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Archive for the ‘Pearl Jam’ Category

Pearl Jam (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, September 9, 2024)

Posted in Glen Hansard, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Philadelphia, PA, Victoria Williams, Wells Fargo Center on September 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 9, 2024] Pearl Jam

After Saturday’s show we were pretty psyched to do it all again on Monday.  We wound leaving almost an hour later than Saturday night, because we saw how small the GA section was.  And even if we were in the back of it we’d still be damn close.  BUt heck, I guess everyone else had the same thought on a Monday night because we arrived and not only scored the same spot, but I was able to grab this cool poster.

And our new friends Greta and Molly were there again.  So we hung out with them and enjoyed Glen Hansard and were super psyched when the lights went down for Pearl Jam.

For this show I wanted to be a little closer to Mike and I think it was a bad choice.  The group around us was really loud and really pushy.  So the crowd was less enjoyable but the band was on fire.

We have seen Pearl Jam open with a banger, but mostly they tend to open with a slow building song like tonight’s Of the Girl (which I can’t believe we hadn’t heard live before).

We were delighted to get Elderly Woman in which everyone gets to scream Hello!   And speaking of screaming, a whole room of people singing the opening of Corduroy is pretty intense.  (more…)

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Glen Hansard (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, September 9, 2024) [PEARL JAM]

Posted in Glen Hansard, Pearl Jam, Philadelphia, PA, The Frames, Wells Fargo Center on September 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 7, 2024] Glen Hansard

I knew that I was going to enjoy Glen’s show the first night but I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did.  So I was fully prepared for Glen to blow me away this second night.

And he did.

He seemed even more energized and intense than night 1.

He sang from his knees, he got near the edge of the stage, he danced with the rest of his band.  At one point he sat on a monitor and basically just fell off backwards.

I was a little surprised that he played basically the same set both nights (since Pearl Jam is pretty well known for mixing up their setlists.  At the end of this 45 minute set he played an acoustic version of hie beautiful song This Gift.

It was also keyboardist Mia’s last night on the tour and we all wished her a fond farewell.

My friend Jonathan told me that he’s seen Glen several times and his shows are always amazing.  I agree with him 100%.  I am certain he came away from tis tour with hundreds of new fans.  Everyone around me was blown away by him.  And when he came out later to sing a song with Eddie, he was welcomed to rapturous applause.

I’d really like to see him with a full band again.

 

9/9/2024 (Wells Fargo Center Philly) 9/7/2024 (Wells Fargo Center Philly)
Didn’t He Ramble ‰ Didn’t He Ramble ‰
Bearing Witness ⇔ Bearing Witness ⇔
Dead Reckoning [new] Dead Reckoning [new]
The Feast of St. John ⇔ The Feast of St. John ⇔
Down On Our Knees ⇔ Down On Our Knees ⇔
Fitzcarraldo (The Frames song) £ Fitzcarraldo (The Frames song) £
Revelate (The Frames song) £ Revelate (The Frames song) £
This Gift ® Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy (The Swell Season song) (snippet)
THE FRAMES
£ Fitzcarraldo (1995)

SOLO
⇔ All That Was East Is West of Me Now (2023)
‰ A Season on the Line EP (2016)
® Rhythm and Repose (2012)

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Pearl Jam (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, September 7, 2024)

Posted in Glen Hansard, Pearl Jam, Philadelphia, PA, Tom Petty, Wells Fargo Center on September 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 17, 2024] Pearl Jam

After Glen left the stage, we didn’t dare move as the pit was now pretty crowded–although to be honest the back of the pit still had a lot of room.  People were pressed up close but there was breathing room.

So we waited a while, chatted more with Greta and Molly and soon enough the lights went down.  The band came out and it stayed mostly dark while they played Long Road.

And it was amazing.  We’ve seen Pearl Jam five times before this and each time was either from a far away spot (or behind the stage).  And this time, we were as close to the band as if they were playing Union Transfer and I got there in plenty of time to be close.

And we were right in front of Eddie.  I assumed that that would be a prime spot, but I think a lot of people preferred to be in front of Mike McCready–he has a lot of contact with the people around him.

It was a little frustrating that they were all silhouetted by light behind them, but it looked really cool.

