Options
My Pearl Jam Story..
Sleep.With.Innocence
Posts: 607
I am sure you all get all kinds of these, but I'd like to share my passion for Pearl Jam here, because sadly this is one of the only places that I can.
I am 17, I live in Louisville Kentucky. When I was in 6th grade a group of all of my friends decided to do a "secret santa". I girl named Catherine drew my name, and she had no idea what to get me. I heard Black on the radio for the first time, I thought that song was pretty "pimp" (Current day slang
) so I told her "Pearl Jam - Ten" and to my surprise she bought me that CD.
I had that CD in my little Sony walkmen for three months straight. I was already into Nirvana (something about the whole Kurt Cobain/teenage rebellion thing was huge around my school) but nobody was really into Pearl Jam, and it baffled me. Luckily for me this was around the time that Audioslave became huge, which got me into Soundgarden to.
But enough rambling. Obsessed with Ten I decided to by Vs. and Vitalogy. I listened to Vs. a lot in the 8th grade, but it wasn't until 9th grade that I had my first encounter with Immorality. All I could think was "Oh shit!"
Since I first listened to Immortality 3 and a half years ago I have not gone a single day without listening to Pearl Jam. My favorite album of 10th grade was Yield, I spent the entire summer listening to it. That was the first album that I really loved from top to bottom, it has no glaring weaknesses at all.
In late summer I was in Chicago and I was riding the L-Train, I played "Sleight of Hand" for the first time on my Ipod, and it was a breath taking moment. Something about listening to that song L-Train alone, watching people live their lives in that "pattern" that the song speaks of, really is astonishing. Just for that split second, I felt like I truly knew the message Eddie was portraying.
It didn't take me long to realize that I was all alone in my High School. A lot of my really close friends are into Metallica, Mastodon, Led Zep, but no Pearl Jam. Half of my high school hasn't even heard of Pearl Jam, and the other half only knows "Alive" from rockband. I have no one at all to share my passion with, it's really tough.
I am a totally obsessed fan. My top 25 most played on my Ipod looks something like this..
1. Release - Fox Theater 1994 - 527
2. In My Tree - No Code - 491
3. Breath - Singles - 433
4. I Got Shit - Melbourne 1998 - 404
5. Leash - Vs. - 403
6. Given To Fly - Yield - 398
7. In Hiding - Yield - 362
8. Faithfull - Yield - 342
9. Rearviewmirror - Vs. -328
10. Daughter - Vs. - 320
11. Low Light - Yield - 320
12. Off He Goes - No Code - 315
13. Elderly - Vs. - 313
14. Believe You Me - Tower Records Demo (Bad Radio) - 291
16. Wishlist - Yield - 271
17. Inside Job - Avocado - 259
18. Corduroy - Vitalogy - 254
20. Better man - Vitalogy -228
21. Immorality - Vitalogy - 219
22. Nothingman - Vitalogy - 209
I have countless stories to tell about how much I love every single Pearl Jam record. I have "undeciphered tricks at the bar" to almost every Pearl Jam song I can. I have a butt load of Bootlegs. Musically no one else compares to them. I love them because they are real. Eddie Vedder is a humble. There is a lot of truth to all of their songs. It has meaning, purpose. Every song has a reason, and no one can write a song like Eddie Vedder.
I see this, NONE of my peers do. I would sell my soul to be 15 years older.
I am 17, I live in Louisville Kentucky. When I was in 6th grade a group of all of my friends decided to do a "secret santa". I girl named Catherine drew my name, and she had no idea what to get me. I heard Black on the radio for the first time, I thought that song was pretty "pimp" (Current day slang
) so I told her "Pearl Jam - Ten" and to my surprise she bought me that CD.I had that CD in my little Sony walkmen for three months straight. I was already into Nirvana (something about the whole Kurt Cobain/teenage rebellion thing was huge around my school) but nobody was really into Pearl Jam, and it baffled me. Luckily for me this was around the time that Audioslave became huge, which got me into Soundgarden to.
But enough rambling. Obsessed with Ten I decided to by Vs. and Vitalogy. I listened to Vs. a lot in the 8th grade, but it wasn't until 9th grade that I had my first encounter with Immorality. All I could think was "Oh shit!"
Since I first listened to Immortality 3 and a half years ago I have not gone a single day without listening to Pearl Jam. My favorite album of 10th grade was Yield, I spent the entire summer listening to it. That was the first album that I really loved from top to bottom, it has no glaring weaknesses at all.
