When did you become a Pearl Jam fan?

nautical_disaster

While we’re waiting on yet another pearl jam tour (33 years of shows and counting, what a run!), I thought it would be fun to hear stories about how you first became a fan.

Up here in Canada, we had a channel called Much Music, and I still remember the first few times that the Jeremy video came on back in 1992.  I had grown up listening to my brothers’ cassette tapes of Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, GnR and was looking to discover my own music. As much as pearl jam seemed to dislike the idea of videos in the 90s, that specific video along with Alive and Even Flow were the reasons I got the cassette to add to my fancy tape “suitcase” (I’m sure fans of my generation remember these things haha). I was too young to see the early tours, but when I finally saw them, I went from a big fan to, umm, a fan that posts on pearl jam message boards and is part of the ten club.

 

KM73780

I’m from the States but we had Much Music on our satellite dish. Freaking loved that channel! Our Lady Peace, Tragically Hip, Treble Charger, The Tea Party, Jet Set Satellite, Moist, Matthew Good Band, Big Wreck! 

JimmyV

When the Alive video started playing on MTV and the song started playing on WAAF in Boston. I was 16. 

nautical_disaster

KM73780 said:

I’m from the States but we had Much Music on our satellite dish. Freaking loved that channel! Our Lady Peace, Tragically Hip, Treble Charger, The Tea Party, Jet Set Satellite, Moist, Matthew Good Band, Big Wreck! 

Nice! Yeah 90s Much Music was great. I've seen live most of those bands you mentioned haha. 

JojoRice

The Jeremy video. 

nooram

It was August of '91 and I was visiting my brother who lives in Mukilteo, WA. I had the Mother Love Bone album and knew, from Rolling Stone, of a new band forming from their remnants. My brother had heard of a free show so we went down to the Mural Amphitheater and experienced their awesomeness. I was hooked.

mfc2006

My oldest sister went to college in 1989 & introduced me to Soundgarden & I absolutely loved them. A couple of years later, her roommate bought the Ten cassette & my sister thought I might like it, so she made me a copy & I was hooked. I was 14 & my first concert was a year later at Lollapalooza '92 where both SG & PJ (among others) absolutely blew my mind.

kmcmanus

A buddy dubbed me a cassette of Ten in early ‘92 when we were 14 and I liked it a lot but thought PJ was the “worst” of PJ, SG, AIC & Nirvana. Made me a fan, but didn’t make them my favorite. But from the moment I pressed play on Vs they became my all time favorite band and I’ve never looked back. Still my absolute favorite album ever made. 

Gruntruck

My sister who lived in Seattle sent me PJ Ten cd before it was released back in 90/91 - I told her that this band will be as big as Zeppelin 

PJammin

It's July 11, 1995. I know the band, seen the videos, know a fair amount of their catalog, owned all the albums, etc but find myself at the Soldier Field concert only because my sister and her friends need a ride to the show. I charge them $20 each (4 girls) and drive them to the show. With my new found riches I scalp a GA ticket for $75 (still have it). I work my way to within about 30 feet of the stage. It's hotter than 7 hells. Security spraying people with hoses to stay cool. Eventually PJ come on stage. The opening chords of Release start. The stage stays dim as Eddie grabs the mic and starts to sing. He's wrapping up the 3rd verse and hits this guttural growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Then.....it was right then. I was captivated. I was mesmerized. I found the live music experience I was going to chase the rest of my days. I found the music I could lean on to either put me in, or take me out of, whatever mood I wanted. That day I jumped, I yelled, I crowed surfed until my back was clawed bloody because my shirt had been ripped off. Pearl Jam was now MY band. It was music that I felt. I've never looked back. Yes, I still get the chills listening to that version of Release.  

Zod

I think like many people it was smells like teen spirit that change the direction of music I was listening too... then I remember PJ starting to get airplay, so evenflow and jeremy.  I saw them at lolla '92 in Vancouver just before I turned 15, and remember having pj pictures in my locker.

Then I sort of drifted a bit when no code came out because I didn't know how to process it.   I massively fell in love with yield when it came out, which then made me appreciate No Code.  Then I saw my first PJ headlining show at Missoula '98 and it was off to the races... ended up seeing 2 more shows on the Yield tour, and haven't stopped since.   So I think it was just radio play and muchmusic, then the first headlining show fanned the flames

fl247556

Vs album  i was 13.
At the begining rearviewmiror and animal. 

mcgruff10

It was 1992, I was 14 years old and in 8th grade.  That year we were real into smells like teen spirit then I saw the evenflow video.  I was like, this is really really awesome.  Then of course the Jeremy video came out and I was hooked.  Bought ten that summer and never looked back. 
I had to wait until 1996 to finally see them live and boy was it worth the wait.  That second night at Randall's is still my favorite show.  

tempo_n_groove

1992. Heard Garden.  That one hooked me.  Not Alive, Jeremy or Evenflow, all of which I heard on MTV and the radio but Garden. Nirvana and SG were my go to before them.

