PS: I think this pit reflects how special this band is.
I agree totally with you on this! Since I first started reading here I really liked the people...ok some can be irritating, but still put smiles on my face. Its an open atmosphere here..thanks everybody!
Why not be mediocre and be the best at it that you can be?
i too can't put it into words, but i will say this...........
knowing tons of people feel the exact same way about Pearl Jam as do, helps me feel like i belong. we all relate to PJ in about the same way. it makes me feel like i fit. when 98% of the time i don't fit in.
i'm going to stop before i start crying.........
*~Pearl Jam will be blasted from speakers until morale improves~*
I got into pj when I was 15 I love to think back to those carefree years of my life, being in my late twenties now I have alot more stresses and worries than I did in the early 90's. Pearl Jam always lets me reflect on that, and I always feel much better after listening to those older songs, and I'm proud of them for sticking through the years and still busting out new songs, with the sound that I've loved for so many years. Thank you Pj.
I have been a PJ fan since the release of ten, I have all their albums and as a student their poster was up my wall for years. Although I have always listened to their music, the show in Arnhem last August caused a change. I had not felt that much alive as during and after the shows for years. The music touches my heart and soul - for better and worse. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it brings peace....
My friends do not understand me - although they enjoyed the concert very much as well, they are not as inspired (or rather crazy) as I am. It is good to meet similar spirits here on the board!!!!
Amsterdam 1996, Arnhem 2006, Nijmegen 2007, Dusseldorf 2007, Rotterdam 2009
London 2009, Dublin 2010, Belfast 2010, Nijmegen 2010, Manchester I & II 2012, Amsterdam I 2012, Stockholm 2012, EV Amsterdam I 2012
ok im not great with words and i've spent ages trying to do justice to how i feel about pearl jam with a combination of letters and full stops (which is impossible) Anyway here goes:
I put on a pearl jam album and it lifts my conscience. I'm free. I appreciate everything around me so much more - friendships, nature and art. Before, i couldn't see from all the cobwebs in my mind. Now i'm alive and want to savour every moment and whatever distractions this modern life has thrown at me are no longer relevant.
Pearl Jam is not my life. Is my back door exit. In every way.
It's freedom, it's being my self, it's feeling life.
Sometimes I wonder if how I feel about PJ, and other felows PJ fans seem to feel, is how any fan of any band feels.
Because I think there's something else about this band that I can't put in words, something beyond, that feels like being embraced while being told "fly, high".
PS: I think this pit reflects how special this band is.
I have always loved Pearl Jam, ever since a friend introduced me to "Black". I purchased all of their albums at the time (around the release of Vitalogy) and every album since. I dont think they have one bad song. Anyway, I had a pretty horrible childhood.....beaten daily by my mother and mentally abused (told I was a piece of shit and was never going to be anything, "I wish you were never born"). She even tried to kill me, when I was a baby, by drowning because I was crying too much when the soap was in my eyes and she was washing my hair. When I got my drivers licence I used to drive to the beach every night and just sit, cry my eyes out, contemplate suicide, watch the waves and listen to Pearl Jam. It was the only thing that made me feel better. I constantly wrote suicide notes, had no friends (because I gave all of my devotion to a girlfriend at the time who I totally and utterly loved....and she left me after 4 years) and just wanted to die. I planned on this particular night to just walk into the waves and never come back. I wrote the note to leave in my car and just as I was getting out of the car the chorus for "Alive" began on my stereo. The "ooohhh ooohhhh IIIIIIII'mmmmm stiiiilllll allllliiiiivvve" just got me. Ed's lyrics to this song mean a completely different thing to me than to him, i guess. Right at that moment I just started thinking....."I'm still alive at least. Things are shit, but things are a lot worse for other people. "And do I deserve to be....is that the question?". AND then I was thinking, do I deserve to be alive? "Of course I fucken do. Its my mother that doesnt. I wont give her the satisfaction".
I justed hopped back in the car and continued listening to Pearl Jam throughout the night. Crying myself to sleep in the car. That night was a life changing moment for me, because of Pearl Jam's music and Ed's lyrics. For that I am ever grateful......although "Black" still brings a tear to my eye every now and then (in relation to the ex that I mentioned). But my life couldnt be better now. To think......if I went through with my plans that night I wouldnt have the awesome life that I have now.
