http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/09/18/p ... erfect-tenPearl Jam at MTS: A Perfect TenThere are good concerts. There are great concerts. And then there are Pearl Jam concerts.
As anyone who’s had the experience can (and enthusiastically will) tell you, there’s nothing quite like a Pearl Jam concert. Not even another Pearl Jam concert. In a business based on playing it safe and sticking with the program, these Seattle stalwarts — currently celebrating their 20th anniversary — prefer to play it loose and fly by the seat of their pants. Every one of their shows is a little bit different than the last. Every show is a little bit special. Every show is an experience, an event — something between a shared religious epiphany and the world’s largest campfire singalong.
But don’t take my word for it: Ask any of the 12,200 devoted fans who jammed MTS Centre for the band’s second stop in the city on Saturday night. They’ll tell you what’s what. For their $70 — a bargain by contemporary concert-ticket standards — they got an epic 150-minute set. They got more than two dozen songs spanning the band’s career. They got a pair of lengthy encores. They got covers of Joe Strummer, The Stooges and Neil Young. They got to share Eddie Vedder’s wine. They got to hear news about his family. They got guitar picks and smashed tambourines. They got to sing at the top of their lungs and dance like merry drunken fools. They got to hear Eddie make up a ditty about the Jets. They got a fiery opening set from their old pals in grunge pioneers Mudhoney. And they got to go home knowing that the show they saw belongs to them and nobody else. That’s why the fans love Pearl Jam. That’s why they follow them on tour. That’s why they post every set list on the band’s website instantly (and thanks for saving me some time there, kids). And that’s why they pore over the details of every second, every song, every show. So let’s get down to the details, shall we? Here are my song-by-song notes:
Why GoA few weeks back, lead guitarist Mike McCready told me that when Eddie draws up the set list each night, he refers back to previous shows in the same city to make sure they aren’t repeating themselves. When they were last here almost six years ago to the day, they opened with Better Man. Not sure what made him opt for this wiry, energized track from their debut album Ten, but it seems to make sense, given the nostalgic, celebratory zone they’ve been in lately. Not that anything else suggests this tour is out of the ordinary. As usual, their small stage is a study in bare-bones minimalism and practicality. There are no ramps or risers or colour-coordinated sets; just the amps and instruments they need to get the job done. Ditto the production. Forget confetti cannons, dry ice machines and lasers; all you get is basic lighting. Their outfits are their street clothes; Jeans, sneakers and T-shirts. The bearded, longhaired Vedder sports a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, like he’s ready to get down to work. The only concession to arena-rock showmanship is a banner behind them, with PJ spelled out in speaker cabinets. And they’re probably embarrassed by it.
AnimalFrom Ten to Vs. Guess Eddie is feeling chronological tonight. But it’s another solid choice that keeps the forward momentum going. Vedder leans back, hanging so low off the mic stand he looks like he’s doing the limbo — or channeling Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. Between songs, he looked like he was stretching. The rest of the band still seem to be limbering up too. Nobody is moving around too much yet. Hey, none of us is getting any younger.
All NightWell, that didn’t take long. After ramping up with the first two songs, everybody and everything kicks into a higher gear with this surging rocker from Lost Dogs (if memory serves, it’s a No Code outtake). Keyboard player Boom Gaspar joins the lineup, adding some rich Hammond organ to the tune.
Corduroy“Live from Winnipeg, it’s Saturday night!” announces Eddie by way of introduction, strapping on a guitar for this Vitalogy workhorse. (Vedder's set list is still going in roughly chronological order.) McCready starts to get a little more animated; considering he’s the most regular-looking dude of the bunch, it’s kind of ironic he’s the guy who usually busts out most of the rock-star moves. Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament are still mostly keeping their heads down.
Arms AloftThe house lights go up and Vedder says Hey. Literally. “We’re sure happy to be here and it looks like you feel the same way,” he understates. Then he launches into a spiel about how the next song is about love and its many splendors— until he realizes he’s introducing the wrong song. “Ignore everything I just said,” he deadpans, before the band cranks out a scrappy, chiming take of a Joe Strummer tune. Very cool.
Amongst the Waves“And now, a song that really needs no introduction,” cracks Vedder, referring to his previous gaffe. This is one of the reasons people love him: When he talks, he’s not some glib, slick entertainer. He’s kind of halting and mumbly and almost shy. He seems just like one of us. But once the music starts — whether it’s one of their anthemic rockers or a moody ballad like this — he is transformed into a different person: Powerful, passionate, magical, magnetic. And he’s no longer one of us. That’s the other reason people love him.
