Where does Pearl Jam go from here?

mcgruff10

A few people have mentioned merchandise.  To me Pearl Jam is not to blame for the merchandise, the fans are 100% the reason so much merchandise is created.   We buy the shit out of it.  Instead of walking around a gorgeous city, spend time with your better half or even sit in a bar and drink local beer, we some how justify how it is ok to line up for hours to buy merch.  I remember laughing to myself with reports of "it only took an hour to get through the merch line."   We the fans are 100% responsible for the continued creation of all types of merch.  

Thirty Bills Unpaid

What's shocking in my mind is the fact that today's political climate (and societal issues) have not been enough to inspire even a half-assed effort towards writing. If the fellas aren't motivated to write music these crazy days... I don't know when they might be then.

Maybe it has? I don't know.

Attaway77

RYME said:

Just some food for thought here, read this Rolling Stone article about 85 year old Willie Nelson who keeps doing 100 shows per year, smokes weed and stays up till 4 in the morning playing poker, 2 weeks on 2 weeks off.  And has released 19 albums in the last 10 years.  Over his career, 68 Studio albums 12 live albums (no bootlegs) 42 compilation albums, 2 soundtrack albums and 34 collaboration albums.  He's got more albums in the incubator as I write this.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/willie-nelson-at-85-a-visit-with-the-king-of-night-life-630334/amp/#referrer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s
At 54 years of age Willie was just getting started.

Correct, "Willie Nelson".... Not Willie Nelson and his four other band members he's been making music with the past 20 plus years...  They are a band, not a one man act. PJ is just fine, another album will come out soon enough and we will go see them live like fans always do. Everything is just fine...........

brianlux

Attaway77 said:

RYME said:

Just some food for thought here, read this Rolling Stone article about 85 year old Willie Nelson who keeps doing 100 shows per year, smokes weed and stays up till 4 in the morning playing poker, 2 weeks on 2 weeks off.  And has released 19 albums in the last 10 years.  Over his career, 68 Studio albums 12 live albums (no bootlegs) 42 compilation albums, 2 soundtrack albums and 34 collaboration albums.  He's got more albums in the incubator as I write this.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/willie-nelson-at-85-a-visit-with-the-king-of-night-life-630334/amp/#referrer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s
At 54 years of age Willie was just getting started.

Correct, "Willie Nelson".... Not Willie Nelson and his four other band members he's been making music with the past 20 plus years...  They are a band, not a one man act. PJ is just fine, another album will come out soon enough and we will go see them live like fans always do. Everything is just fine...........

Actually, Willie Nelson has made the majority of his albums and mostly toured with his Family Band, the surviving member of whom have been with him a long, long time.  I think RYME's point stands and is well taken.

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

What's shocking in my mind is the fact that today's political climate (and societal issues) have not been enough to inspire even a half-assed effort towards writing. If the fellas aren't motivated to write music these crazy days... I don't know when they might be then.

Maybe it has? I don't know.

This!

Lost In Ohio

Cob said:

As a longtime Deadhead, I used to cringe when Pearl Jam fans or people in general would compare Pearl Jam to the Grateful Dead, but over the past 4 years or so, they have changed their MO to basically match Grateful Dead and even Phish, they have turned into a band that make their money off of touring, haven't released any recent studio material and tend to stick to playing areas they know they can make money, which is Europe, East Coast and Chicago in the US and festivals and large stadiums. 

Having been a fan of Grateful Dead and Phish (you can insert whatever joke you wish) I am somewhat used to it, as I have gone through this with two other bands already, I have to say I can't blame them, that's their bread and butter, I mean Grateful Dead released a studio LP in 1979 and the next one didn't come out until 1987.  PJ has taken the same route, their concerts are mainly older songs the fans prefer to hear, just like the other bands I mentioned, I am not upset about them not doing the "Holiday Single" that was normally a year or more behind.

I do wish since they are not doing it anymore, that they would do something like release a Vault CD or download of a full show every year to fan club members only and not the general public.  This is the direction they are heading, but like I said, I have already been through it was 2 different bands.   As long as they play live shows I can live with it, although the last US "tour" didn't seem to promising for future tours, all stadium shows, no arenas or amphitheater's, only large stadiums that produce large revenue, but I went to Seattle and Wrigley and enjoyed the shows.  They also seem to be WAY more interested with selling products and pitching things to sell you the past 3-4 years.

They are still one of my favorite bands, that won't change, but I am into other bands a lot also, so I will survive.

Unless it's a pop artist/band, does a group really need to pump out new music? For years, it seems like everyone's said that the real money is in touring. Stuff used to go platinum several times and even go diamond. Yield and prior all went platinum. Backspacer went gold. Lightning Bolt didn't...and I bet other bands are the same.

Sure, new music would be welcome, but Pearl Jam can't be the only group in this situation..

