Billed as one of the hottest concerts of the summer season, veteran rockers
Pearl Jam & Petty co-headlined a sold-out Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul,
Minnesota for (2) nights which follow with double dates in Milwaukee & Denver.
Pearl Jam is touring in support of their latest self-titled release and Petty
is teasing fans with new material from his upcoming July release, Highway Companion.
Both entertainers gave their fans exactly what they wanted and it’s highly
probable that this show will be considered one of the ‘best concerts ever’
by the 18,000+ in attendance. The Petty/Pearl Jam rock extravaganza exemplified
great musicianship; true talent combined with strong character and beliefs which
has been translated into a musical dialect that many try to emulate but few
can speak.
Pearl Jam Show Highlights:
Vedder paid homage to Petty on more than one occasion… “We’re
here to warm you up for Tom Petty. If Tom Petty would have been my father, I
would be known as Eddie Petty. [sfx: crowd exploded with laughter] But I would’ve grown up in a really nice house, so I could’ve lived with .”
With that revealing statement reflecting his emotional wounds regarding
the true identity of his father, Vedder appropriately launched into ‘Better
Man.’ Later in the set, ‘Daughter’ segued into a groove filled
version of Petty’s ‘Won’t Back Down.’ Vedder’s
performance was energetic as he jumped around stage while sounding supreme.
‘Even Flow’ was the band’s jam song highlighted by Mike McCready
playing behind his head.
Pearl Jam Snapshot:
Formed in Seattle in 1990, Pearl Jam is one of the most popular, influential,
and politically charged bands on the planet. The band has withstood the test
of time being one of the only bands left standing after the grunge movement
of the 90’s. Pearl Jam’s sound has evolved over the years with each
album, but their latest release returns to their roots. Known for their liberal
political activism as well as their music, it’s clear which side of the
fence they’re on with lyrics from ‘bu$hleaguer,’ a commentary
on President George W. Bush. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Pearl Jam
members appeared in Rolling Stone to promote the candidacy of John Kerry and
performed on the Vote for Change tour. Pearl Jam was recently awarded an Esky
for best live act in Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards with a statement calling
Pearl Jam "rare superstars who still play as though each show could be
their last."
Pearl
Jam Live Photos
Pearl Jam History:
It was actually Red Hot Chili Pepper’s drummer, Jack Irons, who was
responsible for hooking up Vedder with his future band mates. After being apart
of various bands during the early days of Seattle’s grunge scene, Jeff
Ament, Stone Gossard, and Mike McCready were looking outside of Seattle for
talent. Drummer Irons passed twice. He passed first on the invitation to join
the band. Fatefully, he passed along the demo tape to San Diego singer, surfer,
and basketball buddy Eddie Vedder. The rest is rock & roll history. The
group was known as Mookie Blaylock, after the basketball player, but later changed
their name to Pearl Jam. Many stories have circulated regarding the origins
of their name. Early in their career, Vedder claimed that the name Pearl was
a reference to his great-grandmother but in a recent Rolling Stone story, Ament
and McCready admitted that Ament came up with "Pearl", and "Jam"
was added after the band members saw Neil Young live. Pearl Jam's debut album
Ten (named for Mookie Blaylock's jersey number) released in 1991, produced three
hit singles: "Even Flow", "Alive”, and "Jeremy.”
The video for "Jeremy" was a mega MTV hit and won four video music
awards, including Video of the Year and Best Group Video.
In 1993, Pearl Jam's sophomore effort, Vs. included the hit songs "Daughter",
"Dissident", "Go", and "Animal". Vs. was originally
titled Five Against One (taken from the lyrics of "Animal"), but was
changed to Vs. before release of the album.
Pearl Jam's third album, Vitalogy, released in 1994, became the second fastest
selling in history with almost a million copies sold in its first week. The
song "Spin The Black Circle" won a Grammy Award in 1995 for best hard
rock performance. Vitalogy also included major hits "Not For You",
"Corduroy", "Immortality", and "Better Man.”
