Pearl Jam - Live at Benaroya Hall: October 22 2003
BMG - 82876634242 - 9 Aug 2004
By Paddy Walsh
After last years b-sides and rarities collection Lost Dogs, Pearl Jam return with Live At Benaroya Hall, a 2CD live show that was recorded as a benefit gig for Seattle charity YouthCare. Ever the activists, Pearl Jam have set about making the show as special as possible, making it all acoustic, and using the occasion to air some of their more obscure and lesser known gems, not to mention a few covers as well.
Highlights from the first CD include 'Thin Air', a truly beautiful song that first appeared on Binaural, 'Thumbing My Way' from 2002's Riot Act, and 'Immortality' from '95's Vitalogy. The latter has a great extended solo which really enhances the song too. Vedder is on absolute top form as always, his voice remains one of the most distinctive of the 90s, and even the band's self-imposed exile from the mainstream for the last 10 years cannot mask the fact that deep down this man belongs in front of huge audiences. But I digress. 'Man of the Hour', the band's contribution to Tim Burton's Big Fish movie, makes its live debut here too. Sounding like it could have been from any of the last few Pearl Jam albums, it's a great song nonetheless. Also on CD1 we get a cover of The Ramones' 'I Believe in Miracles'.
The second disc offers up more of a concoction of past glories and covers, with a sprinkling of the obscure. The band finally wheel out some of their more instantly recognisable platter from Ten and Vs in the form of 'Black', 'Daughter' and predictable set closer 'Yellow Ledbetter'. The first sounds like a modern Pearl Jam reworking of the Ten classic, the looseness it exhibits on record being discarded in favour of a more rigid, laid back feel. 'Daughter' is as wonderful as ever, while 'Yellow Ledbetter' ends proceedings nicely as always. Elsewhere we get 'Down' and 'Dead Man', both of which appeared on Lost Dogs, with the latter fitting in here particularly well, its sombre eeriness recaptured perfectly. Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' is covered along with Victoria Williams' 'Crazy Mary' and Jonny Cash's '25 Minutes to Go'. The Dylan and Cash covers come out best, with Vedder's delivery on 'Masters...' being particularly impassioned.
So another year, another Pearl Jam live offering. This one has a particular significance however, with the 'unplugged' tag. It's sure to please long time fans, especially considering their 1992 unplugged show is apparently one of the most bootlegged performances of all time. Passive Pearl Jam fans may find the lack of recognisable hits in favour of lesser known tracks off-putting, but this one has 'for the true fans' written all over it, so you know exactly what to expect.
8/10
Pearl Jam's Official Website
BMG's Official Website
BMG - 82876634242 - 9 Aug 2004
By Paddy Walsh
After last years b-sides and rarities collection Lost Dogs, Pearl Jam return with Live At Benaroya Hall, a 2CD live show that was recorded as a benefit gig for Seattle charity YouthCare. Ever the activists, Pearl Jam have set about making the show as special as possible, making it all acoustic, and using the occasion to air some of their more obscure and lesser known gems, not to mention a few covers as well.
Highlights from the first CD include 'Thin Air', a truly beautiful song that first appeared on Binaural, 'Thumbing My Way' from 2002's Riot Act, and 'Immortality' from '95's Vitalogy. The latter has a great extended solo which really enhances the song too. Vedder is on absolute top form as always, his voice remains one of the most distinctive of the 90s, and even the band's self-imposed exile from the mainstream for the last 10 years cannot mask the fact that deep down this man belongs in front of huge audiences. But I digress. 'Man of the Hour', the band's contribution to Tim Burton's Big Fish movie, makes its live debut here too. Sounding like it could have been from any of the last few Pearl Jam albums, it's a great song nonetheless. Also on CD1 we get a cover of The Ramones' 'I Believe in Miracles'.
The second disc offers up more of a concoction of past glories and covers, with a sprinkling of the obscure. The band finally wheel out some of their more instantly recognisable platter from Ten and Vs in the form of 'Black', 'Daughter' and predictable set closer 'Yellow Ledbetter'. The first sounds like a modern Pearl Jam reworking of the Ten classic, the looseness it exhibits on record being discarded in favour of a more rigid, laid back feel. 'Daughter' is as wonderful as ever, while 'Yellow Ledbetter' ends proceedings nicely as always. Elsewhere we get 'Down' and 'Dead Man', both of which appeared on Lost Dogs, with the latter fitting in here particularly well, its sombre eeriness recaptured perfectly. Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' is covered along with Victoria Williams' 'Crazy Mary' and Jonny Cash's '25 Minutes to Go'. The Dylan and Cash covers come out best, with Vedder's delivery on 'Masters...' being particularly impassioned.
So another year, another Pearl Jam live offering. This one has a particular significance however, with the 'unplugged' tag. It's sure to please long time fans, especially considering their 1992 unplugged show is apparently one of the most bootlegged performances of all time. Passive Pearl Jam fans may find the lack of recognisable hits in favour of lesser known tracks off-putting, but this one has 'for the true fans' written all over it, so you know exactly what to expect.
8/10
Pearl Jam's Official Website
BMG's Official Website
