Pearl Jam rockin' out at Scotiabank Place. Courtesy of Pearl Jam Official on Flickr.
A review by Vera Grbic
Expectations. They can be a wondrous thing. They engage us, excite us, and generally prepare us for what’s to come. They can also be fodder for a letdown. Going into the Pearl Jam concert at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday evening, expectations soared. This time, they were met with nothing but pure elation.
Growing up in the grunge era has made me appreciative of the type of music with which I was raised. I may have been a little young for the crowd, but I was banging my head with the best of them. One of the reasons I’ve come to realize the importance of the music to come out of the 1990s is due to the recent “comeback” or “nostalgia” – depending on your viewpoint – tours of grunge-era bands. Stone Temple Pilots headlined the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest in 2009, and Soundgarden hit the same stage this year. Seeing them live has given me a chance to reflect. But seeing them was also a subjective experience, and I could only give a biased analysis. Quality of music and stage presence had no bearing, as objectivity flew out the window. In my head, by simply appearing on stage together, they could do no wrong.
With Pearl Jam, it’s different. They are not on their nostalgia tour. They are on their 20th anniversary tour. This is a major difference. While they have proven that grunge can evolve and be moulded into a style that still finds new fans 20 years down the road, their longevity gives me reason to review their performance more objectively. Are they still relevant? Can they still put on that amazing live show for which they are revered? Based on last night’s performance, the answer to both is a resounding yes.
The set list is one indicator. They played many of their hits, opening with “Small Town”, but also played favourites like “Even Flow”, “Better Man”, one of their latest singles “Just Breathe”, and closed the show off with “Alive”. Jam also played a series of short songs from their Into the Wild soundtrack, most of which ran up to a minute and a half, including the uplifting “Setting Forth”. Eddie Vedder brought along his best vocals, with the exception of some miss-steps like blundering the words to “Better Man”, and at times being drowned out by the instruments.
It’s also their incredibly loyal fan base that gives them continuous support, as well as providing proof that there are still myriad people that care about what Pearl Jam has to say – and play. Last night they came in drones. Attending the concert with my die-hard-Pearl-Jam-fan friend, I was informed that there might be some cult-like fan behaviour. Surely enough, in the middle of seemingly unrelated song choruses, the entire floor – and about half of the stadium – put up their arms and made hand gestures in unison. Moreover, a full 95 percent of the stadium was on their feet from the first to the last chord, the most loyal of which slowly made their way up to the stage, ignoring security guard warnings. A true test of fan loyalty was when Jam played a song that was just a few weeks old, like “Ole´”, and a bunch of fans were mouthing the words.
Then there’s the Eddie Vedder effect. Like all front-men of famous acts, Vedder is the fan favourite. But he also has a job to do, like make a connection with the audience. Peace sign tee and plaid shirt in hand, Vedder looked and acted the part. His performance was nothing short of passionate. He literally jumped around the stage, gave head-bangers the world over a run for their money, and made sure to engage every part of the audience – even the nosebleeds. He did this by shining a stage light off of the back of his guitar into every single part of the audience, inducing ear-popping cheers. He was also chattier than usual, taking mini breaks every few songs to talk with the crowd. He lamented not coming to Ottawa for six years, and also dedicated the song “Wish List” to an audience member, the founder or the charity organization run by Pearl Jam fans. At one point, he also poured his trademark bottle of wine down a fan’s throat. But it wasn’t merely him producing the stage presence. Lead guitarist Mike McCready held his own, bellowing out crisp guitar solos and talking with the crowd.
I have to leave off with a few final words of advice. For one, if you are intending on going to a Pearl Jam concert, find a friend in the fan club from whom you can get floor seats. They’re not only the cheapest tickets you can get, but the crowd atmosphere is unparalleled. And two, don’t be afraid to bring out your inner-journalist by hanging around afterwards. Like my friend and I, you may meet a central member of the crew who can give you backstage paraphernalia like set lists and guitar picks.
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