This picture was taken, and recently cropped, by me. Taken from the Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band show in Worcester, Massachusetts, June 11, 2016
This picture was taken, and recently cropped, by me for the Ringo Starr In Conversation at Strands Bookstore - October 26, 2015
This was a pretty interesting article about Ringo Starr, who shares his thoughts on writing country music, as well as the recent AI "Beatles" track that has generated some controversy.
Thought it would be worth a look for other Beatles fans.
The links are below. Enjoy!
Ringo Starr on ‘Rewind Forward,’ writing country music, the AI-assisted final Beatles track and more BY MARIA SHERMAN, September 28, 2023
Since I committed a few blog entries to Pearl Jam yesterday, this seemed like a good time to mention this particular subject, as well.
Thought that this was pretty fascinating.
Mike McCready, the guitarist for Pearl Jam (one of two) is writing a rock opera that will pay tribute to the memory of the late, great Chris Cornell.
Of course, McCready and the other members of Pearl Jam worked with Cornell to produce the Temple of the Dog album, which is best known for the biggest and most recognizable hit track, "Hunger Strike." My son and I saw them on the 2016 tour, which marked the 25th anniversary of this historical music collaboration, which helped to add fuel to the fire of the Seattle music scene that was beginning to really dominate during that time.
Well now, McCready is creating a rock opera to honor the memory of Cornell.
Also, he gives a hint that the next Pearl Jam album is already almost done, and should see release in the near future.
Below are links to articles which offer a bit more information.
Enjoy!
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Working on Rock Opera Honoring Chris Cornell and Seattle Grunge Scene by Eddie Fu Follow September 13, 2023:
The musician also said Pearl Jam's next album is "just about finished"
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready writing rock opera honouring Chris Cornell It will feature his Chris Cornell tribute song 'Crying Moon' by Scott Colothan Published 13th Sep 2023
Okay, so I wrote the following a few years ago, when I turned around and realized, on September 29, 2012, that it had been exactly 16 years since one of the most memorable concert experiences that I ever had. That would be seeing Pearl Jam for the first time at Randall's Island in New York City back in 1996, when they were finally touring in support of the "No Code" album.
There are a lot of things that immediately come to mind when I think about that concert. First of all, it happened to fall on my then girlfriend (now ex-wife) and my first anniversary. Secondly, although I was beginning to go to a lot of concerts by that point, this concert felt somehow like a turning point. Pearl Jam was a huge band, and they were my favorites. Up to that point, despite having seen a growing number of concerts, there always was that one band, my favorites, whom I had yet to see. Then, suddenly, my friend managed to obtain tickets shortly after I returned from a trip to Chicago with another friend (who also happened to be a Pearl Jam fan and wound up going with us). This was the one band that I really, at the time, felt ready to drop everything to go and see, if the opportunity presented itself, and it finally did. I came somewhat close a couple of times in 1994, but ultimately failed. So, the next time that they came around, I was determined to see them come what may. When that friend managed to snag these tickets, it felt like pure elation, and I felt like a little kid eagerly anticipating the Christmas holiday to come, knowing in my head that the date was approaching, but feeling that, somehow, it could not come soon enough.
Even today, I remember how glad that concert made me feel, and just how huge it was for me. Since then, I have been to 24 Pearl Jam concerts, and have seen almost every song that meant something special to me, and then some! Some of the shows were amazing, and for some of them, I had amazing seats, including the second time that I saw them, making a point of reciprocating my friend's purchase of these tickets back in 1996 by bringing him to Pearl Jam's concert at East Rutherford in 1998, where we had second row center.
Yet, despite having some better seats (well, Randall's Island was standing room only, so there technically were no seats) at some other concerts, this particular Pearl Jam concert really stands out for me even to this day. Rarely has any concert mad me feel this good. There have been other concerts, and I have seen some amazing bands and performances. Very few of them made me feel anywhere near what the Pearl Jam concert in 1996 made me feel.I discussed some of these a few years ago, and shared my thoughts in past blogs, and will add those to this particular blog entry below. But seeing Pearl Jam finally take the stage, after years and years of waiting for that opportunity, felt just amazing! It wound up being the longest concert to that point that the band had ever done, and attained a certain legendary status among PJ fans. I remember how crowded it was, people body surfing, and how some of the staff started spraying grateful fans with water to help cool us off. For that matter, simply arriving at Randall's Island, where just a couple of months and change before, that same friend and I had seen Lollapalooza, was an amazing experience. We were discussing the Fastbacks, and he mentioned how Eddie Vedder "creams over them."
