The last time I witnessed the Pearl Jam juggernaut of grunge live in the flesh was back at Rod Laver Arena in 1995. Wild times with a younger, vibrant band all in their late 20s and early 30s just ripping into prolific anthems from three seminal grunge records, Ten, Vs and Vitalogy. Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready and Matt Cameron are no strangers to the big festival shows, the stadiums and the legion of fans (old school and new, with so many youthful, excitable faces hovering all around me). Musically active now for 20 odd years, it’s incredible to think that Pearl Jam’s core members are still on display and playing the devastating music that I heard a decade-and-a-half ago.
A wash of mobile phone lights and cameras replace the good old lighter flames and the band appears to a rock star reception (go figure!). I’m taken back to the days of my youth. A grunge wannabe. Hitting the Great Ocean Road. Looking for surf. Beer kegs and wild parties with Pearl Jam providing the soundtrack to my life at the time. An obsession with such visceral sounds, manic guitars and Eddie Vedder, so intense with a voice for the ages. A snarling velvety beast of a voice that many in rock circles don’t come remotely close to bettering.
Now it’s 2009. Five old rock dogs all in their mid 40’s. Anything can happen and I’m apprehensive seated miles away on the Etihad Stadium wing. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Corduroy and Animal not only convince me that everything is still in its right place, but more reinvent my love for the band. Three epic Pearl Jam tunes played in an eerily same manner as they were when the Seattle five were at the height of their powers. “There’s a lot of fucking people in here,” retorts Vedder before Got Some from Backspacer and Brother, an out-take from Ten are presented. The three openers still ringing in my ears, the memories too hard to shake loose. Whilst Backspacer’s Amongst The Waves is a good melodic rock song, it’s meat and potatoes stuff compared to the Pearl Jam trademark sound of the early to mid 90’s.
Even Flow soon aligns the planets with some of the more prolific Mike McCready guitar lines dominating the tune that extends out to about a ten minute jam-fest. Oceans rides in then Lukin – dedicated to Mudhoney’s Matt Lukin and old Pearl Jam sparring partners, the Cosmic Psycho’s. Vedder is overheating on stage, and with his locks pulled back, looks his age. At this stage of proceedings his shirt is now saturated in sweat. I can imagine it’s cookin’ under the stadium lights, but he pushes on in typical rock dog style and pulls out yet another dedication (of many throughout the evening) this time to Nick Cave on Forces Of Nature. “Mark” Richardson even gets a bloody dedication with Given to Fly. This of course being Matthew Richardson, the recently retired Tigers great to whom Vedder later apologises for bungling his name.
Daughter almost tears the roof of Etihad but the Jeff Ament double bass doesn’t feel right. The song is delivered exquisitely well, but why the double bass? The segue into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall soon provides the answer, as it adds the necessary edge to the delivery of the seminal tune. We’re taken back to 1993 on the punchy Glorified G, then transported 16 years forward with The Fixer updating the catalogue. Whilst Do The Evolution closes out the first set in truly chaotic style with Vedder in full werewolf mode and guitarists Gossard and McCready taking good care of the riffage.
Vedder wanders out on stage after a short, well deserved break. It’s encore number one for the night as he takes to the stool, straps on the electric guitar and eases into Neil Young’s The Needle and The Damage Done. You could have heard a pin drop. When the band reappears so does Ben Harper who takes a seat and swig of vino from Vedder’s bottle before launching into Red Mosquito on his signature model lap steel guitar. Harper then proceeds to lead the vocals on Indifference and even engages in a little duet harmony action with old pal Vedder. Jeremy sends shivers up spines, as sing-a-longs break out all across the stadium. Followed by Deep, Why Go and Porch that reached a blood-curdling crescendo with McCready again the star as he hits orgasmic wig-out heights.
Encore number two and it’s Liam Finn this time who joins Vedder on stage with the pair taking on the old Hunters & Collectors chestnut of Throw Your Arms Around Me. The song to be fair to all involved has been done to death and unfortunately even Eddie Vedder performing it can’t arouse me from my deep – œcare factor of zero’ slumber. Thankfully it’s a short and sharp song and we can get back to business with Black, Spin The Black Circle, Alive and the band’s long standing cover of The Who’s Baba O’Riley smashed out by a band in hot form.
When all the lights are switched on, you get the sense of the enormity of the situation and the crowd-pulling potential Pearl Jam still demands, as thousands upon thousands of eager punters await the bands finale. It’s a toss up between the yet to be played iconic Rearviewmirror, anthemic cover of Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World, Nothingman, Better Man or Whipping. But instead it’s Yellow Ledbetter and the hordes unite as one collective harmony machine along with Vedder and band to drive the two-and-a-half hour, 30 odd song happening to its wonderful end.
Set List
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Corduroy
Animal
Got Some
Brother
Amongst The Waves
Even Flow
Oceans
Lukin
Green Disease
Force of Nature
Present Tense
Gonna See My Friend
Given To Fly
Daughter/Another Brick In The Wall
Glorified G
The Fixer
Do The Evolution
Encore 1
The Needle and The Damage Done
Just Breathe
Red Mosquito
Indifference
Jeremy
Deep
Why Go
Porch
Encore 2
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Black
Spin The Black Circle
Alive
Baba O’Riley
Yellow Ledbetter
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