Hands Off Those Bananas

First, I’ve got to fess up that I was never a huge fan of Pearl Jam when they were actually at the height of their powers. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only come to genuinely appreciate them (and the aesthetics of Eddie Vedder) in the last couple of years. That said, I realised the other night that most of these songs still sound as though they could have been recorded yesterday, even though they would have been written well over ten years ago. And amazingly, regardless of how enamoured you might be (or not) with Pearl Jam, chances are you’ll find that you still know a hell of a lot of their material. For me, songs have always been a powerful stimulus for memories – listening to certain tunes can take you back to a certain time – and on Monday night, for two and a half hours, at the first of their three Melbourne shows, I felt like I’d been transported right back to high school.

The first thing that struck me about Eddie Vedder right from the first song, “Life Wasted” was how from a distance, he reminded me a lot of Bernard Fanning. Maybe it’s the hair and the build, but the thing these two definitely have in common is how light they are on their feet, and the way they use the microphone more like a prop, than simply a means of amplification. Vedder sure is a commanding presence on stage. As one of my friends commented during the evening, he had the crowd “eating out of his hand”. Even when he glibly threw the microphone into the crowd at one point, after a couple of punters had their moment in the sun, they returned it right back. I could go on and on about Eddie Vedder, but I’d best stop here.


As for the set, it was everything you could hope for. As someone who can’t claim to be a massive devotee, I was astounded to find that I actually knew the vast majority of stuff they played – and loved it. They churned out the crowd-pleasers right from the start, ranging from the crazed “Spin The Black Circle”, to oldies like “Animal” and “Jeremy”, neither of which have lost their appeal or effect. Towards the end of “Daughter”, it somehow morphed into “Another Brick In The Wall”, with Vedder pointing the microphone into the crowd, and them singing back. Amongst the barrage of high points were “Corduroy” and “Rearviewmirror”. “Better Man” was stunning, with its quiet first part being sung entirely by the crowd. I always say this when I see it, but it never ceases to amaze me - what a buzz it must be to have so many people show up to see you, and sing your words back to you.

I can’t remember at which point it happened, but most people have probably already heard about the banana comment. Eddie Vedder was taking a shot at our PM, and mentioned how he’d seen an interview where John Howard blamed the entire state of our economy on bananas. Clearly perplexed by this, Eddie said apologetically, while gesturing downwards, “Sorry for being crass, but I’ve got a banana right here…” and suggested that maybe John Howard should “…get his hands off Bush’s banana.” Needless to say, this made everyone who was present love Eddie just that little bit more. And as M’s Nemesis wisely pointed out, what is it with men, their bits, and fruit analogies anyway??


Fruit aside though, “Even Flow” turned into an epic, and while Mike McCready noodled on his guitar, it was easy to lose sight of Eddie Vedder as he stood at the blackened far end of the stage and had a quiet cigarette break. The seminal “Alive” concluded the first encore, and most other bands probably would have finished there. Fortunately, the very generous boys returned for another, the highlight of which was definitely the urgent (and timely?) “Rockin’ In The Free World”. The house lights were switched back on for the latter half of this second encore, and even now as I think about the fantastic sight of an arena full of people thoroughly enjoying themselves, it’s making me break out in a grin.

It’s so great to go see a band that still clearly love what they do, and positively radiate that energy out onto the crowd. They might have aged a bit, and mid-life crises might be upon them, but Pearl Jam don’t seem to be running out of puff at all.

By the way, the above photos are taken from the band's website and there's a gallery full of very recent photos from this current tour which is worth checking out ... Pearl Jam Official Site - Tour Photos.