Pearl Jam Returns To Chicago On Their Dark Matter World Tour
Written and Captured By | Alex Perez
Rock Veterans Pearl Jam return to Chicago for the first of 2 Chicago stops on the north american leg of their Dark Matter World Tour. The legendary grunge band took over Chicago’s historic Wrigleyville neighborhood this past weekend as vendors and local merchants trying to sling their own Pearl Jam merch filled the surrounding streets hours before the show started. Fans unable to get tickets into the stadium set up camp and picnicked on the streets surrounding the baseball stadium just for a chance to hear the iconic band play live. Even with multiple gates of entry, lines longer than city blocks surrounded the streets as fans entered the show. Surprisingly there is low police presence at such a high populated event. Fans who came from all over the country and internationally brought signs and flags in support of the band.
The band opened the show with “Of the Girl off”, their Binaural album. In which frontman Eddie Vedder did mess up a few lyrics, which he soon chalked it up to having an out of body experience with the rest of the band. Due to some substances the group took prior to coming on stage. Besides a few missed words, Vedder had an incredible performance in a course of 2 and a half hours. A specially curated event, Vedder started the show with some earlier known songs like Off He Goes and Immortality. When Vedder wasn’t belting out his own inspired religious takes on songs.
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He was also telling scores of stories that brought the audience further into his perspective. He introduced fans to songs like Waiting For Stevie and how it’s about Stevie Wonder. He dedicated “Just Breathe” to his friends from Wilmette celebrating a wedding anniversary, and reflected on a pair of great friends, including the late great talk show host Phil Donahue and the venerable Tom Petty. The band performed hits off their album Ten as well as covers of hit songs by Tom Petty like “I won’t back down,”
At one point towards the end of the show a fan let frontman Eddie Vedder know she knew all the words to the song “Won’t Tell.” And she came on stage to perform the song. Released in April, the album Dark Matter is some of the freshest material from the group in years, recalling the angsty days of the past that helped identify a generation while including compositions that have defined the band in the new era. The band ended the show with a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin. In the Free World”. “We’ve played Wrigley three times before and who knows how many times in the future,” Vedder said emotionally. “Whatever happens, we are so grateful.”
Photos By | Alex Perez