9/16/22- 2022 North American Tour- Bridgestone Arena, Nashville TN
Rating- 9.6 Dynamite Setlist, energy on demand and great time had by all.
The waiting drove us mad…This show, originally scheduled for April 3rd 2020, marked Pearl Jam’s first Nashville performance in 19 years. We are just now beginning to comprehend how much everything has changed since we initially purchased these tickets in January 2020. We had to soak in every last ounce of hot chicken and Nashville culture so we elected to skip Josh Klinghoffer’s one man opening show, Pluralone. Like clockwork, the seated band opens the show at 9:05 with classic curveball, Nothingman.
Crowd Demographics- The crowd was a bit of a sausage fest, although as always, we met many diehard, female fans. We estimate a 75/25 -male/female ratio with an average age of 51 year old. Based on anecdotal observations and conversations, it appeared that the majority of the audience had traveled from afar to see the band. Based on the army of PJ shirts in the hotel lobby it was clearly the case. The vibe was mellow and subdued preshow but once the lights go out it is plain that these folks are rabid superfans who are glued to every note of this masterful performance.
Refreshments– Clase Azul Tequila, a bird bath of Yuengling, Alice and Devil Driver.
Ed’s voice sounds raspy in the early seconds and I was mildly concerned. Mid way through Nothingman his voice started to unpack itself nicely, like a fine wine stretching it’s legs. He is hitting ALL of the notes with precision and clarity. By the time he holds a note on Black for 30 seconds, it is obvious that he has fully recovered from his injuries and his voice is now as strong and clear as it was in 1998. Ed and Mike McCready are both seated in chairs and would remain seated for the first few songs. Next up, the effervescent, lighthearted Buckle Up, followed by the classic unrequited love story, Black. During Black it becomes obvious that Mike is shredding harder than he did when I first saw them in 03. He channeled his inner Jimi Hendrix, the video screens had an interesting color effect during his leads. The seated virtuoso is bludgeoning the crowd with elegant and angelic solos that are conjured up from the depths of his soul. He is adding new dimensions to songs that I would typically skip over on my playlist. As a quiet guy, Mike clearly lets his guitar do the talking, his beautiful, bruising and seemingly otherworldly leads offer an interesting juxtaposition to his shy demeanor.
In an instant it went from quiet anticipation to the meditative intro riff to Present Tense. The crowd went ape shit. The No Code, masterpiece recently got a lift from being featured in The Last Dance documentary about Michael Jordan and his final days with the Chicago Bulls. This is a song that has had profound meaning for me, which I find increasing with age. Midway through this mystical affirmation, the stage crew removes Ed and Mike’s chairs, they are gone for good.
The curveballs continue when Ed tells a story about Johnny Ramone nearing the end of his life. Typically signifying, Come Back, which was allegedly written for him. Instead, he quickly mentions that the following was Johnny’s favorite Pearl Jam song and launched into a blistering version of Corduroy. He included a nod to the Ramones in a very subtle Blitzkrieg Bop tag. The unsung trio of Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron and Stone Gossard are working together in perfect alignment. Jeff then requests the bass heavy Rats which Mike spices up with an incendiary solo. Then Wishlist with a tag from Waiting on a Friend, by the Stones.
One touching moment was when Ed dedicated the hypnotic, River Cross to the people of Ukraine. That added some meaning to a song that I have failed to connect with. Next up, the iconic Better Man with Save it for Later (The Beat) tag and the now mandatory Don’t Runnnawayy refrain. Finishing up the main set was a six-and-a-half-minute rendition of Porch.
They kicked off the encore with Last Kiss, providing a much needed bathroom break. Followed by the polar opposite song in tight, hard hitting, VS banger, GO. The intensity level was through the roof. From there, the camera panned to a fan with a sign that read “This is my 185th show- play Smile”. The band was happy to oblige, and the crowd goes wild. The Neil Youngesque harmonica intro was met with ardent cheers, the real heads were being fed with a set list for the ages. They backed it up with Given to Fly and then turned on the lights for staples Alive and Yellow Leadbetter. Both songs featured breathtaking leads from Mike McCready who is clearly having a personal renaissance.
As a unit they crisply hit the notes in a new style. We noticed that they tended to move through the songs a bit more rapidly than in the past. It felt like they were considerably less “jammy”. Songs that were previously elongated seemed to be cut shorter. This is more of an observation than a criticism.
Guitar Stories- Apparently, there was a heist involving a rare Gibson when Mr McCready visited the Gibson factory and helped himself to a ‘59 Gibson SG. He replaced it with a similar model which was an arguably more valuable SG given the provenance and previous famous owner. Eddie was also playing a sunburst Les Paul that despite looking brand new, was once played by Pete Townsend.
Today’s Pearl Jam is a band of brothers who are reaching new heights. They all seem to be happy, healthy, and at the top of their craft, 30 years in. Eddie seems to be at peace with his superstardom and the sense of happiness and contentment radiates throughout the entire performance. This band is making it look easy and having more fun than ever. As the song says, absolutely everything has changed. But with all the changes in this mad world, we can all sleep soundly knowing that the last great rock and roll band, is alive and well, blowing away audiences like its Pink Pop ‘92.
