I like the feeling of reminiscence - the good reminders though, of course. All my memories, emotions, and imageries race back as I fondly remember my days of youth and exuberance. This was no more perfectly felt than in the summer of 1993 when I witnessed one of the greatest bands of all time perform at a small motorsport park in Gimli, Manitoba. The band was Pearl Jam and even then they didn't know how big they would become.
I am reminded of this weekend of nearly 19 years ago as I watch Cameron Crowe's documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty.
I was first introduced to Pearl Jam's sound through a friend in 1992. Back then, I hung out with a fairly musically talented, tight-knit group of guys. We learned from our idols and listened to many different styles of music: classic rock, psychedelic, jazz, metal, pop, even Herb Alpert on occasion. One wintry afternoon, one of the guys popped by, excited about a new band he'd discovered. He brought with him a copy of Pearl Jam's, Ten. One by one, we were all blown away at this newly-categorized Seattle sound. Ten was thought-provoking and full of passion and energy; lyrically brilliant, outstanding musicianship.
As I watched, Pearl Jam Twenty, the raucous days of my early twenties reminded me of my first outdoor festival, 1993's Sunfest. Pearl Jam was the height of the weekend for me and thousands of others as the band exploded its sound over the wild and muddy crowd that Saturday night. The energy was beyond anything I have felt since. My legs were sore the next day from bouncing in the crowd for the majority of the show (the pile of shoes and sandals lost in the mud that night were piled over three feet high the next morning). Sunfest was my Woodstock.
To get an idea of what Pearl Jam was like that night, someone with excellent foresight has uploaded several live videos to YouTube (here's the set-list from that night as well).
I was very touched by the honesty in, Pearl Jam Twenty. The documentary footage is amazing, and the interviews are candid and personal. Most revealing and touching was the homage paid to the relationships that led to the ultimate formation of Pearl Jam, most apparent in the remembering of Andrew Wood and the group Mother Love Bone. I'm a fan of Mother Love Bone, Green River, and Soundgarden, and it was interesting to see in Pearl Jam Twenty how these amazing musical talents worked together at the time.
I look forward for Crowe, or another suitable documentarian, to map the evolution of Soundgarden in a documentary soon. A definite must-see for me.
P.S. I saw Pearl Jam at the MTS Centre this past fall. They were amazing, but nothing will ever top the first impression I had of them on that muddy and wild Saturday night in 1993. Eddie Vedder is brilliant as a solo artist and I'm glad the group has been able to stay together. Bands can easily drift apart when a member takes a solo career path.
(note: not a Sunfest shot, but typical of Eddie's stage antics during shows in the '90's)
