PJ20: Night One Review (September 3, 2011 Alpine Valley)

To fully commence Pearl Jam’s celebration of their 20 years together, the band hosted a huge music festival 80-miles outside of Chicago at the legendary Alpine Valley Music Theatre. Rarely utilized as much as it was during its 1980’s heyday, there is something to be said about the magic that occurs on the steep and muddy hill. There is a magic in the air surrounding the venue and there’s something old school about it which is possibly one of the reasons Pearl Jam chose it as the site to celebrate their two decade run as a band.

First and foremost, this is not your normal music festival or even your standard Pearl Jam show. This is more like a convention of die-hard Pearl Jam fans and music geeks. The merchandise tents outside the shed were long and varied with fans buying exclusive merchandise and the ever precious show posters. Members of Pearl Jam’s fan club, Ten Club, were welcomed with an exclusive live CD from January 17, 1992, Moore Theater, Seattle, WA entitled “Vault #1”. This is the legendary show from where the “Even Flow” video was shot and its sound is perfect. Once inside the festival there is a Pearl Jam museum, several of the artists selling and signing the one-of-a-kind posters they make for each Pearl Jam show and two stages towards the front entrance that provide more than you may expect.

Despite the rain and overall dour atmosphere at the beginning the music is what made you stop thinking. Joseph Arthur was the first artist of the day to truly take the crowd by storm (no pun intended). With just himself and a backing track, he tore his way through a powerful 45-minute set that had several in the crowd asking who he was. On his second to last song, he brought out Mike McCready, Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron. “When The Fire Comes” which Ament wrote with Arthur and was given away in the Ten Club package as a CD single. He ended with 3/5th of Pearl Jam onstage for the riveting “In the Sun” a track best known for the hypnotic rhythm version Peter Gabriel cut a decade back. But here under the rain, Arthur’s lyrics cut through the rain and people stopped looking at the other players and focused on him. Up next was a spirited set from Liam Finn who was followed by Glen Hansard, best known from his appearance in the film Once. Despite this, Hansard was solo and tore through numbers from the Swell Season, the Frames (his man band) and even an impromptu version of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”.

The main stage festivities kicked off at 6pm with an impressive set by Mudhoney. Each of the bands tore through succinct and in-your-face 45-minute sets that perfectly set up the crowd for the main feast. Mudhoney were exhilarating as they tore through nearly 15 songs and barely took a minute to speak to the audience. The steely grinding drive of Queens of the Stone Age gave the crowd the most satisfying set. Bassist Michael Shuman stole the show with his creative bass playing. Lastly, the Stokes performed a spirited set that ranged from alluring to firm. Albert Hammond, Jr. chopped away at his guitar like a man reborn. Of all the bands on the bill they received the warmest reception for their biggest hits and the most tepid for their newest. They also had the worse lighting I have ever seen a rock band have in a festival setting, alas the Strokes are not here to pose, but to rock.

Then at 9:45pm Pearl Jam ascended to the stage and the roars of the crowd were beyond deafening. It was a spirited 28-song set full of classics, rarities and pinch-yourself-because-you-can’t-believe-you’re-there moments. What differentiates this festival from others is that it was mostly for one band and their fans came from all over the world to see it. There was a heightened sense of emotion in the room because it appeared the casual observers were nonexistent. This was a bonding between one of the world’s biggest bands and their ever devoted fan base. Highlights of the set included “Arms Aloft”, a Joe Strummer cover. Both “Breath” and “State of Love and Trust” (the latter with Dhani Harrison) found 37,000 in rapturous glee. There was the band debut of “Setting Forth” from Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild soundtrack and the b-side of “In The Moonlight” with Josh Homme.

The evening’s jaw dropping moment was for the arrival of Chris Cornell in the encore for a set of Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog covers. The four song set is something Pearl Jam fans have been pining for…for years and in front of their eyes Saturday night, Cornell and the band gave them their wish. I will be writing more about it in the coming days for antiMUSIC and I’ll link it here on the blog.

