam is in a good place these days. It's a place the Seattle quintet fought hard to be, having rejected the instant stardom that came with its phenomenally popular 1991 debut album by spending the better part of the last 15 years trying to run away from it.
They preserved their integrity and created a bond with fans that's drawn comparisons to the Grateful Dead and other fan-friendly bands, though it comes at the expense of the very visibility that helped put them in the position to run away in the first place.
They're running no more. Monday's performance at The Palace, their first there in nearly three years, came on the heels of the group's eighth and best album since those early days.
Advertisement
The self-titled "Pearl Jam" suggests a new beginning, and the Palace stop confirmed it with a performance that was often as rugged and intense as the Motor City itself.
In contrast to last Friday's more celebratory show in Grand Rapids, one of those truly magical nights where a young, enthusiastic crowd clearly energized these nearly middle-aged rockers, the Detroit performance seemed to reflect the intensity of the host city.
"You're a hard-working town," singer Eddie Vedder said, earlier noting that it may be "harder than hell to find a job in this city, but you sure as hell got the best club here," the basketball-loving singer's tribute to the Detroit Pistons.
Vedder also dedicated a lovely version of "Come Back," a bluesy ballad from the new album about a lost friend, to Detroit Red Wing and local restaurateur Chris Chelios, who watched from the side of the stage.
Sweeter still was a spot-on cover of Detroit proto-punkers the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," which closed the 31-song, two-hour, 45-minute show on an appropriately frenetic note.
"Cleveland is where they put the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you think of all the music that come out of Detroit, it should be here," Vedder said earlier. "And it's still coming."
Monday's performance, like Friday's in Grand Rapids, touched upon various facets of the band's repertoire, from longtime anthems such as "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Even Flow" from that debut album, "Ten," to moodier tracks such as "In Hiding" and "I Am Mine," and another in a long line of blowout renditions of "Rearviewmirror."
The performance featured a whopping 10 of the new album's 13 songs, one of which, a rousing "Gone," was performed solo by Vedder to start the show (one reason why it's advisable to show up early).
New songs like the contemplative chant "Wasted Reprise" and its churning, roiling big brother, "Life Wasted," were particularly impressive, as was a heftier version of the rock radio hit "World Wide Suicide" and a lovelier "Come Back."
Pearl Jam fed off the crowd's considerable - and vocal - energy, with Vedder often inviting the willing crowd to sing along. It wasn't without its lighthearted moments, either, as Vedder plucked a sign language interpreter onstage to illustrate "Given to Fly" and take a spin on the dance floor.
Openers My Morning Jacket are making the most of the opportunity to reach a wider audience. The band's taut, 45-minute set was highlighted by singer Jim James' soaring vocals.
No longer running from big success, Pearl Jam seems to be have embraced it on their own terms. And that's a good place to be, if Monday's performance is any indication.
********************************************
IamMine's note: While I enjoyed this review, I hated the term "middle-aged" - DISCRIMATION!!!!!!!!!!
Stop with the age shit!!!!
Stop drilling that into their head... they ARE young at mind!!
...and looking damn fine, too!!!!!!!!!!
Motor City intensity: Pearl Jam works hard to rock Palace
Review
AUBURN HILLS
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
By Doug Pullen
dpullen@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6140
AUBURN HILLS - Pearl Jam is in a good place these days. It's a place the Seattle quintet fought hard to be, having rejected the instant stardom that came with its phenomenally popular 1991 debut album by spending the better part of the last 15 years trying to run away from it.
They preserved their integrity and created a bond with fans that's drawn comparisons to the Grateful Dead and other fan-friendly bands, though it comes at the expense of the very visibility that helped put them in the position to run away in the first place.
They're running no more. Monday's performance at The Palace, their first there in nearly three years, came on the heels of the group's eighth and best album since those early days.
Advertisement
The self-titled "Pearl Jam" suggests a new beginning, and the Palace stop confirmed it with a performance that was often as rugged and intense as the Motor City itself.
In contrast to last Friday's more celebratory show in Grand Rapids, one of those truly magical nights where a young, enthusiastic crowd clearly energized these nearly middle-aged rockers, the Detroit performance seemed to reflect the intensity of the host city.
"You're a hard-working town," singer Eddie Vedder said, earlier noting that it may be "harder than hell to find a job in this city, but you sure as hell got the best club here," the basketball-loving singer's tribute to the Detroit Pistons.
Vedder also dedicated a lovely version of "Come Back," a bluesy ballad from the new album about a lost friend, to Detroit Red Wing and local restaurateur Chris Chelios, who watched from the side of the stage.
Sweeter still was a spot-on cover of Detroit proto-punkers the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," which closed the 31-song, two-hour, 45-minute show on an appropriately frenetic note.
"Cleveland is where they put the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you think of all the music that come out of Detroit, it should be here," Vedder said earlier. "And it's still coming."
Monday's performance, like Friday's in Grand Rapids, touched upon various facets of the band's repertoire, from longtime anthems such as "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Even Flow" from that debut album, "Ten," to moodier tracks such as "In Hiding" and "I Am Mine," and another in a long line of blowout renditions of "Rearviewmirror."
The performance featured a whopping 10 of the new album's 13 songs, one of which, a rousing "Gone," was performed solo by Vedder to start the show (one reason why it's advisable to show up early).
New songs like the contemplative chant "Wasted Reprise" and its churning, roiling big brother, "Life Wasted," were particularly impressive, as was a heftier version of the rock radio hit "World Wide Suicide" and a lovelier "Come Back."
Pearl Jam fed off the crowd's considerable - and vocal - energy, with Vedder often inviting the willing crowd to sing along. It wasn't without its lighthearted moments, either, as Vedder plucked a sign language interpreter onstage to illustrate "Given to Fly" and take a spin on the dance floor.
Openers My Morning Jacket are making the most of the opportunity to reach a wider audience. The band's taut, 45-minute set was highlighted by singer Jim James' soaring vocals.
No longer running from big success, Pearl Jam seems to be have embraced it on their own terms. And that's a good place to be, if Monday's performance is any indication.
********************************************
IamMine's note: While I enjoyed this review, I hated the term "middle-aged" - DISCRIMATION!!!!!!!!!!
Stop with the age shit!!!!
Stop drilling that into their head... they ARE young at mind!!
...and looking damn fine, too!!!!!!!!!!
JA: Why do I get the Ticketmaster question?
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
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