In late summer I was in Chicago and I was riding the L-Train, I played "Sleight of Hand" for the first time on my Ipod, and it was a breath taking moment. Something about listening to that song L-Train alone, watching people live their lives in that "pattern" that the song speaks of, really is astonishing. Just for that split second, I felt like I truly knew the message Eddie was portraying.
It didn't take me long to realize that I was all alone in my High School. A lot of my really close friends are into Metallica, Mastodon, Led Zep, but no Pearl Jam. Half of my high school hasn't even heard of Pearl Jam, and the other half only knows "Alive" from rockband. I have no one at all to share my passion with, it's really tough.
I am a totally obsessed fan. My top 25 most played on my Ipod looks something like this..
1. Release - Fox Theater 1994 - 527
2. In My Tree - No Code - 491
3. Breath - Singles - 433
4. I Got Shit - Melbourne 1998 - 404
5. Leash - Vs. - 403
6. Given To Fly - Yield - 398
7. In Hiding - Yield - 362
8. Faithfull - Yield - 342
9. Rearviewmirror - Vs. -328
10. Daughter - Vs. - 320
11. Low Light - Yield - 320
12. Off He Goes - No Code - 315
13. Elderly - Vs. - 313
14. Believe You Me - Tower Records Demo (Bad Radio) - 291
16. Wishlist - Yield - 271
17. Inside Job - Avocado - 259
18. Corduroy - Vitalogy - 254
20. Better man - Vitalogy -228
21. Immorality - Vitalogy - 219
22. Nothingman - Vitalogy - 209
I have countless stories to tell about how much I love every single Pearl Jam record. I have "undeciphered tricks at the bar" to almost every Pearl Jam song I can. I have a butt load of Bootlegs. Musically no one else compares to them. I love them because they are real. Eddie Vedder is a humble. There is a lot of truth to all of their songs. It has meaning, purpose. Every song has a reason, and no one can write a song like Eddie Vedder.
I see this, NONE of my peers do. I would sell my soul to be 15 years older.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
Now that took it to a whole other level. It was only my 2nd concert and it was the summer after I graduated. Caught them in Indy in 2000, then when they released the bootlegs, I tried to stay album for album with them, even though I was broke as a joke.
A few tips...... "pimp" isn't really current and think about the big picture with Sleight of Hand
Welcome to the board.
great story...and dont worry about no one "getting it" sometimes it's better when you're the only one who likes something...
Part of me honestly believe that if Pearl Jam was a huge fad at my school, I would be somewhat turned off by it. Now a days music is more of a trend then a passion.
I thought the story of how you got into the band was great! I'm glad you found their music and got hooked
I got into them when I was 13, I saw them live before I even got to know who they were. My parents left me at my cousin's because they were going out with my aunt and uncle and my cousins refused to stay home babysitting and they dragged me along to the club they were going to and voila! I was hooked from the very first time I heard Ed sing Garden!
your story gave me goosebumps - could be that someone turned on the A/C cuz it's kinda chilly here ... but anyhoo - you've come to appreciate the band in all it's glory ... whatever you DO - if you get to be granted a wish - don't ask to be 15 years older ... between the boots and this forum and if you are so lucky - going to a concert - you will get to share that passion with others ...
i have a few friends who like PJ and one in particular i goto shows with but the main sharing experience is here in this forum where your age doesn't really matter
Oooh good call on that one. While there are a few bands out there that this does not apply to - there are countless ones that do. I see bands like Fall Out Boy and Disturbed getting huge and it really makes me sick to my stomach (or maybe I'm just getting old :? ). A few weekends ago I was at a hardcore fest in Chicago called Burning Fight. Hardcore is more up my hubby's ladder but I wanted to check it out since his band was playing. I am not trying to put down that whole scene by any means, but what I saw was pretty disappointing. A lot of people attended just because 'it was the place to be' and since then a lot of people have been bragging about being there and meeting so-and-so. More than a passion for the music, instead I saw people trying to gain 'scene points'. I just remembered thinking "thank God I am not growing up now!"
...stepping off my soapbox....
It's nice to 'meet' you and it's always refreshing to hear other people talk about their love for PJ!
Don't get me wrong, I do delight in my youth, but you know the only reason I'd want to be 15 years older isn't so I could share it with my peers, because then the band becomes more of a fad. I'd like to be 15 years older (Knowing what I know now -
I love Pearl Jam, but old Pearl jam is simply amazing. Just the passion and rage the entire band had, seeing that live honestly looks breath taking.