Hard to believe that it has been twenty years since then!
So, here are some thoughts that I had four years ago on that concert, which took place on this day, two decades ago:
I have seen a lot of concerts in my own time. It's approaching two hundred since 1992, when my brother and I went to see Metallica and Guns 'n Roses, with Faith No More as the opening act, at Giants Stadium in the summer of 1992. That concert was intense, particularly Metallica's set. It was so loud, so long, so energetic, and it left a lasting impression. It was quite memorable. More recently, there have been other concerts that were quite memorable, as well. Seeing Pink Floyd at Yankees Stadium in 1994. Seeing the Vote for Change Finale in 2004, with incredible acts like Pearl Jam, REM, the Dave Matthews Band, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, and with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band as the closers. That was incredible. I have seen Paul McCartney give a free concert in Quebec on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of that city. Sir Paul was also involved in another incredible concert memory: joining Ringo Starr on stage a couple of years ago on Ringo's 70th Birthday and playing "Birthday". It was as close to a Beatles reunion, or a Beatles show, that I'll have ever seen, most likely, and as a big Beatles fan (could you guess?), that was very memorable! And since that article that I wrote about this Pearl Jam concert, I was at the 12/12/12 Sandy Benefit concert, which included some huge names that included Eddie Vedder, who accompanied Roger Waters on "Comfortably Numb," Bruce Sprinsteen and the E-Street Band, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Kanye West (not a big fan of his, admittedly), Chris Martin of Coldplay with guest star Michael Stipes of R.E.M., Alicia Keys, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Paul McCartney, who at one point brought out the remaining members of Nirvana to perform a song, and this wound up being the first public performance of "Sirvana." Some at the time were suggesting that this was the greatest concert ever. Nowadays, some are suggesting that the Iheart concerts in the desert, also with huge names, are the greatest. For my part, I still think that Woodstock tops all of these in terms of sheer brilliance and cultural influence, and I think that Roger Waters performance of "The Wall" live in Berlin back ni 1990 deserves honorable mention, but I digress.
I started going to see a lot of concerts particularly starting in 1992, and especially gaining momentum in 1994. But at that point, there was one major act that I really wanted to see, probably more than all others, but which it sometimes felt I would never see: Pearl Jam. The thing about Pearl Jam was that, at the time, they were phenomenally popular, probably at the height of their power, if you will. Granted, much of that was the cult of personality surrounding lead vocalist Eddie Vedder. He was the iconic leader of the group, if you will. The type of guy that, as cliche as this sounds, women wanted to be with, and men wanted to be. They had an incredible, raw energy to them in those days. They have retained some of that over the years, but at that time, it was their defining trait. Their music was intense, and charged with powerful and meaningful lyrics, with more than a touch of poetry to them. They really were a band that seemed almost to offer at least a little something to everyone. I desperately wanted to see them, and felt, on many levels, that no matter how many concerts and acts I saw, it would not be or feel complete or impressive until I saw Pearl Jam.
But they rarely ever toured, and never seemed to come to my area, the New York greater metropolitan area, at the time. True, they came around for several shows in their earliest days in the early nineties, playing some very memorable, even legendary shows, at places like the Limelight, but I really started getting into Pearl jam early in 1993, and by then, they were becoming a rare act to see in New York. They had actually come in the area and done a show at the Paramount, in Madison Square Garden (but not outright MSG), and I had desperately tried to get tickets, but was unsuccessful. I waited outside on the side of a road in New York City with a group of equally determined friends to try and get stand by tickets to Saturday Night Live, and actually managed to get one of these tickets. But there was literally not one opening that night, and so all stand by tickets were sent home. I even tried to see them at the Boston Gardens, and came somewhat close, but no cigar. I collected bootlegs of their shows by then, and that 1994 tour still looms large in my memory, although the pleasure of actually going to one of those shows was not mine.