Yes, touring has slowed down, but that's also been their cycle for several albums now. They release, tour, slow the tours down the next several years and then release something new.

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I bet we're not in this situation if Chris doesn't kill himself. I wonder if there's an "alternative reality" of sorts where Chris doesn't kill himself, Soundgarden tours the rest of 2017 and part into 2018. Pearl Jam then releases something mid/late 2018 and then there's a multi-leg tour with USA and southern hemisphere late 2018 and then Europe summer 2019.

brianlux

Lost In Ohio said:

Cob said:

As a longtime Deadhead, I used to cringe when Pearl Jam fans or people in general would compare Pearl Jam to the Grateful Dead, but over the past 4 years or so, they have changed their MO to basically match Grateful Dead and even Phish, they have turned into a band that make their money off of touring, haven't released any recent studio material and tend to stick to playing areas they know they can make money, which is Europe, East Coast and Chicago in the US and festivals and large stadiums. 

Having been a fan of Grateful Dead and Phish (you can insert whatever joke you wish) I am somewhat used to it, as I have gone through this with two other bands already, I have to say I can't blame them, that's their bread and butter, I mean Grateful Dead released a studio LP in 1979 and the next one didn't come out until 1987.  PJ has taken the same route, their concerts are mainly older songs the fans prefer to hear, just like the other bands I mentioned, I am not upset about them not doing the "Holiday Single" that was normally a year or more behind.

I do wish since they are not doing it anymore, that they would do something like release a Vault CD or download of a full show every year to fan club members only and not the general public.  This is the direction they are heading, but like I said, I have already been through it was 2 different bands.   As long as they play live shows I can live with it, although the last US "tour" didn't seem to promising for future tours, all stadium shows, no arenas or amphitheater's, only large stadiums that produce large revenue, but I went to Seattle and Wrigley and enjoyed the shows.  They also seem to be WAY more interested with selling products and pitching things to sell you the past 3-4 years.

They are still one of my favorite bands, that won't change, but I am into other bands a lot also, so I will survive.

Unless it's a pop artist/band, does a group really need to pump out new music? For years, it seems like everyone's said that the real money is in touring. Stuff used to go platinum several times and even go diamond. Yield and prior all went platinum. Backspacer went gold. Lightning Bolt didn't...and I bet other bands are the same.

Sure, new music would be welcome, but Pearl Jam can't be the only group in this situation..

Yes, touring has slowed down, but that's also been their cycle for several albums now. They release, tour, slow the tours down the next several years and then release something new.

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I bet we're not in this situation if Chris doesn't kill himself. I wonder if there's an "alternative reality" of sorts where Chris doesn't kill himself, Soundgarden tours the rest of 2017 and part into 2018. Pearl Jam then releases something mid/late 2018 and then there's a multi-leg tour with USA and southern hemisphere late 2018 and then Europe summer 2019.

I would think just the opposite.  For example, when John Maylall's friend, J.B. Lenoir died, Mayall was inspired to write a great song about him and put out the best album of his career, Crusade.  Niel Young was just forming a friendship with Kurt Cobain and when Cobain killed himself, Young put out the ambitious Sleeps With Angles album and starting rocking hard again.  I'm sure there are other examples. 

RYME

Attaway77 said:

RYME said:

Just some food for thought here, read this Rolling Stone article about 85 year old Willie Nelson who keeps doing 100 shows per year, smokes weed and stays up till 4 in the morning playing poker, 2 weeks on 2 weeks off.  And has released 19 albums in the last 10 years.  Over his career, 68 Studio albums 12 live albums (no bootlegs) 42 compilation albums, 2 soundtrack albums and 34 collaboration albums.  He's got more albums in the incubator as I write this.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/willie-nelson-at-85-a-visit-with-the-king-of-night-life-630334/amp/#referrer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s
At 54 years of age Willie was just getting started.

Correct, "Willie Nelson".... Not Willie Nelson and his four other band members he's been making music with the past 20 plus years...  They are a band, not a one man act. PJ is just fine, another album will come out soon enough and we will go see them live like fans always do. Everything is just fine...........

He's had pretty much the same core band members  (Willie Nelson and Family) much of his career. Mickey Raphael legendary harmonicist for 45 years 5,400 shows.  Willie has maintained the same line up since about 1973.
He added a new base player because his long time bassest Bee Spears died in 2011.
I'm not shiting on Ed or PJ.  It's just a very very different mentality.  A lot of bands think they are tired, washed up, uninspired perhaps at about age 54, Others never get tired of it.
Not only does he not tire of it but is still really good.
https://youtu.be/Fk55FA6_xkM

bootlegger10

I am sure the economics are quite different between Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson’s band.  I would view the band members in willie Nelson’s band more so as employees than Pearl Jam where they are more like equals although i am sure Ed would make the most.

