Pearl Jam, The O2
Posted on 24th Jun 10 by Jonathan Keane | 
0
Tuesday the 22nd June 2010 was a day that was nearly without error. The weather was beautiful and Pearl Jam reminded us with complete ease why they’re one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Lone support act Ben Harper does well to satisfy the appetites of those who arrived early. But frankly he’s [...]
Tuesday the 22nd June 2010 was a day that was nearly without error. The weather was beautiful and Pearl Jam reminded us with complete ease why they’re one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Pearl Jam
Lone support act Ben Harper does well to satisfy the appetites of those who arrived early. But frankly he’s swiftly put in his place when the lights dim and Pearl Jam enter with Eddie Vedder approaching the middle of the stage. They then slowly churn out a harrowing rendition of Long Road only to launch into the euphoric Once.
Across this two hour plus set, complete with two encores Pearl Jam do nothing but astound with an eclectic mix of material from their faultless back catalogue. Both the seasoned anthems and fresh numbers from latest effort Backspacer incite equal amounts of grandeur and emotion. Given To Fly’s massive chorus erupts to create a particular highlight of the show.
Why Go, Porch and Comatose keep things edgy. Conversely though the gentle refrains of Nothingman and Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town ooze the kind of modest eloquence that Pearl Jam have always managed candidly throughout their career.
They even belt out a new song, previously unheard and unsurprisingly, and almost with military precision, all the cameras in the crowd switch to video. No doubt you’ll find some rough footage of this new material on YouTube now.
The new Backspacer tracks hold up live excellently from the punchy single The Fixer through to the solemn acoustic led Just Breathe.
Of course, Eddie Vedder is still the inimitable focal point with the entire crowd eating out of his hand. It’s he that leads the show to its intense and consuming climax in the shape of Alive. Throughout the show each voice can be heard screaming every lyric back at the stage. But here it’s multiplied by a hundred as the house lights come on to illuminate the crowd singing in unison for this draw dropping crescendo. Following close after is Yellow Ledbetter which is the show’s swansong and brings this unforgettable night to a close.
Tags: Alive, Backspacer, Comatose, Eddie Vedder, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Given To Fly, Just Breathe, Long Road, Nothingman, Once, Pearl Jam, Porch, The Fixer, the O2, Why Go, Yellow Ledbetter