Passionate Pearl Jam energizes fans

More than a dozen years after the band emerged from the ruins of Mother Love Bone and made its debut on the Seattle rock scene, Pearl Jam is still performing with passion, conviction and a strong sense of purpose.

And even though singer Eddie Vedder has cut his hair, he hasn't cut back on his social and political outspokenness.


		Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
	Pearl Jam's lead singer Eddie Vedder opens the first of two sold-out shows at KeyArena. The shows are fund raisers for a diverse group of non-profit organizations.

After a mellow start Sunday night at KeyArena, the Seattle rock band exploded into action with a set that spanned its career, from early songs like "Black" and "Even Flow" to the latest tunes from its new album, "Riot Act." The latter were deftly blended into a more than two-hour concert that didn't come to a close until nearly midnight.

As the first of two hometown benefit concerts, the show allowed fans to experience the band in an arena setting for the first time in months -- before the band prepares for a 2003 tour of Australia and Japan. Many stood for the entire performance, clapping, cheering and singing along with frontman Vedder and his bandmates -- guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron.

Adding keyboards for the first time was Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar, a friend of Vedder's from Hawaii. Gaspar brought additional depth to Pearl Jam's sound, though his contributions were sometimes subtle. Overall, the performance sounded well-balanced.

Vedder wasn't overly talkative, but made a few political remarks. Late in the show, he suggested that America's dependence on oil -- and the popularity of SUVs -- were indirectly supporting terrorism.


	Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder opens the first of two sold-out shows at Key Arena. The shows benefit a diverse group of local and national non-profits. The band expects to raise $400,000. Since 1993 Pearl Jam has raised more than $1.2 million for non-profits through benefit concerts.

The set started at 9:40 p.m. with the moody "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," from the group's 1993 "Vs." album. The classic song "Black" preceded the new song "Thumbing My Way," offering Vedder a chance to shine in the spotlight on the melancholy song -- with minimal backing.

McCready offered a bluesy guitar intro for "Nothing As It Seems," another mellow, downcast song that exploded in a guitar frenzy at the end. Before launching into "Given To Fly," Eddie joked about "starting slow on a Sunday night" and asked the crowd if they wanted to know how Sunday's episode of TV's "The Sopranos" ended.

"Save You" was a raging tribute to the band's sonic power and Vedder spun around like a man who'd lost his mind.

"I Am Mine," the first single from "Riot Act," was an easy crowd-pleaser. The tender, melancholy "Love Boat Captain" reached out to the families of the nine concertgoers killed during Pearl Jam's June 2000 set at Denmark's Roskilde Festival.

The show came to a roaring close shortly before midnight with "Yellow Ledbetter," a Pearl Jam favorite originally released on the B side of the early '90s "Jeremy" single.


		Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
	Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready plays a solo in the first of two sold-out shows by the Seattle band at KeyArena.

Though the mosh pits of the early '90s have been replaced by reserved seating and longtime fans are now raising families and building careers, the Pearl Jam concert experience is still loaded with passion and energy.

The Seattle group backed away from the hype of the early '90s, causing album sales to steadily decline. The band didn't sacrifice its integrity and is now on solid footing to continue at a steady pace in the future once it secures a new recording contract or comes up with a plan to go it alone. "Riot Act" is the last album of the group's current contract with Epic Records.

The band put on a second show last night at KeyArena, with Brad and Mudhoney opening. Both shows raised money -- an estimated $400,000 -- for a long list of charities and organizations, among them the Vera Project, Home Alive, Lifelong AIDS Alliance and the Seattle Center Arts Academy.

SET LISTS

Sunday, Dec. 8, at KeyArena:

Opening: Brad and Steve Earle
Set list: Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Black, Thumbing My Way, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Save You, Hail Hail, Ghost, Corduroy, Grievance, Green Disease, I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, You Are, 1/2 Full, Even Flow, Wishlist, Blood
1st encore: Gimme Some Truth, Bu$hleaguer, Insignificance, Down, Better Man, Do The Evolution
2nd encore: Yellow Ledbetter

Monday, Dec. 9, at KeyArena:

Opening: Brad and Mudhoney
Set list: Release, Breakerfall, Save You, Gods' Dice, Cropduster, Green Disease, Lukin, Not for You, Black, I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, Daughter (with War by Edwin Starr), Even Flow, Thumbing My Way, Light Years, You Are, Insignificance and Rearviewmirror
First encore: Last Exit, Brain of J, Bu$hleaguer, I Got S**t, Elderly Woman at the Counter in a Small Town, Do the Evolution
Second encore: Yellow Ledbetter, Don't Believe in Christmas (by the Sonics)

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