Pearl Jam Will Change Your Life If You See Them Live
When you go to a show listening to the same band you're about to see and then you leave still listening to said outfit, you know they're doing something right. After walking out of both Pearl Jam gigs at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, I immediately went in my car and cranked up Lightning Bolt, Ten, and various bootlegs from the Riot Act tour. I'm still listening to Pearl Jam right now too, and they'll stay in regular rotation for the foreseeable future. That's the power of a great concert though. It can leave you literally begging for more.
However, Pearl Jam is a special case. After six hours-plus spent with Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Matt Cameron, and Boom Gaspar over the past three days, there's just a sincere feeling of inspiration left over. The Ten staples such as "Oceans", "Porch", "Even Flow", "Alive", "Garden", "Jeremy", "Once", "Release", "Black", and "Why Go" didn't feel nostalgic. In fact, they simply felt apropos. That's why we still come back to that album. It didn't simply capture a time. It's timeless.
As McCready ripped the "Even Flow" on night two solo behind his back and Vedder swung from a light bulb on "Porch" both evenings, the entire room stood transfixed. It's damn near impossible to keep an L.A. crowd's attention, let alone for three hours, but Pearl Jam held tight at never let it go. They still haven't relinquished their grip on me. Then, there's the fact that the band went deep pulling out the likes of "I Got Id", "State of Love and Trust", and "Breath", lest we forget the magical opening of night two with "Oceans".
It's easy to focus on the Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy epics, but this year's Lightning Bolt deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. "My Father's Son" is harrowingly hypnotic live, while "Getaway" felt utterly kinetic. "Future Days" is one of their best ballads, and "Sirens" rings out with elegant truthfulness.
Then, there are the moments of homage such as a poignant Lou Reed tribute during the second gig and "Baba O'Reilly" the first. Shades of Pink Floyd popped up at the right moment as if the torch had been effectively passed to Pearl Jam years ago, and the band hasn't lost sight of that fact.
Great concerts make you feel alive. Pearl Jam will leave you feeling that way and like you can accomplish anything. Go see them for the time of your life…
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