Sunday, May 30, 2004
"Once upon a time, I could lose myself..."
Morning Commute, Friday May 28:
Pearl Jam, Live in Las Vegas: 10-22-00.
I could just tell Friday was gonna suck. In retrospect: it sucked more than I could have even imagined. Unfortunately, there's only so much you can predict - and only so much you can do to prepare yourself for said predictions. Most people, like I, like to surround themselves in things familiar and comfortable at moments like these. Figuring on finding solace in those things passed and positive, they can better cope with that impending doom. For some its an old blanket or a certain food, for me its albums - or on this case: bands. See: I have had a funny relationship with Pearl Jam. When I first heard their first record, Ten in the ninth grade I hated it. I think I said it sounded like "Frank Sinatra singing lead for a classic rock band". Less than a year later, I found myself skating to my then girlfriend's house rocking out to said debut disc constantly flipping the tape and playing it from end to end - it was b-sided with Saigon Kick's The Lizard. I was heartily obessesed with Ten for a good two years while waiting for their second disc to come out. When Vs. was finally released (btw, I have one of the early self-titled copies thanks to one of my best friends in the world who went to Compact Disc World at Menlo Park Mall at midnight to buy it. Not only is the most loyal person I have ever met, and a friend to this day, but he is also the gigantic PJ fan responsible for getting me their next disc Vitalogy the minute it cam out AND finally taking me ot my first PJ show last summer), I was very disappointed. I latched onto a few songs, but it just didn't feel as whole or borderline-conceptual like the first disc. It lacked the studio sheen I so enjoyed on their debut as well. Seeing as it was one of the first "grunge" (a silly moniker, seeing as aside from "guitar-rock" there should really be no more specific term that can cover the likes of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice and Chains, Mudhoney, and any other band that hailed from Seattle between 1989 and 1994) albums, no one really understood the raw aesthetic of Pearl Jam and made this record sound like a hair metal album. Full of "explosion" snare drums and guitars that sounded like they were played inside an airplane hanger, the sound of this record lined up with my tastes in music up to that point near perfectly. Unfotunately, or so I thought at the time, their second album sounded dirtier and less produced. The songs weren't as groove oriented or hooky, to boot, so this album got the requisite number of spins and then just sat there with the other irregulars. When their third album came out and it a) had an experimental track on it, b) was heading even further away from the sound and feel fo Ten, and c) started to show signs of the arty/political bent that would become a big part of the band's personality and career-focus, I all but gave up on Pearl Jam. This was at the height of the early nineties' punk-cum-grunge "I wanna sing to everyone but don't wanna be saddled with the burden of celebrity because it hurts my art and doesn't allow me to hang out and do drugs with my fans becuase there are so many even thought the amount of drugs I do is solely dependent and said large number of fans boo-hoo I am taking my toys and going home" ethic. I was done with the whole modern rock scene and turned to The Beatles - who decided that they would just quit playing shows and catering to millions and sit in the studio and do drugs instead. Somehow this made them even bigger celebrities. Go figgur... Anyhoo... long story short. A few years later, by way and encouragement of the aformentioned friend and PJ fan, I took another chance on PJam. I went out to the mall and bought Yield and took out the copy of No Code, an album I had bought for completist purposes rather than in the interest of actuall listening, and gave them both a spin. Like a cinderblock to the temple, it hit me: the FIRST album was the anamoly. Pearl Jam is actually a rock band hiding under the guises of alternative, grunge, or whatever flavor Rolling Stone declared "hot" over the past several years. This revelation, in combination with the fact that the band had maintained a relatively low profile after their very public battle with ticketmaster, which, for the record: i wholeheartedly agreed with (and continue to) the pinciple of the thing, but really, it just took away from the music for this guy. I quickly became as obsessed with these two records, and more importantly, because earlier it had been the proverbial final nail in their coffin in my music collection, Vitalogy. I actually had to get this disc back from my "hockey fan" friend who had been "borrowing" it from me for five years or so. I had actually forgotten all about it. I missed my first chance to see them live later that summer when my family and I were in the Bahamas, but being such a good friend, my PJam buddy bought me the live CD of the show I would have been at. While this two disc set (as well as all of the discs from their first famous run of live releases of an entire tour) was poorly mixed and even sloppily played at times, I was floored by the energy these guys put out. I knew that to REALLY understand this band, i woule have to see them live. I proceede to buy a disc from their Scotland show on the European Leg of the same tour. When they went on another giant US tour a year later, I made sure to buy the three disc set of the last night on the tour, and their 10th anniversary show in Las Vegas (see, I got to the record this post is actually about eventually). They obviously did their homework this time. While they maintained their cost-effective, music first atttitude with very-plain packaging (which even makes Live at Leeds look like high art), they obviously invested a decent chunk of change in their live recording rig and people. These 2000 tour discs are inredible. It's incredible enough that a band is confident enough to release unedited recordings of every show on their tour, it is even more exciting that these shows (and the recordings) can all sound so energetic and clean. When I need a Pearl Jam fix, I turn to these live discs eight out of ten times. So why this disc on that morning? Well, as I hope you can see, my relationship with the band has been downright familial in the way I have seen ups and downs with them - and this show has some really touching moments as it is their tenth anniversary. Not only do they play and nail a career spanning set, but they take time out to acknowledge the fans, the personal relationships the guys in the band have, and members, past and present, in general. They even pull off a moving version of "Crown of Thorns", the tragic would-have-been hit for the "previous incarnation" of Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone. I'm not gonna waste any more of your time on why that's so important, but you can find out for yourself. Like I said before, on a day in which you're sure to encounter some unknown doom, all you want is something familiar, warm, and cozy. This disc did the trick quite nicely.