In 1995, Pearl Jam backed longtime idol Neil Young on his album Mirror Ball.
Two songs from the sessions were left off the Mirror Ball - "I Got Id"
and "Long Road." Released separately, these tracks can be found on
an "Merkin Ball" and is the official companion to Young's Mirror Ball.
Pearl Jam's huge popularity began to wane due to their decision to not produce
music videos and their anti-trust and unsuccessful lawsuit against Ticketmaster.
Their fourth album, No Code, came five years after their first release of Ten
and included the singles "Hail, Hail", "Who You Are", and
"Off He Goes" and is hard-core fan favorite.
In 1998, Pearl Jam released its fifth album, Yield. For the first time since
1993, Pearl Jam released a music video "Evolution” and included the
singles "Given to Fly" and "Wishlist." In 1999, Pearl Jam
recorded the song "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1950s ballad by Wayne
Cochran, made famous in 1964 by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers. Recorded
on a small budget and released first as a fan club single, the song became a
hit, with many requests from its fans to be released to the general public as
a single. The band decided to include the song on a charity compilation album,
No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees.
In 2000, Pearl Jam released their sixth studio album Binaural which included
the singles "Nothing As it Seems" and "Light Years." The
band started to record live shows and allowed fans to make their own bootlegs.
Pearl Jam released all of the albums in record stores as well as through their
fan club; totaling 72 live albums from the 2003 tour. Sadly, 2000 ended in tragedy
with an accident at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Fans were crushed and
suffocated as the crowd rushed to the front. The band was profoundly affected
by the incident and considered retiring after the event. Pearl Jam was initially
blamed for the accident, but later cleared of responsibility when officials
discovered that safety measures at the festival were less than adequate.
Pearl
Jam Live Photos
In 2002, Pearl Jam released their seventh album, Riot Act which included the
singles "I Am Mine" and "Save You." The album veered off
into a folk-based, experimental sound with a track entitled "Arc"
as a tribute to the nine people who died at the Roskilde Festival in June 2000.
Eddie only performed this song nine times on Pearl Jam's 2003 tour and left
the track off of all released bootlegs as an act of respect. 2003 also saw the
release of a two-disc collection of rarities and b-sides, Lost Dogs. In 2004
Sony released Rearviewmirror, a Pearl Jam greatest hits collection spanning
1991-2003.
Pearl Jam's eighth studio album, Pearl Jam, was released in May
of 2006. The album includes “World Wide Suicide”, "Comatose",
"Life Wasted", "Come Back" "Gone" and "Army
Reserve." Band members have been quoted saying that they think that this
is their best work and it resembles the raw energy of their first albums. The
band has made rare television appearances with The Late Show & Letterman.
They’ve also appeared on Saturday Night Live; their first appearance on
SNL since 1994. The band is also scheduled to appear on VH1 Storytellers for
the first time on July 1st.
On Pearl Jam's 2006 dates, the Vitalogy Foundation will donate $1/paid ticket
to a grassroots, community-oriented non-profit in each city the band visits.
When deciding upon these organizations, the foundation focused on groups that
are making a difference in: youth and arts, the environment, healthy eating
and public schools, keeping commercialism out of public schools and community
health.
The Band
Eddie Vedder - lead vocals, guitar
Jeff Ament - bass guitar
Stone Gossard - rhythm guitar
Matt Cameron - drums
Mike McCready - lead guitar
The Set List (6.26.06)
Last Exit
Life Wasted
Why Go
World Wide Suicide
Evolution
Given to Fly
I am Mine
Army Reserve
Even Flow
Better Man
Sad
Sleight of Hand
Daughter
Jeremy
Comatose
Animal
Rocking in the Free World
Discography
Ten-1991
Vs.-1993
Vitalogy-1994
Merkin Ball EP-1995
No Code-1996
Yield-1998
Live on Two Legs-1998
Binaural-2000
Riot Act-2002
Lost Dogs-2003
No Boundaries: Live at Benaroya Hall-2004
Rearviewmirror-2004
Pearl Jam-2006
The Tour
06/29/06 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre
06/30/06 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre
07/02/06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
07/03/06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
07/06/06 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
07/07/06 San Diego, CA Cox Arena
07/09/06 Inglewood, CA The Forum
07/10/06 Inglewood, CA The Forum
07/13/06 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
07/15/06 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Aud.
