For the fifth time in five years, grunge legends, Pearl
Jam, brought their signature style and show to Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of
the Cubs, and thoroughly rocked a capacity crowd of fans from near and far last
Monday night. Pearl Jam scheduled only 7 performances this summer in the U.S.,
and possibly for the entire year, so those who were able to do so certainly
scored a hot ticket. After great weather in Seattle, Missoula, and Wrigley
itself last weekend, concert-goers had to deal with a few thunderstorms before
the show could begin on Monday night. Of course, anyone who knows Pearl Jam’s
fans also knows a little rain could never dampen the excitement of seeing the
band live.
It was not the first time lightning interfered with a PJ show at Wrigley; their first ever performance in the historic ballpark in 2013 was delayed nearly three hours when storm clouds rolled in 45 minutes after the concert began. Monday’s delay was only about two hours long, and it went into effect just before the band was scheduled to take the stage, both of which made it a bit easier to handle for those who had to wait it out. In both cases, the band was put in the tough spot of having to cut songs from the set list to accommodate the delay (only 4 songs last Monday, but 8 songs in 2013), in spite of being offered an extended curfew due to Chicago’s strict noise ordinances. These days, an average Pearl Jam concert lasts about three hours, but Monday night’s performance was just under 2.5. Knowing they were working against the clock, the band delivered a very high energy show full of mainly fast and up-tempo songs that included hits, fan favorites, deep cuts, and covers. Their five opening songs, including “Given to Fly,” “Why Go?”, “Go”, “Last Exit”, and “Mind Your Manners”, blazed right by and set the tone for the rest of the night amid smiles and spirited sing-alongs from the crowd. As the band often begins shows with a few quieter, slower songs, this was a welcome surprise to all who had been waiting for the concert to start.
The rain continued to fall at times during the first quarter of the show, soaking those in the GA section in front of the stage and in the seated areas on the field, and the band cleverly included their cover of The Beatles’ “Rain”, originally the B-side to 1966’s “Paperback Writer”, which was more than appropriate. Singer, Eddie Vedder, even took a stab at the famous backward vocals from the end of the original recording as the song came to a close. In addition, PJ also included a number of other covers, such as Neil Young’s, “Throw Your Hatred Down”, a new hybrid, quiet/loud/quiet arrangement of Little Steven’s, “I Am a Patriot”, and they closed the show with a traditional but festive rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”, with the crowd singing along loudly and proudly. As per the rain delay, there was technically only one encore (rather than two or three as at most PJ shows), and Vedder treated the audience to a solo performance of The White Stripes’ “We Are Going to Be Friends”, having made it a staple in their recent concerts. Jack White caught wind of this and covered Pearl Jam’s “Daughter” a few weeks ago at a show on his current tour as well.
It was not the first time lightning interfered with a PJ show at Wrigley; their first ever performance in the historic ballpark in 2013 was delayed nearly three hours when storm clouds rolled in 45 minutes after the concert began. Monday’s delay was only about two hours long, and it went into effect just before the band was scheduled to take the stage, both of which made it a bit easier to handle for those who had to wait it out. In both cases, the band was put in the tough spot of having to cut songs from the set list to accommodate the delay (only 4 songs last Monday, but 8 songs in 2013), in spite of being offered an extended curfew due to Chicago’s strict noise ordinances. These days, an average Pearl Jam concert lasts about three hours, but Monday night’s performance was just under 2.5. Knowing they were working against the clock, the band delivered a very high energy show full of mainly fast and up-tempo songs that included hits, fan favorites, deep cuts, and covers. Their five opening songs, including “Given to Fly,” “Why Go?”, “Go”, “Last Exit”, and “Mind Your Manners”, blazed right by and set the tone for the rest of the night amid smiles and spirited sing-alongs from the crowd. As the band often begins shows with a few quieter, slower songs, this was a welcome surprise to all who had been waiting for the concert to start.
The rain continued to fall at times during the first quarter of the show, soaking those in the GA section in front of the stage and in the seated areas on the field, and the band cleverly included their cover of The Beatles’ “Rain”, originally the B-side to 1966’s “Paperback Writer”, which was more than appropriate. Singer, Eddie Vedder, even took a stab at the famous backward vocals from the end of the original recording as the song came to a close. In addition, PJ also included a number of other covers, such as Neil Young’s, “Throw Your Hatred Down”, a new hybrid, quiet/loud/quiet arrangement of Little Steven’s, “I Am a Patriot”, and they closed the show with a traditional but festive rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”, with the crowd singing along loudly and proudly. As per the rain delay, there was technically only one encore (rather than two or three as at most PJ shows), and Vedder treated the audience to a solo performance of The White Stripes’ “We Are Going to Be Friends”, having made it a staple in their recent concerts. Jack White caught wind of this and covered Pearl Jam’s “Daughter” a few weeks ago at a show on his current tour as well.
While Pearl Jam are well known for their outspoken political
views, such commentary surfaced only once during Monday’s concert, when Vedder
mentioned the importance of voting in November to protect reproductive rights,
with an emphasis on women voting on this issue, during the closing moments of “Daughter”.