I didn’t want to take a ton of pictures and videos but of course I did!  And the sound was SO GOOD.  I expected the arena to sound crappy, but we were right in front and we weren’t too close, it was like he was right in front of us singing.  And we could follow every motion Eddie made while singing Low Light. (more…)

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Glen Hansard (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, September 7, 2024) [PEARL JAM]

Posted in Glen Hansard, Pearl Jam, Philadelphia, PA, The Frames, Wells Fargo Center on September 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 7, 2024] Glen Hansard

My wife and I won a ticket lottery for these tow Pearl Jam shows and scored floor seats to the Wells Fargo Center!  We arrived early (but not crazy early) and were something like 100th online.  So when we got into the venue, we were about three people from the stage! It was amazing.

We were really early of course, but the floor seating included a concession area with couches and food and drinks and a bathroom all within easy access.  We quickly made friends with two really nice women from Minnesota (Hi Greta and Molly) and we saved each others spots when we used the facilities.

They had seen Glen Hansard before but we had only seen him with Marketa Irglova (which was fantastic).

Glen Hansard created the movie Once. He is an amazing performer, a passionate musician and a hugely charismatic and funny individual. (more…)

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Pearl Jam (Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ, September 14, 2022)

Posted in Camden, NJ, Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Pluralone, Van Halen, Victoria Williams on September 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 14, 2022] Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam released Gigaton, their first album in seven years back in 2020.  They announced a US tour, but it was remarkably limited in scope.   There was an NYC date, but that sold out really quickly.

It was postponed for COVID and when they announced their 2022 tour, they threw in a stop in Camden as well.  So we actually had a chance to see them (us and 25,000 other people).

Well, getting there was a nightmare!  We got to Camden with no trouble and then it took us an hour to get from the Camden exit to a parking space.

I don’t know if this is a Camden problem or if the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion is to blame (they are at least the third owners since I’ve been going there and it doesn’t get better).

We missed the opening band Pluralone entirely and were actually worried we might miss the opening of the Pearl Jam set.  We didn’t but we only had to wait about 15 minutes.  And of course, we were REALLY far back.

Pluralone is the creation of Josh Klinghoffer who also played guitar and more with Pearl Jam on this tour.  I was really surprised that they had an opening band as recently they haven’t been having one.  I’m glad there was one as we would have missed the band if there hadn’t been.  But it also meant a shorter set (I think).

Pluralone plays some interesting experimental music.  They would have probably been pretty interesting to see, although Klinghoffer did wind up playing with Pearl Jam for the entire set,

C. went with us for this one (his first and hopefully not last Pearl Jam show).  T. was going to come with us, but she bailed.  It’s probably just as well, as we had to walk about a mile to our car and she didn’t really know them all that well.

Without question, I will not be going to another show in Camden again. They simply don’t have the infrastructure for that capacity crowd.

But all was forgiven when the band came out. (more…)

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Samantha Irby–Wow, No Thank You.: essays (2020)

Posted in Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, Beck, Bjork, Broad City, Dave Matthews Band, Drugs, Erykah Badu, Everything Sucks, Fiona Apple, Ginuwine, Hole, Indigo Girls, Jill Scott, Juliana Hatfield, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, LGBTQ, Lisa Loeb, Liz Phair, Mariah Carey, Marriage (Happy), Memoirs, Menstruation, Michigan, Parenting, Pearl Jam, PJ Harvey, Poo, Portishead, Poverty, Queer, Racism, Radiohead, Reality Bites, Restrooms, Samantha Irby, Sarah McLachlan, Sex, Sexism, Shrill, Smashing Pumpkins, Taxes, Technology, Teeth, The Breeders, The Cranberries, The Roots, Toilets, Tori Amos on November 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE ROOTS feat. JILL SCOTT-“You Got Me” (1999).

I’ve wanted to listen to more from The Roots ever since I was exposed to them on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  But as typically happens, I’m listening to other things instead.  So this seemed like a good opportunity to check them out (based on Samantha Irby’s rave below).

One of the best things about this recording (and The Roots in general) is Questlove’s drumming.  In addition to his being a terrific drummer, his drums sound amazing in this live setting.

Erykah Badu sings on the album but Jill Scott (Jilly from Philly) who wrote the part, sings here.

It starts out quietly with just a twinkling keyboard and Scott’s rough but pretty voice.  Then comes the main rapping verses from Black Thought.  I love the way Scott sings backing vocals on the verses and Black Thought adds backing vocals to the chorus.

