Pearl Jam - The New Reality

STT757 wrote:

I'm with them 'till the end, which I hope is a loooooooooooooooooooong time from now. But yeah they have changed tremendously, especially in the past ten years since the Binaural tour ended.

Actually the big change was Rosklide... First show after the tragedy.. Virginia Beach.. Corduroy "Everything has changed, absolutly everything's changed" That small change in lyric gives a world of insight.. Denmark was a life altering world view changing event for Ed.. I am so glad they kept it together and continued making music.. They have mellowed alot over the past decade.. It actually suits them well..

Yes Way wrote:

I LOVE this post. I always have been excited to see them do anything because they are so freaking good! And after watching SNL last night I got on this crazy place to see a lot of anger, second-guessing, and sound experts. I was too disgusted to put into words how I felt. But I know ultimately everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it is stupid, and so I choose not to tell those stupid people what is wrong with them. But then I read a great post like this one, and I am encouraged.

And to support: they are a BAND. We are here because we have loved them at one point or another. Even if that moment was brief, just realize that they briefly made your life better. I don't care if you don't get neat little packages and newsletters and shows 15 minutes from your home. You are not owed any of that. But this could go in that one direction, so I digress...

There is an evolution going on here. Be glad people! Is Backspacer my favorite album? No. But there are gems and they are still daring to try and find themselves. And that's the point. They probably never will, but they won't stop trying. It's the journey that we're all enjoying after all. Imagine if they hadn't decided to keep evolving. We'd have decreasingly lower grades of 'Ten,' and I'm willing to bet they would no longer exist. Would that be worth it?

Count me as one who appreciates the amazing gifts this band has given us through the years. Sure most people love the first three albums and that's where the change occurs. But 'No Code' is amazing. And what if there was no 'Yield?' 'Binaural' has its misses, but "Insignificance" and "Grievance" are great songs. 'Riot Act' is one of my favorites and in my opinion the first half of self-titled stands up to the first half of any album they've ever made. And that's saying something.

Maybe you'd trade all that in for "Jeremy Spoke in College" or "Black II," "Black III" and "Black IV," but I would not.

Oh, and they are still phenomenal live. What more could you want? I know, I know, Philly boots, or an EP on CD that arrives December 23rd like clockwork, or a twelve night stand in your backyard. Too bad. "

I disagree with all of this

Yes Way wrote:

Enjoy what you have, because you have an amazing band to follow that is still around. Someday they won't be, and you'll long for "these days."

But I agree with this

elwayvedder wrote:

as the band matures and gets older, so do i. right along their side. its been an amazing 19 years and every day is a gift

Well said. Anything we get, any new song, project, cause, and tour, and television appearance is a gift. A gift that just adds a bit of sparkle to each and everyone's moment in time and space. Rockon.

I also like the original post..... but I think there is a bit of an over-reaction to all the negative comments that get posted on this site. There are LOTS of people on this board with LOTS of different opinions.

I like the post a few days ago where someone asked if there is ONE song that nobody on here hates.

If you sum up all the negative comments, it SEEMS like PJ fans as a whole can't stand PJ anymore. We all know this is not true.

And just because a few people chime in with "backspacer sucks" comments, it doesn't mean that PJ fans don't like backspacer. We all know (as a whole), that backspacer is totally fucking awesome and is arguably one of their best releases. From what I am seeing and reading, those few who are in "backspacer sucks" mode seem to be those who are "stuck" in 1991 and if it doesn't sound like Porch, it sucks.

There's one part of the post which I respectfully but also completely disagree with. The original poster mentioned something about being angry when you are young but that goes away when you are older, and then mentions that "at least you should". I disagree with that. I think that losing anger when you get older is a matter of getting complacent or getting tired of being angry and giving up because it seems impossible to change what's getting you so angry.

My advice to angry young individuals is to keep the anger as long as you can. Sorry for the topic drift!

djonesr wrote:

We all know (as a whole), that backspacer is totally fucking awesome and is arguably one of their best releases. From what I am seeing and reading, those few who are in "backspacer sucks" mode seem to be those who are "stuck" in 1991 and if it doesn't sound like Porch, it sucks.

You are 100% wrong about this. People who think Backspacer sucks are not stuck in 1991. Just like Metallica fans who thought St. Anger sucked weren't stuck in 1985.

The members of Pearl Jam were angry young men about 19 years ago. Nothing here is a "new reality" at all. I haven't thought about any of this stuff you wrote about since I was a teenager. I don't even think there has been a "backlash" against the band since Backspacer at all. Backspacer received some their best critical and fan praise in years and years. I wasn't "disappointed" in the song selection on SNL. It's a TV show. Just Breathe is HUGE hit right now- just like Alive was when they played it on SNL when they were "angry young men." Yeah I think Just Breathe was kind of boring, and it was a little bizarre that Mike looked a hood ornament during the performance (Stone looked a little bored as well) but it didn't surprise me that they played it.

