I guess you've got to live in the Northwest to really appreciate The Gorge.
Located in Eastern Washington's farming and wine country — high above beautiful rolling hills overlooking the natural beauty of Washington State's Columbia River — The Gorge Ampitheatre is one of the best places to see an outdoor concert in the United States.
Touring musicians have of course known this for years now. Notoriously concert-shy perfectionists Steely Dan made a live album there. Sting has been known to sing its praises to his peers in the record business. The Dave Matthews Band has an annual ritual of doing a three night stand there over Labor Day Weekend. They even made a live album and DVD out of one of those weekends.
I've seen a number of memorable shows there myself over the years — from Radiohead to Neil Young to Santana to Coldplay — whose Chris Martin seemed particularly stunned by the Gorge's natural beauty when I saw them there a few years back.
The past few years however have seen some rough times for the venerable Gorge. The drive is some three hours over the mountains from Seattle. The concessions and bathroom facilities there are also in dire need of a facelift. And when the Muckleshoot Indian tribe opened their own White River Ampitheatre a mere forty minutes from Seattle a few years back, a lot of the Gorge's summer concert business went with it.
White River's "convenience" notwithstanding, it still takes a lot more time to get in and out of there — driving in standstill traffic along a two lane highway — then it does to drive across the state to get to the Gorge. Besides, for my money the pristine setting of the Gorge remains unmatched. There is nothing quite like taking in some great music under the night sky overlooking the mountains and the river there.
Living in the Northwest themselves, Pearl Jam knows this.
While bands like Radiohead and Coldplay may have taken their last tours to White River for their Northwest stops, Pearl Jam is a band that plays the Gorge in the summer months every chance it can.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
I agree 100%, Glen. This is a great release. I haven't quite gotten through the whole thing yet, just taking it a bit at a time, and it's a pleasant surprise - I actually wasn't expecting it to be as great as it is, even knowing how good they are live. I'm really glad they opted to go for a more dedicated release for this than the official boots to set it apart as the shows really deserve the attention.
2 - Glen Boyd
Thanx Tom. When I see guys like you and Hathaway agreeing, I know I made the right call on this one. The whole thing is a lot to digest -- and even though I live in Seattle, I didn't even attend any of the shows documented here (don't ask). But from the moment I put it into my CD in my car player on one of the trips my job takes me to, I was immediately and completely absorbed by the intensity of the performance.
No doubt about it, this is great stuff.
Thanx for the comment.
-Glen