CONCERT REVIEW:
PEARL JAM AT MARVEL STADIUM, MELBOURNE NOV 16 2024
by Louie Leister Rosales
Pixies opened the show with a golden setlist. The legendary Pixies, major quake in the alternative rock landscape. This is a band whose early albums were constant companions to me during college, along a handful of bands that they had influenced (e.g. Nirvana, Weezer, Radiohead, etc).
The stadium wasn't half-filled yet when Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, aka Black Francis, let it rip, filling vacant space with his gigantic voice. It's as if his pipes hadn't aged since 1986, and this is not hyperbole. It's amazing how strong that voice has stayed over the decades.
Seeing Pearl Jam in itself is a dream come true, but to see Pixies bring on their A-game as opening act augments the feeling of an already immense gratitude.
Pixies' set flew by at the speed of fun, and then it was time for the main act. From a distance, the band were glowing like demigods. The waiting did not drive us mad (thanks to Pixies); they're finally here and we're ready.
They opened with Why Go. I couldn't believe it. We knew the literal meaning of the song, but it took on a new significance, as if PJ were daring us to stay for a few days more for the second show in the same venue. Why go home?
The opening riff served like a shot of adrenaline, obliterating all symptoms of sleep deprivation that I had from the 9-hour land trip from Mildura to Melbourne.
We had springs in our steps on the short walk from Ja's apartment to Marvel Stadium (walking on the proverbial cloud nine). Little did I know that soon as Pearl Jam's opener kicked in, I would get an invisible pogo stick, jumping around at the get-go.
After Why Go, Eddie said, "If you can see what we see now... Good evening, Melbourne." This echoes the opening line of Something Special and the later line of Setting Sun, both off of the latest album, Dark Matter.
Elderly Woman followed Why Go. Talk about unexpected. I knew this classic had a high likelihood of getting played but not this early into the set. In front of me were seated a mother with her young daughter, singing along to every word. A testament to Pearl Jam's intergenerational presence.
The elderly woman behind the counter of a small town was closer to the age Eddie is now, but Eddie, like Black Francis, has aged gracefully and has remained fit to tour the world. He proceeded to more classics:
Given to Fly. Hail, hail. Corduroy.
That's a Yield-No Code-Vitalogy trifecta.
But Pearl Jam won't bank on mere nostalgia. They went on to play new materials: React, Respond; Dark Matter; Wreckage (the third one being one of my new favorites). They played at least four songs from the new album. I would not have minded if they played Dark Matter in its entirety.
Prior to Wreckage, Mike had to let loose some good ol' Eruption. It was almost perfunctory on his part. Just another day at the office for Mr. McCready.
I was yearning for them to play Upper Hand, but I couldn't complain for what followed: Garden, then Even Flow. That's a two-punch combo off of Ten. It was the second punch that made the bleachers crowd stand up. I did not sit down after that: In My Tree, Running, Jeremy.
At Jeremy's opening bass riff, I just could not resist temptation and had to take my phone out to take a video, so I could send it to my brother later on. On which snippet my brother remarked that Eddie has aged like fine wine.
And this observation proved to be a fact for the rest of the show: Wishlist (which was on my wishlist but did not expect), Not for You (with Sleater-Kinney's Modern Girl tag), Mind Your Manners, Porch.
"By the middle," Eddie sang, "there ain't gonna be any middle any more." And that's exactly how the show felt. I finally experienced first-hand that Pearl Jam shows have no middle: Its the beginning--you're having a great time rocking out--and then suddenly you realize, Oh they're wrapping up, as soon as Yellow Ledbetter kicks in and the house lights are on. But I digress.
The encore setlist was even better. The first four songs of the encore--Just Breathe, Inside Job (the biggest surprise of the evening for me), Do the Evolution, Better Man--set us up for the signature Pearl Jam crescendo.
Song after song, seeds of specific memories sprout back from dormancy to the surface of my adrenalized mind-fields, taking new roots, taking up space, stretching up to the stratosphere through the stadium's open roof, echoing like the stillness of stratocasters before the strings begin to long again for the troubled soul's strum.
State of Love and Trust replaced Something Special on the setlist (or so I learned later on), which means we really were on a lucky streak that night.
Then came Alive. By God. By this time, the omnidirectional flow of pure rock n' roll energy from the band to the crowd felt powerful enough to levitate the entire Marvel Stadium. What used to be a song lamenting a perceived curse, had evolved into a song celebrating the continuance and joy of life. The crowd's positive interpretation of the song, Eddie once remarked, lifted the curse.
Keep On Rocking In the Free World followed Alive. For the longest time, Pearl Jam's music served like a lifesaving drug for me. On the night of the concert, I felt like a junkie stacking one high after another. Pearl Jam delivered the goods as expected.
Well, these guys were stadium-ready since day one. Heck, Jeff and Stone were ready since Mother Love Bone. Matt had been ready since Ultramega OK. And yet Pearl Jam were even better than advertised.
Eddie's voice was on top form. As it turned out, I was not merely imagining it. I relistened to my bootleg and confirmed Eddie really did nail the vocals. The rest of the band were spot on, too.
I'd like to think of Pearl Jam's Dark Matter era as their fourth peak.
Throughout the show, we had a much friendlier, happier, more talkative version of Eddie. Eddie's banter with the crowd was an aspect of the show that I didn't expect but thoroughly enjoyed. Prior to Mike shredding Eruption, Eddie said: "Now... you know there are some legendary left handed guitar players... Jimi hendrix, uhm, Kurt Cobain, he was lefty... Did you know that Mike McCready is also lefty? I didnt even realize that until just recently, he was signing something left handed... and uhm yeah, that was what happened, I was shocked!"
Hearing Kurt's name in particular from Eddie himself made that night even more surreal. It reminded me that we were seeing the last surviving frontman out of Seattle's Big 4.
Before the concert, a friend insisted I should wear earplugs to protect my hearing. I'm glad I shunned the advice.
The same friend asked me to record Yellow Ledbetter on video if they played it. I shunned the request, too. It made much more sense to live in the present and soak in the last wave of sonic ecstacy.
The first French out of Eddie when he saw the massive crowd had been "Holy Fuck!". That's apt, because after the show, Rob Equiza describes it as "Fucking Holy". The "holy" part is fitting, too, because it was close to a religious experience, at least for me.
It was inspiring. Faith-affirming. Cathartic.
Veteran Jammers say you could go to a hundred Pearl Jam shows, but you'll never forget the first one. How I wish I could go to a hundred Pearl Jam shows more, but in the meantime I have the epic Melbourne Night 1 to relive.
PEARL JAM SET LIST:
1. Why Go2. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
3. Given To Fly
4. Hail, Hail
5. Corduroy
6. React, Respond
7. Dark Matter
8. Eruption (Van Halen)
9. Wreckage
10. Garden
11. Even Flow
12. In My Tree
13. Running
14. Jeremy
15. Wishlist
16. Not For You/Modern Girl (Sleater-Kinney)
17. Mind Your Manners
18. Porch
ENCORE:
19. Just Breathe
20. Inside Job
21. Do The Evolution
22. Better Man/Save It For Later (The Beat)
23. State Of Love And Trust
24. Alive
25. Rockin' In The Free World (Neil Young)
26. Yellow Ledbetter
PIXIES SET LIST:
1. Cactus2. Here Comes Your Man
3. Where Is My Mind?
4. Motoroller
5. Mercy Me
6. Chicken
7. The Vegas Suite
8. Gouge Away
9. Debaser
10. Wave of Mutilation
11. Monkey Gone to Heaven
12. Hey
13. Caribou
14. Head On
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