Eventually, however, the opportunity did come. I was friends with someone who had a penchant for obtaining rare tickets, and he managed to get tickets to one of the two Randall's Island shows that the band scheduled for September of 1996, to support their latest album, No Code. This came around a month after the release of that album, which I remember having gotten while on a trip to Chicago, in late August. So, knowing that I would finally get to see them, I was incredibly excited. I just couldn't wait to finally see this group in concert.
There were three of us who went to the concert together. We got there early, and I remember kind of just taking in the atmosphere. The Fastbacks finally came out to open the show, and then it was Ben Harper, who I was not familiar with at the time, but was tremendously impressed with. Still, the group that I wanted to see was in the waits, and the excitement grew. It seemed to take forever for them to take the stage, and it was so hot that night, I remember. Maybe it was just because we were all so tightly packed in. There were a lot of people there.
Finally, the lights went out, and I saw candles on the stage that Pearl Jam was about to take. I don't remember having seen candles at a concert before like that, so it seemed like a new touch. The band came on stage, and it was a thrill to see the immediately identifiable locks of Vedder's then still long hair, and knowing that they were finally there, that the concert had finally begun.
But the music waited, as Eddie Vedder spoke first. He assured us that while the previous night (they had played Randall's Island the night before, as I understand it, in heavy rain) had been highly charged, tonight, they were going to take it a bit easier. But he had the feeling, he told us, that the music would be better sharper, than it had ever been, and that the concert would be longer, maybe, than any other that they had ever performed.
He was right. It wound up being, at that time, the longest show that the band had ever played (it had since been overtaken, and the longest concert that they have played to date now, to my knowledge, was the third Mansfield show in 2004, when they tried to play mostly all different songs in the three shows combined, and opened that third and final show in the Boston area with an acoustic set prior to their main set).
They opened up with "Sometimes", which is also the opening song of their then new album, No Code. It was a strange choice, I thought. It was followed by an intense version of "Go", and the intensity was on. The crowd was really fired up, and seemed as excited as I was in just seeing the band, finally. The next few songs were also highly charged, despite Vedder's previous prediction. During "Animal", Vedder stopped the song and warned the crowd that people were acting crazy, and given the overly crowded circumstances, he did not want something to happen. He even mentioned that they did not think they could keep playing music if someone was to lose their life at one of their shows, something that a friend of mine mentioned some years later, following the tragic incident at Roskilde during the Pearl Jam set.
In any case, that show indeed was legendary, and just as Vedder had forecast, they did in fact play more sings, and played a longer show, than they had ever done before. Everyone went home satisfied, and that certainly included me. I was flying high for maybe a week or so after, feeling so privileged to have felt like that. Since then, only the shows that I mentioned earlier have really allowed me to feel that way, as far as concerts are concerned. Most recently, it was Ringo's 70th birthday show that made me feel that concert magic. It's a nice feeling, and I remember just feeling so content following that legendary 1996 show. Even the massive traffic jam following the show's end did not bother me. Nothing bothered me after that for a while.
That show was on this date, September 29th, exactly 20 years ago, and I was there! I was sure that it would forever be the greatest Pearl Jam show that I would ever see, but I have seen them over twenty times since then. One of the other very memorable shows that I saw of theirs also occurred on this date, back in 2004. It was also part of the Vote for Change tour, about two weeks before that Washington DC finale that I mentioned earlier in this blog. That also had an incredible set list, and was one of the most intense shows of Pearl Jam's that I had ever seen. Even that was now eight years ago. They were both a long time ago, but, ah, what memories!
