Pearl Jam - The Philadelphia Spectrum - October 30, 2009

From the time these shows were announced, I said that I would not chase Pearl Jam tickets. I have seen them many times. Often, I am only impressed with their musical ability. Since the early nineties, Pearl Jam's performances have been less energetic. As guys age, they just can't hang from balconies and dive into crowds.

So, when Fuzz called with the promise of a seat, I thought hard before saying I would attend. In the end, it was the opportunity to see history that forced my hand.

It didn't take long before I realized that The Spectrum has to go because you have to fight like a Viking warrior to get through the concourse to your seat. Once inside, I encountered my friends from Main Street Music. They were hand-chosen by Pearl Jam to sell Pearl Jam merchandise in the arena (good publicity for a great group of music-lovers).



I said hello and met Dan DeLuca from the Philadelphia Inquirer. We talked for a few minutes. He asked me what I will remember about The Spectrum and what it means to me.

"I saw my first concert here when I was 11," said Joe Ippolito, 39, of Norristown. "It was Van Halen. It was the first place I got turned on to live music."

Ippolito, a teacher at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and former singer for the cover band Flip Like Wilson, acknowledged that time had run out on the Spectrum.

"Unfortunately, it's also really outdated," he said Friday, standing by the Main Street Music booth, where the Manayunk record store was selling merchandise at Pearl Jam's invitation. "I just almost got crushed walking around the concourse.

"But for a music fan, it's magic when the lights go out. It's like every kid's fantasy when you walk through those doors. I've seen everybody here. Jane's Addiction, U2, Bruce Springsteen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiss. I've seen Bobby Clarke and Mario Lemieux here, Dominique Wilkins and Eddie Vedder.

"And I'll tell why it's a shame that they're tearing it down: Can you tell me where the Target Center is? The Xcel Center?" (A Google search reveals both are in Minnesota.) "But the Spectrum? That's part of Philadelphia." *

I confess that I made a mistake when I said I saw Kiss at The Spectrum. In fact, I saw them at First Union Center, or whatever they called it that week. But, I did see every other band I mentioned at The Spectrum. I also saw Bryan Adams there. For the record, he was awesome. I also told Dan that there were so many people on that concourse, that I was sure a few of us would contract H1N1. I also said that somewhere along the way, I gained the ability to play banjo. That's when you know you are rubbing up against someone way too hard.



My seat for Pearl Jam was behind the stage. This time, I learned from the mistake I made at the Springsteen show. Apparently, nobody listens to the warning about bringing in cameras. I never bring in a camera and all I see around me are flashes popping. All the while, I attempt to take pictures with my cellphone. Mostly, because I am an idiot.

As the lights dimmed, two large screens began showing some of the greater moments in Spectrum history. Images of Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving and The Broad Street Bullies were woven together with flashes of Bruce Springsteen and other great events the Spectrum hosted. As the crowd cheered, we all knew the show was about to start. Then, the lights went out and the theme from "Rocky" blasted the crowd from the PA system.

For the record, I never felt a building shake before. This time, I did. The roar of that crowd made the hair on my arms stand up. It was a very cool moment. As Pearl jam took the stage, I could tell that this show was going to be one of those special moments for any concert-goer lucky enough to be in attendance.



The band tore through a few songs from their new album, "Backspacer". From there, it was time for the band to start playing songs from its extensive back-catalogue. The only complaint I have is that as Pearl Jam attempted to live up to the promise of playing every song they ever recorded, I sat through many songs that I would rather not hear. That being said, all of the songs were played extremely well. There is no denying that Pearl Jam is one of the best American rock bands to emerge in the last twenty-five years. They were confident, well-rehearsed and tight.



From time to time, I would take a walk on the concourse and take pictures. In fact, I ventured up the stairs to take pictures from different angles. Early in the show, I saw a man on a stretcher being taken out of the arena by EMTs. Later, I was told that he fell out of one of the top levels into the lower section.

What's the story there? How does that happen?
Well, we all have our Spectrum memories. Now, he has one.

Settling comfortably in my seat, I watched the band and realized, "God, I remember when this band was brand new. I was in my early twenties. As I approach forty, I realize that I have become one of those people that can now say, 'I remember when...'

The first song I heard by the band was "Alive", from the classic album "Ten". I recall going to Europe in the summer of 1994 and listening to that cassette until I almost wore it out.