Midway through the song, it shifts gears and gets a little more funky.  Around five minutes, the band does some serious jamming.  Jill Scott does some vocal bits, the turntablist goes a little wild with the scratching and Questlove is on fire.

Then things slow down for Scott to show off her amazing voice in a quiet solo-ish section.  This song shows off how great both The Roots and Jill Scott are.  Time to dig deeper.

[READ: November 1, 2020] Wow, no thank you.

This book kept popping up on various recommended lists.  The bunny on the cover was pretty adorable, so I thought I’d check it out. I’d never heard of Samantha Irby before this, but the title and the blurbs made this sound really funny.

And some of it is really funny. Irby is self-deprecating and seems to be full of self-loathing, but she puts a humorous spin on it all.  She also has Crohn’s disease and terribly irritable bowels–there’s lots of talk about poo in this book.

Irby had a pretty miserable upbringing.  Many of the essays detail this upbringing.  She also has low self-esteem and many of the essays detail that.  She also doesn’t take care of herself at all and she writes about that.  She also doesn’t really want much to do with children or dogs.  And yet somehow she is married to a woman with children.

From what some of these essays say, it sounds like she is married to this woman yet somehow lives an entirely separate life from the rest of the house.  It’s all rather puzzling, although I suppose if you are already a fan, you may know many of the details already. (more…)

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Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth–Stumptown: Volume 1: The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo (but Left her Mini) (2017)

Posted in Air Supply, Asia, Blondie, Blue Shoes, Captain & Tennille, Chaka Khan, Cobie Smulders, Cole Sibus, Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Eurhythmics, Graphic Novel, Greg Rucka, Hall & Oates, Jake Johnson, Kiss, Matthew Southworth, Micharl Ealy, Missing Persons, Native Americans, Neil Diamond, Oni Press, Pat Benatar, Pearl Jam, Player, Simplistics, Snap, Stumptown, Tantoo Cardinal, The O'Jays, The Pretenders, Tiffany, Violence, Wilson Phillips, XTC on March 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: STUMPTOWN: Dex’s Mixtape (2020)

One of the fun things about Stumptown is Dex’s car–an old beat up Ford that she loves.

It has a cassette stuck in the player and the player goes on and off seemingly at will.  I don’t think the show has explored all of the music on the tape yet, but it keep the soundtrack squarely in the 1980s.

This Spotify playlist has 90 minutes worth of music that could easily fit on the cassette in the car.

The only discrepancy I have it is that “Yellow Ledbetter” from Pearl Jam didn’t come out until 1992.  We haven’t heard it in the car yet, although we have heard it in her house, so we’ll just consider that song a bonus cut.

Here’s the track list

  • SIMPLISTICS-Heat of the Night
  • BLONDIE-Heart of Glass
  • ELTON JOHN, KIKI DEE-Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
  • TIFFANY-I Think We’re Alone Now
  • BLUE SHOES-Hey
  • NEIL DIAMOND-Sweet Caroline
  • THE O’JAYS-Love Train
  • ASIA-Heat of the Moment
  • CAPTAIN & TENNILLE-Love Will Keep Up Together
  • PRETENDERS-Brass In Pocket
  • HALL & OATES-Private Eyes
  • CHAKA KHAN-I’m Every Woman
  • KISS-I Was Made for Lovin’ You
  • SNAP-Power
  • AIR SUPPLY-All Out of Love
  • PAT BENATAR-We Belong
  • PLAYER-Baby Come Back
  • EURHYTHMICS-Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves
  • CYNDI LAUPER-Girls Just Want to Have Fun
  • MISSING PERSONS-Walking In L.A.
  • WILSON PHILLIPS-Hold On
  • XTC-Dear God
  • PEARL JAM-Yellow Ledbetter (1992)

What’s great about the soundtrack is that the rest of the show is contemporary and very cool, with some really good song choices.  But I love that they can have this unexpected throwback musical story running through as a commentary.

[READ: March 20, 2020] Stumptown Volume 1

I had heard promising reviews of a new show called Stumptown.  It is based on this graphic novel series from Greg Rucka (who has written some amazing books over the years).  When I saw that the graphic novels were still available (possibly with new covers–the publishing history is a little confusing), I knew I had to check it out.

I have since watched most of the episodes (I’m a little behind) and I am hooked.

This book is more or less the start of the first episode of the show, but the show has changed things (and basically made the ending very different).