My point is that artists like Willie, Bruce and Neil can control when and how much new music and touring is made/done.   Pearl Jam is not Eddie Vedder and the Jams.   He controls it and has veto power, but it is more like a president/congress setup versus a dictatorship.

RYME

(another glitch with my curser)

brianlux

bootlegger10 said:

I am sure the economics are quite different between Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson’s band.  I would view the band members in willie Nelson’s band more so as employees than Pearl Jam where they are more like equals although i am sure Ed would make the most.

My point is that artists like Willie, Bruce and Neil can control when and how much new music and touring is made/done.   Pearl Jam is not Eddie Vedder and the Jams.   He controls it and has veto power, but it is more like a president/congress setup versus a dictatorship.

There's a reason Willie's band is called Family.  Some are actually family (Bobbie Nelson, Willie's sister) and the others very much like family, travel and live as family.  I seriously doubt Willie views the band members as employees and I doubt they view themselves as employees. 

NewJPage

bootlegger10 said:

I am sure the economics are quite different between Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson’s band.  I would view the band members in willie Nelson’s band more so as employees than Pearl Jam where they are more like equals although i am sure Ed would make the most.

My point is that artists like Willie, Bruce and Neil can control when and how much new music and touring is made/done.   Pearl Jam is not Eddie Vedder and the Jams.   He controls it and has veto power, but it is more like a president/congress setup versus a dictatorship.

Ed does have a lot of control, but it's not like he's recording any of his own music when not with pj. At least jeff matt and mike are releasing things occasionally. Ed has 1 new song in over 5 years and he's been doing essentially the same solo shows for a decade. Neil has 7 albums in 5 years (not to mention massive archival releases)

brianlux

There's this great "3 DVD Exclusive Edition" version of "Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who" that has a disc in it called "Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones."  This disc contains six mini-documentaries.  Eddie Vedder comments throughout all of these and adds a marvelous dimension to the documentaries with his brilliant, incisive observations about the members of The Who and their music.  They're really quite fun as well as insightful to watch.

In the mini-doc about Pete Townshend, an older Pete says this:

I wrote the first song for The Who called "Can't Explain" which was a hit here and I feel that that had connected with the audience.  And I realized that a lot of the people that I'd been taught by, seemed to me--   I'd mentioned earlier that they were always struggling for finance-- what they were really struggling for was to find a commission, to find an audience, to have somebody say to them, "Will you do this for me?"  And what I felt happened was, is that the band, the members of the band, the record company, the managers and the audience were all saying to me, "We really like this song you wrote.  Write some more.  And I thought, "Ah! I'm an artist.  I've got a commission."  And that has sustained me all my life.  Just that simple thing, "Write some more."

When I heard Townshend say that, I got to thinking about how several people here (and on  Spiritual_Chaos's thread "A new beginning or the final chapter?") have voiced the opinion that to them Pearl Jam has been stagnating, or coasting or something to that effect or that they are like their own tribute band and have produced little in the way on new music for quite some time.  I've felt the same for for a number of years though I've also stated the idea that this band owes us nothing more than what they have already done, which has been a lot.

But then I heard Pete talking and I thought, Yeah, but wouldn't it be great if Ed and the other guys went back to this video and somehow got the message that some here are saying which is, "We like what you've done, now write some more."  Would they find Pete's words inspiring?  Would they be motivated to push themselves to new heights, to go new places with their work, to try something different, to write better songs again?  Would they find our desires as fans worthy?  I think they very possibly would. 

But of course, what band reads its fans' drivel?  Probably not.  But maybe... just maybe...

my_wave

The answer is simple: Jack Irons

And i'm not saying replace Matt...,

BUT... i think the band was very inspired, and maybe at their most creative when they were in the studio with jack, and the end results were no code and yield... they were much more loose and relaxed and just let things happen... i think the band thinks too much about songwriting now, and maybe brendan o'brien has something to do with that..., the last 2 albums are definitely more commercial/over produced, pop rock sounding than the previous live feel of past albums, but anyways..., i feel like if the guys got together with jack and just jammed it would just happen naturally and a lot of songs would come out of it... and since jack doesn't like to tour that's where matt comes in, their styles are completely different, but i've always seen matt as more of a studio musician and jack more experimental and less technical, also there's no reason pearl jam can't have 2 drummers... one can dream... so why not...?

Lerxst1992

Cob said:

As a longtime Deadhead, I used to cringe when Pearl Jam fans or people in general would compare Pearl Jam to the Grateful Dead, but over the past 4 years or so, they have changed their MO to basically match Grateful Dead and even Phish, they have turned into a band that make their money off of touring, haven't released any recent studio material and tend to stick to playing areas they know they can make money, which is Europe, East Coast and Chicago in the US and festivals and large stadiums. 

