The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 09, 1996, Page 4, Image 4
4
Jammin'
in
Charleston
With four albums under their belt,
Pearl Jam stopped in both
Charleston and Charlotte as part
of their 'No Code' tour. Two ETC
reporters witnessed the excitement
of the Oct. 5 concert.
by Jill McCallum and Brian Zufall,
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Pearl Jam fans had waited a long time for their favorite band to visit
the state.
On Oct. 5, the wait ended as Eddie Vedder and his boys rolled
into the North Charleston Coliseum for their second to last show
on the "No Code" tour.
The concert, which sold out in three minutes, combined numbers
from the band's four studio albums plus a few of their more popular unreleased
songs.
From the opening number, "Sometimes," the show built in intensity as the
crowd got into Vedder's powerful and compelling vocals. The band, and especially
Vedder, seemed to display a more mature and tame attitude as reflected in their
newest album, "No Code," but they were still just as intense and focused as ever
in the dark "Blood" and frenzied "Habit."
The 27-song set delivered numerous highlights and standout performances.
Early on, "In My Tree" with its pulsing tribal drum rhythms, finally proved new
drummer Jack Irons as a worthy heir to former drummer Dave Abbruzzese.
Pumping highlights including a memorable "Betterman," accelerating
"Rearviewmirror," and the mellow "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small
town," were chaiged with energy as the crowd's singing almost overpowered Vedder's
voice.
"Present Tense," from their most recent album, was an excellent example of
the band's diversity as it progressed from a thoughtful two-man ballad to a fullblown
rocker.
The bands early efforts such as "Black" and "Even Flow" were disappointing
and seemed somewhat stale compared to the band's fresh mature sound "Black"
seemed to have lost much of its dark, passionate intensity, becoming mired in
overwhelming guitar instrumentations, instead of focusing on Vedder's brooding
vocals.
For the final two songs, Vedder looked to the crowd for inspiration, asking them
to vote for what they wanted to hear next. When given three choices, the crowd
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Eddie Vodder and the rest of Pearl Jam brought their "No Code" tour
albums combined with several unreleased songs highlighted the show.
"Present Tense," from Pearl Jam's most recent album, was an
excellent example of the band's diversity as it progressed from
a thoughtful two-man ballad to a full-blown rocker...As in every
typical rock concert, the fans went wild-moshing and body
surfing to the fullest.
unanimously chose the two B-sides to the "Jeremy" single, "Footsteps" and traditional
closing number "Yellow Ledbetter," a fan favorite.
The set design was simple and understated, with a candle chandelier suspended
above the band and dominating the stage.
The lighting effects emphasized the moods of the songs such as how the deep
red background and pulsating strobe effects gave "Blood" an urgent ferocity while
the swirling mirrorball in "Betterman" illuminated the tender power of VeddeFs
soulful voice.
Each member of the band was given their chance to shine such as rhythm
guitarist Stone Gossard in his first lead vocal performance of his own "Mankind,"
and lead guitarist Mike McCready in his Hendrix-like solo in "Yellow Ledbetter."
Bassist Jeff Ament kept up the onstage physical energy through his typical
bounciness and upbeat attitude. Meanwhile, Vedder seemed veiy tame and mellow
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Wednesday, October 9, 1996
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JASON QIESLER Special to The Gamecock
to the North Charleston Coliseum Oct. 5. Songs from the band's four
The Fast backs opened for Pearl Jam.
at this show and didn't perform any of his usual crowd-pleasing stunts such as
jumping into the pit.
The hip hop, punk style of the Fastbacks, the Seattle-based band who opened
for Pearl Jam, did a great job of warming up the crowd, but the band was easily
forgettable once Pearl Jam took over.
As in every typical rock concert, the fans went wild?moshing and body-surfing
to the fullest. The fans in the front of the floor were packed like sardines as each
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Vedder told the moshers, "You guys are crazy," and dedicated the hard-rocking
"Whipping" to these fans.
The fans' passion for the band was furious, and almost extreme. One woman
from Seattle said she had only missed two of the band's 11 shows on the "No Code"
tour, while a 24-year-old graduate cried because she had waited so long to see Pearl
Jam live.
Several songs into the show, Vedder asked the crowd, "How are we doing?" The
ecstatic fans roared their approval to which Vedder responded, "You're not so bad
yourself."
Toward the end of the show, Vedder commented that it seems the second to
last show of a tour is always the best. And, judging by the band's performance and
crowd's reaction, he may definitely have been right.
i
pat.m Come find out
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