PJ Lacking Desire To Be The Best?

124

Comments

  • Tim Simmons
    Tim Simmons Posts: 9,662
    Chris Woodhouse has been doing tons of albums in S.F and LA for the past few years (he did that Wild Flag LP, all the Oh Sees records and a few Ty Segall records). I'd love for PJ to just come in and bash out a record.

    I'd also love to see them work with James Murphy. He did a great job on the last Arcade Fire record (to say nothing of his own records). I love the way he records the low end. I'd love to hear Matt and Jeff stand out.
  • dogtown
    dogtown Posts: 118
    Every time they put out an album, I hear 2-3 of the new songs on TV shows for the next year. Nothing nostalgic about that. I don't care at what pace they tour or put out albums, I'm just thrilled for whatever we get. If they need to slow down to keep touring for longer, that's fine with me.
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,694
    I also agree. I am dying for PJ to use a new producer, but not Rick Rubin.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • vedpunk
    vedpunk Posts: 960
    Interesting post. I agree that Pearl Jam might not be as relevant from a new music prospective but you cannot deny their HUGE draw on the live stage. Go to Ticketmaster right now and you'll see that shows in HAMPTON, GREENVILLE, RALEIGH, and LEXINGTON are almost SOLD OUT. NOBODY except maybe Adele (and some other pop acts) can sellout these locations AND sell tickets BEHIND the stage. Check out other "perceived" more popular acts and they don't even sell close to as many tickets to these venues. Kanye West is in the news every other second and he had to give away tickets to his most recent tour outside of the big cities. Some of you fans need to double check your data before you post. Pearl Jam = ENORMOUS LIVE ACT.
  • Tim Simmons
    Tim Simmons Posts: 9,662
    No one was saying they weren't.
  • vedpunk
    vedpunk Posts: 960
    Actually, there were a couple posts saying it wasn't a big deal that Pearl Jam was selling out concerts and that they weren't relevant in a live setting.
  • PJNB
    PJNB Posts: 13,890
    vedpunk said:

    Actually, there were a couple posts saying it wasn't a big deal that Pearl Jam was selling out concerts and that they weren't relevant in a live setting.

    Blasphemy!

    image
  • vedpunk
    vedpunk Posts: 960
    Troll on
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,694
    :confused:
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 10,906
    vedpunk said:

    Actually, there were a couple posts saying it wasn't a big deal that Pearl Jam was selling out concerts and that they weren't relevant in a live setting.

    I don't think anyone said that. I sort of mentioned how they're popular enough to fill stadiums in the most population dense cities in the US, but maybe not all other places. It's a bit tougher for them to sell tickets to shows in the South or the West (excluding Seattle).

    I also think there's a difference between selling out stadiums and being relevant. AC/DC and U2 can almost sell out entire tours of stadium shows. I don't think they're relevant anymore. I like both bands and I go to see them play, but it's the same thing now. They put out a new album, the new single gets a little radio play, radio station stops playing it and goes back to the classics. Kids barely listen to rock music anymore let alone radio.

    To me "relevant" is when a band puts out their best material and it crosses boundaries and influences a lot of people. Pearl Jam has a die hard fan base and there's a huge quantity of us, but I don't think their influence extends outside the scope anymore. I think Pearl Jam is relevent to us but no longer to the world as a whole. That's the way I like it. You go to a concert and it's an arena full of diehard pj fans. They play some obscure track and the place goes crazy. Most bands try to play something outside a greatest hits setlist and you can hear a pin drop.
  • Jerome230
    Jerome230 Posts: 903
    edited March 2016
    As much as I absolutely loathe anything that has to do with Pitchfork, a quote from their review of LB cracked me up: "Pearl Jam...have essentially been reduced to the rock ‘n’ roll version of wearing sweatpants: they’ve given up trying to impress anyone, so they may as well be comfortable."

    I don't necessarily agree with that, but it still garnered a chuckle.
    Post edited by Jerome230 on
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  • Weston1283
    Weston1283 Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 5,019
    edited March 2016
    Zod said:

    vedpunk said:

    Actually, there were a couple posts saying it wasn't a big deal that Pearl Jam was selling out concerts and that they weren't relevant in a live setting.

