I have two videos for you that properly demonstrate, to the best of their ability considering sound and video quality limitations, the Pearl Jam concert experience. Listening to these guys on the radio or your computer is one thing, but until you've seen them live, you have a very limited picture of what the band is all about.
1) "Alive," Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA (2005):
The story: Pearl Jam rarely plays in Philadelphia proper. Instead they head to Camden, NJ, an outdoor amphitheater/indoor concert venue, for reasons that probably relate to greater seating capacity and scheduling concerns with our sports teams. Finally, in 2005, they played the Wachovia Center in Philly for one of only four American gigs in between their Canadian and Latin American tours. This song, "Alive," is the band's first single, their anthem. Eddie described how the song's meaning has changed over the years on VH1's Storytellers:
"[The protagonist is] still dealing with love, [he's] still dealing with the death of [his] father. All [he] knows is 'I'm still alive'...that's totally out of burden...So cut to years later, and we're playing to larger and larger audiences, and they're responding to this chorus in a way that you never thought. Folks jumping up and down in the aisles, and using their bodies to express themselves, and belting it out, you know, singing along, you know, 'I'm still alive,' en masse. So every night when I'd look out on this sea of people reacting in their own positive interpretation, it was really incredible. The audience changed the meaning of these words. When they sing 'I'm still alive,' it's like they're celebrating. And here's the thing: when they changed the meaning of those words, they lifted the curse."
This video is a perfect representation of that celebration. I chose it because I was in the audience that night, and a special electricity pulsed through the venue. We knew it was going to be a special night, and it exceeded all expectations. You see a few shots of the crowd during the solo breaks, when every fan raised and pumped an arm in the air, and shouted "Hey!" in time. The connection between band and audience is unparalleled, something I've witnessed only a handful of times, rivaled perhaps by Bruce Springsteen. It is something to behold.
2) "Rockin' in the Free World," The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA (2009):
The story: The Spectrum was a Philadelphia institution. It housed the Flyers and 76ers, welcomed Barnum and Bailey's, and hosted concerts from the likes of The Grateful Dead, Elvis, Pink Floyd and Bruce Springsteen. In 2008 it was announced that the Spectrum, 41 years old at the time, would be demolished starting November of 2009 to make way for a new retail, entertainment, and dining center. Philadelphians didn't take this well, naturally, as we like to preserve our historical landmarks...and yes, we considered this stadium as such! Rumors started flying about who would host the final shows; Bruce Springsteen was the obvious choice, and indeed he played during the Spectrum's final weeks. Six months or so before the actual dates, Pearl Jam announced that they would play a whopping four-gig run to close the Spectrum, with the final concert falling on Halloween 2009. Philly is a *huge* Pearl Jam town - another story entirely - and fans were in a frenzy. The shows gained even greater significance because both the Phillies (fighting the Yankees for the World Series) and the Flyers were to play Halloween night as well, all in the same sports complex. It was great to be a Philadelphian that week.
This video is from Halloween night, a concert that spanned 3.5 hours and 41 songs. And no, that doesn't include Bad Religion's opening act. 3.5 hours and 41 songs from Pearl Jam. Unprecedented, really. As expected, the night was momentous. They pulled out songs that had
never been played live, Ed rocked an accordian, the bass player took lead vocals while Ed used a basketball as percussion, and they all dressed up as Devo and played "Whip It" for the first song of their first encore. Oh, and they occasionally brought out a "ring girl," Katie, to update us on the Phillies-Yankees score. Honestly, it felt like a party...a party of 18,000, that is. "Rockin' in the Free World," a Neil Young song that PJ covers frequently, was the penultimate song for the night, before their traditional closer. Perhaps it was a "you had to be there" moment, but this video adequately captures the band's energy and crowd's enthusiasm. It was the perfect end to a spectacular series of shows.
* To clarify, that includes me and my cat. And my cat's blogging enthusiasm has been waning lately.
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