I mentioned in one of the reviews how I felt, as a fan, that the band had rewarded me as a fan. As it happens, the seats for the anniversary show on the 22nd, the most recent show that I attended, wound up being among the top four closest seats that I have had for a Pearl Jam concert, and I have seen this band now two dozen times! That's a lot - yet, there are people who have seen them even more - in some cases far more - than me!
But Pearl Jam is not your normal, or typical, band! And not everyone "gets it", in relation to this band. In fact, judging from personal experience, it almost seems that most people either "love them or hate them", as people tend to say. Many people seem to feel almost outraged by them. That began in the early days, when the band had a reputation, largely based on the opinions of one highly influential man (Kurt Cobain, namely), that they were simply cashing in on the rising Seattle music scene.
Many were critical of them when they grew huge so quickly. When they seemed reluctant to acknowledge this as a happy success, even more people seemed skeptical. Even when they stopped promoting themselves by refusing to make music videos, the band remained phenomenally popular.
Then, they were criticized for taking on Ticketmaster, with many expressing the opinion that they were surely waiting to make a killing once they finally went on tour. Some thought it was ill-advised, while some believed it was all some big hoax of some sort, an elaborate scheme to get attention.
Eventually, their incredible success did wane, particularly with the release of "No Code", which though an underrated album (my opinion, admittedly), was not what people expected to hear as the "Pearl Jam sound", that many other artists by that point had, ironically, copied and cashed in on.
Almost a decade later, the band would draw the ire of neocons in the political field for their relentless, vocal opposition to President Bush's policies - and particularly the invasion of Iraq. I was actually at one of the shows that drew controversy. In Long Island in April of 2003, I personally witnessed them booed off the stage, essentially.
There was a friend of mine who was originally supposed to go with me to that show. But he had cancelled after hearing reports that the band had dared to criticize Bush during an earlier show in Denver. In particular, he was incensed that Eddie Vedder had "impaled" a mask of Bush (he had actually placed the mask on the microphone stand, an action which neocons interpreted as "impaling", and which many knee-jerk reaction and false patriots, as well as quick critics of Pearl Jam, believed to be valid and condemning.
Of course, that same guy (let's call him Glenn), had expressed cynicism of them before. He and I used to have relatively similar musical tastes, and went to a ton of shows together. His big thing was heavy metal (and he was a huge fan of Howard Stern, to the point that he often tried to look like him, and even to sound like him, including the pauses in breathing for effect). He also felt strongly for the Smashing Pumpkins, another band we mutually liked, and saw together.
He liked Pearl Jam, but as the musical editor for the school newspaper, had written a review of "Vitalogy", claiming that they were the "most overrated band in the world." And as their popularity waned a bit following "No Code", and even "Yield", he began to express that same level of cynicism. He asked me, rather doubtfully, if I thought the band would still be playing arenas in ten years time.
"Absolutely! No doubt!"
"Really?!", he asked, the skepticism bleeding very transparently in his voice. He then explained how he did not think so. How he thought, in effect, they were done.
For whatever the reason, this band has consistently been underestimated by those kinds of detractors, who do not understand the strong connection that they have with loyal fans, and just how much they mean to their fans - like me.
He continued to express cynicism of them, but the reports of the "outrageous" Denver show, which he said there was no place for following the September 11th attacks, were the final straw. He was selling all of his albums, and wanted nothing more to do with the band. He tried to be a sport, and apologized for cancelling.
As it turned out, given the events of that concert, I was actually glad that Glenn did not go with me to that concert. I went with my brother, who like me, also was highly skeptical of George W. Bush, and even more skeptical of all the news media that transparently supported him and his administration in a very real way by refusing to do their job and actually report the facts that would challenge the legitimacy of the war - and even of that whole Presidency. My brother was not so offended by the band's antiwar stance, like Glenn was (at that point). The thought of how he would have railed against them after the show, and how I would have had to listen to that crap probably all the way home, might just have ruined that concert for me entirely. As it was, though, I was actually prouder of the band at that moment than perhaps I have ever been, before or since.
And wouldn't you know it? Pearl Jam is still playing major venues and arenas. Hell, they are playing to sold out audiences, and most of the crowd is on their feet for at least a good part of the show! Yes, they are still going strong - in fact, they might just be better than ever, in terms of their stature! Somehow or other, the band was able to pick up the pieces from the waning support of fair weather fans like Glenn, and still go strong, and yes, fans like me feel that their loyalty has been rewarded.
So, this week that just ended was an amazing one for Pearl Jam, and I was actually a part of it! On the heels of their recent release of "Lightning Bolt", their tenth album, they began their tour. Jim Fallon had a "Pearl Jam" week, to honor the band. And they played some amazing and memorable shows, one of which fell on their anniversary (October 22nd).
I was fortunate enough to go to the two Philadelphia shows, and took some really cool pictures. But I only selected a few (mostly because of time constraints, although a part of that were the problems I was experiencing with the computer.
That said, here are all of the pictures that I took on that night for the concert, in no particular order (at least, I don't believe they are in a particular order, since the computer download seems to have mixed them up in random order):
I went with my friend John, and he took this shot.
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