Well, oddly enough, this week marks the first time I’ve attended a Pearl Jam concert since I’ve been your humble blogger, so although I generally leave the reviewing to Stip, I am going to step out and share my thoughts on Pearl Jam’s performance this weekend at the Music Midtown festival in Atlanta.
Photo by Jeff Farris |
Much will be said about the setlist, but let me say this … this was a great performance. Mike McCready was on fire the entire night, playing solos that have totally reinvented Ten for me. Looking out at an ocean of fans lined up in front of Atlanta’s Midtown skyline clearly invigorated the band. Mike and Ed both took several jaunts down into the aisle between the rail and the stage keeping the energy high. Pearl Jam’s had a light year as far as touring goes, and it was clear they were going to extend whatever jam they could, keep the crowd singing, and just have a lot of fun. They even crammed in what I believe was an unplanned performance of Alive, when they found that their finale would come up about a minute shy of their curfew.
Photo by Jeff Farris |
What could have gone better? I’m a little disappointed that they skipped three whole albums (No Code, Binaural, and Pearl Jam) and only touched another (Riot Act) one time, but festival time constraints will do that. Also, Ed’s discussion of voter ID laws in Georgia and the band’s cover of Know Your Rights (originally by the Clash) fell flat, but that mostly makes me sad for the fans, especially the woman near me screaming for Ed to shut up and making sure we all knew, “THIS SONG SUCKS!”
Still, all-in-all, I’m home, and satisfied with my latest fix of live Pearl Jam, and a little sad that bootlegs are taking a little longer this year.