The state of popular music today is turbulent and chaotic, with everything from rap-metal acts to boy bands dominating the charts. With the selection of so-called bands currently producing records and having a great deal of commercial success, it is easy to doubt whether or not pure rock and roll still exists. With their absolutely amazing performance on Oct. 11 at Riverport Amphitheatre, Pearl Jam proved that pure rock still exists and is still very relevant.
“We’re in no hurry to leave Missouri,” said lead singer Eddie Vedder after the band jammed through their bluesy opener “Of The Girl,” from their newest album, Binaural. From the first chords, it was evident that the entire band was on the same page musically, and that this showed throughout the evening’s explosive performance. The maximum-capacity crowd was on its feet from the beginning, and the band seemed to feed off off the crowd’s energy level all night long. The band tnailed the heavy rockers “Go,” “Hail Hail,” “Brain of J,” and “Insignificance.” During “Whipping,” lead guitarist Mike McCready, played between his legs and feverishly finishing off the fifth fast song in a row while Vedder did a Pete Townshend-style windmill motion with his guitar. The band then slowed the pace down a bit, playing the touching ballad “Light Years,” only to speed up for a charged version of “State of Love and Trust.”
After “State,” Vedder paused to direct the audience’s attention to the sign language interpreter on the right side of the stage. He informed the crowd that he had never seen such an interpreter at any of their previous concerts. Vedder, with the crowd’s overwhelming approval, then proceeded to pull the woman onto the stage and have a brief conversation with her. After about a minute of talking with her, Vedder introduced the interpreter as Kim and said, “I’m interested to see what this next song sounds-I mean looks like.” The song is “Given To Fly,” from 1998’s Yield, and it was truly an amazing sight to see the beautiful sign language accompany Vedder’s passionate vocals. Toward the end of the song, Vedder danced with Kim and gave her a big hug, thanking her for coming onstage.
The band kept playing with a powerful version of “Animal,” complete with audience participation on the song’s opening line: “One, two, three, four, five against one.” The band slowed the tempo down playing “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” which was clearly a crowd favorite. If one band member ruled the stage on this night, it was McCready.
During every song, he played with energy and intensity, improvising and adding riffs when necessary.
Following a high-energy performance of “Even Flow” was another huge hit for the band, “Daughter.” Bassist Jeff Ament played a stand-up acoustic bass for this song, and the instrument clearly highlighted his ability to set the rhythm for a song.
After the final chorus, the band kept jamming while Vedder yelled out a series of “Hey-oh’s,” encouraging the audience to repeat him. Vedder was so impressed with the crowd’s participation that he laughed and fell backwards, hurting his ankle. This minor setback did not stop the band from continuing to play at the same high level of energy.
A spotlight focused on Vedder as he played the opening chords to “Better Man.”
One of the biggest surprises of the evening came next, as Vedder pulled out a harmonica and started “Footsteps,” a rarity for the band. After the song, Vedder tossed his harmonica to a lucky member of the audience.
The band left the stage to a roar of applause from the audience. The lighters came out quickly as the huge crowd demanded an encore. After a few minutes, the band returned, beginning the encore with “Breakerfall.”
No one in the audience was prepared for the next song, as Vedder informed the crowd that it was one they had never before played live. It turned out to be “U,” a rare b-side with a catchy guitar rift. To hear the world-premiere live version of a Pearl Jam song was obviously a treat for the audience, and they screamed for more, leading the band into “Do The Evolution,” a solid rocker about the problems with modern society. Next came “Porch,” a huge crowd favorite that featured an extended bridge.
After “Porch,” Vedder told the crowd that the Cardinals had won their playoff game with the Mets, prompting a massive cheer from the crowd. He smiled and continued, “Actually, they lost. Doesn’t it make you feel better that you were here instead though?” This little joke did not sit well with the audience, so Vedder tried to recover by endorsing a third-party Presidential candidate. A beautiful version of “Parting Ways” closed the first encore, but when the band left the stage, the audience knew that there was more to come.
The band returned once again and immediately began a forceful cover of the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer.” The next song was the mournful ballad “Last Kiss,” which seemed an odd follow-up to the powerful sound of “Sonic Reducer,” but it was enjoyable nonetheless. The show closed with “Yellow Ledbetter,” a song with ever-changing lyrics and flowing guitar work by McCready. Vedder and company stood in admiration, watching along with the audience as McCready’s fast-moving fingers brought the show to a close.
Pearl Jam played a total of t26 songs at Riverport, far surpassing the paltry 15 played by other high profile bands like Dave Matthews Band. The long set and interaction with the crowd clearly showed the dedication that this band has for its fans. Each set that Pearl Jam plays is different, ensuring a unique concert-going experience every single night.
The set for St. Louis was nothing short of spectacular, including some rarities and incredible versions of old favorites.