And honestly, I saw them last summer in Chicago and it was one of the hardest rocking shows I've seen them do. They played all of their hardest rockers with the most energy. Eddie is not any less passionate about the issues he sings about than he was 1992. The whole band still rocks- those are guys are freaking great shape. All of this "family" BS you hear about the band these days, "oh they don't rock anymore because they have families." Well that's a bunch of crap. There were families involved when Avacado came out. I think Matt's always had a kid since he's been in PJ and Jeff doesn't have any kids now. It's just a different album- ALL Pearl Jam albums are different from all that came before. They all have a distinct theme, sound, and feel. And might I remind everyone, when they debued the first song from backspacer on Conan, they played Got Some, one of their hardest rocking, most passionate, awesomist songs ever, written by the guy who doesn't have kids.

I think it's kind of amusing that people are making such a big deal about this kind of crap. I've got news for you, it's a job for every musician that makes a dime from their music. The thing that sets Pearl Jam apart is that for almost 20 years they have ridden that perfectly fine line were their music is amazing and extremely artful, but also accessible to everyone who hears it and allows the band to make a shitload of money. That's like the ideal. There's been no compromises- that's why I've loved this band since the beginning. It's funny that Jerry Seinfeld happen to be on SNL with them last night, because Seinfeld was like the Pearl Jam of TV shows. Everyone loves it, it was a huge success, made a ton of money. But it was still hilarious and really clever. It's so funny that after 20 years, grown adult fans are still debating whether than band has "sold out" as if they're arguing Pearl Jam vs. Nirvana by the lockers in 9th grade.

drummer96 wrote:

I agree with the original post for the most part. For some strange reason, people can't understand the "evolution" that bands go through as the years go by. And its not just pearl jam, its any band that has been around for years. There is always going to be critics on the music, and the band itself. Heres the deal: believe it or not, even famous musicians get older!!!!! I know, shocking isnt it?! As far as the band changing goes, I think you have to look at two factors: 1) Its fucking 2010, not 1991!!!! Anybody that thinks a rock n roll band is going to have the same attitude 20 years later, simply because they are a rock band, is retarded. Seriously. 2) The music industry has changed dramatically since 1991. Everything from the way bands release their music (digital age), to record sales, promotion, etc. etc., has changed since 1991. Is it "selling out" to release a record with Target for example? I dont think for a minute the band would do it, if the deal wasnt right for them. Thats just one example. As far as the music goes, I go back to my original point: even rock stars get older!!! The music is naturally going to "mellow" out a little bit. Would you want to see a 45 or 46 year old eddie vedder scribbling pro choice on his arms during an SNL performance? Would you want to see a 45 or 46 year old Mike McCready with assless chaps on, on stage? Seriously people, THEY HAVE GROWN UP SINCE THE EARLY DAYS!!!! They are married, with kids. They arent a new band anymore, and they dont need to "shock and awe" people any longer. They can sit back and let the music do the talking. Thats what professional, lasting bands do. I for one, get sick to my stomach when I see certain bands that have been around forever, and they dont "evolve", simply because they have a "schtick" they feel they have to stay with. At what point will it get old to see Metallica come on stage and act angry? (it did about ten years ago for me) How about The Rolling Stones? Anybody else throw up a little in their mouth when you see Mick or Keith take off their shirt on stage?! And do we DARE talk about a band like Def Leppard?! My point is that, it gets to a point where bands just get sad to watch because they are nothing but an act. I dont think we will ever have to worry about that with Pearl Jam. They KNOW their limitations, and you wont see them act like they are 24 years old on stage anymore. If you wanna see Eddie Vedder stage diving, then hit youtube. Those days are over people, and rightfully so. Humans should "mellow out" a little, and act more like adults as we get older, even rock stars.

DUDE! Hit the return key every once in awhile.

drummer96 wrote:

THEY HAVE GROWN UP SINCE THE EARLY DAYS!!!! They are married, with kids.

hahaha trust me, getting married and having kids has absolutely NOTHING to do with "growing up." I'm not saying the 40-something members of Pearl Jam aren't grown-ups, I'm just saying, it's a bunch of crap that everyone cites the fact that 4/5 of them have kids as the only reason they've grown up. Hello, they're also 20 years older than they were then. I'm not married, I don't have kids, but I've grown up in the past 20 years too.

drummer96 wrote:

Attn. ms. wes c.addle: Just because your screen name has "ms." in it, doesnt mean you need to act like my spelling teacher. If you don't like it, don't read it. Pretty simple.

Bahahahaha! Nothing to do with spelling. Lighten up