    I don't think anyone said that. I sort of mentioned how they're popular enough to fill stadiums in the most population dense cities in the US, but maybe not all other places. It's a bit tougher for them to sell tickets to shows in the South or the West (excluding Seattle).

    I also think there's a difference between selling out stadiums and being relevant. AC/DC and U2 can almost sell out entire tours of stadium shows. I don't think they're relevant anymore. I like both bands and I go to see them play, but it's the same thing now. They put out a new album, the new single gets a little radio play, radio station stops playing it and goes back to the classics. Kids barely listen to rock music anymore let alone radio.

    To me "relevant" is when a band puts out their best material and it crosses boundaries and influences a lot of people. Pearl Jam has a die hard fan base and there's a huge quantity of us, but I don't think their influence extends outside the scope anymore. I think Pearl Jam is relevent to us but no longer to the world as a whole. That's the way I like it. You go to a concert and it's an arena full of diehard pj fans. They play some obscure track and the place goes crazy. Most bands try to play something outside a greatest hits setlist and you can hear a pin drop.
    This. Not being "mainstream relevant" isnt a bad thing at all.
    Post edited by Weston1283 on
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  • pjalive21
    pjalive21 St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,818
    Zod said:

    vedpunk said:

    Actually, there were a couple posts saying it wasn't a big deal that Pearl Jam was selling out concerts and that they weren't relevant in a live setting.

    I don't think anyone said that. I sort of mentioned how they're popular enough to fill stadiums in the most population dense cities in the US, but maybe not all other places. It's a bit tougher for them to sell tickets to shows in the South or the West (excluding Seattle).

    I also think there's a difference between selling out stadiums and being relevant. AC/DC and U2 can almost sell out entire tours of stadium shows. I don't think they're relevant anymore. I like both bands and I go to see them play, but it's the same thing now. They put out a new album, the new single gets a little radio play, radio station stops playing it and goes back to the classics. Kids barely listen to rock music anymore let alone radio.

    To me "relevant" is when a band puts out their best material and it crosses boundaries and influences a lot of people. Pearl Jam has a die hard fan base and there's a huge quantity of us, but I don't think their influence extends outside the scope anymore. I think Pearl Jam is relevent to us but no longer to the world as a whole. That's the way I like it. You go to a concert and it's an arena full of diehard pj fans. They play some obscure track and the place goes crazy. Most bands try to play something outside a greatest hits setlist and you can hear a pin drop.
    I agree with almost all of what you said but the way a show like Lexington is selling one may argue your only populated dense cities point, but yeah NY and Philly for example those shows sell like crazy

    I like your point about most other bands not being able to stray from their hits or they hear a pin drop, but at a PJ show they play an obscurity and the place goes nuts...that's so true and what I love about the PJ experience



  • scurtis
    scurtis Posts: 2,477
    People change and evolve, bands change and evolve, I'm happy they're all still together. If PJ was all their sole focus it would have died long ago.
    "Born on third, thinks he got a triple."
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,471
    Grateful Dead weren't relevant since the 70's but they sold out shows in the 80's&90's. They morphed into further and dead inc and still sell out stadiums...

    PJ is our GD now. They can pack a punch in a show and it'll always be a good show.
  • GoFish72
    GoFish72 Rock Hill, SC Posts: 20
    The state of Rock music today is pretty sad. I'm just happy that my favorite band is still putting out good albums (OK, maybe not as epic as Ten, Vs...) and performing awesome shows. I took my 18 yr old daughter to a show in 2013 and she's hooked. She will be attending the Greenville show with me and we can't wait.
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  • KP_McMinn
    KP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    my2hands said:

    I don't want Rick Rubin anywhere near a pearl jam studio

    +1
  • BS44325
    BS44325 Posts: 6,124
    The band needs a saxophone
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,694
    edited March 2016
    BS44325 said:

    The band needs a saxophone

    A bass saxophone.
    I mean, who can't envision Eddie playing one of these??

    image
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • vedpunk
    vedpunk Posts: 960
    Agreed but a band that isn't relevant can't sell out (or close to sell out) HAMPTON, GREENVILLE, RALEIGH, and LEXINGTON. Not possible. Pearl Jam are still a relevant band because there are still a ton of people outside of the Ten Club going to shows. A few hundred of us Ten Club members going to multiple shows isn't moving the needle. These venues average around 18K capacity so there has to be a huge percentage of casual fans.

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