By: Curtis Sindrey –
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. (Photo: Curtis Sindrey/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
Iconic grunge survivors Pearl Jam provided a breathtaking performance at their sold-out show at Budweiser Gardens in London, ON last night.
Despite starting 30 minutes late, the Seattle rockers performed a marathon 30-song set to 9,700 fans that included the already-anthemic new single “Mind Your Manners”, from their forthcoming album, Lightning Bolt, out October 14th, which was the first time that they ever performed it live. The track is a blistering two-minute punk song that sounds similar to “Spin The Black Circle” from their 1994 album, Vitalogy.
In addition to playing new material, they performed a slew of tracks that spanned their 20+ year career, including live staple “Alive” and “Black” from their 1991 breakthrough album, Ten, and the always energetic “Do The Evolution” from 1998’s Yield.
Having not performed since their shows at Lollapalooza in Brazil and Chile in April and before that not since October 2012, wine-guzzling lead singer Eddie Vedder said during the show, “It’s good to be back with all of the fellas”.
Throughout the show Vedder and company displayed their appreciation and affection for the crowd including when Vedder descended the stage during “Even Flow” to toast with fans in the front row as his bandmates played on.
Vedder’s voice was as sharp as it was versatile. From his quieter, yet still forceful vocals on “Just Breathe” to the wild and brash singing on “Do The Evolution”; his voice has aged like the wine he drank on stage.
Imagine getting a private concert by Pearl Jam. That would be pretty life affirming, right? Well, if you sat behind the stage last night, they did just that as they treated the lucky fans, who enjoyed the rest of the show looking at the back of the band members’ heads, to what felt like a private performance of their cover of J. Frank Wilson’s 1961 hit “Last Kiss”, and for those five or so minutes, Vedder sang only to you.
The show also sparked several crowd-wide singalongs, including set opener “Present Tense”, from their 1996 album, No Code, “Elderly Women Behind the Counter in a Small Town” from 1993’s Vs., fan favourite “Alive” and the always epic cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in The Free World”.
What’s different about Pearl Jam is that often times they don’t sing to you, they sing with you and last night was no different as both Pearl Jam and their fans created a sense of unity that doesn’t come around very often.
Aesthetic Magazine | Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests 
You forgot to mention the epic concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Posted by damian | July 18, 2013, 9:23 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zWxkCUBDXs
Posted by damian | July 18, 2013, 9:25 amNice review, but you know there’s more than 3 members in the band right?
Posted by Aaron | July 18, 2013, 1:58 pmHi Aaron,
We are well aware that there are more than 3 members in Pearl Jam, however, we weren’t allowed to move from stage left to stage right while in the photo pit and regardless of which side you were on there wasn’t much room to move because we had to stay within a very small section, so unfortunately we couldn’t get any decent photos of Matt or Stone.
Thanks!
Posted by Aesthetic Magazine Toronto | July 18, 2013, 2:14 pmOr Booooooom!
Posted by Dan Butz | July 18, 2013, 3:02 pmBOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
How could you forget Boom?!
Oh, so envious though – to be in the photo pit of a PJ gig. Pity it only lasts 3 songs, but that’d be an amazing experience. Great shots by the way! 🙂
Posted by Aaron | July 18, 2013, 11:08 pmThanks!
Posted by Aesthetic Magazine Toronto | July 19, 2013, 12:34 am