Years later, to remind me of how lucky I am to be Alive, and as sort of a thank you to Pearl Jam, I got the "Stickman" tattoo done on my shoulder (from the Alive single artwork). A lot of people tell me I'm stupid for getting it done...but they dont know the reason why...
that made me cry man. Good on you for getting thru your childhood. I,too was abused. My stepdad raped me as a 6yr old and been thru so much more. Pj have been with me for ten yrs and i credit my life to them aswell. The music explained so much and i felt like i wasnt alone. Yea,were still alive,and we farken deserve to be
"....and was very surprised to see that he didnt actually have a recipe for anus-ankle soup." - Big Ed
Pearl Jam means a million things to me but i dont expect anyone to be that interested...
to me Pearl Jam isnt just a band, its the only friend i can count on to be there for me, no matter how many mistakes i make in life or what the circumstances are. Pearl Jam is a little bit like a life coach...plus its nice to listen to. i feel they are always with me, and maybe they arent a guide but they are by my side. sometimes i think Pearl Jam is part of my fate or destiny and that i couldnt have avoided it if i wanted to. its the defenition of good music, no fluff, what you see is what you get... Pearl Jam to me is love for every living thing. its understanding, compassion, strength, individuality, independence, reality, evolution and life in itself. like many others, i dont think i would be alive if not for Pearl Jam's music. i love this band with my whole heart, not for who i think they are or what i think they would be like if i met them. simply because they were the only ones who helped when i needed a miracle and taught me how to live and be happy. thanks guys!
“I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything.”
-Eddie Vedder
Pearl Jam means a million things to me but i dont expect anyone to be that interested...
to me Pearl Jam isnt just a band, its the only friend i can count on to be there for me, no matter how many mistakes i make in life or what the circumstances are. Pearl Jam is a little bit like a life coach...plus its nice to listen to. i feel they are always with me, and maybe they arent a guide but they are by my side. sometimes i think Pearl Jam is part of my fate or destiny and that i couldnt have avoided it if i wanted to. its the defenition of good music, no fluff, what you see is what you get... Pearl Jam to me is love for every living thing. its understanding, compassion, strength, individuality, independence, reality, evolution and life in itself. like many others, i dont think i would be alive if not for Pearl Jam's music. i love this band with my whole heart, not for who i think they are or what i think they would be like if i met them. simply because they were the only ones who helped when i needed a miracle and taught me how to live and be happy. thanks guys!
Thats beautiful!!
Seems to me you should change your signature...you're not dead... you're ALIVE!
Why not be mediocre and be the best at it that you can be?
Pearl Jam means a million things to me but i dont expect anyone to be that interested...
to me Pearl Jam isnt just a band, its the only friend i can count on to be there for me, no matter how many mistakes i make in life or what the circumstances are. Pearl Jam is a little bit like a life coach...plus its nice to listen to. i feel they are always with me, and maybe they arent a guide but they are by my side. sometimes i think Pearl Jam is part of my fate or destiny and that i couldnt have avoided it if i wanted to. its the defenition of good music, no fluff, what you see is what you get... Pearl Jam to me is love for every living thing. its understanding, compassion, strength, individuality, independence, reality, evolution and life in itself. like many others, i dont think i would be alive if not for Pearl Jam's music. i love this band with my whole heart, not for who i think they are or what i think they would be like if i met them. simply because they were the only ones who helped when i needed a miracle and taught me how to live and be happy. thanks guys!
Beautifully put. To me they're just everything! I tried to put it into words one night when I was drunk and swore I'd never do it again!!!!!!
The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
1) Last night at The Who concert I was having a good time... good show. But I realized that every concert I've ever been to its merely been a "show." A Pearl Jam concert is a fucking RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE.
2) There is nothing better than listening to Binaural or No Code during my commute to work in the morning, and Yield or Vs on my way home from work in the evening. It keeps me sane and gets me through my day in this fucked up world.
3) And beyond the music, Pearl Jam is real and recognizes the problems in our world and works to fix these problems. They care for their fans and support justworthy causes.
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
2) There is nothing better than listening to Binaural or No Code during my commute to work in the morning, and Yield or Vs on my way home from work in the evening. It keeps me sane and gets me through my day in this fucked up world.
Same here. Nothing like a little dose of PJ in the morning.
To and from school every day is PJ. It is always changing depending on my mood. I haven't listened to anything but You Are for the last two days in my truck. Two days of studio and live versions, it is amazing.
I think it was the April 1994 interview with Vedder in New York, just after Cobains death, the night before the SNL performance and Vedder was ranting away in a motel. He said something that's stuck with me, something to the effect that, "They [the music industry] think we have an angle, we don't have a fucking angle." That's not a direct quote, but the meaning is there. No gimmick.
And so when I think of that, and continue to listen to the music over the years, I can't say that he was bullshitting. The band continues to live it, and they're a lot like us without losing their own individuality.
