Why are some PJ fans so dumb?

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=785456

Vedder's talent, solo show vision lost on audience
By ERIK ERNST
Special to the Journal Sentinel1
Posted: Aug. 20, 2008

Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder understands the challenges a rock star faces in tackling a solo theater show.
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Fans covet the rare opportunity to see a musician they've only gazed at from afar play rare songs in an intimate setting, only to have other concert-goers ruin the show by screaming out requests or other pleas for attention that are usually muffled by stadium rock.

Nearing the end of the three-week solo tour, Vedder tried to confront the issue before it started Tuesday night at the Riverside Theater.

"Look at us - up for a fancy night on the town," he said to the cheering, sold-out crowd, telling them to get the yelling out of their systems before he began thumping out the percussion for the opening "Sometimes" with his foot. With a plaid flannel shirt as the only item betraying his grunge roots, Vedder played Cat Stevens' "Trouble" as a starkly lonesome electric guitar melody while Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" highlighted the dulcet tremolo aspect of Vedder's rich vocals.

With a set list that drew from his own solo work, eclectic covers and some deep Pearl Jam cuts, Vedder had a defined vision for the evening that was lost on the audience.

Just five songs in, the singer started confronting individual rabble rousers - even dedicating the brooding "Dead Man Walking" to one heckler - in hopes that singling them out would quiet their interruptions.

It didn't.

Next, Vedder tried conversation, relating a funny story of a man who called 911 when his sub sandwich was delivered without dressing. Acknowledging the well-behaved fans, he even asked the others, "Is this the first time you've sat in velvet chairs?" That didn't work either.

After a mid-set collection of songs that he wrote for the soundtrack to the 2007 film "Into the Wild," Vedder tried pandering, offering a crowd-wide sing-along version of the Pearl Jam favorite "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town."

Luckily, that seemed to satisfy the audience long enough for Vedder to perform a stunning interpretation of "Millworker," James Taylor's 1979 blue-collar ode.

Throughout the evening, sparks of Vedder's good humor and everyman demeanor emerged. Picking up a ukulele for "Soon Forget," he described the Napoleon complexes that he assumes small instruments have. The Beatles' "Blackbird" showcased Vedder's intricate fretwork on the acoustic guitar and gave the outspoken musician a chance to promote his endorsement of Barack Obama.

But, in the encore, the artist's frustrations re-emerged as he looked offstage and asked if he should just end the show when another major outburst occurred. Slumping from his stool to the stage in frustration, Vedder did push-ups as security removed one unruly fan near the front of the theater.

By the end of the show's finale, "Hard Sun" - an upbeat rocker that featured opener Liam Finn on the drums - Vedder had had enough. Thanking the crowd curtly, he shoved his microphone to the stage as he stormed off.