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small TownAnother Vs. cut. Eddie straps on the electric guitar again — he seems to be playing more than he was last time he was here — while Stone handles the acoustic portion of this gently soaring waltz.
WishlistStill moving forward, here’s a chugger from 1998’s Yield. McCready has been getting more animated as the night goes along, bouncing around over on stage right, running back and forth and tossing picks into the crowd like he’s Rick Nielsen. When it comes time to solo however, he’s all business. Near the end of the song, Eddie changes the lyrics to “I wish I was Canadian,” sparking massive cheers, naturally. Hey, they may have integrity, but they’re not idiots. A little pandering to the crowd never hurts.
DaughterAnd yet another Vs. number. They’re hitting that album pretty hard so far. Ament sits down to play an upright bass on this one, which stretches and morphs into W.M.A. and Dead Moon’s It’s OK. It’s a long piece of midtempo tension, but still a workout: As Eddie tosses his head around, sweat beads are flung from his brow.
Green DiseaseAnother jump ahead to 2002’s Riot Act. There’s a false start, then drummer Matt Cameron lays down a rock-solid foundation for this propulsive, punky blast. Ament’s bass is meaty and grindy. Which reminds me: Kudos to whoever is doing sound: Not only can you actually make out Ament’s bass, you can differentiate between the three guitars onstage. Easier said than done. McCready has really hit his stride now; he’s up at the front of the stage, playing to the crowd when he isn’t running laps of his side-wash monitors and leaping about. Rock on, dude.
The FixerFinally, we flash-forward again to their latest album: 2009’s Backspacer. Dig the slashing guitars and ’70s rock groove on this one. Those chords — and Eddie’s “Hey hey hey” vocals — have just enough KISS in their DNA. The crowd takes up the, “Yeah, yeah, yeah” refrain with gusto. And without a fight.
Even FlowYou gotta love this set list so far: From their latest, Vedder takes us right back to the beginning again. The crowd goes nuts and the lights whirl about as this one kicks off. Despite having played it countless times, they aren’t phoning it in. McCready cuts loose with an extended solo built from piercing notes and volcanic licks. Ament and Gossard are nose-to-nose in front of Cameron, anchoring down the beat. Vedder wanders off to the back of stage left with a smoke and a bottle of wine, teasing the crowd with the booze before bolting back to the mic for the final choruses.
I Got Id“This is one we did with Neil Young,” offers Vedder before this chunky Merkin Ball rocker (and Mirror Ball leftover). “It wasn't until two years ago that I realized the chorus was almost exactly Cinnamon Girl, but he never said a damn thing about it.” To prove his point, Vedder tosses in a verse from Cinnamon Girl near the end. Yep, he’s right.
DownWhile the band works its way through this strummy rocker, Vedder makes good on his earlier tease and starts pouring out the vino to fans in the front row. Even better, he enlists one of the bouncers to ferry cups back and forth. Sadly, he forgot to bring communion wafers to complete the picture.
Olé“We gotta keep going,” Eddie says. Not sure whether he’s trying to explain something to us or urge his bandmates to pick up the pace, but whichever it is, this driving new single seems to do the trick.
Unthought KnownSticking with the newer material, Vedder kicks off this Backspacer gem on guitar, gradually building up the chuggy, offbeat groove. It almost has a Latin feel at times — until it busts wide open into full-sized anthem on the chorus. As always, every time Eddie takes off his guitar, he heaves his pick straight into the audience. They just never stop giving, these guys.
OnceFrom the new back to the old yet again, the main set wraps with this big, rolling funk rocker from Ten. The musicians have only been onstage for 75 minutes, and they’re burned through 17 songs. And they’re far from over. So much for resting on their laurels.
Inside Job“They’ve been doing two encores at every concert,” the guy one row down from me drunkenly yells in my ear. “Let’s get three.” Like I have some say in the matter. In any case, the first encore opens with this dreamy number from the self-titled 2006 album (guess Eddie is filling in the gaps now). McCready (who wrote this one, Vedder tells us) sports a double neck a la Jimmy Page. A fake glitterball effect dances on the backdrop — which has been changed to a stylized PJ. Wait, two different backdrops?! Who do these guys think they are, Nickelback?