I think the common thread through much of PJs music is the notion of emancipation. The idea that one can break away from an abusive parent or spouse, from bullies at school, from heartbreak, from oppression, from the inertia of their life, and can come out the other side free, whole, better in some way. This speaks not to one man's anger, but to the human condition.
What made PJ different 15 years ago, and what sets them apart now... it's this undercurrent of hope and perserverence that every listener can relate to on a personal level, at different times and from different perspectives.
Emancipation. Breaking free of whatever holds you back. That's why PJs music resonates with so many, and has for so long, because we all always have something holding us back what we want to push against, push through.
I also really appreciate that they put their money where their mouth is... they actually work to make the world a better place, and you can't argue with that.
10/28/2000 San Bernardino (11th row, thanx TenClub!)
6/2/2003 Irvine
11/7/2006 Sydney
7/2008 VH1 Honors The Who
9/30/2009 Los Angeles
10/7/2009 Los Angeles
9/25/2011 Vancouver
6/21/2012 Manchester
7/19/2013 Wrigley Field
11/23/2013 Los Angeles
10/25/2014 Bridge School Benefit
4/16/2016 Greenville SC
4/18/2016 Hampton VA 4/20/2016 Raleigh
4/21/2016 Columbia SC
I'm just starting to listen to Pearl Jam, and it became pretty much the only music I listen to...
I'm just 16, I didn't have a bad childhood, or stories as sad (and inspirig) as some of you, so I can't say that Pearl Jam saved my life, but they have helped me keeping it together more that once.
To me Pearl Jam is my little secret. Where I live Pearl Jam is not that big. I dpn't know anybody who listens PJ. Maybe, just maybe, you'll find someone who know who they are.
"Don't ever let the truth get it the way of telling a good story"
You made me cry.
I didn't have an abusive parent, but I do have a very very sad life story to tell.
I've been very depressed, but I kept on going...
And now I have a wonderfull life, and a lovely family.
Cheers to you men, you've been very brave, and have deep strenght inside.
Thank you..
Pearl JamEddie Vedder Sydney - 11/3/1995 Sydney - 18/3/2011 Sydney - 9/3/1998 Sydney - 19/3/2011 Sydney - 11/3/1998 Sydney - 13/2/2014 Sydney - 12/3/1998 Sydney - 11/2/2003 Sydney - 13/2/2003 Sydney - 14/2/2003 Sydney - 7/11/2006 Sydney - 8/11/2006 Sydney - 18/11/2006 Sydney - 22/11/2009 Sydney - 26/1/2014
that made me cry man. Good on you for getting thru your childhood. I,too was abused. My stepdad raped me as a 6yr old and been thru so much more. Pj have been with me for ten yrs and i credit my life to them aswell. The music explained so much and i felt like i wasnt alone. Yea,were still alive,and we farken deserve to be
I know what I went through was horrible.....but I think I would have preferred being beaten than what happened to you. You are a credit to human beings....I dont think I would have survived if I had to go through that. I feel for you..
Pearl JamEddie Vedder Sydney - 11/3/1995 Sydney - 18/3/2011 Sydney - 9/3/1998 Sydney - 19/3/2011 Sydney - 11/3/1998 Sydney - 13/2/2014 Sydney - 12/3/1998 Sydney - 11/2/2003 Sydney - 13/2/2003 Sydney - 14/2/2003 Sydney - 7/11/2006 Sydney - 8/11/2006 Sydney - 18/11/2006 Sydney - 22/11/2009 Sydney - 26/1/2014
....I wrote the note to leave in my car and just as I was getting out of the car the chorus for "Alive" began on my stereo. The "ooohhh ooohhhh IIIIIIII'mmmmm stiiiilllll allllliiiiivvve" just got me. Ed's lyrics to this song mean a completely different thing to me than to him, i guess. Right at that moment I just started thinking....."I'm still alive at least. Things are shit, but things are a lot worse for other people. "And do I deserve to be....is that the question?". AND then I was thinking, do I deserve to be alive? "Of course I fucken do. Its my mother that doesnt. I wont give her the satisfaction".
...
All i gotta say is this....as i read your post, the exact part of "ooohhh ooohhhh IIIIIIII'mmmmm stiiiilllll allllliiiiivvve" and "And do I deserve to be....is that the question?" was playing on my iTunes while i read that part of your post. That really tripped me out!
But congrats bro....glad you're hear to tell your story and enjoy life.
What does PJ mean to me? that's something i've yet to put a finger on. All i know is i can put on any album/cd/boot and just go to work and do what it is that i gotta do. whether it's work, bills, chores, practicing, working-out, thinking, driving and partying......it gets me there!