Tickets are still available for Sunday, so if you are driving distance, don’t miss out and check back for my full blown reviews later this week of both nights.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

VITALOGY FOUNDATION BENEFICIARIES
FOR PJ20 DESTINATION WEEKEND

$2 per ticket sold for the weekend will be split between these three local Wisconsin organizations:

1. Blessings in a Backpack www.blessingsinabackpack.org

• Blessings in a Backpack is designed to feed elementary school children whose families qualify for the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal program, and have little to no food on the weekends.
• Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of this program.
• $80 feeds a child in the program for an entire school year. Following a donation, a school is chosen and a local grocerpartners with the program to provide food for meals in the backpacks. Every Friday, students receive their backpacks with staples that require little to no preparation. They return with their backpacks on Monday ready to learn.
• Live Nation promoter Mark Campana and his wife will match 25% of the donation amount.
• The local school that will benefit from these donations is the Wileman Elementary school located in Walworth County. Funding will cover at least 3 years of food for the school's program.

2. Milwaukee Riverkeeper - www.mkeriver.org
• Milwaukee Riverkeeper is conducting the "Speak Out for Clean Water" campaign to fight (Republican) Governor Walker's proposed rollbacks to clean water regulation and enforcement.
• This group also serves an advocate and voice for the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers by patrolling and monitoring the waterways and doing hands-on restoration projects and mobilization of volunteers in river cleanup activities.

3. Wisconsin Voices www.wisconsinvoices.org
• This organization is essentially the "air traffic control" for 65 partner organizations across Wisconsin, empowering people and organizations to speak out effectively around important public policy issues.

• STATE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS include:
• 9to5 National Association of Working Women
• ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation
• Arts Wisconsin
• Center for Progressive Leadership
• Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund
• Clean Water Action
• Clean Wisconsin
• Community Advocates
• Disability Rights Wisconsin
• Equality Wisconsin Fund
• Fair Wisconsin Education Fund
• Institute for One Wisconsin
• Institute for Wisconsin's Future
• Labor Community at Work
• Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund
• League of Young Voters Education Fund
• Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development
• Midwest Environmental Advocates
• Milwaukee Area Labor Council
• Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
• NARAL Pro Choice Wisconsin Education Fund
• NEWPride
• Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
• Project Respect
• Project Vote
• Reproductive Justice Collective
• Sierra Club, John Muir Chapter
• Stand Up Wisconsin
• Water Table
• WAVE Education Fund
• Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health
• Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project
• Wisconsin Community Services
• Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
• Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
• Wisconsin Environment Research and Policy Center
• Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute
• Wisconsin League of Young Voters Education Fund
• WISPIRG Foundation
• YMCA Community Development Corporation
• Over the past six months, they have been incredibly active and effective around Wisconsin labor movement issues.

PEARL JAM
PJ20 ALPINE VALLEY, WI
SHOW 1
SEPTEMBER 03, 2011
SET LIST

01. Release
02. Arms Aloft-(Bullen, Shields, Slatterly, Stafford, Strummer)
03. Do The Evolution
04. Got Some
05. In My Tree
06. Faithfull
07. Who You Are w/ Joseph Arthur, Liam Finn, Glen Hansard (bg vocs). Glen Peterson (percussion)
08. Push Me, Pull Me
09. Setting Forth
10. Not For You w/ Julian Casablancas
11. In The Moonlight w/ Josh Homme
12. Deep
13. Help Help
14. Breath
15. Education w/ Liam Finn
16. Once
17. State Of Love And Trust w/ Dhani Harrison
18. Betterman/Save It For Later-(Charley, Cox, Morton, Steele, Wakeling)
19. Wasted Reprise
20. Life Wasted

ENCORE BREAK 1

21. Rearviewmirror
(For Mother Love Bone & Temple Of The Dog songs Chris Cornell sings lead. Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard sing background vocals. Liam Finn joins Ed & Glen on "Reach Down")
22. Stardog Champion w/ Chris Cornell-(Ament, Fairweather, Gilmore, Gossard, Wood){Mother Love Bone}
23. Say Hello 2 Heaven-(Cornell)
24. Reach Down-(Cornell)
25. Hunger Strike {Eddie Vedder duet vocal}-(Cornell)
26. Love, Reign O'er Me-(Townshend)
27. Porch

ENCORE BREAK 2

28. Kick Out The Jams w/Mudhoney-(Davis, Kramer, Smith, Thompson, Tyner)