Seeing Animal on MTV and salivating for the next album to release.

Then Vs came out and I was standing in the rain as a security guard with the tape looping over and over.  Trying to hear every nuance and note of the album.

WMA was the song that sealed the deal. The base, drums guitar and then lyrics.  What a masterpiece of a song.

tempo_n_groove

Zod said:

I think like many people it was smells like teen spirit that change the direction of music I was listening too... then I remember PJ starting to get airplay, so evenflow and jeremy.  I saw them at lolla '92 in Vancouver just before I turned 15, and remember having pj pictures in my locker.

Then I sort of drifted a bit when no code came out because I didn't know how to process it.   I massively fell in love with yield when it came out, which then made me appreciate No Code.  Then I saw my first PJ headlining show at Missoula '98 and it was off to the races... ended up seeing 2 more shows on the Yield tour, and haven't stopped since.   So I think it was just radio play and muchmusic, then the first headlining show fanned the flames

Interesting.  No Code lost a lot of people.  That was an album that I wanted more of.

I am a patriot

Fan since I saw the Jeremy video, but when I saw the '94 MTV awards performance of Rockin' I was hooked for life.

drfox

Been a fan since seeing the Alive video on MTV Europe in July 1991 when I was 12. My first show was when I was 21 in 2000. Wish I could have seen them live earlier. 

DissidentRival74

The Evenflow video and Black from Unplugged.  I was a junior in high school at the time when those came out.  Seeing them at the 92 Lolla in Cincy solidified it.  

GuitarEnthusiast

Back in '91. I was 15. My friends and I used to go to a ton of shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. I got to see them there. I had no idea who they were and just fell in love with them. Saw them later that year as well. Then in '92, I was able to see them at Lollapalooza which is still one of my favorite concerts to date (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ice Cube, Ministry, Lush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and of course Pearl Jam). I would guess there has not been a single day since Ten came out that I haven't listened to PJ. :-)

JOEJOEJOE

Saw them open for RHCP/Nirvana in December 1991.  Wasn't familiar with the songs, but thought they were ok.  Saw them at Lolla in September of 1992 and realized how great of a live band they had become!

JOEJOEJOE

GuitarEnthusiast said:

Back in '91. I was 15. My friends and I used to go to a ton of shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. I got to see them there. I had no idea who they were and just fell in love with them. Saw them later that year as well. Then in '92, I was able to see them at Lollapalooza which is still one of my favorite concerts to date (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ice Cube, Ministry, Lush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and of course Pearl Jam). I would guess there has not been a single day since Ten came out that I haven't listened to PJ. :-)

I agree with you about Lolla 1992.  Saw them on the last day of the Lolla tour.  All of the bands were superb!  William Reid of the JAMC played a song with PJ, and Chris Cornell came out to do a few TOTD songs.

I was lucky enough to have been in the small front pit so it was extra memorable!

hrd2imgn

3-10-1994, 

I liked them before then, but after that night I was A FAN

Bob Mayo on the keyboards Bob

Hallway freshman year (91) best friend put headphones on my head played alive and I’ve been here ever since 

deb1211

My brother was the manager of a record store and had the promo for ten. Been in love ever since

incognitony

When Dance of the Clairvoyants Mach III came out on YouTube?  

Sometime before Vs. came out, summer '93 probably. 

jasonw

I knew about Jeremy and Alive but I was about 8-9 years old. Then when I was 15-16 I had 2 friends who were always playing LO2L in their cars and I fell in love and then saw them in Pittsburgh in 2000 and then they were my band forever 

matt3846

I can’t remember how I first heard them… probably 99X in Atlanta.
But I remember seeing them on SNL and then a few days later saw them play at Legion Field in Athens, Georgia (April 16, 1992).
Blew me away.
Been on board ever since.

danny

1994 

Loujoe

Never really liked them back then. Seemed like all the girls liked them. Maybe too popular for my antipopularity attitude.I saw a lollapalooza remember ritfw and jumped in the pit. Met someone later on who was a big PJ fan. I tried to get her off it. Then I started going to shows and they pulled me in. What a great band. Don't go to shows now, but never know.

Foriginal Sin

December 1992. Dad bought me my first cd player with Metallica Black and Boyz 2 Men. My choices. Then there was Pearl Jam Ten, I was like what is this. He wanted to spend a certain amount so he needed a 3rd CD and the Best Buy guy told him this was what all the 12 year olds were asking for. It was over 

HesCalledDyer

The year was 1992. Surprisingly I wasn’t a huge fan of Alive back in the day. But when Even Flow dropped, it was all over for me. That song made me buy Ten on cassette, and it ended up not leaving the Walkman for months!