Just BreatheAfter strapping on an acoustic guitar, Vedder plays to the crowd a little more, enthusing about the Jets, talking about meeting one of the players and even making up a little “Go Jets go!” ditty when the crowd starts up with the inevitable chant. (Is anybody else already getting sick of hearing that everywhere?) Naturally, the lighters come out for this acoustic ballad.
Present TenseOver to No Code now (my theory about Eddie’s set-list hopscotch seems to be holding up) for this one. It starts with a slow, jazzy progression from McCready, then builds into a big power-chord blast. During the instrumental section, some butthead heaves a drink at the stage. It lands near the drum riser between Vedder and McCready, but they both seem too focused on the task at hand to notice or care. Kinda punk in its own way.
ComatoseSpeaking of punk, here’s another thrashy little firecracker from that self-titled disc. Bonus points to McCready, who launches into the opening riff from Van Halen’s Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love after a false start. I was hoping they were going to go with it — who wouldn’t want to hear Eddie do DLR? — but sadly, it didn’t take.
PorchEncore 1 wraps up with another Ten track (you can’t say they’ve been ignoring their old stuff). Eddie slowly works his way into the song, scratching away at a funky blues riff before everything shifts into thundering rock-anthem mode. As the lights fire off and the band cooks, Vedder works his way down to the bass bins stacked in front of the stage. Fans go gaga when he dishes up more wine, pouring it into their cups himself. Then he goes one step further: He mounts the barricade at the front of the stage to lead the crowd in call-and-response vocals. Right now, he is God.
Search and Destroy“Don’t think any of this energy is wasted on us,” Vedder assures fans as they return for the second encore. He says more about how much they appreciate the attention, but it’s all but drowned out by the screaming. Then he gets confessional: “This is a bit intimate for me, but I have three brothers, and they’re all great. The youngest one had a baby boy last night.” Based on his brother, he says, the kid “is going to be the ultimate punk rocker.” Fittingly, they dedicate an ultimate punk anthem to the lad, as Mudhoney’s Mark Arm and Steve Turner — also Ament and Gossard’s old Green River bandmates — return to blast out Iggy and The Stooges’ Search and Destroy. They did it a couple of nights back in Hamilton too, but even if it’s a rerun, it’s still pretty awesome.
Crazy MaryStill on the baby kick, Vedder tosses out a few possible names (“How about Wayne Gretzky?”) before easing into this acoustic slow-burner and longtime live staple. The “take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around” refrain seems tailor-made for another round of wine-sharing, but I guess that’s a little too on-the-nose for him. Nobody seems to mind. In fact, at this point, it’s almost as if the crowd is literally hypnotized by him. When Vedder raises his arms at one point, thousands of arms in the audience go up in unison. It’s half-thrilling, half-creepy. As the song extends, McCready wanders over to trades solos with Gaspar while Eddie enjoys another smoke break at the back of the stage.
AliveClearly, we’re heading for the finish line. Pandemonium erupts as the players ease into this classic. It unspools laid-back and confident, which makes it even more epic and anthemic, if that’s possible. McCready solos with his guitar behind his head — shades of Hendrix — while Eddie comes down front to commune with the faithful again.
Rockin’ in the Free WorldAnother repeat from their recent Toronto shows — and from their last visit to town. Sadly, we don’t get a Neil Young cameo like the easterners did. But the crowd does a pretty fair job of tearing the roof off the place anyway. As the house lights go up and the band grooves, a roadie tosses two tambourines at Vedder. He bashes them together until they start flying apart, then flings them into the crowd, repeating the procedure until he’s distributed broken percussion gear to all sides of the stage. By the end of the song, he’s bobbing like a punch-drunk fighter, leaning heavily on the mic stand and finally taking a dive to the canvas. This must be the end, right?
IndifferenceNope. There’s still enough gas in the tank for this slow, bluesy cut from Vs. (Clearly the album of the night.) Ament takes a seat with his upright bass again as Vedder sings about “taking punches until their will grows tired.” Which is not a bad metaphor for how he’s spent the past two and a half hours. When he finally vacates the stage one last time and the crowd files out, the guy in front of me campaigns in vain for his third encore. My friend notes, “That’s twice we didn’t get Yellow Ledbetter.” Not that he’s complaining. No one’s complaining. All we can do is hope that Eddie keeps that one in mind for next time.
