The band will celebrate 50 NYC shows this week
Pearl Jam took the stage for the first of a two-night stand at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (Sept 3rd) as part of its 2024 Dark Matter World Tour.
Eddie Vedder to the stage in a fedora and NY Knicks-styled shirt. PJ kicked things off with “Pendulum,” then led a massive singalong with “Better Man.” All the while, they were backlit by the anvil-shaped screen stretching the stage.
The light show got underway gradually, and enveloped the World’s Most Famous Arena by “Sacred of Fear.” The lighting truss extended from the stage to the very edges of the arena bowl.
It was here that Vedder chose to stop for a toast—taking a large swig from a wine bottle. He noted that Pearl Jam had played 71 previous shows in New York State, 48 of these concerts in New York City. This means by Wednesday night, the band will have played an even 50 NYC gigs. There’s nothing the Garden loves more than marking a milestone. Just ask the Piano Man.
Musically, Pearl Jam is peerless. The wall of sound emanating from the stage created a uniformity that must be heard to be understood. Nothing—no note, no lyric, no beat—was out of place.
Vocally, Eddie Vedder’s deeply rich tones complimented the high-flying notes piloted by his peers. At least it did when he could be heard. For most of the night, the Garden crowd drowned him out by singing passionately at the top of their lungs.
Pearl Jam is unafraid to imbue their music with a message. Vedder gave “React, Respond” a new name for 2024; “Don’t Complain, Vote.”
But separate from the music, PJ is unafraid to be a band that has a message. About two-thirds through the night, Vedder stopped the show to acknowledge a 13-year-old boy who had just lost his mother. The boy, said the frontman, is “one of those beautiful children that has autism.” Vedder explained that Adam was bullied so badly, that he had to change schools. “You tell that school that did nothing to protect you, and the parents that let their kids bully you, that Ed Vedder, Pearl Jam, and all of Madison Square Garden say ‘FUCK YOU!’” The crowd erupted in love, rallying around this boy.
Pearl Jam’s music is a part of the cultural fabric. When one hears Vedder’s voice, they know it. When a Mile McCready lick comes on, the lizard brain shouts “Pearl Jam!” And rock music is better for it.
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