For me, that moment had real weight. They also played "Breath". For many years, that song was a rarity. Hearing them play it live was very special. The thing I will take away from the show is the devotion of Pearl Jam's true fans. They love this band and they know every word to every song. For most of the show, the entire crowd sang along and didn't miss a beat. They knew deep cuts and b-sides. It was impressive. It led me to the belief that Pearl Jam has become that unique band that has earned a populist following and the kind of following reserved for bands like The Grateful Dead and Phish. Their fans will travel long distances to see them and support them through every artistic turn. For real Pearl Jam fans, they are no obscure songs. Every song is as meaningful as the last.

In the end, it is the earnest approach of this band that wins me over every time. There are not many bands that perform like they mean it. There are even fewer bands that are this true to themselves. Pearl Jam is a band that plays well within its own space. They do not lend themselves to trends or compromise. Their vision is singular and focused. When they take the stage, Eddie, Jeff, Mike, Stone and Matt play like every show matters. They give it all to their fans, night after night.

As any Philadelphian will tell you, that is all that we ask for from our heroes. This town doesn't always walk away with the big prize. But, we do appreciate the competitor that keeps swinging until they turn the lights off.

As I left, I never turned around. I want to remember this moment.



Eddie turned to his bandmates and asked, "You wanna play some punk-rock?" All I could think was, "Hell, yes..." In a flash, I am that 21 year old discovering one of the best rock bands of my generation. In many ways, they are guys just like me. As the last chords of "Sonic Reducer" ring out, I remember why I love these guys - its all about going down with your hands in the air...until someone turns the lights off. Or, in this case, until someone turns the lights on.

As I leave, I can't resist.
I turn back one last time.



So many memories.

* http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20091101_History_lives_one_last_night_as_Pearl_Jam_closes_it_out.html

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - The Philadelphia Spectrum - October 13, 2009

The first thing you have to remember when you settle in for a Springsteen show is that it is going to be an endurance contest.

He will outlast you.

As the Spectrum draws it's last beer-drenched breaths, Springsteen opened the night with a song he hasn't played live since 1973. From the opening chords of "Seaside Bar Song", it was clear that the evening was going to be something special.

The night was full of possibilities and Springsteen did not disappoint.

The second song, "Wrecking Ball", was meant to be an ode to the old barn with its shout-outs to Dr. J. and "cheese steaks as big as airplanes". Originally written for New Jersey's Giants Stadium, it was retrofitted with lyrics meant to bring the locals to their feet.

That's alright...the crowd loved it, anyway. We don't care if you love someone else, Bruce...just love us best.

Then, there is a promise in the dark as the man calls out, "The Spectrum will live forever!", making it very clear just how much this building means to the Springsteen mystique. After all, The Spectrum is the first arena-sized gig that he ever played, in October 1976.

"Out In The Street" is a revelation each time I hear it. Beneath the buoyancy of the song's beat and Springsteen's good-natured mugging, there is a swagger and toughness that stands out when he sings the words,

"When I'm out in the street
I walk the way I wanna walk
When I'm out in the street
I talk the way I wanna talk"

In a few short minutes, Springsteen has lifted us to the ceiling. At sixty, he conjures enough energy to shame men half his age. I am a little more than twenty years his junior and as I watch him I think, "I need to put on my sneakers and do some road-work."

"Outlaw Pete" sounded amazing, even if it was delivered with Springsteen in a cowboy hat...an image I could live without. After the sturdy "Working On A Dream", Springsteen leads the band through a rousing "Hungry Heart" and crowd-surfs from the middle of the Spectrum floor back to the stage.

Considering the guy is a 60-year-old AARP cover boy, the mere sight of this takes your breath away. The entire time, I am thinking, "Just don't drop him. Then, Philly will be the city that ended Springsteen's touring career. First Santa Claus...now...this..."

It's been more than thirty years since Springsteen became a household name by landing on the cover of Time and Newsweek. And last night, it was that defining moment that provided the dramatic centerpiece to an evening rife with emotion and supercharged by the memories that Springsteen made with many of these same audience members over the last three decades.

Before Springsteen performed "Born To Run" from start to finish, he told the audience, "This is a record that introduced a lot of us to each other. And it holds a special place in my heart."

With a slight tease, Springsteen raised a harmonica to his mouth and sounded out the opening notes of "Thunder Road", with all the conviction of a man who still who still walks around in the same destroyed Chuck Taylors of the twenty-something who wrote that song. It was epic and spine-chilling. The band ripped into the song trying to recapture the very feeling that gave birth to one of the most realized visions of sad-eyed Romanticism ever written.

