MANSFIELD, Mass. - The final two dates of the grunge rock giant Pearl Jam's June tour saw a combined 40,000 fans fill the Comcast Center for two nights of electrifying performances.
Riding on the success of their self-titled 2006 release, the band's eighth studio album, the Seattle-based Pearl Jam scheduled a 13-date tour of the eastern United States that began on the hot sands of West Palm Beach, Fla., and concluded amidst the dense forests of Massachusetts.
When doors opened at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 28, the night of the first show, the isolated open-air venue was flooded with fans and followers, mostly concentrated between the ages of 20 and 50.
Around 7 p.m., those already inside the compound were treated to a surprise one-song pre-opener by Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. Taking the stage alone, Vedder played his version of Australian band Hunters & Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me," which he humorously renamed "I Will Kiss You in 155 Places".
When finished, Vedder introduced the opening act, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, before exiting the stage to tumultuous applause.
Hailing from Washington, D.C., lead singer and guitarist Ted Leo and his band mates performed an hour-long set of fast-paced punk and indie rock songs. The band's loud and unrelenting sound set up Pearl Jam's entrance well, as the crowd was buzzing with anticipation during the intermission.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the lights onstage went down and the sold-out crowd roared as Pearl Jam's five-man team crept onstage in the darkness. Vedder, who also played rhythm guitar to back up his vocals, was joined by energetic lead guitarist Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, somber rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard and former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.
The band opened with the B-side "Hard to Imagine", which was originally cut from the band's "Vs." album, before launching into the "Ten" classic, "Why Go." Vedder, swaying slightly with a bottle of red wine in hand, then greeted the crowd and stated that the band would make the most of the long two-hour set it had in front of it.
Pearl Jam took the audience on a full tour of its musical career, digging up decade-old hits such as the dark and hard-edged "Once," and the melodic and bittersweet "Black" from "Ten," while giving more recent singles like "Comatose" from 2006's "Pearl Jam" play as well.
One of the most memorable performances of the night was an extended version of "Even Flow," the band's second single off of its acclaimed debut album "Ten." Leaving the moderate tempo heard on the studio version behind, rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard (the original composer of the song's main riff) charged into the track's opening lick, setting a blistering tempo for the rest of the song.
Vedder encouraged the crowd to sing along, and, at times, even allowed fans to sing large portions of the hit's verse and chorus. The explosive energy that Gossard produced at the onset mounted throughout the song and culminated in a long, yet meticulous and inspired guitar solo from McCready. Amidst his runs and jumps around the stage and various acknowledgements to the screaming crowd, McCready placed his Gibson Les Paul guitar behind his head while playing to add flare to his solo.
After a couple more solid, but not particularly memorable songs, the band waved goodbye to the packed venue and left the stage only to be brought back for an encore by resounding applause and cheers. Vedder, now on his second bottle of wine, belted out The Who's "Love, Reign O'er Me" with the assistance of the crowd before receiving an unexpected five-minute ovation during "Vitalogy's" "Better Man" that left the singer so stunned that it took nearly five minutes for him to regain enough composure to finish the song.
The band then once again left the stage, with an emotional Vedder returning solo to perform "No More", a song he had written in tribute to a soldier and friend who had suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder upon his return from the war in Iraq.
Vedder then took advantage of the subdued and reflective crowd to express his anger over the fact that there was an Air Force recruiting station inside the grounds of the Comcast Center. Thick sarcasm filled his voice as he asked, "What better place to sign up for the military than at a concert?"
The intense mood Vedder created quickly switched back to fanatical excitement as the rest of Pearl Jam rejoined the singer onstage to conclude the concert with a rendition of the band's first released single, "Alive". Vedder's triumphant lyrics were underscored by the rise and fall of Gossard's cutting guitar riffs and accented by a sharp and calculated solo from McCready at the finish.
Pearl Jam is among the few prominent survivors of the grunge-punk 90s, and to see the band live cemented that assertion. They didn't put on the flashiest show - no props, no pyrotechnics, no unorthodox stage antics - but it hardly made a difference; a large, softly lit banner of an ocean sunset hanging in the stage background provided the atmosphere and a talented group of musicians supplied the entertainment.
"I'm still alive!" Vedder sang during the band's final song. We know, Eddie,
we know.
Chase Wheeler can be reached at cwheeler@student.umass.edu.
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