8/7/08, 6/9/09
And on top off that would it not be amazing to see Andrew Wood with Mother Love Bone? That alone is worth going back in time. I'd love to see him sing Crown of Thorns and Stardog Champion.
I think you've found a place where everyone will "get it" (and probably not ruin it for you, like a high school trend can). I also started listening in middle school, shortly after Ten came out, and I haven't really stopped. Please don't wish to be 15 years older, you still have time to see them live, which would be the only good reason to make such a wish
i guarantee you 99% of the people on this board didn't get that opportunity ... for sure - seeing them live is what it's all about - hopefully, you'll get to a show soon ...
Maybe not sell my soul, but i would LOVE to be 15 years older.
I am a kid of the 90s born too late to grow up in them. (i was born in 1990) I would have loved to be turning 18 in 1990 so I could have been a part of "it".
but what I hate the most is everyone in my school likeing the rap / R&B / "shit"...and NO ONE getting even close to PJ :(
2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD
2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
She had no idea what to get me, so she just asked.
It would have happened sooner or later. I was already into Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, etc, so it was only a matter of time.
Once I got a hold of Ten it was pretty much over. They have made 7 AMAZING albums. Truth that strong is hard to keep secret.
don't stereo type or put people/yourself in a box!you CAN listen to more than one style of music! I listen to rap,r&b and everything else...except country..YUK!..and yet PJ is my Fav band..next to Led Zep..
but i was like 6 or 7 when i fell in love with them..
i was 19 when Ten came out and i took to PJ right away, the only regret i have is not going to see them live till '04..living in Boston i missed out on some epic shows! so if you love them now..WAIT TILL YOU SEE THEM LIVE!!! my daughter is 16 and she loves PJ,Led Zep,Elvis,The Beatles (etc.), i took her to see them when she was 13! her first concert ever and it was the night they "dropped the leash"! so welcome to the board fellow addict for this is truly the place where we all share your "sickness"
listen to more Binaural!!!!!!
haha! good point.
here's my 'story'........
Ok, it was 92, and I was 13. The pop station back then played little of everything. When Jeremy came on, I was blown away by the story, voice and the guitar. If I listen just right, the first few notes of that song take me back to being a kid. I had just gotten my first CD player and picked a few albums in the cd store one weekend. I didn’t think pj was my type of music, so the fool that I was got Ten on cassette. BIG mistake, wore the damn thing out, and luckily before the tape literally snapped I had dubbed it over to another tape. I still remember what I was looking at when first heard “black”. The melody hit me hard, and I drifted off to space…this calm came over me. I was looking at my cd tower, at the two measly cds I owned, and how long it would take me to fill it up. Now, that’s not a problem, own over 150 cds, 14 of which are Pearl Jams. Ten single handedly helped me thru adolescences, and believe me, it wasn’t easy. My parents were going thru a divorce and I was struggling to find my place with having a disability. Not fun. I played Ten to escape, and there were many afternoons after school were I feel asleep listening to side two. Trying to belt out the lyrics in a way only Eddie can was it’s own twisted therapy too; loved his deep voice and how long he could hold a note. I had a blast trying to measure up. There’s nothing like throwing in your fav album, when there’s nobody around, and wailing out the lyrics.
I remember when Kurt died, I wasn’t surprised, his music seemed so unhappy. It was so obvious to me; this guy wasn’t just angry like Eddie, he was extremely depressed. I was worried about Eddie accepting fame, but I knew in my heart pj would make it. Damn right, they made it. I can’t imagine my world without them.
I think a lot of us use music to help cope. It's an escape for us. It can change your mood from one of a bitter reality, to that of hope.
That hope is what we are all living for.
Also, I like to be the only one around me (in school, work, family[except my brother]) that loves the band. I feel is easier for people to get to like other bands like Metallica, Nirvana, etc than get hooked with some special music like PJ's...
"... Tan suato mi'jo!!"
-Salomón & Artemisa Vargas
yup yup you said it buddy.
Wouldn't help you--I am 15 years older and all my old Pearl Jam friends have long skipped town. I like your story though. Glad you love the band as much as us old timers.
Again it's not about having peers to share it with. Then (as stated before) it begins to become somewhat trendy, and to a true Pearl Jam fan, Pearl Jam is far more than a "trend."
It's about seeing them live in their prime. I have a lot of old bootlegs, and they are all unreal. It would simply be amazing.
i got into them right after the 2003 tour but never knew about the tour (one of the best imo and State College O3 was the first album I bought at Coconuts when I was 17 or 18 then I got Ten and Rearviewmirror) and still didnt even know they were touring during VFC but u hang around this board long enough and u know everything that's happening involving Pearl Jam within a day or even a few hours.
welcome to the board!