Having been a fan of Grateful Dead and Phish (you can insert whatever joke you wish) I am somewhat used to it, as I have gone through this with two other bands already, I have to say I can't blame them, that's their bread and butter, I mean Grateful Dead released a studio LP in 1979 and the next one didn't come out until 1987.  PJ has taken the same route, their concerts are mainly older songs the fans prefer to hear, just like the other bands I mentioned, I am not upset about them not doing the "Holiday Single" that was normally a year or more behind.

I do wish since they are not doing it anymore, that they would do something like release a Vault CD or download of a full show every year to fan club members only and not the general public.  This is the direction they are heading, but like I said, I have already been through it was 2 different bands.   As long as they play live shows I can live with it, although the last US "tour" didn't seem to promising for future tours, all stadium shows, no arenas or amphitheater's, only large stadiums that produce large revenue, but I went to Seattle and Wrigley and enjoyed the shows.  They also seem to be WAY more interested with selling products and pitching things to sell you the past 3-4 years.

They are still one of my favorite bands, that won't change, but I am into other bands a lot also, so I will survive.

Its a bit surprising to see a comparison of PJ to the Dead, bc the Dead played about 2500 shows in their 30 year career while PJ at 27 years is languishing at 900 something shows.

Also, PJ exists in an era now where studio albums are a loss leader, taking away much enthusiasm for older bands today to record full albums

I wouldn't say PJ is in their final chapter bc of the annual single discontinuance

I would say take a look at their previous five years and expect about the same work pacing, 25 shows perhaps every other year, maybe every 18-20 months. And a new album every six years.

As they enter their mid 50s, perhaps we have 8 years remaining in this chapter

RYME

I have a novel idea that just popped into my head on my 2nd cup of coffee today.  Why don't they just update us every 6 months as to what's going on? And be upfront with us  so we don't have to sit here and speculate all the time.   ya know throw us a bone once in a while.

Get_Right

mcgruff10 said:

A few people have mentioned merchandise.  To me Pearl Jam is not to blame for the merchandise, the fans are 100% the reason so much merchandise is created.   We buy the shit out of it.  Instead of walking around a gorgeous city, spend time with your better half or even sit in a bar and drink local beer, we some how justify how it is ok to line up for hours to buy merch.  I remember laughing to myself with reports of "it only took an hour to get through the merch line."   We the fans are 100% responsible for the continued creation of all types of merch.  

The increase in merch is also what got me thinking that they hired a company to run the club and develop more merch.  I also think that PJ probably makes more money off merch than ticket sales. 

As for the comparison to the Dead, the PJ business model is similar, they mix up the set lists like the dead, and the fans share a bond that is similar to the deadheads without the smell. Other than that there really are not a lot of similarities.  Although I have said on many occasions that Eddie Vedder replaced Jerry Garcia in my life. Sad but true

Wma31394

Similarities to the Dead and Pearl Jam??? I dont see any really. Pearl jam had a chance to be the touring band of my generation..but they passed. Pj had a chance to allow their live music to be available for basically free..but they passed. Pj had a chance to fight the machines and keep ticket prices low, but they passed. They chose to cash in, I dont blame that for that. APPLES TO ORANGES PEOPLE.

RYME

Wma31394 said:

Similarities to the Dead and Pearl Jam??? I dont see any really. Pearl jam had a chance to be the touring band of my generation..but they passed. Pj had a chance to allow their live music to be available for basically free..but they passed. Pj had a chance to fight the machines and keep ticket prices low, but they passed. They chose to cash in, I dont blame that for that. APPLES TO ORANGES PEOPLE.

They've pritty much punted on all things that they claimed to be for and against back when they were  ridin' high and what made us love them in the first place.
But they are no Grateful Dead nor do they resemble the Grateful Dead.  Although some of the're posters suggest that they would like to be like the Grateful Dead.
https://goo.gl/images/DrgCDH
&
https://goo.gl/images/AUVz5u
for example.

 I brought up Willie the other day, (Waylon died at 64.  He would still be touring today if he could.)
Look at his massive discography releasing sometimes two albums a year.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waylon_Jennings_singles_discography
Pearl Jam could've been in the same league as GD WJ WN Neil Young, The Who, so far they have chosen not to.

BF89905

Simply, Pearl Jam will go where they want. 'Have a healthy and enjoyable 2019

PB11041

mcgruff10 said:

A few people have mentioned merchandise.  To me Pearl Jam is not to blame for the merchandise, the fans are 100% the reason so much merchandise is created.   We buy the shit out of it.  Instead of walking around a gorgeous city, spend time with your better half or even sit in a bar and drink local beer, we some how justify how it is ok to line up for hours to buy merch.  I remember laughing to myself with reports of "it only took an hour to get through the merch line."   We the fans are 100% responsible for the continued creation of all types of merch.  

100% (and I don't type that lingo lightly)