Pearl Jam at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The other evening, I got to watch Pearl Jam
get into the Jann Wenner’s rock and roll hall
of fame.
It was a really special event for me, but it
took me a few days to figure out why. As
you know, rock music is my thing. I am a
scholar on every level of rock music and rock history. I have been watching these ceremonies for
decades, I think. What’s so big about
Pearl Jam? Well, a few things. I LOVE that band. It’s the only band I am, or ever would be, a
fan club member of. I have been seeing
them for 25 years. First time I saw them
was 1991, and I had no idea who they were.
They were trending on Mtv at the time, with Even Flow, but I didn’t have
cable. I went to see the other
bands: Nirvana, and the Chili
Peppers. This was ALL bands at peak
power, but what a window of time to see Nirvana. See, ‘Nevermind’ was out, and ‘Smells like Teen
Spirit’ had just taken over the Earth.
This show had been book probably 6 or 8 months before. So, they were the openers for Red Hot Chili
Peppers (touring on Blood Sugar Sex Magic).
But that isn’t what made this so special. What did was a couple of things.
First – this wasn’t my parents band. It wasn’t my brother’s band. All those great bands that came before: the Dead, the Allmans, Led Zep… they were
before my time. Pearl Jam was MY band. I was there from the beginning. I have met (some of them), I have been to
about 20 concerts. I have everything
they have ever done. This was validation
of my tastes. That is pretty damn cool.
The other thing? Well, if you see the performance… you see
they still got it. Too often, the HOF is
to try and bring together very bitter rivals on to stage. We stop to remember all their dead band mates. Some of them, like Journey, haven’t been in the
same room together for 15 years. Pearl
Jam not only never broke up… they are as strong as ever. Like Iron Maiden, they somehow just keep getting
better. Pearl Jam doesn’t just get
better, they get longer. Last time I saw
them was last
night of the Lightning Bolt tour… they played for almost 4 hours. They are still doing that now, at EVERY SHOW. (Ed note: review of that show here)
It’s also great they are good people. No arrests, no scandals, no deaths or
overdoses. They give money to
charity. They took on Ticketmaster, and
went to goddamn Congress to do it.
I wish I could embed that performance here,
but you need HBO to see it. I can give
you this, though; David
Letterman’s AMAZING induction speech.
Forgot how much I miss Dave. He’s
still got it!
·
Postscript. Check out Ame’s shirt, and the story behind
it. LOVE IT.
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