But before I get to the story I want to comment on Matthew Southworth’s drawings which are really terrific.  His style is realistic but rough around the edges which works perfectly for this storyline.  There’s a lot of impressionistic moments where you can feel the person moving (or being moved) without the need for action lines.  Also, the casting of the show was really perfect.  Cobie Smulders is a dead ringer for Dex Parios in the book and Cole Sibus is amazingly cast as Ansel (Southworth does a great job showing Ansel’s Down Syndrome).  Cole Sibus is really outstanding in the role–his comic timing is excellent.  The only character who looks nothing like the book is Jake Johnson as Grey.  However, Jake Johnson is awesome and he is absolutely perfect for the role–I feel like he’s far more interesting than the comic book character (although in fairness, Grey doesn’t have that much to do in the book). (more…)

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César Aira–“The Infinite” [The 2019 Short Story Advent Calendar #13] (2013) [translated 2013]

Posted in César Aira, Chris Andrews, Christmas, Christmas Album, Eddie Vedder, Games (Non Video), Hingston & Olsen, Huh?, Infinity, Neil Finn, Nostalgia, Numbers, Pearl Jam, Short Story, Split Enz, The Short Story Advent Calendar, Tim Finn, Translation on December 13, 2019| 1 Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-“History Never Repeats” (1995).

On December 2, Pearl Jam announced that their fan club holiday singles will be released to streaming services.  Their first holiday single was released back in 1991.  It was “Let Me Sleep (Christmas Time).” They are rolling out the songs one at a time under the banner 12 Days of Pearl Jam.

These releases are coming out as a daily surprise.

I was not aware of this recording at all.  It is, indeed, the Split Enz song.  It was recording during a Pearl Jam show on March 24, 1995 in Auckland, New Zealand.   It must be during a quiet middle section, because it’s just Eddie with Neil Finn & Tim Finn live at the Mount Smart Stadium.

It is a bare-bones version with just voices and one electric guitar.  Neil Finn plays guitar and sings the first verse.  Eddie takes the second verse.  Tim Finn sings the third verse.  All three share  backing vocals and the chorus.

It’s a rare treat to hear an old recording like this, especially one of a song they’ve not played since.

[READ: December 13, 2019] “The Infinite”

This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my fourth time reading the Calendar.  I didn’t know about the first one until it was long out of print (sigh), but each year since has been very enjoyable.  Here’s what they say this year

The Short Story Advent Calendar is back! And to celebrate its fifth anniversary, we’ve decided to make the festivities even more festive, with five different coloured editions to help you ring in the holiday season.

No matter which colour you choose, the insides are the same: it’s another collection of expertly curated, individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America and beyond.

(This is a collection of literary, non-religious short stories for adults. For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.)

As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check back here to read an exclusive interview with the author.

Want a copy?  Order one here.

I’m pairing music this year with some Christmas songs that I have come across this year.

I really like César Aira’s stories.  He’s a fascinating guy and insanely prolific.

He has written nearly a hundred books.  Most of his novels are quite short, so I’ve never really thought of him as writing actual short stories.  This one comes from his collection The Musical Brain: And Other Stories which was translated by Chris Andrews.

The unnamed narrator says that as a kid he played some extremely strange games.  I love this line, “They sound made up when I explain them, and I did, in fact, make them up myself.” (more…)

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Rachel Kushner–“The Sacred Family” [The 2019 Short Story Advent Calendar #12] (2015)

Posted in Canadian Content, Christmas, Christmas Album, Churches, donald tRUMP, George W. Bush, Hingston & Olsen, John Lennon, Pearl Jam, Prison, Rachel Kushner, Religion, Short Story, The Beatles, The Short Story Advent Calendar on December 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-“Gimme Some Truth” (2001).

On December 2, Pearl Jam announced that their fan club holiday singles will be released to streaming services.  Their first holiday single was released back in 1991.  It was “Let Me Sleep (Christmas Time).” They are rolling out the songs one at a time under the banner 12 Days of Pearl Jam.

These releases are coming out as a daily surprise.

“Gimme Some Truth” was written by John Lennon during the Nixon administration.

Pearl Jam played this song live a bunch of times during the George W. Bush administration.  They had played it twice before recording this version at the Groundwork Benefit, Key Arena, Seattle. October 22, 2001.

