Release for Rich, April 29 Atlanta N1
Never written up one of these before but have certainly appreciated the ones I’ve seen over the years, many of which do make their way to the right people, so I thought I’d give it a shot. If nothing else than to share a bit about a great guy in the PJ community and one of my best friends.
I knew of Rich long before he knew me. My partner has followed him on social media for years and I’d periodically hear him say things like, “this guy knows his stuff!”, as he’d read through some nuanced observation Rich posted about either related to the current PJ tour or something that may have happened decades ago. You may have heard some of his tour recap shows on PJ Radio where he curates some of his favorite songs/moments and gives backstory, references to things only a walking encyclopedia of Pearl Jam knowledge would catch. I remember meeting him for the first time a few years ago because he happened to be in front of us in a GA line but my partner was too nervous to talk to him haha. So instead we sat there and he’d lean over to me and be like, “yep, he’s talking about Red Rocks 95” and I’d laugh and be like just go talk to him! We finally did and I said something dumb like “I know you from Twitter!” which he got a kick out of. I’d quickly go on to realize the thing about Rich is that when you’re talking to him it’s like you’re telling him the most important thing in the world. The guy probably has every known Pearl Jam setlist memorized but you wouldn’t know it unless you really get him going. The fact that he does, and however many hundreds of shows he’s been to isn’t some badge of honor he wears (nor does he even talk about it unless directly asked) more than it’s just a fact about his life and a testament to how much he loves Pearl Jam and this community. For me personally it’s like I get to live early PJ through him; I wasn’t at Bridge in the 90s or at every show on the 2000 tour, but sometimes I feel like I could have been because of his stories, as if he’s some elder passing down knowledge of the old days. Being at shows together is another level of insane, to see him in his element and rock out as hard as anyone. And now my partner has someone to sing variant lyrics together with, like during Throw Your Arms Around Me they look at each other and yell "as I shout it to the grey summer sky" which I have since learned is from Pitt 98 or something and I swear this must be what it feels like as a parent to watch your kid's antics with their best friend.
For as warm, genuine and positive a guy as he is, you never really know what someone is going through. I remember at Fenway last year literally as we were walking into the show my mom called and had some scary news regarding my brother that turned out to be okay, but was horrible at the time. Rich gave me the biggest hug and spent the rest of the night making sure I was okay. Little did any of us know, his own brother was losing his battle with cancer. He passed a few months later.
Life has given him a lot recently with his brother's death and then some major surgeries of his own that he’s had to recover from, but he’s dealt with it the best anyone can really. I think we’re all just excited for the tour to start again because for those few weeks it’s like whatever is happening in life doesn’t seem so unsurmountable and it can almost carry you through anything even long after it’s over. For me it's people like Rich that gets me through the other 10 months of the year.
As for the song request: April 29, the day of the first Atlanta show, is the anniversary of his father passing. Something that Rich has talked about is hearing Release for the first time after his father died and how powerful it was. It was actually at the Philly Ten show on April 29, 2016, so if that wasn't already an insane enough coincidence, he had the buildup of realizing what was happening and knowing it was coming. I’d love for him to have that experience hearing Release again this year in Atlanta, exactly 9 years later. A reminder that his dad and now his brother are still watching over him.
Thanks all for reading.
Comments
My Dad died in April as well 4 years ago and I have never heard Release live so that would be magical
Release-->Whipping.
Hope you get Release!
If you are reading this RTW, sending you a giant (((((((hug))))))
Cincinnati 2014
Greenville 2016
(Raleigh 2016)
Columbia 2016
Much like the OP, I knew of Rich long before he knew of me. In fact, long before I knew of “Rich.” My college roommate, Tom (Father Hubbard) and I were frequently left in bewilderment (and sometimes jealousy) about the man on the rail that POGO’d with a joy that seemed infectious.
Over the last few years, I was luck enough to finally meet Rich. There is the saying that I don’t always agree with….”Never meet your idols.” Rich is one of the reasons I find myself disagreeing. There are moments in life when you come across someone whose presence fills the room, whose words resonate deeply, whose actions reflect a kindness and strength that you’ve admired from afar. But it’s not until you’re standing face to face, realizing that this person is every bit as incredible—if not more—than the version you’ve built in your heart, that you realize they’re human too, and that their strength comes from the same vulnerabilities we all share.
Release 4 Rich.