The United Center 
Chicago, IL
June 18, 2003

Review  by Shelly Harris
photos by Rob Grabowski


   It seemed like an appropriate coincidence that Pearl Jam would headline the United Center in Chicago only one night after the appearance by Neil Young and Crazy Horse in the same venue.

   Of course, the association between the two acts has been well and publicly documented by the affiliations between Vedder and Young on past projects (including the annual Bridge School benefits put on by Young), not to mention
Vedder's many comments about Young's influence on Pearl Jam's music and attitude earlier on in the band's career.  Still, if the musical and ideological affinity between the two musicians (and bands) was not blatantly obvious for all to
see, sense, and hear beforehand, the point was irrefutably driven home by the back-to-back appearances on a level far beyond the fact that those in attendance at both shows were treated to equally fired-up versions of the Young-penned
"Keep On Rockin' In the Free World" in the encore(s).

  For starters, the same consummately intense raw passion, angst-ridden lyrical genius, individualism, and aura of steely conviction and musical integrity-at-all-cost credo that has fueled Young's career -- and garnered him elite respect -- for four decades is also still equally palpable in Pearl Jam, now into their own second decade on the world stage.  Like Young, Pearl Jam still manage to maintain that crucial vibe of genuine nonconformity and edgy, even dangerous, unpredictability -- despite the fact that both acts must perpetually play in the paradoxically gigantic arenas in order to accommodate both the ardently faithful of their followers and the Volvo set baby boomers and Generation X and Y-ers.   (i.e. The fresh-faced and flirty throng of cute-but-clueless, suburbanite  teenagers seated above and below me who did not seem to know more than two or three Pearl Jam's songs  -- and their equally affluent and nouveau
Yuppie elders who still occasionally come around  to see the "alternative" heavyweights, perhaps in part to keep in touch with the anarchy and tragical hip ness of their youth).

    Even more importantly, as the United Center shows demonstrated, Pearl Jam, like Young, has also learned, wisely, to reconcile its essential anti-commercial defiance with a certain proletarian dignity that allows it to and seamlessly include the "mainstream" of its audience along with the ardently faithful hard core.  After all, if you believe (like I do) that it is true that "most men live lives of quiet desperation" -- then both Neil Young and Pearl Jam have always hit, with varying degrees of depth, a particular kind of common psychic chord with Everyman, regardless whether his collar is blue, white ... or (tattooed) black.

    Nevertheless, as might be expected, Pearl Jam still shun the pomp and circumstance glitz of arena rock, preferring a stripped down staging with the lighting even at a Metro-like minimum.  (In this case, the setup, which excluded any backdrop or curtains, also served a practical function since approximately a fifth of the audience were seated behind and above the rear of the stage.)  Thankfully, it's still all about the message and the songs, which were delivered with Pearl Jam's own trademarked blend of aching subtlety and brazen, primal, testosterone-fueled rage-against-the-machine.  Although it might be safe to say that these days Pearl Jam and Vedder have been tamed to a degree by the trappings of success and -- dare I say it? -- mellowing of time and age, as might be indicated by the lack of over-the-top, anything-can-happen, sweat-dripping physicality the band once delivered in the early tours (and also indicated by Vedder's own onstage anecdote about a good-life epiphany that had suddenly made him realize he hadn't done so bad for a "boy from Chicago'), the difference is more than made up by Pearl Jam's still-evolving musical facets and stylistic growth.

  In fact, the minimization of some of the elements of their show put a clearer focus on Vedder's own vocal talent, which has become irrefutably well-seasoned over the years.  While Vedder still has a certain reticence in crowd babble -- despite his well-appreciated attempts to "connect" with all areas of the arena (especially the unfortunate lot of us seated behind the rear) -- his charisma and importance to the Pearl Jam mystique is clearly still immeasurable. Moreover,  this night he revealed, via a three-hour/ two encore set list that  was a delightful, unprogrammed and unpredictable Pearl Jam medley of the well-known, obscure, and new (of course, also sadly sans the massive hit/albatross "Jeremy"),  that not only is his distinctive vocal style one that launched a thousand imitators, but it is also the one thing above all about Pearl Jam that still continues to set them far apart from (and far above) the center of the heap.

   While Pearl Jam's body surfing, wildly crowd-frenzied days might be behind them, judging from this show and their new material, a la their venerable mentor Neil Young, I expect we'll still be coming 'round en masse for the artistic surprises -- and especially Vedder's cathartic Voice and Vision -- for as long as we are graced with the chance.