It’s quite a faithful cover.  The original has angry guitars and Lennon’s growly voice. Although the original has a very distinctly Beatles-sound from the guitars (Which is obvious, but still somewhat surprising).  Even Lennon’s guitar solo has that Beatles sound.  The Pearl Jam version doesn’t have that feel at all–it sounds very much like a Pearl Jam song.

In fact, Eddie and the guys updated the lyrics for the George W. Bush administration.  I’ve listed both sets of lyrics at the bottom of the page.

The song is catchy and passionate and, frankly, is even more applicable now with the Liar in Chief’s administration literally incapable of saying a true word.

[READ: December 12 2019] “The Sacred Family”

This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my fourth time reading the Calendar.  I didn’t know about the first one until it was long out of print (sigh), but each year since has been very enjoyable.  Here’s what they say this year

The Short Story Advent Calendar is back! And to celebrate its fifth anniversary, we’ve decided to make the festivities even more festive, with five different coloured editions to help you ring in the holiday season.

No matter which colour you choose, the insides are the same: it’s another collection of expertly curated, individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America and beyond.

(This is a collection of literary, non-religious short stories for adults. For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.)

As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check back here to read an exclusive interview with the author.

Want a copy?  Order one here.

I’m pairing music this year with some Christmas songs that I have come across this year.

I have read a number of stories by Rachel Kushner.  I tend to enjoy them, although this one was more thought-provoking than interesting.

The story concerns a man, Hauser, who is warden at a women’s prison.  (more…)

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Jack Pendarvis–“The Wild Man of Mississippi” [The 2019 Short Story Advent Calendar #11] (2019)

Posted in Airlines, Anachronisms, Books about writers, Canadian Content, Christmas, Christmas Album, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Hingston & Olsen, Huh?, Jack Pendarvis, McSweeney's, Pearl Jam, Ramones, Short Story, The Believer, The Short Story Advent Calendar on December 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-“I Believe in Miracles” (2003).

On December 2, Pearl Jam announced that their fan club holiday singles will be released to streaming services.  Their first holiday single was released back in 1991.  It was “Let Me Sleep (Christmas Time).” They are rolling out the songs one at a time under the banner 12 Days of Pearl Jam.

These releases are coming out as a daily surprise.

Recorded in Santa Barbara California on October 28, 2003 this is a song that the band has played many times live.  I actually forget that its a Ramones song because of how un-Ramones their version is.

They do play it loud and rocking, but this version is a quieter, acoustic version. It’s also kind of slow so you can hear all the words.

There’s two lengthy acoustic guitar solos (very different from the Ramones) as well.  And of course, Eddie sounds nothing like Joey Ramone.

Despite the different style of play, this cover is quite faithful to the original.  But this acoustic version is particularly cool and the crowd is really into it.

[READ: December 11, 2019] “The Wild Man of Mississippi”

This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my fourth time reading the Calendar.  I didn’t know about the first one until it was long out of print (sigh), but each year since has been very enjoyable.  Here’s what they say this year

The Short Story Advent Calendar is back! And to celebrate its fifth anniversary, we’ve decided to make the festivities even more festive, with five different coloured editions to help you ring in the holiday season.

No matter which colour you choose, the insides are the same: it’s another collection of expertly curated, individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America and beyond.

(This is a collection of literary, non-religious short stories for adults. For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.)

As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check back here to read an exclusive interview with the author.

Want a copy?  Order one here.

I’m pairing music this year with some Christmas songs that I have come across this year.

I know Jack Pendarvis exclusively from McSweeney’s issues–particularly from the Letters columns–and The Believer.

I’m a little sad to say that overall my impression of his writing is not great.  I wrote this a long while back:

Pendarvis writes my least favorite piece in The Believer.  His monthly column Musin’s & Thinkin’s is a faux hillbilly column that is purposefully absurd and in my mind really really forced.

However, I did enjoy some of his short stories, which seem to be, not exactly parodies, but anachronistic tales that play around with the expectations of formula.

This story continues in that vein.

The titular Wild Man of Mississippi is an author and he is very much aware of his persona as The Wild Man of Mississippi.

As the story starts he is heading to near the Canadian border to read to a college class.  He couldn’t fit into his peacoat and had his tailor move the buttons: “an identifying feature of peacoats seemed to be the faraway buttons.  Well, fuck that.”

The tailor was late and thanked him for his patience.  How presumptuous to think he had patience.  After several other small indignities, he is booked on American Airlines–not his first choice. (more…)

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