A Milan crowd erupts in an ovation as Pearl Jam takes the stage. Without warning, a faint drumbeat coupled with a passive guitar riff culminates into the intro for "Of the Girl" as fans clap in unison. Eddie Vedder, the band's frontman, gains control of the song and begins singing in his nonchalant fashion. Without a $1,400 plane ticket to Italy, you too can experience this spectacle, and you'd have the band itself to thank.
Pearl Jam released 25 live, double CDs on Sept. 26 that document each show of its entire European tour — an excursion that occurred from May 23 to June 29. This unprecedented event was embraced by fans who enjoy the idea of live music but refuse to deal with overpriced bootlegs. Not only is the price more enticing, the shows were all recorded with the band's consent and therefore are of studio quality and a great memento.
Mike McCready, lead guitarist for the band, said of the project, "we heard how they sounded . . . so we decided to take it farther and tape all the shows so people can have a representation of the show they were at, remember it and play it."
The tour was the first that the band headed out for in support of its sixth studio album, Binaural — a not so far cry from its Seattle grunge roots and the album that made that sound a style, Ten. Pearl Jam has been making music since the early 90's when the world became entranced by a new rock music, one that fought the tides of pretension and glitter. Out of this scene came bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Though the popularity of grunge was strong, the masses turned a deaf ear within a few years, causing most of these bands to disperse. Pearl Jam has proven to be the exception of the rule maintaining a solid fan base over the years and still managing to top the charts with its releases. That idea has been proven recently when five of the 25 live albums made it onto the Billboard 200.
The impending collection of Pearl Jam CDs gave music stores a unique challenge. Nina Klein, store manager at Vibes Music, 226 E. College Ave., said the challenge came simply from the fact that such a feat had never been done. Sales went very smoothly, and in fact, Klein said she wouldn't mind seeing more bands follow Pearl Jam's lead.
"Bands in the 70s, like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, used to release two or three albums a year," she said. "Now bands only release one every three years because of touring. It would be nice to see more bands today plugging into the soundboard and releasing more music."
Fans were just as pleased with the albums, if not more so — made evident through their chart success. Fans also saw the CDs as an appreciative gesture.
"It's cool cause it shows that the band's in it for the music, and not the money," said Erik Brandt (sophomore–graphic design).
Each of the discs has its share of special moments. Most of the shows carry live versions of new songs and old classics, such as the newest tongue-in-cheek rocker "Grievance" and the bittersweet reminiscence of "Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town." However, all shows also highlight some rare items. The Hamburg, Germany show features the band performing a cover of the Who's "Baba O'Riley." Even Pearl Jam's popular b-side "Yellow Ledbetter" makes an appearance as the finale of the Barcelona show and some others.
All the success and all the music have not halted the band at all. Pearl Jam has already planned to release albums for its North American tour, which is currently in full swing — so those that couldn't make it to a show do not have to miss out completely. The band is also writing material for what will become its seventh studio album. For some bands, this amount of accomplishments would be enough to walk away a proud and satisfied artist.
As Pearl Jam finishes their Milan show with a chaotic version of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World," the words of the song ring true "got fuel to burn, got roads to drive." The band looks ahead and anticipates the Zurich fans' desire to be moved beyond the plane of complacency, and knows that its job is far from over.
