Pearl Jam Twenty

[PM Thor]

It's listed as
American Masters: Pearl Jam Twenty.

I highly recommend this 2 1/2 hour documentary directed by Cameron Crowe. I know some will say that PJ is condascending, sell out, overhyped tripe, but for me, Pearl Jam defines my college years. If you can find it on your local public tv CET, it's worth watching. In the age of hyper coverage, this is a refreshing look into an iconic band of the 30 somethings lifetimes. And yeah, I paid $20 to see them at Bogarts back in '92, maybe '93, right after 10 went big. One of my absolute favorites. It's a great look into a band.

I HATE dayton.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Watched it over the weekend. Very good documentary. It was interesting to learn the father issues Eddie had and how most of Ten is about the dad he barely knew. I just wish they had talked to Eddie Vedder about the lyrics to Yellow Leadbetter....always one of the big mysteries about Pearl Jam.

Definitely a great band that defined that era of our lives. I too was at X when Pearl Jam hit it big. You couldn't go down the hall in the dorms without hearing someone playing Ten. I saw Pearl Jam on the Vitalogy tour at Soldier Field in Chicago. Tickets were $25 and they played for about 3 hours...it was an amazing show and still one of the best I've ever seen.

The one thing Pearl Jam fell victim to was that they reached their apex with their first album. It never got better than Ten.

On a side note, anyone still have one of the Xavier intramural shirts from around 1992-1993? My buddy outlined the cover of Ten on the front of the shirt. Pretty cool.

[Mack Attack]

The documentary was great. The accompanying book is also worth checking out. Tons of little behind the scenes snippets and pictures. My only gripe about the documentary was how they didn't really address the firing of Dave Abbruzzese. I think Pearl Jam sounded the best when he was still with them.

[GuyFawkes38]

Why is it that I hate Pearl Jam?

I can't put my finger on it. It is a really great band. They have a great, unique sound. But for some reason I can't help but to roll my eyes when I listen.

Maybe they are a little too intense. It feels like they need to lighten up a bit. Rock and roll is suppose to be fun.

[GoMuskies]

I always hated Pearl Jam, and they were huge when I was at Xavier. So I guess I won't get the same nostalgic feel from this documentary.

[Mack Attack]

Why is it that I hate Pearl Jam?

I can't put my finger on it. It is a really great band. They have a great, unique sound. But for some reason I can't help but to roll my eyes when I listen.

Maybe they are a little too intense. It feels like they need to lighten up a bit. Rock and roll is suppose to be fun.


I thought rock and roll was about sticking it to the man.

[Fred Garvin 2.0]

Kahn's once made me listen to Pearl Jam Lite on a Muskie road trip to Conseco.

PJ lite being the insufferable Creed.

[Fred Garvin 2.0]

In fact I demand he be negative repped for pushing Creed.

[nuts4xu]

Great documentary, I had no idea Eddie Vedder was originally from San Diego. I always assumed he was from the Seattle area.

I liked the clip that showed the band partying in a hotel room and Vedder was wearing a Bengals helmet. Still one of the best helmets in the NFL.

[Porkopolis]

Why is it that I hate Pearl Jam?

I can't put my finger on it. It is a really great band. They have a great, unique sound. But for some reason I can't help but to roll my eyes when I listen.

My wife feels the same way about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. She knows she "should" like them but she cringes every time she hears them.

[Nigel Tufnel]

My wife feels the same way about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. She knows she "should" like them but she cringes every time she hears them.

There's a difference though. Anthony Kiedis can't sing. Can't say the same for Eddie Vedder. I remember seeing the RHCP at River Bend with Stone Temple Pilots. STP opened for them. Not a good idea by RHCP. Weiland was much better live than Kiedis, from quality of vocals to stage presence.

[nuts4xu]

Also proves most women don't know good music if it slapped them in the face.

[xu95]

Also proves most women don't know good music if it slapped them in the face.

Most women don't know what is good for them until it slaps them in the face. :D

[sirthought]

I watched the documentary tonight. I feel the same as I always did...completely underwhelmed. Yes, they are talented, but I find nothing that stands out other than the quality of his voice. And even then, their songs don't really stay with me long.

Much of it seems so forced and lacking soul. But hey, congrats to them on lasting twenty years and PBS wanting to capitalize on their nostalgia. They must connect with enough people.

I always had an issue with people calling them grunge, b/c they never were a grunge band, just a hard rock band from the same city where grunge was born. I was always more of a Nirvana fan. But I'm an even bigger fan of Eddie's and Kurt's influences of the Who, Pixies, and Neil Finn.

I really enjoyed the short piece afterward on Seattle's music scene today. I'm a big fan of KEXP, who regularly play Cincinnati acts that don't even make it on the radio here.