...One to ponder, or so a few may think. Let's be straight here, Pearl Jam are a rock n roll band-not our shrinks, not our wives/husbands, not our best friends. They are simply a band that we all really love, and respect. And the reasons are really very simply that we enjoy the music they make, and we respect the way they conduct themselves-which is really the most spectacular aspect about Pearl Jam. Lots of bands have bullshitted about not "selling out", but the fact is this PJ are just about the only band ever that have enjoyed worldwide success, and critical acclaim on pretty much 100% their own terms. They have no interest in anyone or anything that has no interest in them, hence new albums almost "leak out onto sale" because they have no interest in flogging themselves to death with media interviews and promotion. Yet they sell enough copies to dent every chart. They play the greatest "no frills" gigs I've ever witnessed, not many bands the size of PJ change setlists constantly or end gigs with obscure b-sides. But they've allways done so, I saw them in London in 1992 on a festival bill and they ended with Wash. They deserve every scrap of respect they get for the doing what they do. I flew over to Berlin to see the tour in September, which was quite a big thing for me, and whenever I told someone I was going I got one of two standard replies-"Christ, are they still going" or "Who" ? I've loved them since I first heard them, there's no reason not to, as they're still the same band as they were when they started. I just wish the bastards would build up a few more air miles, and visit the UK more often.... or do I ? Absence makes the heart..... you know. So just enjoy it, and don't get too heavy.
I understand why Ed was speechless. It's how I feel in trying to describe what they mean to me.
They inspire me more than pretty much anything ever has. They are definately part of, and helped shaped, my personality.
Their music hits me like a tidal wave and washes away all that is fucked up, or at least stirs it up for the time I listen.
They help me run that last half mile. They help me stay up late to finish the job. They help me brim with confidence when I need it most. They help me grieve. They simply put a smile on my face when shit aint going right.
The sound they create is definately in tune with the universe, and every human being with a heart, compassion, and any sense of whats right and wrong in this world should be able to relate to Ed's lyrics (those they can understand...ha ha).
Their sense of sincerity is mindblowing. That to me is what is most important. I disagree that they are only a rock and roll band. To some they are nothing more than background music. To others, myself included, they are essentially, um, a best friend. They are the greatest band ever in every sense.
They mean a lot.
All that's sacred, comes from youth....dedications, naive and true.
Comments
I agree totally with you on this! Since I first started reading here I really liked the people...ok some can be irritating, but still put smiles on my face. Its an open atmosphere here..thanks everybody!
knowing tons of people feel the exact same way about Pearl Jam as do, helps me feel like i belong. we all relate to PJ in about the same way. it makes me feel like i fit. when 98% of the time i don't fit in.
i'm going to stop before i start crying.........
My friends do not understand me - although they enjoyed the concert very much as well, they are not as inspired (or rather crazy) as I am. It is good to meet similar spirits here on the board!!!!
London 2009, Dublin 2010, Belfast 2010, Nijmegen 2010, Manchester I & II 2012, Amsterdam I 2012, Stockholm 2012, EV Amsterdam I 2012
I put on a pearl jam album and it lifts my conscience. I'm free. I appreciate everything around me so much more - friendships, nature and art. Before, i couldn't see from all the cobwebs in my mind. Now i'm alive and want to savour every moment and whatever distractions this modern life has thrown at me are no longer relevant.
kind of like being stoned...
exactly how i feel too
thankyou
"do gay midgets come out of the cupboard"
~CreedDisease~
10/27/06
to me Pearl Jam isnt just a band, its the only friend i can count on to be there for me, no matter how many mistakes i make in life or what the circumstances are. Pearl Jam is a little bit like a life coach...plus its nice to listen to. i feel they are always with me, and maybe they arent a guide but they are by my side. sometimes i think Pearl Jam is part of my fate or destiny and that i couldnt have avoided it if i wanted to. its the defenition of good music, no fluff, what you see is what you get... Pearl Jam to me is love for every living thing. its understanding, compassion, strength, individuality, independence, reality, evolution and life in itself. like many others, i dont think i would be alive if not for Pearl Jam's music. i love this band with my whole heart, not for who i think they are or what i think they would be like if i met them. simply because they were the only ones who helped when i needed a miracle and taught me how to live and be happy. thanks guys!
-Eddie Vedder
Thats beautiful!!
Seems to me you should change your signature...you're not dead... you're ALIVE!
Beautifully put. To me they're just everything! I tried to put it into words one night when I was drunk
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
2) There is nothing better than listening to Binaural or No Code during my commute to work in the morning, and Yield or Vs on my way home from work in the evening. It keeps me sane and gets me through my day in this fucked up world.
