2003-08-18 | SQUIRREL HAM

I don't think that people acknowledged what a great idea, and a great thing in general it was for Pearl Jam to release all those live double albums for cheap prices a couple years back, nearly enough.

It's just fucking brilliant. And bold. Who cares if you don't like the band. You can appreciate what they did anyway. Just like when they tried to get Fugazi to open up for them, which I think Ian should've agreed to, but anyway..i digress......

And here it is a couple years later and they're still releasing more live albums. I got the 2 they put out a couple months back, and I just got their newest one the other day, which is great, and this time it's a fucking triple album!!! 14.99 for 3 cd's of amazing live work from State College, Pennsylvania.

Most of you probably don't like Pearl Jam, because it's not cool to like them anymore, or maybe it never was, but they seem to be one of those bands that capture what a live show is all about even when you can't see them. When you hear a recording of one of their shows you feel as if you're there. Led Zeppelin is another good example of a band who personifies what a live show is all about, whether you're hearing it, seeing it, feeling it or all of the above.

The first concert I went to was Pearl Jam at Andrews Amphitheater on the University of Hawaii campus in the fall of 1992.

It is still one of the best concerts I've ever been to, and that being said, they've still progressed staggeringly over the last 10 + years.

Listening to the 3 cd set that I just purchased was a great experience, even though all I was doing was typing stuff on the computer at 3 in the morning while my girlfriend lay asleep on the couch.

Eddie preached semi-politically about stuff, but never got too heavy with it. He kept the spirits high, even when he was trying to school the crowd that was probably at least half-full of some form of student, whether it be college, high school or whatever. He even thanked the crowd for letting him take up their time by ranting, when he wasn't even really ranting. That's the sign of someone who knows how to control a crowd. They know when to stop, and they're still apologetic when they decide to do their schtick, making the crowd respect them even more.

I truly believe that Pearl Jam thought of ending that show a couple times before they actually did. It was their last concert on their tour, and they probably had a hunch it would go on further than expected, but nothing sounded suspicious to me, even though they did finish with Yellow Leadbetter, which they've been known to do many times in the past.

The crowd sounded electric, even when the band played acoustic. (And even though the sound was emanating from my low budget boom box.)

I haven't seen them since that first show in '92, (they promised to come back to Oahu shortly, but still haven't) and this live recording, more than any of the others I've heard so far, made my want and need to see them even more urgent.

It's so good to hear a band give their all, and bust their asses for their fans and for themselves. They proved on this trilogy why they've lasted so long, and don't show any signs of extinction, even if their albums haven't been as superb as some of their earlier ones such as Vs. or Vitalogy.

I believe in rock n' roll, and great music, and sincerity, and I believe in the band formerly known as Mookie Blaylock.

Keep on rockin' in the free world, fellas. (that was supposed to sound cheesy, slap nuts)

- premature ejaculation | tantra +