Observations from a Pearl Jam Concert

1) They can still rock.

2) I last saw Pearl Jam live in 1999. I cannot think of many other bands in this generation that you can go a decade between concerts and the second one is just as good as the first (maybe Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, etc.).

3) I was never a fan of holding up lighters during slow songs at rock concerts. Today, cell phones have replaced lighters. Lame.

4) Eddie Vedder is 43, but he still acts like he's 25. He was drinking wine out of the bottle on stage. At one point, he tossed the bottle to some students in the front row. Three or four of them took a sip before security confiscated the bottle. Vedder then asked the security guard for the bottle and proceeded to take a 5-10 second chug. Vedder said the band hung out in Nashville the night before and challenged Kings of Leon (the opening band who is from Nashville) to a contest in which whoever stays up the latest and has the biggest hangover wins. Vedder proudly announced that he won.

5) The only downside of the concert was Vedder's anti-Bush and anti-war rants. Some of the crowd cheered Eddie's politics, but he was booed heavily at times. He called Southern conservatives "ignorant and proud of it." That did not sit well with the Columbia, South Carolina crowd. He made up for the boos by asking the crowd if George W. was USC's mascot (the cocks). Even the Southern conservatives in the crowd agreed that Bush is a jackass.

6) In my opinion, 3 of the best 4 songs played last night came off the "Ten" album (Alive, Porch, Even Flow). That took me back to '91. 4th grade was awesome.

7) I got ripped on by co-workers who still see Pearl Jam as a grunge band. Joking or not, most of them acted like they didn't know Pearl Jam was still together. I think the band got mixed in with grunge bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and others just because they are all from Seattle. I didn't see one person with a flannel shirt or Doc Martens on last night. Pearl Jam's music doesn't sound "90s" to me, like Stone Temple Pilots and other bands formerly compared to PJ would now.

8) Jimmy Buffett is the only other concert I have been to with such a wide range of ages in the crowd. There were people that probably weren't born when Pearl Jam formed in 1990 and some that were well in their 60s now. Most of the people in the quasi-mosh pit up front were college age.

9) In the summer, outdoor concert venues are way better than indoor venues. Last night, we were inside, way up in the nosebleed section, and sober. But it was still awesome. Ipso facto, go see Pearl Jam live before they turn into the Rolling Stones.