Concert Review: Pearl Jam, Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois 8/29/2024 – A Truly Special Show

*Eddie Vedder, pictured above honoring the great Walter Payton, and drummer Matt Cameron taken by your intrepid blogger Thursday night…

I have just returned from seeing Pearl Jam up in Chicago, at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, (home of the Cubs) on Thursday night, August 29th. I won’t lie, I’m still in that post-concert “high” you feel when you’ve just seen a great concert. This was more than just a great concert, it was sensational. I was a little obsessed with Aerosmith’s retirement before the Rock Chick and I headed up to join our dear friend RK and his son “Allen” (names obscured to protect the guilty and the innocent alike), but now I have to say, Pearl Jam have my full focus again. Pearl Jam is on the road promoting their fantastic, rocking new album Dark Matter and I was thrilled to hear them play a bunch of the new songs. Both RK and the Rock Chick turned to me at one point in the show and said, I need to revisit this new Pearl Jam album. I advise everyone to do so – it’s one of their best.

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but it’s been over 20 years since I’d seen Pearl Jam in concert. They don’t come to Kansas City much anymore and for reasons unclear I haven’t traveled to see them since I met the Rock Chick. I have a feeling we’re going to be hitting the road to follow these guys in the future. The Rock Chick and I last saw them on June 12, 2003 on the Riot Act tour here in K.C. and it rained like in the bible. Despite the inclement weather that night, the Rock Chick left the show a newly minted Pearl Jam fan. I had got on the bandwagon on Ten, when a girl I was seeing turned me onto them. My only Pearl Jam show prior to the Riot Act tour was on the Vitalogy tour, when I saw them at Red Rocks out in Denver. They were at the height of fighting those usurious bastards Ticketmaster and were playing non Tickemaster venues. That Red Rocks show was the thing of legend for me, but I think Pearl Jam may have topped themselves this Thursday. I envy all the folks going to Wrigley tonight to see the second show. I will certainly not be waiting another 20 years to see them.

Wrigley is such a special place for baseball fans. One such Cubs fan is Pearl Jam’s lead singer Eddie Vedder who spent part of his childhood in the suburbs of Chicago. He told a story Thursday night about his family living in a group home and turning the Cubs on every day at 11 am in the summer time. He only had a black and white TV but eventually his family took him to a game and it was life changing, seeing the field “in color” and being in the stadium. He was quite emotional when he told the story and I felt like I was witnessing something beyond a concert, something really special. Pearl Jam brought their A-game that night.

I’ve never been a huge fan of baseball stadiums for concerts. We had great seats behind the visiting dugout but the stage was out in the outfield. The video screens helped me a lot but I was worried about the sound of the show. I shouldn’t have, it was incredible. Vedder’s voice was clear and riding on top of the music. I don’t remember going to show where the sound was this perfect. Vedder called on Mike McCready to not only bring his usual A-game but to give us something extra since it was special night and oh, my god, did he!! His guitar playing – at times behind his back or on his knees – was Hendrix/Eddie Van Halen level. Drummer Matt Cameron’s drumming was brilliantly insistent. Stone Gossard remains one of the best rhythm guitar players ever. Jeff Ament’s bass was fabulous and held the bottom all night.

The band came out and they were backlit, all you could see were silhouettes, playing “Release” from Ten. You might wonder about that as an opener, it’s a little mellow… it’s certainly not “Start Me Up” like the Stones’ played on the Hackney Diamonds tour this year. Vedder later commented that they wanted to ease into things at the show, “to acclimate.” But the thing you forget is that “Release” is one of the most intense, personal songs Vedder has ever written. I had goosebumps – and actually had those throughout the show. It was a phenomenal start. From there they took us through “Of The Girl,” and one of the Rock Chick’s favorite (along with “Release”), “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter…” After “Elderly” the Rock Chick said, “We could leave now and I’d be happy…” Narrator voice: luckily, we didn’t leave.

He dedicated “Off He Goes” to some friends in the audience who had lost someone… I lost a pal a year and a half ago and I had tears in my eyes. God, I love that song but it’s import and meaning has completely changed hearing Vedder dedicate that song. “Immortality” was just mind blowing. At that point in the show I began to wonder if Wrigley had lifted off the planet and was levitating in space. It was that good. “Given To Fly” indicated that the show was about to get a little more rocking and yes, indeed it did. Despite the enormity of the venue I felt utterly connected to this band. “Why Go” was epic but there was an issue with some lights and Vedder stopped it in the middle and then restarted it.

After that was a section of the new songs and they sounded so impressive live: “Scared Of Fear,” personal favorite “Waiting For Stevie” and then “Wreckage,” a Tom Petty-esque tune that I just love. “Daughter” followed and was fantastic and included a little snippet of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall.” I’d heard versions of that song that lasted over 10 minutes where they riff and riff but this one was more concise and perfect. The track “Down” was emotionally dedicated to Phil Donahue and historian Howard Zinn.

“Even Flow” was where McCready melted the collective faces off the entire crowd. Wow! Then they pivoted to an obscurity, “U.” Not the Rock Chick’s favorite but I always dig when a band pulls a rare one out. The rest of the main set was all killer and no filler: the new track “Dark Matter,” an emotional “Black,” a raucous “Do The Evolution,” and then “Porch” (!) to head into the encore. “Porch” was just unhinged.

To start the encore, Vedder came out alone and did an acoustic “Just Breath.” It was sensational. You could have heard a pin drop. He told this great story about Tom Petty and then played, all by himself, “I Won’t Back Down.” I won’t lie, more goosebumps, more tears in my eyes. Vedder can sing anything. They went way back for “State Of Love And Trust” where the band joined Eddie on stage. One of my favorite of the new tracks, the Jeff Ament penned “Won’t Tell” was next and Vedder pulled a lady, Abby I believe, from the crowd to sing with him. I gotta be honest, I couldn’t really hear her, Vedder sang so passionately. It was cool for her.

Vedder then teased “Better Man,” and switched into another Vitalogy era fav, “Corduroy.” They went back acoustic for the new “Setting Sun” and then turned the house lights on for the raucous ending of “Alive” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World,” the perfect way to end a perfect night. These guys all played so well and so passionately, it was certainly something special. You could tell that the friendly confines of Wrigley means a lot to not only Vedder but the whole band. Maybe they’re out killing it every night – they probably are – but the gang I was with that night all concluded we’d seen something amazing.

I sometimes worry about the state of rock n roll. But as long as Eddie, Mike, Matt, Jeff and Stone are out there together, somewhere on the road, I think we’ll be alright. These guys seem like good friends who get together every few years, do an album and then roadtrip for the summer. Let’s hope they don’t wait 5 years for the next record. I do think having this great new Andrew Watt-produced album has energized this band. They really seemed to enjoy playing, but especially the new stuff. When you’ve got this much talent in a band – Vedder is a generational talented singer, McCready is a legend in the making on guitar – you’re always going to see a great show. For years they’ve been known as a great concert to see with “meh” albums (which I disagree with, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt were great albums). With Dark Matter you’ve got an energized band. I know it’s a lot, but if you have a chance to see these guys – wherever they are – do so. You’ll cherish the memory for as long as you live.

Cheers! (Buy the ticket, see the show!)