Pearl Jam Fan Community Survey: Old vs New
The Avocado Album
Posts: 38
in The Porch
Hello everyone!
My name is Lindsay, and I am a freshman undergraduate at an unsuspecting art school somewhere in the United States. For my Writing & Rhetoric class, our semester final is to create a research paper that demonstrates two sides of an argument about any topic that we consider ourselves to be well-versed in, and that we are willing to conduct research in.
Having been nursed by the Pearl Jam teat since the earliest days of my childhood, I would consider myself to be at least somewhat proficient in the ever-nuanced lore that this band continues to generate as the years go by. For this reason, I decided to compare arguments for and against "old" vs "new" Pearl Jam.
This survey will address two aspects of the band; the studio albums, and the live shows.
The dividing point between old and new Pearl Jam will be Roskilde, as it serves as not only a clean division between the 90's and the 2000's, but it also marks a turning point in the band's studio sound, their methods of touring, and the inclusion of Boom onto the band's roster, not to mention the psychological shift that the deaths brought on the band members and their crew.
If you'd like to participate, feel free to leave your replies in the comments or to PM to me. I will most likely use your replies as casual references in my paper, however if you would not like to be directly mentioned, then feel free to specify and I will only use your responses for calculating percentages.
To start off, here's some questions about the band's studio content:
1). In your opinion, what differences in the band's studio sound came to light between their releases before June 30th 2000 (Ten - Binaural) and afterwards(Riot Act - Lightning Bolt)?
2). When you think of "Pearl Jam", does your mind tend to associate the band with their before-2000 sound or after-2000 sound?
3). Would you say that 2000 is a good point to mark a paradigm shift in the band's sound? If not, where else?
4). Was your favorite studio album released before or after 2000? (If Binaural, then it'll be counted as before 2000), (if it's a re-release of an album, then just assign it to the release of the original album), (if it's Lost Dogs, we'll count that as an "in-between", although most of the content was made before 2000).
5). When was the last time you sat down to listen to a Pearl Jam album all the way through? Which album was it?
And now for some questions on touring:
1). Have you gone to more live shows before or after June 30th 2000?
2). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more enjoyable atmosphere?
3). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more enjoyable setlist?
4). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a better performance quality?
5). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more convenient ticket price? (Obviously the prices have gone up in the past two decades, but would you say that the quality of the band's performances makes up for the price hike?)
6). If you haven't gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000 however you have heard performances from both eras on tapes, digital devices, bootlegs, etc., which ones did you prefer? Why?
And finally some supplementary questions that don't necessarily relate to the topic but I would like to know to get :
1). What's your favorite way to listen to Pearl Jam? (Cassette, vinyl, CD, digital download, streaming, radio, etc.)
2). Do you like collecting physical copies of Pearl Jam's music? If so, which kind do you have the most of (cassette, vinyl, CDs, etc.)
3). For the band's future releases, would you like to see them adopt a more "radio ready" sound (think Ten and Backspacer) in order to maintain the band's relevance, or would you like to see them dive into more of a more artistic yet less accessible sound (think No Code and Binaural).
4). Do you think Pearl Jam's fan base has hope for appealing to a younger generation of fans? Or is it destined to attract an ever-graying crowd at live shows like many other bands have?
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time out of their day to respond. Right now I will only be surveying the Porch, however I may branch out into other online Pearl Jam communities if need be.
My name is Lindsay, and I am a freshman undergraduate at an unsuspecting art school somewhere in the United States. For my Writing & Rhetoric class, our semester final is to create a research paper that demonstrates two sides of an argument about any topic that we consider ourselves to be well-versed in, and that we are willing to conduct research in.
Having been nursed by the Pearl Jam teat since the earliest days of my childhood, I would consider myself to be at least somewhat proficient in the ever-nuanced lore that this band continues to generate as the years go by. For this reason, I decided to compare arguments for and against "old" vs "new" Pearl Jam.
This survey will address two aspects of the band; the studio albums, and the live shows.
The dividing point between old and new Pearl Jam will be Roskilde, as it serves as not only a clean division between the 90's and the 2000's, but it also marks a turning point in the band's studio sound, their methods of touring, and the inclusion of Boom onto the band's roster, not to mention the psychological shift that the deaths brought on the band members and their crew.