YB
2006: Camden 1&2, East Ruth 1&2
2008: BONNAROO, MSG1, MSG2, Hartford
2009: Philly 1, 2, 4
2010: Hartford, MSG1, MSG2
2012: Made in America
2013: BK1, BK2, Hartford
2015: Global Citizens
2016: MSG 2 (ISO MSG1)
EV Solo: NJPAC 2008; Tower Theatre, PA 2009; Hartford 2011
My life has never been the same. I have listend to the same songs over and over and over year after year after year. It has been a time track to my life. That is why I enjoy all the boot legs so much there the same songs but different. I have been know to have the same cd's in my cd player for months at a time. I can listen to the same song over and over and over...
Right now it's Hard to Imagene, Live at red rocks....so enjoy the ride and the sound track to your life.
I've belonged to the fan club since 95 but only have started being part of the community. It's fun, nobody gets it like us fans at live shows...
I can still remember the 1st time i saw em live, it was March 1995 at Flinders Park Tennis centre here in Melbourne..OMG My life changed FOREVER that night, seeing the band Live was a dream come true for me, I had camped out for a couple of days for tickets (yes this was the world pre Internet Ticket sales!! :shock: )
I went to all 3 shows in Melbourne that year and came away from them MORE Obsessed than I ever was before..I also came away from these shows, VERY,VERY Sore and with a MILLION Bruises all over my body (as a result of the Myer Music Bowl Show..of which I luckily got up the front (after hours of waiting for the gates to open...Only to have the show gatecrashed by fans who couldn't get a ticket! :evil: )
But hey that's only a minor thing (who cares right!!) I have also had the pleasure of meeting the band back in 98' when Jack was a member, believe me i was on cloud nine ALL day, i could NOT believe that I actually got to meet them, got some photo's with Mike and Jeff and got to meet Ed (which i TOTALLY did not expect!!) hr signed a diary i was carrying round with me at the time (which i automatically had framed with a few other bits of memorabilia!
And to top it all off, at the 3rd show in Melb in 98' I swas having a few probs in the pit, when Pete (security guy) spotted me and pulled me from the crowd and after talking with me he gave me a VIP Pass and i spent that nights ENTIRE show on the side of stage by Stone!!! after the show Pete gave me a signed Set list(which is in the frame along with the VIP Pass, autograph and some photos)
One of the most awesome times in my life and i will treasure it always,cause i know it's NEVER gonna happen again. If y'wanna check out the pics they are on my FB page under the name "Belinda Thompson". Some of you on here may have already seen them, but for those who haven't, if y'wanna check em out y'can
<!-- Facebook Badge START --><a href="http://www.facebook.com/BelindaThompson.PearlJamGirl" title="Belinda Thompson" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;">Belinda Thompson</a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/BelindaThompson.PearlJamGirl" title="Belinda Thompson" target="_TOP"><img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/1045076270.365.1187960326.png" width="120" height="195" style="border: 0px;" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/" title="Make your own badge!" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;">Create Your Badge</a><!-- Facebook Badge END -->
Gotcha--oh well guess you are shit out of luck then.
good story, I love hearing how people got into them. It's too bad your peers dont see throught the shit and listen to some PJ. I only have a few close friends who are into them, and I was a junior in HS when PJ hit it big with "Ten".
have you seen them live at all?
Negative. :(
I just paid $100 for pretty good Eddie Vedder solo tickets in Nashville. Wanting to see them in Chicago (I have the money, hint hint) but the shows sold out. :(
Keep your youth... but feed your passion. Every day.
About seeing the band live... find a way to make it happen. Life is about experiences. The live show... can't be beat. You get a sense from the DVD's -- favorite being Touring Band or Immagine -- but you really need to be there. See it... sense it... remember it.. live it. Hope you can make it happen. Certainly isn't cheap or easy to do it... but trust me that it's worth it.
You'll love seeing Eddie solo in N'ville... I saw him in Santa Barbara. Shows are intimate, personal, and amazing. Very different than the full band.... but certainly as enjoyable. You just won't be dripping in sweat from bouncing the whole time with 20000 friends.
If I can swing it, I'm going to try to get to N'ville too. I have to be in N'ville for work next week, the week after, and the first week in June. Have to hope that the stars align and I'm needed in N'ville the week when EV is in town.
Great post!