It was a singular moment that Springsteen would put behind him with the release of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", three years later. That album provided a glimpse into the soul of a man who begins to feel the pressure associated with achieving some measure of your dreams. If "Born To Run" is about a young man yearning to break free, "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" is the sound of that same man, about an hour outside of town...with no gas and no money.

Mission-sort-of-accompished?

Well, Springsteen has spent the better part of his storied career trying to reconcile all the moments before, after and in-between. But, last night was all about the grandeur of the moments that lead up to the realization that "something has to change".

"Tenth Avenue Freezeout" was given extra heft thanks to Clarence Clemons' saxophone and the guest performer Curt Ramm, whose trumpet gave "Meeting Across The River" the feel of a mini rock-opera.

As "Jungleland" called out the sweeping climax of "Born To Run", you could almost imagine the room where Springsteen first wrote about the giant Exxon sign that "brings this fair city light". My friend turned to me and said, "He must have performed that song hundreds of times and you can still feel the passion...(in his delivery)."

Springsteen lightened the mood with "Waitin' on a Sunny Day," before pounding his way through The Music Explosion's "Little Bit O'Soul". It wasn't perfection - but, it sure felt good. From there, Springsteen actually took signs from the crowd that had songs names on them and performed "The Fever" to the rapture of many fans who remember the song as an unreleased album-rock radio hit from 1974.

One of the show's more explosive moments came when Nils Lofgren hammered out a blazing guitar-solo on the Springsteen/Patti Smith collaboration "Because the Night". Because the set was front-loaded with the "Born To Run" material, "Bobby Jean" and "Rosalita" felt a bit anti-climactic.

But, you can hardly complain after spending three hours with Bruce Springsteen. The man gives you your money's worth and then some.

Next week, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will perform "Born to Run" again on Monday and "Born in the U.S.A." the following night.

Death Cab For Cutie - Meet Me On The Equinox

Death Cab For Cutie |MTV Music

As "Twilight" fans wait for "New Moon" to premiere in theaters, Death Cab For Cutie weights-in with the haunting first single from the soundtrack, "Meet Me On The Equinox".

References to the sun's position in the sky and the foreboding mantra "...everything, everything ends" mark the changes in the story's arc as Robert Pattinson kisses Kristen Stewart farewell in a forest.

I am really loving this song, at the moment.

Thom Yorke and Flea Form Supergroup

At long last...?

In the realm of the strange and unexpected....

Thom Yorke has recruited Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck drummer Joey Waronker and percussionist Mauro Refosco for a new live outfit that will make its debut this Sunday and Monday, October 4th and 5th, at Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre, the singer announced on Radiohead’s Dead Air Space Website this morning.

“In the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting a band together for fun to play The Eraser stuff live and the new songs etc. to see if it could work,” Yorke writes. “We don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz… well… we haven’t got that much material yet! But come and check it out if you are in the area.”*

This is an odd pairing. However, it could yield some really interesting work.

Yorke also recently called his new song “The Hollow Earth” a “bass monster,” so Flea should help in bringing songs like that and Eraser’s “Harrowdown Hill” from the studio to the stage.

Yorke has reportedly long expressed a desire to bring the textural "The Eraser" to the stage, but so far his solo performances have amounted to him sitting alone onstage with an acoustic guitar. That should change with this new, nameless band.

I, for one, already like this more than Chickenfoot.

*http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/09/29/thom-yorke-will-debut-new-band-with-flea-nigel-godrich-in-l-a/

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

It's hard to believe that we first met this band in 1991-92.

Back then, our heroes were just another band from Seattle, out to make great rock music and have a good time doing it. For most of the band's career, even its most loyal fans have been looking for Pearl Jam to somehow recapture that spunky, live feel of "Ten" and "Vs." The band's musical direction has meandered at times, but it has always managed to hold fast to the sense of purpose that guided it through an infamous battle with Ticketmaster in the late 90's.

Even then, the band manged to seem like it was having a good time.

Most of the criticism of the band has been focused on the lack of urgency and passion on albums like "No Code" and the forgettable "Riot Act". At times, the band seemed to lose its edge.

Well, weep no more...

Backspacer is Pearl Jam's ninth studio album and the high-powered bookend to their eponymous 2006 release. Clocking in at 37 minutes, the band comes out swinging and reclaims its boyish, punky roots. The first three songs "Gonna See My Friend", "Got Some" and "The Fixer" seek to reclaim the ground the band surrendered after their frenzied ode to vinyl "Spin The Black Circle" on 1994's "Vitalogy".

