They have a new album coming out, Backspacer, and like many huge acts nowadays they are going it alone without a major record label to promote it. A single, "The Fixer," is being played on the radio and in my opinion is one of the happiest songs Eddie has written in years. Without Ex-President Bush to complain about, the show was focused on the music and less on the political banter that was so common in the past decade. As Eddie sings in the new single, “When something’s gone, I wanna fight to get it back again.” It seems like he has come full circle and can now calm down and focus on the music once again. The new stuff is really fast, and really heavy, reminiscent of their earlier days.
At the beginning of the second encore Eddie dedicated a cover of Neil Young's “The Needle and the Damage Done” to Michael Jackson and talked about growing up in Evanston listening to the Jackson 5. He then went into "Rats" with tenacity which blew me away, as I have been waiting for them to play that rarity for years now. ( Thanks!)
The night closed out with the perfect, and what I think might be best closing song any band could ever play, Yellow Ledbetter. Eddie watched, smoking a cig, as Mike McCready played the song out into the Star Spangled Banner. Once again, Pearl Jam is always worth every penny.
SET LIST
1 Long Road
2 Corduroy
3 Why Go
4 God’s Dice
5 Dissident
6 Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
7 Sad
8 The Fixer
9 Given to Fly
10 Happy Birthday/Come Back
11 Even Flow
12 Save You
13 In Hiding
14 Man of the Hour
15 Insignificance
16 Got Some
17 Spin the Black Circle
First Encore
18 Love Reign O’er Me (Who cover)
19 Life Wasted
20 The Real Me (Who cover)
21 Alive
Second Encore
22 The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young cover)
23 Rats
24 Supersonic
25 Smile
26 Rearviewmirror
27 Yellow Ledbetter
I was at the concert, too, and as Ed warned in the beginning, it was a very emotional show ... Come Back, Love Reign O'er Me and the opener Long Road seemed especially so.
ReplyDeleteI've gone to numerous PJ shows, and I'm constantly blown away by how much energy these guys have. I mean, they play like they're still in their 20s the way they leap and run around. Did you notice during one song (can't remember which; I want to say Life Wasted) where Jeff and Mike (bass and guitar players) were moshing? At one point Mike fell, kept playing, and Jeff was jumping over him. Crazy stuff.
The guitarist who closed out Yellow Ledbetter wasn't Stone, but Mike McCready (who I think is one of the most underrated lead guitarist of all time). I'd argue that the tag he added at the end of the song -- a complete version of the Star Spangled Banner made famous by Hendrix -- prompted more noise and applause at the UC than the National Anthem typically does during a typical Hawks game ...
A great show, for sure.
I will correct my mistake. God Im an idiot sometimes. Thanks man.
ReplyDeleteand BTW could not agree more...these guys play with more energy than most new bands out there. The intensity is at an all time high all the time.
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