07/16/06 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Aud.
07/18/06 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Aud.
07/20/06 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Hall
07/22/06 George, WA The Gorge
07/23/06 George, WA The Gorge
08/23/06 Dublin, IRE The Point
08/25/06 Leeds, UK Bramham Park
08/27/06 Reading, UK Richfield Avenue
08/29/06 Arnhem, NET Gelredome
08/30/06 Antwerp, BEL Sportpaleis Antwerpen
09/01/06 Barcelona, SPA Badalona
09/02/06 Vitoria, SPA Azkena Festival
09/04/06 Lisbon, POR Atlantic Pavilion
09/05/06 Lisbon, POR Atlantic Pavilion
09/07/06 Madrid, SPA Madrid Arena
09/09/06 Marseille, FRA Le Dome
09/11/06 Paris, FRA Palais Omnisports
09/13/06 Bern, SWI Bern Arena
09/14/06 Bologna, ITA Palamalaguti
09/16/06 Verona, ITA Arena
09/17/06 Milan, ITA Fila Forum
09/19/06 Turin, ITA Palaisozaki
09/20/06 Pistoia, ITA Piazza Duomo
09/22/06 Prague, CZE Sazka Arena
09/23/06 Berlin, GER Wuhlheide
09/25/06 Vienna, AUT Stadthalle
09/26/06 Zagreb, CRO Dom Sportova
09/30/06 Athens, GRE Oaka Arena
11/07/06 Sydney, AUS Acer Arena
11/08/06 Sydney, AUS Acer Arena
11/10/06 Brisbane, AUS Brisbane Entertainment Centre
11/11/06 Brisbane, AUS Brisbane Entertainment Centre
11/13/06 Melbourne, AUS Rod Laver Arena
11/14/06 Melbourne, AUS Rod Laver Arena
11/16/06 Melbourne, AUS Rod Laver Arena
11/21/06 Adelaide, AUS Entertainment Centre
11/22/06 Adelaide, AUS Entertainment Centre
11/25/06 Perth, AUS Subiaco Oval
Tom Petty and The Heatbreakers
Tom Petty and The Heatbreakers, on tour in support of their upcoming release,
Highway Companion, rocked the Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul Minnesota with over
30 years of hits sprinkled with new material that will surely become hits. Petty
is one of those rare entertainers who provides pure pleasure to his audience
as the hits roll off not only his tongue, but also everyone’s in attendance.
Celebrating their 30th Anniversary, the band’s performance and fan participation
is at an all-time high as his material spans three decades of well-known songs.
Show Highlights:
After a short (and the only) Petty dialogue regarding how the Brits originally
‘borrowed’ Rock & Roll from America’s well-rooted musical
tree, hit after hit followed…all of which are considered highlights. Specifically,
"You Don't Know How It Feels," "I Won't Back Down" and "Free
Fallin'" had the audience on their feet. 1993 smash "Mary Jane's Last
Dance," another crowd favorite was followed by two covers that represented
the group's early influences: the Yardbirds' version of "I'm A Man"
and Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and "Learning To Fly," which
the band has reworked on this tour as an acoustic sing-along version.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Snapshot:
Celebrating 30 years of hit making, Tom Petty & Co. are ‘America’s
Band’ as Petty’s songwriting and musical style satisfies every musical
taste. Incredibly, it took Petty (16) major hits to win a Grammy (13) years
into his band’s career for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance with ‘You
Don’t Know How It Feels’ in 1995.
Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers Live Photos
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers History:
Tom Petty has consistently been on the charts since 1976 when his self-titled
debut album that contained the hit ‘Breakdown.’ For years, Tom Petty
has rocked with the Heartbreakers, as a solo artist, or with The Traveling Wilburys,
a low-key super group comprising Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff
Lynne and Roy Orbison. Amazingly, after critical acclaim and a huge fan base,
Tom Petty won his first Grammy in 1989 when the Traveling Wilburys’ debut
album took the category for “Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocal.”
Petty's first solo effort, 1989's Full Moon Fever, was produced by Jeff Lynne
and featured the support of most of the Heartbreakers. Full Moon Fever became
Petty's commercial pinnacle; reaching number three on the U.S. charts, going
triple platinum, and generating the hit singles: I Won't Back Down, Runnin'
Down a Dream, and Free Fallin'. In 1990, he contributed to the Traveling Wilburys'
second album, Vol. 3. Petty officially reunited with the Heartbreakers on Into
the Great Wide Open, which was also produced by Jeff Lynne. Released in the
spring of 1991, Into the Great Wide Open sustained the momentum of Full Moon
Fever, earning strong reviews and going platinum. In 1993, Greatest Hits was
released- a 17-tracker enters the album chart. It will reside there for 155
weeks and receives its ninth platinum certification from the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) signifying sales of nine million copies.
Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers Live Photos
Petty’s second solo album, Wildflowers, was released in 1994 with yet
another smash single ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels.’ In 1995,
Playback, a box set that marks Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 20th anniversary
was released. One of the best of its kind, the six-disc set contains 92 tracks,
plus a booklet, poster and laminated backstage pass. Fittingly, Petty wrote
a foreword for 'Start Your Own Band: Everything You Need to Know to Take Your
Band to the Top!' in 1997. Two more solo efforts follow with the release of
Echo in 1999 and The Last DJ in 2002. At age 42, Petty was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. At this point, it’s pretty safe to
say that Tom Petty’s latest LP, Highway Companion, scheduled to release
in July, is a pretty safe bet. The NBA & ABC took the bet featuring Petty’s
old and new material during the 2006 NBA finals.
The Band
Tom Petty-Vocals, Guitar
Benmont Tench, Keyboards
Mike Campbell-Guitar
Ron Blair-Bass
Steve Ferrone-Drums
Discography:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-1976
You’re Gonna Get It!-1978
Damn the Torpedoes-1979
Hard Promises-1981
Long After Dark-1981
Southern Accents-1985
Pick of the Plantation (Live!)- 1986
Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)-1987
Full Moon Fever-1989
Hard Promises/Damn The Torpedoes-1989
Into The Great Wide Open-1991
Greatest Hits-1993
Wildflowers-1994
In Conversation-1995
Playback-1995
Songs and Music from “She’s The One”-1996
Greatest Hits with Germany Bonus Track-1999
Damn the Torpedoes/Southern Accents/Into the Great Wide Open-1999
Echo-1999
Anthology: Through the Years-2000
The Last DJ-2002
Live At The Olympic-2003
Highway Companion-[to be released July 2006]
The Tour
06-29-06 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre, Summerfest
06-30-06 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre, Summerfest
07-02-06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
07-03-06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
07-29-06 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheater
07-30-06 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheater
08-01-06 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
08-04-06 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center
08-05-06 Houston Cynthia Woodlands Pavilion
08-08-06 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theater
08-09-06 Sturgis, SD Rock N the Rally
08-12-06 Hartford, CT Dodge Music Theatre
08-13-06 SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
08-15-06 DARIEN LAKE (BUFFALO), NY DARIEN LAKE MUSIC CENTER
08-16-06 BURGETTSTOWN (PITTSBURGH) Post-Gazette Pavilion
08-18-06 CAMDEN, NJ Tweeter Center
08-19-6 RANDALLS ISLAND, NY AMSTERJAM
By
Gwyn Tyme