For a longtime fan of the band, this one feels, to me, like the preeminent book about Pearl Jam. I have read others, including "Twenty," the one simply named "Pearl Jam" by Mick Wall, and "None Too Fragile: Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder" by Martin Clarke. The first one feels autobiographical and fixated on facts regarding the "On This Day" in the band's history kind of a thing. It also feels like it is more of a celebration for fans, and does not delve too deeply into anything resembling a more critical, objective eye at the band. And the other two feel more distant, more like they are secondary sources. Kim Neely, by contrast, feels like a voice from a professional journalist, and who can be considered a primary source, having spent time with the band, and attended a number of shows. She obviously did some serious research for this book. Yet, she also is able both to see the qualities about the band and it's members that appealed so strongly to the fans, as well as addressing the sometimes stinging criticisms from their detractors. She does so very skillfully, without either pulling punches nor condemning them, which is saying something. All of this is what made me feel like this book, more than any of the others mentioned earlier, gave me a clearer picture of the band and their music, the climate of the city and the country at the time of their rise to fame, and the behind the scenes, internal struggles within. So after seeing a recent show (St. Paul on August 31st), it was this book that I returned to reread, because I remember enjoying this book much more than any of the others.
To be fair, this book was published in 1998. Maybe there are more recent editions, in which she addresses later albums. But this book does focus on the band during the height of their power and popularity, back at the tail end of the decade which, on some levels, they kind of dominated for some time.
In this book, you get a well-researched, well-thought out comprehensive story about Pearl Jam. That includes intelligent commentary on the music and the lyrics, which I still believe became the main draw for most fans. But you also get the story of the band members - especially Eddie Vedder, who this author chooses to go into detail with regarding his early, formative years - as well as how they ultimately got together as a band. Neely addresses the challenges and struggles that the band members faced, from the trick of trying to attract interest from major labels in a town (Seattle) that seemed to emphasize, at least outwardly, the appearance of not "selling out" to corporate rock. She addresses the feud between Nirvana and Pearl Jam, or specifically, Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam, which was particularly leveled at Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. She also mentions how these criticisms - particularly from Cobain and members of Mudhoney - forced Pearl Jam to figuratively walk on egg shells and maintain a consistent anti-corporate stance, and how this sometimes made Vedder, in particular, appear humorless. You will learn about the alcohol abuse issues that guitarist Mike McCready suffered through as the band's popularity began to soar, as well as the weird, almost passive-aggressive nature of the relationship between now former drummer Dave Abbruzzese and the other band members (and Kelly Curtis, the band's manager). The reader also gets a substantive perspective regarding Pearl Jam's high profile battle with Ticketmaster, and criticisms regarding their seeming inability to mount a full-scale tour following their second album, at the time of the explosive rise in their popularity, including that the absence increased the demand, while making some fans feel like the band was hurting fans, more than anything.
As a fan, I had long wanted to learn more about this band, almost from the instant that I identified myself as a fan. This book really felt like it helped, even more than any of the other books mentioned. Yes, even more than "Twenty," because again, Neely is not afraid of leveling potential criticisms, at least of addressing the criticisms (and there always seemed to be strangely many of these, probably more a product of their being popular than anything else).
Now, I guess I should mention how and why I ultimately became a Pearl Jam fan. Everyone has their own unique story, and so my path to becoming a fan probably differs than most.
Yet, it was a bit strange, this path to becoming a fan. The first time that I specifically remember hearing them was on Saturday Night Live in April of 1992. Mostly, I remember the lead singer, who seemed to have short hair, suddenly take off his baseball hat to reveal a head of very long hair. I also remember him having some t-shirt with a coat hanger on it - abortion was making some major headlines back then, much as it still does now - as well as a message reading "No Bush 92."
I was impressed, but not enough to really get into the band. Not yet, anyway. But that would come in time, when I finally grew familiar with the band.
What did it for me was when a friend of mine, who was aware of my issues with depression and even suicidal thoughts at the time, mentioned a song. Something about "Jeremy spoke in class today." Back then, before the internet, it was not so easy to find the song, or the ban who performed that song. So there was no way to know more about that song until hopefully, I would hear it on the radio.
Then it came on. I listened to it, fascinated. Determined to find out who the band was. After the song finished, the dj mentioned that it was Pearl Jam. Yeah, I had heard about them, and had seen some of their videos and heard some of their songs by then. But the knowledge that they did this song kind of made my ears perk up. Suddenly, I was interested, and before long, went out and bought the album. It was not long before those songs began to resonate with me after more intimate listening. Already, you could say that I was a fan.