3) And beyond the music, Pearl Jam is real and recognizes the problems in our world and works to fix these problems. They care for their fans and support justworthy causes.
Same here. Nothing like a little dose of PJ in the morning.
To and from school every day is PJ. It is always changing depending on my mood. I haven't listened to anything but You Are for the last two days in my truck. Two days of studio and live versions, it is amazing.
And so when I think of that, and continue to listen to the music over the years, I can't say that he was bullshitting. The band continues to live it, and they're a lot like us without losing their own individuality.
all posts by ©gue_barium are protected under US copyright law and are not to be reproduced, exchanged or sold
except by express written permission of ©gue_barium, the author.
What made PJ different 15 years ago, and what sets them apart now... it's this undercurrent of hope and perserverence that every listener can relate to on a personal level, at different times and from different perspectives.
Emancipation. Breaking free of whatever holds you back. That's why PJs music resonates with so many, and has for so long, because we all always have something holding us back what we want to push against, push through.
I also really appreciate that they put their money where their mouth is... they actually work to make the world a better place, and you can't argue with that.
6/2/2003 Irvine
11/7/2006 Sydney
7/2008 VH1 Honors The Who
9/30/2009 Los Angeles
10/7/2009 Los Angeles
9/25/2011 Vancouver
6/21/2012 Manchester
7/19/2013 Wrigley Field
11/23/2013 Los Angeles
10/25/2014 Bridge School Benefit
4/16/2016 Greenville SC
4/18/2016 Hampton VA
4/20/2016 Raleigh
4/21/2016 Columbia SC
I'm just 16, I didn't have a bad childhood, or stories as sad (and inspirig) as some of you, so I can't say that Pearl Jam saved my life, but they have helped me keeping it together more that once.
To me Pearl Jam is my little secret. Where I live Pearl Jam is not that big. I dpn't know anybody who listens PJ. Maybe, just maybe, you'll find someone who know who they are.
I know exactly what you mean and completely agree
Thank you..
Sydney - 11/3/1995 Sydney - 18/3/2011
Sydney - 9/3/1998 Sydney - 19/3/2011
Sydney - 11/3/1998 Sydney - 13/2/2014
Sydney - 12/3/1998
Sydney - 11/2/2003
Sydney - 13/2/2003
Sydney - 14/2/2003
Sydney - 7/11/2006
Sydney - 8/11/2006
Sydney - 18/11/2006
Sydney - 22/11/2009
Sydney - 26/1/2014
I know what I went through was horrible.....but I think I would have preferred being beaten than what happened to you. You are a credit to human beings....I dont think I would have survived if I had to go through that. I feel for you..
Sydney - 11/3/1995 Sydney - 18/3/2011
Sydney - 9/3/1998 Sydney - 19/3/2011
Sydney - 11/3/1998 Sydney - 13/2/2014
Sydney - 12/3/1998
Sydney - 11/2/2003
Sydney - 13/2/2003
Sydney - 14/2/2003
Sydney - 7/11/2006
Sydney - 8/11/2006
Sydney - 18/11/2006
Sydney - 22/11/2009
Sydney - 26/1/2014
All i gotta say is this....as i read your post, the exact part of "ooohhh ooohhhh IIIIIIII'mmmmm stiiiilllll allllliiiiivvve" and "And do I deserve to be....is that the question?" was playing on my iTunes while i read that part of your post. That really tripped me out!
But congrats bro....glad you're hear to tell your story and enjoy life.
What does PJ mean to me? that's something i've yet to put a finger on. All i know is i can put on any album/cd/boot and just go to work and do what it is that i gotta do. whether it's work, bills, chores, practicing, working-out, thinking, driving and partying......it gets me there!
They inspire me more than pretty much anything ever has. They are definately part of, and helped shaped, my personality.
Their music hits me like a tidal wave and washes away all that is fucked up, or at least stirs it up for the time I listen.
They help me run that last half mile. They help me stay up late to finish the job. They help me brim with confidence when I need it most. They help me grieve. They simply put a smile on my face when shit aint going right.
The sound they create is definately in tune with the universe, and every human being with a heart, compassion, and any sense of whats right and wrong in this world should be able to relate to Ed's lyrics (those they can understand...ha ha).
Their sense of sincerity is mindblowing. That to me is what is most important. I disagree that they are only a rock and roll band. To some they are nothing more than background music. To others, myself included, they are essentially, um, a best friend. They are the greatest band ever in every sense.
They mean a lot.