I Surfaced and All of My Being Was Enlightened

I've always been one of those obsessive music fans. If I'm into something, I'm really into it. Listening to someone and almost no one else at a particular time. There are phases that I sort of outgrew (Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Nirvana, Elliott Smith), some that are bound to reoccur (Eric Clapton, Jeff Buckley, Liz Phair, The Beatles) and some somewhere in the middle (Rick Springfield, Glenn Tilbrook, Pete Yorn, Van Morrison). And then there's Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam's a band very near and dear to my heart, maybe because they're from my generation. They're around my age, so they've made music that strikes a literal chord with songs about things that I've gone through myself. So no matter what's going on, I know when I go to a Pearl Jam show that there's going to be an element of soul searching going on.

So I ventured to the Prudential Center in Newark with Liam -- my third straight PJ show with him. Not exactly the May trip that I planned to The Rock, for my other obsession, the New Jersey Devils, should be still playing there around this time. But definitely the perfect option for a first concert there.

Before the show we had dinner across the street and came up with a song each that we wanted to hear and one we decidedly didn't. His pick was Pearl Jam staple "State of Love and Trust" (aka "SOLAT") and mine was off the board, a cover they performed on the 2000 Tour, "Timeless Melody." I thought his odds were a lot better than mine. Neither of us got our picks, but that's not something that has ever bothered me, for I feel that the setlist is part of the artistic process and the songs played at a show are the ones meant to be played.

But having said that, it was rather righteous both of the choices for being not played actually weren't. Mine: "Last Kiss." His: "Jeremy." I would have gone for a second choice of "Better Man," also not played.

I did add that if the band wanted to play my all-time favorite PJ song, "In Hiding," for two hours, I wouldn't mind that one bit.

We had our familiar Ten Club seats, Stone side, back a couple sections and up on the risers. For Devils games, they're the top seats in the house -- the black pleather ones that are more comfortable. So we settled in and spent much of our time making fun of Roky Erickson's "Two Headed Dog" ahead of the amiable opener, Band of Horses. Eddie and lead singer Ben Bridwell's daughter, Annabelle, (2 years old Wednesday) helped them close the set with "Act Together."

And now on to the main attraction:
Set List: Of The Girl, Brain Of J, Do The Evolution, The Fixer, Alone, Amongst The Waves, Immortality, In Hiding, Even Flow, Insignificance, Supersonic, Brother, Glorified G, Daughter/Blitzkrieg Bop/WMA, Unthought Known, Leatherman, Lukin, Once

1st encore: Just Breathe, Footsteps, Inside Job, Got Some, Go

2nd encore: Jersey Girl, You Are, Whipping, Life Wasted, Alive, Indifference, All Along The Watchtower

Opening with "Of the Girl," wow! One of my very, very favorite songs and one I'd actually never heard in seven previous shows. It was going to be a good night, even if Stone seemed to be sporting my hair do.

There was something a little bizarre about the sound quality of the show. Some songs, "Even Flow" is a great example, filled the entire arena and others, like "Supersonic," seemed to be in a little box and very distant. The band still sounded great, but just not as cacophonous.

I didn't even think about the fact that the Devils still aren't playing ... OK, not for seven or eight songs anyway. Nor the fact that we were standing the whole time ... OK, maybe when we settled back into the pleather for a minute at the first break.

There were highlights that I probably wouldn't have previously called highlights from other shows -- "Immortality" and "Insignificance," in particular were knockouts. But if we're talking "knockout," then "In Hiding" has to be mentioned. Not two hours long, but still a very emotional four minutes.

We got "Glorified G" and "Leatherman," both of which we also heard in 2006, but lesser-played treats in the lexicon. And "Brother" and "Footsteps," played for the first time this tour. Hearing the opening salvo to "Once" really got the motor racing and there were fabulous versions of "Daughter" (with a great story about the original riff coming from a bathroom at a Motel 6 in Denver and "Blitzkrieg Bop" AND "WMA" tags), "Go" and "Whipping" as well.

Eddie told a very touching story after the first encore about a Pearl Jam fan who had written a heartfelt tribute to his father, who is battling illness. He praised the son's reverence for his dad and dedicated "Just Breathe" and the later "Alive" to them.

And you know how the more things change, the more they stay the same? Lots of great interplay between Jeff and Stone. Mike's amazing guitar and energy. Eddie's voice sounded amazing. Matt's driving beat. And there was something very assuring about the fact that Eddie and Stone still butt heads from time to time, even after 20 years. This little fracas came after covering "Jersey Girl," getting a chorus of "Bruuuuuce" from the audience and Eddie adding that he loves Bruce but Tom Waits actually wrote the song. "Twenty years and it's ending tonight!" Eddie chided.

I thought we were ending on a fabulous "Indifference," but then Ben Bridwell came out to help close the show with a charged "All Along the Watchtower."

So "how much difference does it make?" Quite a bit.