But then came the release of "Vs.," their second album, and the inescapable reality of just how popular they had become. Perhaps it is like the saying, "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd," but this, too, felt like an irresistible draw to me. I just could not believe that a band who expressed similar views to my own could manage such stunning levels of popularity. As much as the lyrics and the overall message moved me, their popularity also felt...well, somehow validating, admittedly. Yes, I know that popularity is kind of a controversial issue when it comes to Pearl Jam. But there it is. I am admitting that their popularity was at least a big part of the draw for me. My passion for the band deepened. By this point, many felt that I had become obsessed with them. Again, though, it just felt like they were able to convey a mindset that I not only admired, but subscribed to.
Even when their popularity started to die down a bit after the fever pitch level of their popularity in the early to mid-nineties, I felt like I could identify. Their fourth studio album, "No Code," felt a bit more quiet, introspective, and mature. And it came at a time when I was beginning to grow into more serious adulthood, however reluctantly. So if anything, I felt like I was growing with this band. That feeling was cemented still further when I longed for the release of "Riot Act," an album that many seem not to like too much, and which seems almost forgotten these days. Yet, that album meant a lot to me, because it was an outlet for my own frustrations with the direction that this country was going in back then. I saw the rather obvious lies that were being used to justify the unjustifiable invasion of Iraq, and the arrogance and entitlement with which the Bush administration pursued the invasion against the wishes of the rest of the world. And Pearl Jam were among the relatively few high profile bands who levelled serious criticism at the Bush administration, and the country more generally. Indeed, I still felt strongly about the band right to, and through, the self-titled album. In fact, the period between 2003 through 2006, which included two tours supporting albums ("Riot Act" and the self-titled album) was the hiehgt of my fandom, as I attended 20 shows and accumulated a lot of things like show posters and t-shirts and other stuff.
Now, I should mention, in closing, that I did not decide to publish this review (or the review from the show in St. Paul, Minnesota which my son and I attended a month ago) randomly. Indeed, September 29th is a significant date for me as a Pearl Jam fan. I always think about the first Pearl Jam show that I saw on this day in 1996, at Randall's Island. Eight years later, I would see them again on this date, this time in Boston for the "Vote for Change" mini-tour. Both of them were excellent shows, standing out even by Pearl Jam standards. The first one in particular felt magical, and the memories that I have from it still feel almost exclusively pleasant. So it seemed fitting to me to publish some stuff about Pearl Jam on this date in particular.
I already posted something about the Pearl Jam show that my son and I recently attended, which was the opening show of their current North American tour. The first night was on Thursday, August 31, 2023, in St. Paul, Minnesota. I got the tickets months earlier, and it wound up being the first real commitment to a trip of the Midwest and West which ended up being our big trip together for 2023.
Indeed, I posted some pictures, but didn't actually review the show.
So how was it?
It started with a band that I was admittedly not all that familiar with, Deep Sea Diver. While I had not really prepared for this show as I have for past concerts (not just Pearl Jam), this one somehow kind of snuck up on me. So I never quite got around to listening to any of their stuff before the show. Yet, what I heard from them on this night was impressive. They are a solid band, and put on a very good show as the opening act.
Then, of course, came the main act.
As always, Pearl Jam puts on a very good live show. This is a band who generally can be best appreciated live. They almost always exude a lot of energy. Yet, they still can play extremely well, even while bouncing around on stage. That is one impressive thing about this band that never ceases to amaze me. How is it that they make the music sound so good while in constant motion, and before a ton of fans? How is it that Eddie Vedder never sounds tired or winded while actually singing, even if he sometimes sounds like it when actually talking to the crowd?
In truth, I had been moving away from Pearl Jam. The last album was good, and I liked it better than either of the two albums that had preceded it. Yet, it also failed to grab me like many of their earlier albums have. I can honestly say that all but one of their first eight albums really just kind of captivated me from even the first listen, with the only exception being Binaural. But that has changed quite a bit. Not that I don't like those other albums, or have not given them a listen. It is just that they did not instantly and completely captivate me.
