Impossible for some people to understand the PJ feeling

Paul Andrews wrote:

BeeGirl86 wrote:

fly me to Australia and I'll consider haha

It wasn't me who asked, I might get into trouble from my wife if I did And while I'm a sweet talker and she is a good sport, I don't think I could talk her (or you) into that scenario

Hello and welcome, it's good to come on here and see other people like yourself, I seem to pop in every day and I've only been a member a few months. Hubby likes PJ too, but not as much as me, after my continual playing of Backspacer he started to tell me that you can get too much of a good thing. There is another person in my town thats a fan and we all shared a car to Manchester, I text him now and then about PJ, it's handy as our sons are in the same class at school. Other people, there aren't really many who know about PJ, one of my best friends does because she has had heard me going on about them since the early 90's, people at work have maybe noticed their music because they have heard me playing it, I've had comments like 'it's music to die to' or 'they sound like Jimi Hendrix', one girl just keeps going on about getting into the mosh pit. It's her wedding do tonight and she swears she's going to ask the DJ to put some on - that'll be fun.

Not really that bothered about people understanding though, it's nice to have something to myself.

theserialthrilla wrote:

i think its even harder for people in europe as well ( i think)...christ i shit my pants if i see someone with a pearl jam t-shirt on...it does not happen often..
i dont know of anyone at all who listens to pj .most go owwww that group from the 90's jeremy yeahh..

even my wife does not understand now much i like them..its its owww inside you 247..

so glad this forum is here or i would look like some sado..with no friends.lmao

Yep, I hardly ever see anyone with a PJ shirt on either (except a former colleague of mine, who is about as obsessed a fan as me). Seems like people have no taste in music...

This hits so close to home for me. I'm 22 and I go to a small college in Western New York. Everyday I'm surrounded by people my age, yet I feel so isolated all the time. I have yet to find anyone, even my closest friends, who even come close to understanding my passion for Pearl Jam. I would give just about anything to find someone near me that I could talk to that shares the same passion as me. Every relationship I have been in has started out well and then gone south because none of my girlfriends could understand why I wanted to share Pearl Jam with them so much. I would give just about anything to meet a girl who let Pearl Jam play as big a role in her life as I let them play in mine.

Totally get it! Saw 3 PJ concerts in one week and no one could believe it! They were like "but you saw them already" Can't even began to explain my love for the band. Wish I had friends that were into them as much as me that could understand. Got a lot of crap from one guy about how he was so sick of hearing PJ on the radio- Jeremy, Even flow etc... that he changed stations. Yeah me too- listen to MMR in Phillie- best PJ loving station on the east coast.

I completely understand what you're talking about. I'm 20 and have been crazy about Pearl Jam since I was 14. I've been to 16 PJ shows now, so a lot of my friends and relatives think I'm out of my mind. I mostly don't care what they think, but in the week or so following a concert, all I want to do is talk about it and I can tell it annoys the hell out of them.

I guess if you never find a band that you connect with and love THAT much, traveling and going to a bunch of shows does seem crazy. I'm sure if these people could experience even a fraction of what we feel at a PJ concert, the amount of time or money we spend on this music would be more justified in their eyes. I know music taste is subjective and don't hold anything against people who don't like Pearl Jam, and I'm sure they're passionate about things I'll never get...but whenever I realize how many people are entirely oblivious to the PJ feeling, I feel pretty lucky to have discovered it. I'm sure I wouldn't be the same person without it and I'm sure there are people out there who could love PJ the same way, but will never give them enough time to find out. So while it's frustrating to make people understand the feeling, be thankful that you found it yourself, especially being young in today's hopeless music world.

Anyway, I know your frustration and really liked your post. The longer you're a fan, you'll naturally acquire PJ friends through here, at shows, etc.

yeah i've gotten into heated arguments with a friend defending pearl jam for all they've accomplished. whether it be the ticketmaster ordeal, ticket prices, the whole target thing, etc. although due to his hunger for everything vinyl, he's turned into more of a music businessman than just an avid listener. he even talks about pj vinyl, not because he'd listen to it and enjoy it, but because it gives him a thrill to buy and sell on ebay and craigslist. it's like, dude, you're missing the whole point.

people like us who have stood by a band that survived the 90's and is now stronger than ever can only understand the power that is pearl jam.

Evergreen wrote:

I have gone through this with family and friends for YEARS. My husband will never get it, but he accepts it and supports me through it all. Friends are different, and something happened just recently with two of my REALLY good friends that really made me think about what Pearl Jam means to me...and I wrote it down. I was on my annual girlfriend vacation on the beach in North Carolina with two other girls. They know how I love the band, but I usually try not to gush and be totally obsessed when I am around them. Anyway, we had been out all day, I was driving all day and was SO READY to be out of a car (horrible claustrophobic), and we find a bar. I need to chill, they are starving. We walk in, and "I Am Mine" is playing...in the middle of nowhere NC, on the beach. I die...that song, a drink, perfect chill opportunity. (I have "I am mine" tattooed on my wrist) They proceed to LEAVE...for food. I am like...hello, I have this fucking song tattooed on me!!! I need to stay...there is a reason I walked into THAT bar out on the boonies, and that song just starts. They so did not care or get it. It actually has changed my relationship with them. You know, they just really don't get ME, even after many years of knowing each other.

Here is some of what I wrote, trying to explain to friends...




Pearl Jam has always been my boyfriend. I met Pearl Jam on 10/11/1991 and have had a volatile, but deep relationship with them, and they have made me face my inner demons, though I have not always wanted to. Pearl Jam has made me think and be true to my convictions, live by example. They have been constant companions for 18-19 years, and I am just beginning to realize important and poignant position that Pearl Jam has in my life…vitality. Pearl Jam has the ability to tap into the mysterious, deep well of my emotions and it is not possible for me to explain this in ordinary language, as it can only be felt.

Music has been the underlying force that has taken me, and helped me through, every stage of life. It makes my world cease to exist for a moment. I get lost, I get overwhelmed, I feel. In other words, it makes my soul dance. Pearl Jam has been this force of nature through most of my defining years, whether it be having a child very young, drugs, getting married way too young, parents disowning me, school, work, suburbia, losing sight of me…I was drowning. I have drowned several times over. Pearl Jam has lyrically helped me out of some very dark places and has helped me fight to get me back again. I thank Jeff Aafedt (from the San Diego band The Rugburns) everyday for getting me and his sister into Trees that night in Dallas to see this band. It was fate, meant to be. I had an epiphany that night and it started my journey of getting the lost passion back IN me.

Their lyrics have been the soundtrack to my life. Their music takes my mind on a journey that I am unable to lead myself. It endows me not only aesthetically, but provides intellectual pleasure as well. It touches my soul and leaves an imprint, preparing it for something higher.

I owe them "me".

I really enjoyed reading this... You rule! You totally put it into perspective....Isn't it wierd how PJ pops up out of nowhere?! Like when you walked into that bar....They are very good at doing things like that!

I saw them twice in LA last month and now am going to see them next weekend in Perth. People look at me as if I'm strange - "why do you want to see them again???" Funny, I'm only asked this by those who have never seen them live - everyone else gets it.

KevDylan wrote:

Paul Andrews wrote:

I saw them twice in LA last month and now am going to see them next weekend in Perth. People look at me as if I'm strange - "why do you want to see them again???" Funny, I'm only asked this by those who have never seen them live - everyone else gets it.

The Perth show will be my first!

Kev, you'll be excited