http://www.signonsandiego.com/entertain ... soa_1.htmlHIGHER EDUCATION: Pearl Jam soars at SDSU
Pearl Jam performed so many rousing anthems during its marathon, 32-song concert last night at SDSU's Viejas Arena that it almost seemed like an anti-climax when the show concluded with Mike McCready's Jimi Hendrix-inspired solo version of "The Star Spangled Banner." (To link to a photo gallery of last night's show,
click here.)
Then again, little short of an on-stage appearance by the ghost of Hendrix, who died in 1970, could have topped what ranks as perhaps the band's most memorable San Diego concert in Pearl Jam's 19-year history.
Memorable not just because of the group's galvanizing renditions of such early classics as "Alive," "Better Man" and "Even Flow," which were matched by impassioned versions of such potent new songs as "The Fixer," "Got Some" and "The End" from the band's recently released ninth studio album, "Backspacer." (Lead singer Eddie Vedder, an Illinois native who grew up here mostly in North County, performed "The End" as a solo acoustic number, a move that gave even more resonance to such tender, gently rendered lyics as: I want to grow old / just want to grow old. )
And memorable not just because of the inclusion of such rarely performed (at least on the North American leg of this tour) songs the 2006 ballad "Parachutes," which has a lovely, Beatles-like melodic flavor, and "Last Kiss," a doo-wop-tinged 1962 chestnut by Wayne Cochran, which the band played while facing the fans seated behind the arena stage.
No, what made this concert stand out was its all-enveloping sense of communal spirit between the audience, the band and the band's extended family.
Of course, it's a given that many fans will sing along with gusto at every Pearl Jam concert. But Friday's show, which drew a crowd of 11,500, boasted enough unique moments to make you regret the absence of San Diego-bred film director Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous," "Jerry Maguire") who is working on a documentary to commemorate Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary next year.
The first came during the opening batch of encores, when Vedder brought on stage Lulu Wismar and her father, Keith (a former Pearl Jam road crew member who now works for Ben Harper, last night's opening act). After recalling how he had held Lulu in his arms when she was just a day-and-a-half old in Seattle, Vedder had the crowd sing "Happy Birthday" to her, after which he invited Lulu to blow out the candles on a birthday cake that was brought out for her.
Sentimental? Absolutely. But can you name another major rock band that would take any time on stage to honor the child of one of its former stage crew members? Neither can I.
Eight songs later, Vedder paid homage to veteran San Diego Symphony percussionist Jon Szanto, who was Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron's teacher when Cameron was a teenager in Chula Vista. Vedder also gave a shout-out to his own former guitar teacher here, Bud Whitcomb.
Another band might have left it at that, but not Pearl Jam, which then had Szanto and Whitcomb come on stage to join in a heartfelt performance of Jimi Hendrix's blues-drenched ballad, "Little Wing." Cameron happily turned over his drum chair to Szanto, who played with poise and precision, while Whitcomb and Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready (who lived in San Diego for four years as a boy) traded some tart licks.
Equally moving was Vedder's extended spoken introducion to Pearl Jam's high-throtlle version of "So You Want To Be a Rock "n" Roll Star," a 1967 gem by The Byrds (whose bassist, Chris Hillman, is a San Diego native). Recalling his night job at a North County gas station, Vedder described his conversation with the manager, who had recently promoted the budding rock musician to "chief of post-midnight security and gas pump detail."
What followed was a delightfully sly recounting of Vedder's plea to his then-boss, who he implored to allow him to get a Mohawk haircut -- the better for Vedder to realize his dreams of punk-rock stardom. "This job now," Vedder concluded, "I'm never going to (expletive) quit!"
Today, at 44, Vedder has been a rock star for nearly half his life. He and Pearl Jam have weathered the years longer and better than any other group to emerge from Seattle's grunge-rock scene of the early 1990s. Last night's concert here suggested Pearl Jam has the potential to make it for another 20 years to come.