In spite of recent online trolling related to a controversial event poster, the
crowd at Wrigley seemed to be on the same page as the band and applauded the
plea to get out the vote.
The band’s strong connection to Chicago and to the Cubs organization was a major theme throughout the show, with Vedder joking that he had accepted a job to run the venue’s score board beginning next season, on-stage appearances from NHL star, Chris Chelios, and from the Commissioner’s Trophy, won by the Cubs during their championship season in 2016, which Vedder said he wanted to find a way to drink from in the style of the Stanley Cup. Early in the encore, the band dedicated a performance of “Come Back” to the widow and family of Blackhawks hockey great, Stan Mikita, amid a sea of cell phone screens (and a few old school fans who still preferred to hold up a lighter). This was notably one of the few slower, sentimental songs performed at any point in the night, as the band kept a focus on keeping things moving to make up for lost time following the rain delay. Vedder bantered with the crowd less than usual as well.
While many fans anticipated a new song or two from Pearl Jam’s forthcoming 11th LP, no new songs were performed on Monday night. Those who saw the band at Wrigley a few days prior got to hear “Can’t Deny Me”, the band’s latest single, but nothing quite like the live debuts of “Lightning Bolt” and “Future Days” at the 2013 Wrigley concert were part of their most recent show there. Aside from the notable inclusion of the Yield-era B-side, “U”, which had not been performed in four years, the band did feature the first-ever live performance of “Evil Little Goat”, an obscure Ten B-side, possibly another connection to Cubs’ lore. Other notable tracks that were cut from the set due to time included Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, and the PJ’s standard closer, “Yellow Ledbetter”.
Overall, the band played very well and received spirited and enthusiastic support from the audience throughout the concert. Guitarist, Mike McCready, especially stood out with lightning-fast, blistering solos during the fastest songs, and bassist, Jeff Ament, shined on “Jeremy” and the lengthy jams during “Porch” and “Rearviewmirror”. While the show ended up being a bit shorter than expected and planned, it would be tough to say the band did anything but deliver a high quality, hard rocking performance which left ticket-holders smiling as the crowd emptied into the humid Chicago night.
The band’s strong connection to Chicago and to the Cubs organization was a major theme throughout the show, with Vedder joking that he had accepted a job to run the venue’s score board beginning next season, on-stage appearances from NHL star, Chris Chelios, and from the Commissioner’s Trophy, won by the Cubs during their championship season in 2016, which Vedder said he wanted to find a way to drink from in the style of the Stanley Cup. Early in the encore, the band dedicated a performance of “Come Back” to the widow and family of Blackhawks hockey great, Stan Mikita, amid a sea of cell phone screens (and a few old school fans who still preferred to hold up a lighter). This was notably one of the few slower, sentimental songs performed at any point in the night, as the band kept a focus on keeping things moving to make up for lost time following the rain delay. Vedder bantered with the crowd less than usual as well.
While many fans anticipated a new song or two from Pearl Jam’s forthcoming 11th LP, no new songs were performed on Monday night. Those who saw the band at Wrigley a few days prior got to hear “Can’t Deny Me”, the band’s latest single, but nothing quite like the live debuts of “Lightning Bolt” and “Future Days” at the 2013 Wrigley concert were part of their most recent show there. Aside from the notable inclusion of the Yield-era B-side, “U”, which had not been performed in four years, the band did feature the first-ever live performance of “Evil Little Goat”, an obscure Ten B-side, possibly another connection to Cubs’ lore. Other notable tracks that were cut from the set due to time included Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, and the PJ’s standard closer, “Yellow Ledbetter”.
Overall, the band played very well and received spirited and enthusiastic support from the audience throughout the concert. Guitarist, Mike McCready, especially stood out with lightning-fast, blistering solos during the fastest songs, and bassist, Jeff Ament, shined on “Jeremy” and the lengthy jams during “Porch” and “Rearviewmirror”. While the show ended up being a bit shorter than expected and planned, it would be tough to say the band did anything but deliver a high quality, hard rocking performance which left ticket-holders smiling as the crowd emptied into the humid Chicago night.
Pearl Jam set list: Chicago 2 (8-20-18)
*(2 hr. rain delay before show began)*
Aye Davanita (intro tape)
Given to Fly
Why Go?
Go
Last Exit
Mind Your Manners
Do the Evolution
Rain (The Beatles)
Throw Your Hatred Down (Neil Young)
Even Flow
U
In My Tree
Immortality
Daughter/It’s OK (Dead Moon)
Unthought Known
Jeremy
I Am a Patriot (Little Steven)
Lukin
Porch
-------------------(encore break)----------
We’re Going to Be Friends (The White Stripes)
Come Back
Corduroy
Black
Lightning Bolt
Rearviewmirror
~~~~~(“rushed” encore break/band stayed on stage)~~~~
Smile
Evil Little Goat
Leash
Alive
Baba O’ Riley (The Who)
----------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment