Saturday, December 31, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #1

1. Take Me Out to the Ballgame



Pearl Jam first played Wrigley Field in 2013, and even though the middle of the show was marked by fans sitting under the stands waiting for a storm to pass, we figured things wouldn't get any better.  This year, it did.

Pearl Jam played not one, but two nights at Wrigley Field, they also played two nights at Fenway in Boston.  The four shows resulted four great setlists with the band rolling out rare hits and almost two-hundred new merchandise items.

You can currently pick up CDs or digital downloads from the Boston shows, but the Chicago shows are still out of reach.  Pearl Jam has hinted that there is a reason for those being held back.  Since we know that Danny Clinch filmed a very private pre-show on the roof of Murphy's, a Wrigleyland bar, we're expecting some kind of cool DVD/BluRay/Boxed Set/something.  Look for that in 2017!

Then, just to cap things off, the Cubs went ahead and won the World Series, beating the Indians in seven games, and putting Ed, a Chicago native and extreme Cubs fan, at the forefront of all the press coverage.  All in all, Pearl Jam's year didn't get any greater than the baseball onslaught of late-summer and fall.

Happy New Year, Pearl Jam fans!  Check our history of Top Ten Moments here, and we'll see you in 2017!



Friday, December 30, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #2

2. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame



When nominations were announced in October for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Pearl Jam was in the mix, there was little doubt among fans that they deserved a spot.

There was some debate around the drummers.  Dave Krusen (Pearl Jam's first drummer, who barely made it to the release of Ten) and Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam's current and longest serving drummer) were announced as eligible.  Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, Jack Irons, and TSIS favorite, Jimmy Shoaf, were all left out in the cold.  Abbruzzese's exclusion drew the most ire, as he appeared on fan favorites, Vs. and Vitalogy.  He, himself, has even argued for his inclusion, but given his rancorous departure from the band, it's unlikely the any current members will fight that battle with him.

Controversy aside, it was announced earlier this month that Pearl Jam has made the cut, along with Joan Baez, Tupac, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, and Yes.  The induction ceremony will be held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on April 7th, 2017, and a special exhibit on the 2017 inductees will open at the Rock Hall in Cleveland March 30.  So, look for that to be one of the Top Ten Moments of 2017.

Almost there!  Tune in tomorrow for our #1 Pearl Jam Moment of 2016.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #4 & #3

4. Greenville and Toronto



In 2015, Pearl Jam followed a recent trend among live acts in playing albums front-to-back in concert, but they only treated us to two albums.  This year, they stretched the trend a bit further with surprise performances of Vs. in Greenville, South Carolina on April 16th and Binaural in Toronto, Ontario on May 10th.  (Yes, OK, they also played Ten in Philadelphia, but we were treated to Ten front-to-back in Germany 1992.)

Pearl Jam always creates their setlists right before a show, so fans never know when to expect them, but there's a good bet we might hear Vitalogy or another album if they tour in 2017.

Here's what we've heard so far, and what we can expect in the future.


Ten: March 13, 1992 in Munich, Germany / April 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, PA
Vs.: April 16, 2016 in Greenville, SC
Vitalogy: ??
No Code: October 17, 2014 in Moline, IL
Yield: October 20, 2014 in Milwaukee, WI
Binaural: May 10, 2016 in Toronto, ONT
Riot Act: ??
Pearl Jam: September 19, 2006 in Torino, Italy
Backspacer: ??
Lightning Bolt: ??


3. Temple of the Dog



In May, Chris Cornell announced that he had obtained the master tapes from Temple of the Dog from the album's producer Rick Parashar's brother, Rajan, forcing fans to speculate that big things were on the way.  Fans were right.
On July 20th, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden announced that we would be getting, not only, a massive reissue of Temple of the Dog, but a tour to boot!  The reissues came in the form of vinyl or CD or a Super Deluxe Boxed Set including dozens of never-before released tracks, demos, and live performances on HD audio and DVD.

The tour, the first ever for Temple of the Dog, hit five cities over eight nights in November: Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.  The bad played Temple of the Dog songs as well as works by Mother Love Bone, Mad Season, Chris Cornell's solo work, and a solid collection of other covers.

Murmurs from band members expressed interest in doing more work as Temple of the Dog, but that's hardly the first time we've heard that.  Hope springs eternal.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #6 & #5

6. Mother Love Bone and the Green River 1984 Demos


At the beginning of the year, a year some have called PJ25, there were rumors that Pearl Jam was going to be focusing on looking back at their history.  As it turns out, that was less about Pearl Jam's history and more about the members who make up the band.  If you took a drink every time someone said, "From the Ashes," starting in August, you'dve been dead by the 2nd.

We'll spare you the history, but this summer Pearl Jam opted to reissue a full collection of Mother Love Bone's recording history called On Earth As It Is.  They released a 3LP set with the Shine EP and the Apple LP and a 2CD/1DVD box chocked full of demos, b-sides, and live appearances.  Both boxes were fully remastered and decked out in beautiful new packaging, designed by Jeff Ament.


On Record Store Day, 2000 fans were also treated to the first ever release of Green River's demos on vinyl.  Two-hundred of those fans randomly ended up with pink vinyl!

Both releases are, sadly, no longer available for direct purchase.  Well, you can still get Mother Love Bone's On Earth As It Is on iTunes.


5. Third Man Records


It started with a tweet ...


If you made it to Grimey's Records in Nashville in time, you receive two tickets to a private show at Third Man Records.  A private show with Pearl Jam playing one of their more original setlists including Of The Earth with Jack White.

The band later announced that the performance would be released as part of Jack White's Vault series.  Pearl Jam fans were offered one-time membership to the Vault so that they could purchase the show on vinyl, which came with a single, Out of Sand, by Eddie Vedder, and a commemorative pin, patch, and photo book.  

It was, arguably, the best thing put out by Pearl Jam this year, and it wasn't even put out by Pearl Jam.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #8 & #7

8. Raleigh, North Carolina

In March, the General Assembly and Governor of North Carolina passed a controversial law that limited counties and cities within the state from enacting protections for gay, lesbian, and transgendered individuals; forced individuals to use the bathroom associated with the gender on their birth certificate; and capped all  minimum wages in the state at the state's level of $7.25 per hour.

That didn't seem to have much to do with Pearl Jam, but then conscientious artists began to announced that they no longer felt comfortable performing in a state that was so hostile toward the under-priviledged members of their fan base.  Once Bruce Springsteen cancelled his show in Greensboro, the writing was on the wall.

About a week later, and a few days before the show, Pearl Jam announced that they would be cancelling their Raleigh, North Carolina show scheduled for April 20th.  Pearl Jam fans lit up with a combination of celebration and outrage.  Was Pearl Jam punishing their fans for the actions of state law makers?  Did they cost fans money out their own pockets in lost airline tickets and hotel rooms?  We're they hurting the very people who they hoped to protect by leaving wait staff, hotel staff, and venue employees without much needed work and money?

They jury remains out, but much of the entertainment world has followed suit.  North Carolina has lost many concerts, shows, and sporting events in 2016, and despite fierce debate with the state's new Governor-Elect, Roy Cooper, law makers have decided that they will stand by their law until it is taken apart by the courts.




7. Vault #6: The L.A. Forum



In June, Pearl Jam announced the continuation of their Vault Series with a previously unreleased 1998 show in the Great Western Forum or L.A. Forum.  The date also coincided nicely with this year's reissue of Yield.  Featuring blistering versions of Hail, Hail, Spin the Black Circle, and Not For You by a band who was performing live at their peak, despite this being one of Matt Cameron's first Pearl Jam shows, this show was praised by fans for months.

This marked the first time that a vinyl Vault release was available to anyone regardless of whether or not they belonged to the Ten Club.  Although orders for the vinyl are no longer available, you can still pick up a CD or a digital copy at the Ten Club.

Monday, December 26, 2016

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2016, #10 & #9

For the third year in a row, we have missed out on a studio album by Pearl Jam.  History tells us that we'll wait a little bit longer.  That didn't mean the year wasn't full of some great moments for the Pearl Jam fan.  Over the next week, we'll lay out some of the things that impacted fans the most in 2016.


10. No Code/Yield Reissues




We would have liked for this to be #1 this year.  Pearl Jam's reissues of Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy were epic.  They were beautifully curated boxes full of music, video, shows, and memorabilia.  Pearl Jam celebrated the 20th anniversary of No Code (and 18th anniversary of Yield) with remastered vinyl issues of each.  They also made 7" reissues of the singles available, including Hail, Hail, never before available on vinyl.


We're happy to have those albums back in print, but given the lack of any b-sides, unreleased tracks, demos, or deep cuts; the lack of any great show releases (unless you dropped extra cash for the Vault release); and the lack of even any new packaging this move gets a thumbs up, but still ends up at the end of a list of more exciting moments for the year.



9. RNDM - Ghost Riding



There is a not small contingent of Pearl Jam fans who feel Jeff Ament needs to do more writing for the band.  Those fans were vindicated by this past March's release of Ghost Riding, the second release by, RNDM, Jeff's side project with Joseph Arthur on vocals and Richard Stuverud on drums.

The band followed up with a short, two-week tour through small clubs in the US and Canada.  Jeff was the only Pearl Jam member to record a full-length album in 2016, so we feel a little bad assigning this the status of #9, but there are some great moments yet to come this week.


Come back tomorrow for #8 and #7!

Friday, December 23, 2016

Gleason by Mike McCready and Kim Virant


Mike McCready is a giving guy.  On the heels of news that he recorded a song for a dying fan to lift his spirits, his record label, HockeyTalkter, is releasing a 7" single with two songs written by his friend, Steve Gleason (former New Orleans Saint diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 2011). 

Both songs, Space in Between and Her Again, are performed by Mike McCready and Kim Virant with music written by Mike, Kim, and Josh Evans.

The records are available at Ten Club for $20 in either blue or white vinyl and feature artwork by Steve Gleason's wife, Michel Varisco.  All proceeds benefit Team Gleason.

Happy Birthday, Eddie Vedder!


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

And ... We're In!


This morning The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced it's 2017 inductees, and Pearl Jam will be joining Joan Baez, Tupac, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, and Yes in the class next year.  A special exhibit on the 2017 inductees will open at the Rock Hall in Cleveland March 30.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Soundgarden Adds 3 More Spring Dates


Soundgarden is adding to their spring itinerary with three more rock festivals in Florida and North Carolina, all sponsored by Monster Energy Drinks.

They'll be playing the Welcome to Rockville Festival in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 29th, the Fort Rock Festival in Fort Myers, Florida on April 30th, and Carolina Rebellion in Concord, North Carolina on May 5th, all with Def Leppard, A Perfect Circle, and the Offspring.

Ticket sales for all 3 shows start this week, head over to SoundgardenWorld for information on ticket sales.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Soundgarden to Play Rock on the Range


This week, Soundgarden announced that they'll be joining Metallica and Korn as headliners for the Rock on the Range music festival in Columbus, Ohio, the weekend of May 19-20, 2017.  That makes Matt Cameron the first Pearl Jam member to lock in a concert date for 2017.
Soundgarden will headline one night of Rock On The Range 2017 on May 19-21 in Columbus, OH, USA.

Presale is open NOW at http://bit.ly/RockOnTheRangePresale (use password SOUNDROTR).

More details: Website: www.RockOnTheRange.com

#RockOnTheRange
What else do we have to look forward next year?