I’ve been reticent to write about Pearl Jam here. The band has held a strong-burning candle in my heart for so long that it is too challenging to extract it and form those emotions into words. I fear anything I say will sound too fangirl and be misconstrued.
Music has always been important in my life, but I spent years waffling to find my own musical identity. I explored pop, hiphop, country, rap. But it was Pearl Jam that awakened my ears and soul to a place that felt intrinsically me. Their songs were unknown, yet familiar. Their energy and passion contagious. Without Pearl Jam, I wouldn’t be on the path I am today. They were the inciting incident in my film. The impetus to my trajectory toward music and writing.
Lead singer Eddie Vedder, in particular, was the catalyst. Yes (let’s get the fangirl stuff out of the way...), he was impossibly sexy. But his startling blue eyes and wry smile were just the surface of a passionate musical old soul that stirred something in my own. In those early days, Vedder’s lyrics spoke to me in a place I needed to be spoken to without even realizing it. I gravitated to the songs Eddie penned, lyrically and musically. When I heard “Release” or “Rearviewmirror” or “Corduroy,” they synced with my own heartbeat.
So it was exciting to hear Vedder was supplying the entire soundtrack for 2007’s “Into the Wild” film. A chance for the singer-songwriter side of Vedder to shine. I ached to see this album performed live and was heartbroken that Vedder didn’t play any official shows in his hometown in support (True to form, he held a couple stealth shows at a West Seattle hall as warm-up, but I didn’t hear about this until after the fact). So deep was my desire that my husband and I even considered a trip to Australia earlier this year, both for a visit to Oz as well as the chance to see a Vedder solo show in Brisbane; unfortunately we couldn’t afford it.
Then came Vedder’s unsuspecting second solo effort, Ukulele Songs. He finally scheduled two Seattle shows on the itinerary, so I bought tickets - though admittedly, I was wary of the whole endeavor. A stripped down uke-based effort seemed too slow, too quiet for a man who used to feverishly swing from the rafters at gigs.
How wrong I was.
On the last night of the US tour, Vedder graciously, humbly, selflessly played for 2.5 hours to a sold-out Benaroya Hall. He was effervescent, jovial, hilarious, impassioned, and unbridled. Maybe even sober (next to his stool sat a cup full of water, not the usual wine bottle). Despite the tour’s name, there was more than just a ukulele on stage; also in the quiver were an electric and acoustic guitar, a mandolin, and a homemade kick-drum forged out of what looked like a produce box.
Vedder played through songs from his entire career, including newer Ukulele material, most tracks from Into the Wild, handfuls of Pearl Jam songs, and even one of the oldest songs in Vedder’s personal catalog, “Betterman” (The track made it onto PJ’s third album Vitalogy, but it was actually a song Ed wrote as a teenager and appeared on his San Diego band Bad Radio’s demo.)
Throughout the night, Vedder sincerely and repeatedly expressed how happy he was to be home. He told how, while his roots were in Chicago and So Cal, it was the music and bands and people of Seattle that made him call this home - and a place he’d never leave. Drawing near the close of the set, Vedder again thanked his hometown crowd, reaching his arms out in a wide V, embracing us in an open-armed hug home. We embraced our boy right back.
There are so many other great moments from the show to share – like Vedder and tour-mate Glen Hansard’s emotional duets and displays of true friendship. Or the belly-hurting laughter induced by his stories of early-days Seattle and a funny incident in Discovery Park. Or the way the sound of Vedder’s voice swelled to fill the room. But I want to keep these details close for now.
Somewhere toward the end of the set, I found my finger resting on the inside of my wrist. I listened intently to the song's beat and felt my pulse. Perfectly in sync. Hearts and thoughts… they do not fade away.
Can't Keep
Sleeping By Myself
Without You
Hey Fahkah
You're True
Soon Forget
Longing To Belong
Needle And The Damage Done
Long Road
Wishlist
Man Of The Hour
I Am Mine
Long Nights w/Glen Hansard
No Ceiling
Far Behind
Guaranteed
Rise
Lukin
Just Breathe
The End
Unthought Known
Betterman/Save It For Later
Encore Break 1
I'm One
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Immortality
Sleepless Nights
Society
Falling Slowly
Open All Night
Porch
Encore Break 2
Rockin' In The Free World
Hard Sun
Dream A Little Dream
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