On Tuesday night, Pearl Jam blew into town and blew the roof off of the Savvis Center. With a lengthy performance of more than two hours and an excited, fan-filled crowd, Jeff Ament (bass), Matt Cameron (drums), Stone Gossard (guitar), Mike McCready (guitar) and Eddie Vedder (vocals) delivered an on-fire performance.
While the band’s record sales have been less than stellar in the past few years, their live performances prove that they are a band that still knows how to rock. While other bands that emerged out of the early ’90s Seattle scene have since disappeared, 12 years later Pearl Jam is still going strong, and is still able to pack arenas all across the country. Tuesday night’s show was a classic example of the band’s incredible musical energy and ability.
After an opening by Sparta, a punk-style group with several good songs, Pearl Jam started an unforgettable set. With a mix of old favorites like “Evenflow,” “Alive” and “Daughter,” along with lesser-known material like “Sleight of Hand” and “Faithfull,” the show had music for everyone. The show began with a haunting version of “Present Tense.”
The band then segued into a lively version of “Save You” from the recently-released Riot Act, and the energy just kept increasing from there. A rousing version of “Not For You” from 1994’s Vitalogy with random St. Louis references mixed-in, got the crowd jumping.
McCready’s amazing guitar-playing skills were showcased nicely in several lengthy solos–the version of “Black” played in the first encore was especially notable. The crowd especially dug into the hard-driving versions of “Do the Evolution” and “Alive.”
The newer material from Riot Act delivered a new punch to the performance, with the exception of “You Are,” an excellent ode to love which sounds better on the record than it does live.
With the exception of that song however, the rest of the show did not fail to deliver to the jumping, cheering, singing-along crowd. A hard-rocking rarity, “State of Love and Trust” from the movie soundtrack Singles, showed up in the first encore along with a long, improv-filled “Rearviewmirror.”
For those fans expectantly waiting for a typical Vedder political statement, it did not come. The band, which is known for its socially conscious stances and music, often makes several bold political statements during concerts. On Tuesday however, Vedder, who talked less than usual at this show, instead made several subtle references to his views and hopes for peace.
In his introduction to the beautiful last song, “Indifference” from 1993’s Vs, Vedder spoke of the need for all of us to express ourselves, whether through painting, writing, or song, but “just not fighting.”
Despite the lack of politics which some (including this reviewer) longed to hear, the performance was nothing short of incredible. The band, feeding off of the energy from the crowd, put on an incredible show with a good mix of softer and harder songs and really seemed to be enjoying themselves with smiles and high energy throughout the show.
Even those without full-blown Pearl Jam obsessions have to admit that after 12 years of touring and recording, the band still knows how to deliver a flashy, memorable performance all without the use of any actual special effects.