Pearl Jam, Live in Las Vegas: 10-22-00.
I could just tell Friday was gonna suck. In retrospect: it sucked more than I could have even imagined. Unfortunately, there's only so much you can predict - and only so much you can do to prepare yourself for said predictions. Most people, like I, like to surround themselves in things familiar and comfortable at moments like these. Figuring on finding solace in those things passed and positive, they can better cope with that impending doom. For some its an old blanket or a certain food, for me its albums - or on this case: bands. See: I have had a funny relationship with Pearl Jam. When I first heard their first record, Ten in the ninth grade I hated it. I think I said it sounded like "Frank Sinatra singing lead for a classic rock band". Less than a year later, I found myself skating to my then girlfriend's house rocking out to said debut disc constantly flipping the tape and playing it from end to end - it was b-sided with Saigon Kick's The Lizard. I was heartily obessesed with Ten for a good two years while waiting for their second disc to come out. When Vs. was finally released (btw, I have one of the early self-titled copies thanks to one of my best friends in the world who went to Compact Disc World at Menlo Park Mall at midnight to buy it. Not only is the most loyal person I have ever met, and a friend to this day, but he is also the gigantic PJ fan responsible for getting me their next disc Vitalogy the minute it cam out AND finally taking me ot my first PJ show last summer), I was very disappointed. I latched onto a few songs, but it just didn't feel as whole or borderline-conceptual like the first disc. It lacked the studio sheen I so enjoyed on their debut as well. Seeing as it was one of the first "grunge" (a silly moniker, seeing as aside from "guitar-rock" there should really be no more specific term that can cover the likes of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice and Chains, Mudhoney, and any other band that hailed from Seattle between 1989 and 1994) albums, no one really understood the raw aesthetic of Pearl Jam and made this record sound like a hair metal album. Full of "explosion" snare drums and guitars that sounded like they were played inside an airplane hanger, the sound of this record lined up with my tastes in music up to that point near perfectly. Unfotunately, or so I thought at the time, their second album sounded dirtier and less produced. The songs weren't as groove oriented or hooky, to boot, so this album got the requisite number of spins and then just sat there with the other irregulars. When their third album came out and it a) had an experimental track on it, b) was heading even further away from the sound and feel fo Ten, and c) started to show signs of the arty/political bent that would become a big part of the band's personality and career-focus, I all but gave up on Pearl Jam. This was at the height of the early nineties' punk-cum-grunge "I wanna sing to everyone but don't wanna be saddled with the burden of celebrity because it hurts my art and doesn't allow me to hang out and do drugs with my fans becuase there are so many even thought the amount of drugs I do is solely dependent and said large number of fans boo-hoo I am taking my toys and going home" ethic. I was done with the whole modern rock scene and turned to The Beatles - who decided that they would just quit playing shows and catering to millions and sit in the studio and do drugs instead. Somehow this made them even bigger celebrities. Go figgur... Anyhoo... long story short. A few years later, by way and encouragement of the aformentioned friend and PJ fan, I took another chance on PJam. I went out to the mall and bought Yield and took out the copy of No Code, an album I had bought for completist purposes rather than in the interest of actuall listening, and gave them both a spin. Like a cinderblock to the temple, it hit me: the FIRST album was the anamoly. Pearl Jam is actually a rock band hiding under the guises of alternative, grunge, or whatever flavor Rolling Stone declared "hot" over the past several years. This revelation, in combination with the fact that the band had maintained a relatively low profile after their very public battle with ticketmaster, which, for the record: i wholeheartedly agreed with (and continue to) the pinciple of the thing, but really, it just took away from the music for this guy. I quickly became as obsessed with these two records, and more importantly, because earlier it had been the proverbial final nail in their coffin in my music collection, Vitalogy. I actually had to get this disc back from my "hockey fan" friend who had been "borrowing" it from me for five years or so. I had actually forgotten all about it. I missed my first chance to see them live later that summer when my family and I were in the Bahamas, but being such a good friend, my PJam buddy bought me the live CD of the show I would have been at. While this two disc set (as well as all of the discs from their first famous run of live releases of an entire tour) was poorly mixed and even sloppily played at times, I was floored by the energy these guys put out. I knew that to REALLY understand this band, i woule have to see them live. I proceede to buy a disc from their Scotland show on the European Leg of the same tour. When they went on another giant US tour a year later, I made sure to buy the three disc set of the last night on the tour, and their 10th anniversary show in Las Vegas (see, I got to the record this post is actually about eventually). They obviously did their homework this time. While they maintained their cost-effective, music first atttitude with very-plain packaging (which even makes Live at Leeds look like high art), they obviously invested a decent chunk of change in their live recording rig and people. These 2000 tour discs are inredible. It's incredible enough that a band is confident enough to release unedited recordings of every show on their tour, it is even more exciting that these shows (and the recordings) can all sound so energetic and clean. When I need a Pearl Jam fix, I turn to these live discs eight out of ten times. So why this disc on that morning? Well, as I hope you can see, my relationship with the band has been downright familial in the way I have seen ups and downs with them - and this show has some really touching moments as it is their tenth anniversary. Not only do they play and nail a career spanning set, but they take time out to acknowledge the fans, the personal relationships the guys in the band have, and members, past and present, in general. They even pull off a moving version of "Crown of Thorns", the tragic would-have-been hit for the "previous incarnation" of Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone. I'm not gonna waste any more of your time on why that's so important, but you can find out for yourself. Like I said before, on a day in which you're sure to encounter some unknown doom, all you want is something familiar, warm, and cozy. This disc did the trick quite nicely.
