Rising Above with Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam
Scottrade Center
St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Section 102, Row G, Seat 17
$66.50

I graduated high school in 1992, so my senior year coincided with the Seattle grunge scene breakthrough. I was aware of it that year, but slow to catch on. On April 10, 1992, the very same night when Pearl Jam played the Trocadero in Philly, I was at the Skid Row concert at the Spectrum. I bought a few albums from Seattle bands, and I saw Soundgarden and Alice in Chains that school year.

I really became a Pearl Jam fan in college. I was 19 and getting more and more into Yes and other bands from the 1970s progressive rock era. I was excited about this music and other bands that I listened to when I was younger faded away. But I bought Pearl Jam's second album Vs. on midnight on the day of its release, and I listened to it a lot. Songs like Daughter and rearviewmirror resonated with me. Some of those lyrics could have been about me, putting my relationship with my family and a betrayed friendship into perspective. I bought a few more albums, but I never got to see them in college.

Seeing them now is nostalgic for me, a gift to my 19-year-old self. I knew that this is not a band that needs nostalgia. They've been active creating new music all along. I figured I'd know a handful of songs that they'd play, and the rest would be unfamiliar.

Roy didn't want to go to this concert. I think it's funny that sometimes I can go to a concert by myself and it doesn't bother me in the least. Other times, I feel like an outcast for no longer having a local group of friends to go with. I think it comes down to how well I know the music or what type of crowd I'm expecting. I asked around, and I couldn't find anyone else interested. I could buy two tickets and continue my search, or accept it and buy a single ticket. I didn't want to keep asking around. It was fine at the show, as I brought a magazine to read beforehand and I talked to some of the people in my row.

I ended up with a really good seat. I didn't want to be on the floor. I bought my ticket during the presale, and I got a seat in the first tier of seats, about seven rows up. I was in line with about the 15th row on the floor. It was a great viewing angle. Sometimes shows have video screens or a backdrop that can't be seen if your seat has a side-view of the stage. I like it better to be a section further back.

The opening act Band of Horses was a nice surprise. I had never heard of them before. They sounded nothing like Pearl Jam, but had a laid-back sound with a country-folk influence to their songs. I liked their harmonies and their use of piano.

Pearl Jam came on and opened with four songs in a row that I didn't recognize. The fifth song was Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town from Vs. I remembered all the words to this one. I sang along to "Hello. My god, it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return" and so did the rest of the audience. I got a big smile on my face. I knew a few more songs during the main set, and most of the encore songs. I heard the songs I really wanted to hear, Daughter and rearviewmirror. But I didn't get to hear other songs in the "would be nice to hear" category like Who You Are and Black. A fair trade-off.

I watched singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder for most of the show. So impressed with his performance. I think he's a fascinating artist, and I got to see him connect with the audience without being cheesy or over-the-top. He got us cheering without ever saying anything that didn't sound like he was chatting with us. One of my favorite moments, visually, of the show was Vedder holding his guitar over his head up to a spotlight. Light reflected off of it into the audience. I watched as he'd move his guitar a little and the reflected light would hit another section of the arena and then another. I wonder if he does that at every show. I'm amazed to read that he's 45 years old. That's how old my favorite singer Jon Anderson was the first time I saw him in concert, but Vedder still seems youthful.

The band didn't need a stage show to keep our attention. The backdrop was a cloth that had typewriter keys on it. In the center were the letters P E A R L J A M. The lights would shine on different letters and highlight them. I was close enough to be able to see and recognize all the band members, but not close enough to see their facial expressions. A close up video feed would have been nice, but it wasn't necessary.

Pearl Jam is a band that takes a stand on a lot of social and environmental issues. At this show, it was lessening the use of plastic water bottles. We clashed there, because I usually buy a bottled water at concerts. The concession lady told me the bottled waters were not allowed into the auditorium, so what they were doing was selling the waters, but pouring them into a plastic cup, which we were allowed to bring in. Two plastic drink holders is worse than one! To make it worse, the cup was a flimsy thing that had no lid. I imagined myself spilling it before I even got to my seat. I bought a large soda for $7 that was also plastic, but came with a lid. Of course, it's easy to find holes in the band's philosophy, places where they might look hypocritical. My big environmental deal is smoking, forcing me to breathe your carcinogenic waste. Eddie Vedder smoked on-stage, and even made it part of the show, in a non-smoking building. We can't all be perfect.

The concert lasted about two and a half hours, but it never dragged, even with me knowing so few of their songs. It was well-paced, with their mix of songs that sound like classic rock, heavier stuff, and quieter singalongs. It didn't go on too late either. The concert started at 7:30, and Pearl Jam took the stage around 8:30. The show was over by 11. For the final encore, the house lights came on. That maybe gave me another burst of energy, along with their cover of The Who's Baba O'Riley.

The final song of the night was Yellow Ledbetter. Eddie Vedder played tambourine, and he was hitting two tambourines against each other, then tossing them out to the audience. There was a roadie keeping him with a running supply of tambourines. Vedder stood on the far end of the stage to sing, and then walked into the audience. The song ended with him sitting on his monitors at the edge of the stage, having a drink. A roadie brought over a cigarette, and Eddie Vedder drank and smoke and hung out with the crowd listening to the end of the song.

I was talking to a coworker the day after the show. Now I've seen Pearl Jam, so I can check them off the list. But this show has stayed with me for the last week. I think I will see them again if they come back to St. Louis. And I'll be sure to check out their latest album, so I know more of their material.