The “greatest live band” of all time, according to Eddie Vedder
Music is an easy industry within which to become extremely jaded. However, throughout Pearl Jam’s career, Eddie Vedder always prided himself on being a fan of rock music.
Even though he may have become one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, the frontman never wanted to break away from the sounds that set his world on fire when he was still jamming in his bedroom. Although Vedder has thrived on the live stage every time the grunge titans go on tour, he still thinks nothing can compare to one iconic rock group.
While the band fell under the umbrella of grunge, Pearl Jam never actually fit that description. When talking about the biggest names in the Seattle music scene, the riffs coming out of songs like ‘Alive’ and ‘Even Flow’ had more to do with classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin than any alternative antecedent, especially with Mike McCready’s tasty blues licks filling out the band’s sound.
Rather than trash the bands they grew up idolising, most of Pearl Jam were more than happy to discuss their love of classic rock back in the day, with McCready worshipping Jimi Hendrix and talking about his affinity for bands like Cheap Trick. Then again, no one would mistake Pearl Jam for anyone else when they hit the stage.
Playing the most ferocious rock and roll they knew how, Vedder would practically become possessed once he hit the stage, scaling the club’s rafters and putting his life into his hands whenever he dove into the crowd. Given his heroes, though, this was a natural reaction to what a rock star should do.
Before Vedder had started, The Who were already bringing their unique brand of anarchy to the stage. While the band may have started as any standard Mod group coming out of England, Pete Townshend wanted the band to mean more than just music, turning the stage into a spectacle by destroying his guitar and pioneering his trademark windmill strum that would become synonymous with his playing style.
While Vedder would try to match the intensity of The Who, he admitted that he would come nowhere close, telling Rolling Stone, “The Who quite possibly remain the greatest live band ever. As a live group, they created momentum, and they seemed to be released by the ritual of their playing”.
Considering the band have decided to hang up their gloves indefinitely, it might be the final time anybody gets to see the ritual play out. Ending in Las Vegas, “I suppose, you know, it’s goodbye,” Pete Townshend told the crowd after the rendition of ‘Tea & Theatre’ to close the show.
He emotionally continued, “That’s what it is. To what we know as the Who, it’s goodbye. What Roger and I will get up to next, who knows? If we last any longer, I’m sure we’ll get up to all kinds of mischief, We’ll do stuff together, I’m sure sharing some stuff, all kinds bits and pieces. But for this kind of thing, it’s goodbye. And you were last!” Perhaps there will be no more sacrifices in the name of The Who, but they shaped Vedder immeasurably.
That ritualistic behaviour also came across when Vedder saw Townshend play solo, explaining, “I watched as the guitar became a living being, one getting its body bashed and its neck strangled. As Pete sat it down, I swear I sensed relief coming from that guitar. A Stratocaster with sweat on it. The guitar’s sweat”.
While Townshend was the main draw as the group’s songwriter, every band member was known to put their heart and soul into every single performance. As Townshend pounded away on his guitar, Roger Daltrey would swing his microphone cord like a crazed animal, all while Keith Moon would unleash a stampede of percussion behind the kit, practically using the drums like a lead instrument half the time.
As Pearl Jam continues to play every festival that will have them, Vedder carries on the tradition that Townshend started, using every instrument as a musical tool to exorcise demons. Genres may come and go throughout rock history, but Pearl Jam and The Who both have a fire in them that will never go out of style.