If you'd like to participate, feel free to leave your replies in the comments or to PM to me. I will most likely use your replies as casual references in my paper, however if you would not like to be directly mentioned, then feel free to specify and I will only use your responses for calculating percentages.
To start off, here's some questions about the band's studio content:
1). In your opinion, what differences in the band's studio sound came to light between their releases before June 30th 2000 (Ten - Binaural) and afterwards(Riot Act - Lightning Bolt)?
2). When you think of "Pearl Jam", does your mind tend to associate the band with their before-2000 sound or after-2000 sound?
3). Would you say that 2000 is a good point to mark a paradigm shift in the band's sound? If not, where else?
4). Was your favorite studio album released before or after 2000? (If Binaural, then it'll be counted as before 2000), (if it's a re-release of an album, then just assign it to the release of the original album), (if it's Lost Dogs, we'll count that as an "in-between", although most of the content was made before 2000).
5). When was the last time you sat down to listen to a Pearl Jam album all the way through? Which album was it?
And now for some questions on touring:
1). Have you gone to more live shows before or after June 30th 2000?
2). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more enjoyable atmosphere?
3). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more enjoyable setlist?
4). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a better performance quality?
5). If you've gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000, which shows had a more convenient ticket price? (Obviously the prices have gone up in the past two decades, but would you say that the quality of the band's performances makes up for the price hike?)
6). If you haven't gone to shows both before and after June 30th 2000 however you have heard performances from both eras on tapes, digital devices, bootlegs, etc., which ones did you prefer? Why?
And finally some supplementary questions that don't necessarily relate to the topic but I would like to know to get :
1). What's your favorite way to listen to Pearl Jam? (Cassette, vinyl, CD, digital download, streaming, radio, etc.)
2). Do you like collecting physical copies of Pearl Jam's music? If so, which kind do you have the most of (cassette, vinyl, CDs, etc.)
3). For the band's future releases, would you like to see them adopt a more "radio ready" sound (think Ten and Backspacer) in order to maintain the band's relevance, or would you like to see them dive into more of a more artistic yet less accessible sound (think No Code and Binaural).
4). Do you think Pearl Jam's fan base has hope for appealing to a younger generation of fans? Or is it destined to attract an ever-graying crowd at live shows like many other bands have?
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time out of their day to respond. Right now I will only be surveying the Porch, however I may branch out into other online Pearl Jam communities if need be.
My parent's attic - 2018
My college dorm - 2019
My college dorm - 2019
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Comments
Especially since we're getting old
Wellington 1998
London 2007
Brisbane 2009
Stockholm 2012
EV Dublin 2017
Milan 2018
Padova 2018
Boston 2 2018
I didn't even make it through. Good luck!
2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
Roskilde had a significant impact on the band but it did not immediately alter their sound. It was approx. the 26th show on a 72-show tour in support of Binaural.
The band's career spans nearly 30 years, so it is difficult to pick a "before and after" dividing line. There are at least three distinct eras: 90-94, 95-98, and the Matt Cameron years from late 98 onward. The music has gotten progressively faster with Matt playing drums. For at least 10 years the band has been racing through songs on stage and cramming as many tunes as they can into marathon shows that, IMO, rarely match the quality of 2006 or earlier. Also, in my opinion, Eddie's voice is not nearly as strong as it was 10 or 12 years ago.
I've been listening to PJ since 92, seeing shows since 95, and personally prefer listening to shows from the 90s and the 2006 tour. I saw numerous shows in 98, 2000, and 2003, but I do not particularly care for the 2003 tour. I only saw two shows in 2006 but totally love that tour. My personal enthusiasm for the band dropped off with Backspacer and I rarely see shows now, but I do think Lightning Bolt is a solid album. I mostly listen on CD and lossless digital, but also love collecting the vinyl. I listen on vinyl when a new album is released or on special occasions when I want to listen closely to a particular album or vault release.
Pearl Jam remains one of the most popular bands in the world. I predict your research will produce such a variety of opinions that it will be difficult to obtain a reliable consensus on many issues. Input from this board may be skewed, as many people here are the "true believers" who love everything the band does.
i was in middle school when vitalogy came out and started listening to the band. But due to location and cost, was only able to attend 1 show in 1998.