Pearl Jam Builds Up Show After Soft Start

TAMPA - An evening of powerful rock 'n' roll began quietly enough.
Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder took the St. Pete Times Forum stage Sunday night a little before the show's 7:30 start time. He thanked the crowd for showing up early, then sang a solo version of The Beatles' ``You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.''

Pearl Jam began its own portion quietly as well, with the acoustic- based, waltz-time ``Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.''

Of course, plenty of Pearl Jam numbers started off quietly enough, such as ``Betterman'' and ``Given to Fly.'' But those numbers built to powerful climaxes, displaying the band's grasp of classic rock dynamics.

The band's set, before a crowd of 11,223, built solidly as well. An hour in, and they just seemed to be hitting stride.

``Wishlist'' led into ``Evenflow,'' which got the crowd roiling. ``Betterman'' and ``Daughter'' (which closed with Vedder and the crowd spelling out ``P-E-A-C-E'') kept the momentum going as the band hurtled toward the final pre-encore number, a storming ``Rearviewmirror.''

New numbers from last year's ``Riot Act'' album sounded great as well. Drummer Matt Cameron was particularly impressive on ``Love Boat Captain'' and ``1/2 Full.''

Cameron joined opening act Sleater-Kinney, playing tambourine on one number. The Portland, Ore., trio is Pearl Jam's handpicked opening act for the tour's current leg, and it was easy to see why.

It's Sleater-Kinney's first time in arenas, but a week-and-a-half into the tour, the band seemed to be taking to the bigger halls quite nicely.

Corin Tucker may have the most powerful voice in rock 'n' roll, and she and fellow guitarist Carrie Brownstein layer vocal lines reminiscent of groundbreaking post-punk acts such as The Raincoats.

But the band is just as capable of conjuring up The Who - especially with Janet Weiss' merciless, precise pounding - or Motown (in the harmonies of ``Step Aside'').

Tucker dedicated a blazing cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's ``Fortunate Son'' to those who were ``worried about a world being run by fortunate sons.'' The song was followed by a tension-filled jam before the band crashed into ``Dig Me Out.''

Later, Sleater-Kinney joined Pearl Jam for a tumultuous, concert-closing version of Neil Young's ``Rockin' in the Free World.''