The songs are catchy and the momentum is real.

Having Brendan O'Brien back in the control booth for the first time since 1998 has clearly helped the band's focus. The brilliant guitar attack of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard is in overdrive, grinding out healthy chunks of classic-rock and punk-inspired riffs that constantly propel the band forward. As always, Eddie Vedder is a house-of-fire, and his voice remains the beating-heart in the middle of all the joyous noise.

That's right...joyous.

There is a prevailing sense of optimism that guides "Backspacer". The band feels loose and frisky for the first time in a long time. Even the "yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus in the "The Fixer" conjures the image of a smile on Vedder's face. In fact, the song seems to pick up where the innocent vulnerability of "Wishlist" left off on "Yield". "If something's old, I wanna put a bit of shine on it," sounds like it comes from the same emotional place that harbors the sentiment, "I wish I was a messenger, and all the news was good". Vedder continues, "When something's gone, I wanna fight to get it back again", and I hear, "I wish I was the verb 'to trust', and never let you down."

Vedder also reprises the rustic charm he served up for the "Into the Wild" soundtrack with rugged ballads like "Just Breathe". There is also a lovely homage to the Beach Boys in "Speed of Sound" with its gentle castanets and soft organ drifting just below the melody. Even the barroom lament of "Speed Of Sound" ends by looking forward to the fresh start a new tomorrow will bring. Incidentally, both songs are arguably the most mature ballads the band has ever produced.

For the first time in a long time, Pearl Jam sounds like they are in a genuinely good mood. "Backspacer" is the sound of a band reclaiming the bounce in its step, after years of dragging its boots. For their fans, this renewed sense of optimism is long overdue. Vedder and his bandmates have crafted an album that is full of confident, mature rock songs. "Backspacer" summons the joy and energy of Pearl Jam's early releases without retreading old glories.

Onward and upward, boys.

Ravi Shankar - Dhun (Dadra And Fast Teental)

What did Ravi Shankar give to the world? Well, before him "world music" was a non-issue with the record-buying public.

He is also Norah Jones' father, if you didn't know.

But, a few words about the clip...

I chose this as one of my musical posts because I love the energy that Shankar puts into his playing. This performance is from the Monterey Pop Festival. At this point, Shankar was an unknown in America. The other artists who were participating in the festival were so enamored of him, they told the promoters they just had to put him on the bill.

When Shankar took the stage, the audience didn't know what to expect. But, his enthusiasm and mastery of the sitar quickly won them over. If you watch closely, you can see Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees leap to his feet, and wildly applaud, at the end of the clip.

Shankar has said that he went on stage ready to open his heart to the audience and give them "all of him". I think that will be evident as you watch this. I am always very inspired by this performance.

Check it out.

The Used - Buried Myself Alive

I love this song.

With all your hate, you will bury yourself alive.
With all your spite, you will bury yourself alive.
With all your lust, anger, jealousy...you will bury yourself alive.

And, if you want me back...your gonna have to ask nicer than that.....

But, sometimes...you get carted off kicking and screaming in the prison you made for yourself.

Al Pacino - Peace Within Inches

There are many titles for this speech. I know it as "Peace Within Inches". The music underneath it is called "Peace" by Paul Kelly.

I have listened to this speech, many times. I can't explain why I listen to it so often. It is not the sound of Pacino's voice that I find inspiring, persay. It is what he says, and how he says it, that means something to me. On the surface, this is just a simple locker-room speech. It's a coach summoning his players to give everything they have, in a unified effort, to win a crucial game.

Dig a little deeper, and its about a man who is not willing to let greatness slip away because - no matter how old he gets - he still has a fire burning inside him. More importantly, he realizes that he can't do it alone.

In the years since I first heard this speech, I have come to believe that so much of what is being said is true. Life is a game of inches. The winner is the person who is willing to reach for those inches and not overlook the little things. Never underestimate the value of hard-work and determination. And, don't forget that every person must climb out of hell, at some point. To do that means that you must be willing to do it one inch at a time. And, the inches that you need in life are all around you. It takes a determined person to recognize that to stop reaching is to stop trying...is to stop living.

Take a listen to this speech (and, keep it low at the office). You will find, as I have, that the words apply to so many things in life. When I listen, I hear a man who is not willing to give up, even when the world tells him that his best days are behind him. At the very least, I hear a man who has realized what he must do.

In many ways, that makes all the difference.