I'm having "The" Girl post here today:
I recently had the pleasure of taking in my first - and second - Pearl Jam concerts with my "boy", who easily qualifies for the #1 fan contest. Many of you who read this, or know him in any capacity are well aware of this. First, and foremost, the shows were amazing and were worthy of what I thought was slightly over-the-top hype I've been hearing for the last 9 months. The crowd is so into it, and the vibe is something that is hard to describe. It is something that everyone should experience. During the course of the shows there were more than a few things I picked up about Pearl Jam, their fans, and the shows in general.
10 OBSERVATIONS BASED ON TWO PEARL JAM SHOWS
1. Pearl Jam fans do not like to be referred to as "The Jamily". Please do not perpetuate this habit.
2. The newspaper reviewers of these shows make some blatant errors in their writing about the shows. Talking to just a handful of fans would be a source of great quality control. For example, they should know that Pearl Jam always plays the last couple of songs with the house lights on, and this is no indication that the arena management is trying to send a message that the show should be brought to an end.
3. Pearl jam fans are extremely loyal. Talk to them and they will recount to you all of the shows they have seen and their favorite moments. They will also be more than happy to share with you their own bit of Pearl Jam trivia. One guy was telling me that Saturday was his 8th show of the tour - uh…there have only been 16 shows on the tour so far, so he's batting .500. Not only are they loyal, but their fan base is very wide as well. I spoke to a guy in his 50's and a 19 year old girl within 10 minutes of each other, and both had been to multiple shows on the tour already, so it wasn't like they were casual - or new- fans.
4. The crowd can really make or break a show, and not just the crowd in general but the few rows that surround you. One person might say it’s the best crowd ever, and someone sitting 3 sections away will say that the crowd sucked.
5. Each and every Pearl Jam show is different. In the two shows I saw I heard over 60 songs, 48 different songs, which means that only 12 were repeats at both nights. That is pretty amazing in itself since most bands do the same shows each and every time.
6. The mad dash for posters the moment the doors open is one of the more intriguing things to witness. It's interesting that people get so excited for a piece of memorabilia that, granted may be rare since they only have a couple thousand per show, but they also have no idea what it will look like until they manage to procure one. What happens to the poor souls that think the show's poster is ugliest thing to ever grace the tour? They now have to hang around the arena for the next two-hours waiting for the show to start. And I still say screw you to the guy in the green jacket that didn't think he should wait in line like the rest of us, and also to all those people that ignore the one poster per person rule so they can make 100 bucks on e-bay selling them to the true fans that didn't make it to the front of the line within 20 minutes before they sold out.
7. There are those fans that will go crazy over EVERY song, and sing damn near all of the lyrics without missing even a minor inflection. The guys in front of me practically humped each other every time a new song started from sheer excitement…much to my amusement. It was actually a lot of fun to watch the hard-core fans get really into the show. I mean hearing 15,000 people scream out "Get out of my fucking face" is something special.
8. Its pretty sweet that for someone who has been to damn near 20 shows, they still get to hear songs they've never heard live, and I am not just talking about the songs off the new album, but songs going way back. I think that is rare in music nowadays.
9. Eddie Vedder will be hammered by the end with those frequent chugs from the wine bottle. And when you see him jump around the stage you're just waiting for disaster to strike. And it almost did when he fell on his ass - hard - Thursday night and limped off the stage for the break before the 1st encore. You'll get dizzy watching Mike McCready on stage, unlike Stone Gossard, who is more like…well, a stone. All the members have defined stage personalities, and they are all fun to watch. Plus their solos rule.
10. Pearl Jam's fan club, known as TEN CLUB takes care of its own. For a measly 15 bucks a year, you get goodies like special records, plus the opportunity to buy concert tickets before the general public, and without having to deal with ticketmaster, or their ridiculous service fees. Not to mention that the seats 10 Club will get you are better than anything you'd get through ticketmaster anyways. They'll be great seats, with other 10 club members, so you're likely to be enjoying the show with a fun group of people that will be way into the show.
11. Okay so I couldn't quite limit myself to 10, so you all get a bonus item. Pearl jam has some of the best lyrics around. Just read the lyrics to some of their songs and you could learn some life lessons, and/or find you personal mantra. One example: "No matter how cold the winter, there’s a springtime ahead" - Thumbing My Way.
So, basically, I was blown away. I recommend a Pearl Jam show to everyone. If it's been a decade since you over-played that Ten album, don't worry, you will fall right into loving them again. It helps that you can expect them to play a few of those songs that made them a household name in the first place. And please, don't say anything about this new album being such a come back for them. They never went away, they've been rocking out this whole time to a mounting list of great stuff. Unfortunately, a large majority of us have been missing it until now.
Yes, you can add me to the already long list of Pearl Jam fans. I liked them before, but now I understand the adoration for these guys, and must admit, I am well on the way to being part of that group of crazies.
One last thing…San Francisco here I come. Now I am prepared, and expecting another great show.
