Next week my wife and I will be seeing Pearl Jam in concert for the first time since 2016, which for our favorite band, is a long time coming. Typically we have a 4ish hour drive limit to see them, with Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC seeming to be the places they like to hit rather than Atlanta. After the release of Gigaton in 2020, I lamented not getting tickets in Nashville, TN when they rescheduled the tour, but I kept holding out hope for a southeast tour. Then when Dark Matter came out last year, there was nothing closer than Baltimore, so that really wasn’t going to work.
Anyway, we have tickets to both shows (which is less of an issue since Pearl Jam concerts are different setlists every time), so we’ll be putting these old bones through the rigors of two loud and fun nights.
***
I’m a nerd about Pearl Jam.
I’ve written about them and their music many, many, many times on this site. I’ve talked about how they were one of the first bands that really grabbed me in a way I didn’t know music could. Or how some of their songs have specific memories and generate all sorts of memories for me.
But I’m a nerd. And since Pearl Jam doesn’t repeat setlists, just because you see them doesn’t guarantee seeing a particular song. I’ve seen them 9 ½ times at this point and there are still plenty of songs on my “Still Haven’t Seen List”.
I’ve been thinking about that.
I’ve also been thinking about an interview with Stone Gossard where he talked about the setlist construction. And the key point was that they could probably play a face-melting concert, but the way they do it has kept things fresh.
But it made me wonder – What would a “face melting concert setlist look like”?
***
You would need to have most, if not all of the hits. I mean, I love the deep cuts, but everyone is going to be able to sing along to “Jeremy”, but not everyone is going to know “Of The Girl”.
What do you start with? Looking over old setlists, they tend towards slower songs: “Release”, “Pendulum”, “Garden”, “Wash”…
However, you are going to still need to have some flow in the set. You just can’t have up tempo after up tempo. The guys might not survive the experience!
Luckily, there are plenty of slower hits which we can mix in to ensure everyone has a breather.
Then you have to consider the end of the first set song. Over the years I feel like this is a song which needs to have some ability to jam for a while. Something like “Porch” or “Rearviewmirror” might work in that slot.
What do you come back to start the encore? Do you go with IN YOUR FACE? “State of Love and Trust” or “World Wide Suicide”. Or do you maybe use something that has a build up? “I Got Id” or “Given to Fly”.
***
I haven’t even scratched the surface of what should be the line up should or shouldn’t be. But after a little bit of thought, along with trying to have some balance from older albums and newer ones. I have hit upon this:
Technically I’m thinking ending the first set with Given To Fly and then starting the Encore with I Got Shit, but the program didn’t have the newer songs…
Would this melt faces? Maybe, maybe not. It would only knock a handful of songs off my own Never Seen List, but I think you’d have a good time.
Then again, no matter what the setlist has on it, I’m pretty sure we’ll have a good time.
***
John McGuire is the writer of the sci-fi novel: The Echo Effect.
He is also the creator/author of the steampunk comic The Gilded Age. If you would like to purchase a copy, go here!
Click here to join John’s mailing list and receive preview chapters of upcoming novels, behind the scenes looks at new comics, and free short stories.
His other prose appears in The Dark That Follows, Hollow Empire, Tales from Vigilante City, Beyond the Gate, and Machina Obscurum – A Collection of Small Shadows.
He can also be found at www.johnrmcguire.com
Read more at this site