The intarwebs are abuzz with talk about the Rock Honors Tribute show dedicated to The Who that aired on VH1 last thursday, and particularly Pearl Jam’s performance, which was surprising only to those that aren’t already well aware of how consistently the band delivers. VH1.com has video of the performance online (as it most definitely should), however (in a public display of monumental stupidity) everyone outside the US is blacklisted… From viewing the actual clips anyway; the paid advertisments play just fine of course. So given that, and Viacom’s watchdog eyes on YouTube, we decided to take a cease & desist for the team and post the performance here.
The way I see it, Pearl Jam saved it from being completely embarrassing to Who fans like myself. As Pete Townshend told Rolling Stone today, the whole concept was cooked up as a vehicle for fucking Rock Band, which is ultimately a product of Viacom. Tongue in cheek, he compared half assed parody performances by Adam Sandler and Jack Black to the plastic Rock Band guitars “you can’t really smash,” but had good things to say about Eddie Vedder and company.
I texted Johnny Firecloud, currently on a road trip through the Pacific Northwest, to see if he had any insight to add to this piece on his favorite band. He replied, “name any other band who can own someone else’s songs with such passion and ferocity.” And before his texts devolved into indecipherable lolspeak, I got something about Pearl Jam making a case for title of torchbearers for a new generation of classic rock. Which I tend to agree with, despite the discomfort I feel when songs from 1998’s Yield air on classic rock stations.
About Skwerl
Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill was taught his first computer programming language by his Mother's marijuana dealer at age ten. His first job involved hustling TicketMaster lines on behalf of a New Jersey concert ticket broker at age fourteen, followed by a job in graphic design shortly after graduating high school and trade school simultaneously in 1998. He built his first website in 1996 or so, and continues to do things the way they should be done, rather than the way everyone else does. He's a bit of an asshole, but he's fiercely loyal to his friends, and to fellow fans of good music.Born and raised in Philadelphia, Skwerl now resides in Los Angeles.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:35 PM
you guys are my fucking heroes! I wish I had seen this live, you have given me a missing piece of Pearl Jam I shouldn’t have missed! Thank you thank you.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:33 AM
I enjoyed the Flaming Lips performance as well. Also, I agree with what Pete said about Sandler though, it was just stupid.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Yeah, but he pretty much played Magic Bus to a T. When you’re trying to sing a bunch of nonsense over it and make people laugh, that’s pretty hard to do.
And if I weren’t on some crazy adventure in the wilderness I’d have more to say here, like pointing out the fact that Jeff Ament absolutely fucking crushed the bassline in The Real Me, or Mike McCready was jumping around like a kangaroo on speed, or that Vedder is at the very top of his game - at 44 years old.
Pearl Jam have once again revitalized my inner fanboy, and I’m still filled with amazement at their ability to stand tall and proud next to the greatest live acts in history.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:44 AM
Seeing Pearl Jam live, as I have 90078 times, is a night with old friends. They play the songs you love, even the weird rare ones that haven’t been played in 9 years, and sometimes Ed forgets the words. Sometimes he’s drunk off his ass and falls down. No matter what happens, it always feels right. But seeing them on the big fancy VH1 TV stage made it clear that they have reached that point where they truly are a fine-tuned classic rock machine. They nailed that performance in every way that a band could. They are professionals that sound as great unplugged as they do with a full horn and string section. They are the greatest American rock band of all time.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:19 AM
As a longtime PJ fan, I hate to say that every album they’ve done since Yield has been shit save for a few songs per release. They still can rock a mean cover, though. Baba O’Reilly in the 90s was the peak of their covering precision.
It’s also odd to think of PJ as classic rock, I’m not quite sure if they’re there yet, but its an interesting thought nonetheless. Hell, the “new rock” station where I live in Michigan plays a lot of garden variety newer garbage like Nickelback and Disturbed but they play a lot of NIN, Tool, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Rage, AIC, the list goes on….Just think of those fuckers as classic rock! Maynard Keenan should be the torch-bearer for new classic rock. Either that or that sissy Jonathan Davis.
LOL
August 5th, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I don’t really give two shits about corporate whatever bla bla bla or the ubertypical “I don’t like their new stuff — look how much I know about music!” blather right now. All I can think about is Vedder’s voice, man — it trumps and transcends it all.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:20 PM
A big thanks from an Aussie Pearl Jam fan.