Also, I had not gone to see a live Pearl Jam show now in just shy of a decade, prior to the Minnesota show. And this one was more to make sure that I got my son to finally see them than anything else. Between 1996 and 2006, I went to 20 live Pearl Jam shows. Since then, the rate has slowed dramatically. I caught a couple of shows in 2010, a couple of more in 2013, and then, after almost ten years without having seen them, my son and I went to this show, the opening of the 2023 late summer/early autumn tour.
Likewise, I just had not been listening to Pearl Jam nearly as often as I used to. Prior to this last show, I just could not even remember the last time that I made a point of listening to the band, other than in the days and weeks after they released Gigaton, which I have listened to three times so far. Again, it's not a bad album, but it just did not quite grab me like their earlier stuff has.
That said, attending a Pearl Jam show always seems to draw me back to my fanhood. It is not like it once was, a passion that, admittedly, sometimes bordered on obsession. Lest I forget this, the people close to me were always quick to remind me. While I was not relentlessly listening to them and going on and on about them in conversations, I have listened to them more since returning from our summer trip, which more or less ended, for all intents and purposes, with this show.
Not surprisingly, the show has gotten me back into a little bit of a Pearl Jam kick. It is a testament to the band, and how solid their live shows are, that I tend to get back into them after seeing one of their shows. I returned to listening to their music, and began rereading "Five Against One: the Pearl Jam Story" by Kim Neely, which was the best book so far that I have read about the band so far. In truth, I had been meaning to read it again for a while, but just could not find my old copy. Finally, I gave in and bought another one just before leaving for the Midwest/Western trip this past summer.
Another great Pearl Jam concert, and finally, I managed to get my son to see one. He had seen Temple of the Dog with me at MSG in 2016, and I am thankful for that, since around six months later, Chris Cornell would be dead, and we really bonded over his music. But Pearl Jam also always figured prominently for us, and I had wanted him to see one of their shows. Maddeningly, I had gotten tickets for the Ottawa show that was supposed to take place in late March of 2020. However, the pandemic shutdown could not have been foreseen. Unfortunately, I simply could not attend the show when it actually came around, in early September of last year. That still irks me. Yet, it was part of the reason why I did get tickets to this Minnesota show, specifically, and which also helped to make the Midwestern/Western trip a reality, ultimately. And for my son's first show, Pearl Jam did not disappoint, putting on a typically great show. I am thankful to have been able to enjoy it with him.
Below is the setlist from the show that my son and I attended in St. Paul, a month ago now:
Setlist from the show:
(Seated)
Indifference
Buckle Up
Sometimes
Wishlist
Black
(Standing)
Given to Fly
Mind Your Manners
Why Go
Seven O'Clock
Even Flow
Dance of the Clairvoyants
I'm Open
Insignificance (first time since 2016)
Daughter
Superblood Wolfmoon
Love Boat Captain
State of Love and Trust
Porch
Encore:
Wildflowers (Tom Petty cover) (Eddie solo)
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Go
Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams cover)
Alive
Yellow Ledbetter
Note: "Street Fighting Man" was written on the setlist but not played. Soundcheck included "Insignificance", "Grievance", "Buckle Up", "Wishlist", "Sometimes", and "I Got Id".
Pearl Jam Setlist at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, USA AUG 31 2023:
Pearl Jam stage emotional tour opener at the Xcel TONY NELSON FOR MPR by Erik Thompson and Tony Nelson SEPTEMBER 01, 2023:
Pearl Jam performed at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Pearl Jam performed at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
Below is an admittedly very brief video clip of the opening song, "Indifference." I had to keep it short because, coming as it did at the very tail end of our trip, I had pretty much used up almost all of the internal storage on my cell, and thus, had only seconds of video space left when I cut this off, so that I could take the relatively few pictures that I took from the show (and added here, see below).
My pictures from the recent Pearl Jam show in Minnesota:
Pearl Jam:
Deep Sea Diver:
The Arena:
My son at the concert:
The souvenir tickets for this show, which actually came in the mail weeks after the show. Most "tickets" to major events these days are done by phone, so these likely would not have gotten us into the show, in any case.
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