Pearl Jam is also a band that has increasingly developed a reputation as a must-see live band. Whether playing before a stadium of fans, or in an intimate setting like the set they played at Easy Street — a record store located just a few blocks from where I live in West Seattle — Pearl Jam is a band you know you can count on to deliver the goods in a live setting. In that respect, they are like clockwork.
As a result they have made scores of live albums out of sheer necessity. Unlike many bands who have reached the same level of success, Pearl Jam does not rely on playing the same setlist night after night — but rather will change things up at the drop of the proverbial hat. There is even an entire record label sanctioned official "bootleg series" of live shows they did from a tour several years back.
Like Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead, this is a band whose fans trade taped shows amongst each other with a ferocity only the truly obsessed could understand. What those same fans also know, is that when Pearl Jam plays a hometown gig at the Gorge, the chances are better than good you'll be getting something special.
Such is the case with this seven disc boxed set recorded over the course of three shows at the Gorge — one in 2005, and back to back shows from just last year. As boxed sets go, there is also a decidedly no frills nature about this one. There are no extensive booklets or extras here (which probably accounts for the relatively low price — about forty bucks at Amazon — for a seven disc boxed set).
Instead, Pearl Jam let the music do the talking here. And there is a lot of it. At three complete concerts clocking in at some seven and a half hours, the setlists of each vary a lot. There are the well known Pearl Jam songs like the rarely played these days "Jeremy," "Given To Fly," and "World Wide Suicide" from their most recent self-titled album. There are also some great cover songs, from The Who's "Baba O' Reilly," to good friend Neil Young's "Fuckin' Up."
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