[Xman95]

On a side note, anyone still have one of the Xavier intramural shirts from around 1992-1993? My buddy outlined the cover of Ten on the front of the shirt. Pretty cool.

Yep, still have a couple of them. I think I may have referenced Kurt Kretten as the designer of those in another thread in the past. For those wondering, it's the dark blue intramural champions shirt with the "Ten" cover photo outlined on the shirt. I think I got mine from running a co-ed volleyball team that won. Sadly, Nigel and I could never quite get The Pit's softball squad to the top. But we sure had some fun out there! Do you remember Tommy Kid spouting off Simpsons quotes in RCF?

[mohr5150]

There's a difference though. Anthony Kiedis can't sing. Can't say the same for Eddie Vedder. I remember seeing the RHCP at River Bend with Stone Temple Pilots. STP opened for them. Not a good idea by RHCP. Weiland was much better live than Kiedis, from quality of vocals to stage presence.

I was listening to that same concert in the River Downs parking lot. Kiedis sounded awful. Weiland sounded great, but didn't play long, if I remember correctly. He had just gotten out of rehab, and the guys at the track said they watched him run around the track for what seemed like hours before the concert.

[mohr5150]

Pearl Jam was, without a doubt my favorite band in college, with the exception of Van Halen, which I was a big fan of before college. When Vitalogy came out, though, I stopped listening to them due to the abortion issue. I didn't need Vetter barking in my face about why a woman needed the right to abort a baby. I stayed away from really listening to them for almost ten years, but I came back to really appreciate their music and talent over the past several years. They have so many good songs. I disagree with the opinion that they peeked too early with Ten. Although Jeremy, Black, Alive, and Even Flow are four of their best songs, there are so many more outstanding songs that I appreciate as much or more in their arsenal. Wishlist is an amazing song, Better Man, Yellow Ledbetter, Corduroy, I Am Mine, I Got ID, State of Love and Trust, Off He Goes...I could go on and on. They truly are an outstanding band with fantastic lyrics and amazing guitar play. I have XM radio, and it rarely leaves the Pearl Jam channel. They throw on one of the 8 million live albums and walk away for three hours while you enjoy every song played. In my opinion, they are head and shoulders above any other 90's band when it comes the impact they have had on music, and their appreciation of the bands that came before them is outstanding. Needless to say, I'm sort of a big fan:)

[PMI]

Ten was one of the first tapes I had as a kid. Awesome album and awesome 90s band. I kind felt betrayed by them after they jumped the shark with the Last Kiss cover (humiliating mistake, Eddie), but will still always love Pearl Jam.

[mohr5150]

Ten was one of the first tapes I had as a kid. Awesome album and awesome 90s band. I kind felt betrayed by them after they jumped the shark with the Last Kiss cover (humiliating mistake, Eddie), but will still always love Pearl Jam.

Did you know that is there only #1 song? It kind of hard to believe. I guess that song was never meant for release, but it got out there and caught fire. They do lots of covers in their concerts, and this was one they did one summer, and it just caught fire. Fans begged for a copy of it, so they just released it to their fan club members. Radio stations got a hold of it, and the rest is history.

[GuyFawkes38]

Pearl Jam was, without a doubt my favorite band in college, with the exception of Van Halen, which I was a big fan of before college. When Vitalogy came out, though, I stopped listening to them due to the abortion issue. I didn't need Vetter barking in my face about why a woman needed the right to abort a baby. I stayed away from really listening to them for almost ten years, but I came back to really appreciate their music and talent over the past several years. They have so many good songs. I disagree with the opinion that they peeked too early with Ten. Although Jeremy, Black, Alive, and Even Flow are four of their best songs, there are so many more outstanding songs that I appreciate as much or more in their arsenal. Wishlist is an amazing song, Better Man, Yellow Ledbetter, Corduroy, I Am Mine, I Got ID, State of Love and Trust, Off He Goes...I could go on and on. They truly are an outstanding band with fantastic lyrics and amazing guitar play. I have XM radio, and it rarely leaves the Pearl Jam channel. They throw on one of the 8 million live albums and walk away for three hours while you enjoy every song played. In my opinion, they are head and shoulders above any other 90's band when it comes the impact they have had on music, and their appreciation of the bands that came before them is outstanding. Needless to say, I'm sort of a big fan:)

I think what you don't understand is that Eddie Vedder is an artist.

He understand issues like abortion better than you and I.

[GuyFawkes38]

It's on Netflix's watch instantly. I sometimes rolled my eyes from the over seriousness of the band (isn't rock supposed be fun...lighten up....Andy Rooney might have a point (http://youtu.be/Nt0xfmqh_Rg?t=23s)). Regardless, the documentary, itself, is great. And I did come away admiring the bands passion.