Pearl Jam - Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA - 9/30/09

As Pearl Jam took the Gibson Amphitheater stage for the first night of what will be two back-to-back concerts over the week, separated by an appearance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, they were greeted with a rousing ovation, and a great many audience members never returned to their seats the rest of the night.

They opened by going back to the beginning with “Why Go” from Ten. Mike McCready wasted no time delivering a great guitar solo. It was immediately apparent this was going to be a sing-along evening because everyone shared vocals with Eddie Vedder as they would with the next song “Animal.”

The ferocious pace of “Worldwide Suicide” was sustained by “Got Some,” the first of seven songs from Backspacer. While very few sang along here, possibly being their first exposure to the song, the audience appeared into it. “Tremor Christ” had great interplay between bassist Jeff Ament and McCready. Vedder would pick up a guitar for the first time on “Force of Nature,” and “Evenflow” found McCready going Hendrix with his behind-the-head playing.

The lyrics of “Amongst The Waves” continue Vedder’s use of surf imagery. The music was in sync as the band slowed down the pace, allowing the listener more time to appreciate each moment, bringing to mind slow-motion shots from surf films. Only six nights in the tour, the songs are still new to the band as Vedder revealed when he copped to messing up the lyrics. No one cared as the band kept playing and he got back on track

Matt Cameron drums set a quick tempo on “Insignificance” and everyone tried to keep pace until the big, triple-guitar attack closed out the song. The deep cuts continued with “Rats” where Ament delivered a sweet bass line.

On stage with just McCready, Vedder rambled a bit about doctors having found metal in his system, leading to McCready playing some Iron Maiden riffs. The glorious opening of “Present Tense” rang out on this wondrous song about living in the now and letting go of the past.

you can spend your time alone, redigesting past regrets, oh
or you can come to terms and realize
you're the only one who can't forgive yourself, oh
makes much more sense to live in the present tense

The rest of the band returned to close it out with a grand send-off. It’s my favorite PJ song, so my night was made. Everything afterward was gravy.

“Big Wave” was played at a Ramones-pace. Before “The Fixer,” Vedder thanked everyone for helping Backspacer get to Number One on the charts.

During set-closer “Porch,” Vedder ran around having drinks passed up from the crowd. To show his appreciation to one woman, he used her camera to take her picture from the stage. McCready and Stone Gossard jammed together and Vedder used a guitar to bounce a light throughout the audience.

For the first encore, a four-piece string section accompanied the band for new songs “Just Breathe” and “The End,” while opener Ben Harper sat down for some slide guitar on “Red Mosquito.” After the anthem of “Black” and the intensity of “Life Wasted,” they took another quick break for a phenomenal second encore.

Some lucky young man has the best story of the night because he was pulled from the audience to share the mic with Vedder on “State Of Love And Trust.” Vedder then walked him over to watch McCready play and the kid was in complete awe as his body trembled. After a raucous version of “Alive,” the house lights were brought up and then they capped the night with an explosive Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Vedder augmented the arrangement by tossing tambourines out into the crowd, even taking the time to sign one.

After seeing Pearl Jam in arenas and Bonnaroo, it was an absolute treat to see them in such a small venue; the Gibson holds just over six thousand. There was a greater connection to the band, the energy was palpable, and every seat in the house allowed you to clearly see them on stage. If this show was any indication, I recommend you see them when they come to your town. The only negative was they played for just over two hours, leaving plenty of great songs left unplayed.

Lastly, word of advice for those people sneaking up for better seats: don’t wear clothing that lights up and makes you easy to identify for security. In less than five minutes, I saw a guy wearing a shirt that lit up like an LED equalizer kicked out of a nearby section twice.

Set 1:
Why Go
Animal
World Wide Suicide
Got Some
Tremor Christ
Force of Nature
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Unthought Known
Even Flow
Amongst The Waves
Insignificance
Rats(Ben)
Present Tense
Big Wave
Down
The Fixer
Porch

Encore 1:
Just Breathe
The End
Red Mosquito
Black
Life Wasted

Encore 2:
State Of Love And Trust
Alive
Rockin' In The Free World

Epicenter 09 - Fairplex, Pomona, CA - 8/22/09

The city of Pomona, named after the Roman goddess of fruit trees, was home to the debut of a potentially annual, concert event: Epicenter ’09, subtitled “So Cal’s Rock Explosion.” Two stages and concessions were set up at inside the racetrack at Fairplex Park.

Being inland 27 miles east of Los Angeles, Pomona is expected to be hot in August, but the day started of unusually humid as well, with claims of a 20% chance of rain and thunderstorms. To combat the heat, my friend Ted and I made sure to load up on “fluids” in the parking lot.

As we made our way in, Street Sweeper Social Club got the main stage started a little after one, playing a short set of songs from their debut album. Their music was rockin’, as expected with the talented Tom Morello on guitar leading the way with his trademark pyrotechnics that make you wonder how he makes some of those sounds. The lyrics were filled with messages that likely work better for the have-nots.

A lot of attendees wore black, but the commitment to their lifestyle should have given way to comfort, considering how hot the day was getting. We sought shade in the two-story Monster VIP booth, which was placed behind the soundboards, and drank their energy drinks and ate their appetizers.

Hollywood Undead came out wearing masks and sounded like a heavier version of Linkin Park, which in part means they seem inorganically manufactured by a producer or music label. I was surprised a good portion of the crowd was into them. After a couple of songs they took off their masks, so I didn’t get the point of having them in the first place nor why five guys were running around on the mic. I found them very boring and was concerned that in combination with the heat I was going to pass out regardless of their volume.

Atreyu also created forgettable, loud noise. When they first hit the stage, it didn’t sound like their guitar and mic levels were set right, and a background vocal track could be heard, but we couldn’t tell who was singing. Maybe a recorded track? Later, the bass levels were off as well. Near the stage a nice size mosh pit broke out, so some people must have either enjoyed the music or having hot, sweaty, dirty, man flesh banging into them in a homoerotic manner

We headed out into the masses to catch Wolfmother, whose debut album bowled me over and still does. Unfortunately Chris Ross and Myles Heskett left the band in 2008, so Andrew Stockdale now leads the 2.0 version accompanied by Ian Peres (bass/keys); Aidan Nemeth (guitar); David Atkins (drums). Opening with “Dimension,” there was too much bass. The levels were corrected for the next song, something off the upcoming Cosmic Egg. The songs played from this album didn’t have any organ in the arrangements. The band played a very spacey opening on “Carnival,” and came back to it during the bridge, but the bass was off again. They rocked hard on “Woman” and Stockdale played a delivered a good guitar solo. Their set was way too short.

During “Mind’s Eye,” some young man a few people in front of me dropped to his knees because he didn’t now how to properly pace himself. As his friends picked him up and turned him around, he looked wrecked and had trouble focusing his eyes. With arms on shoulders, they tried walking out, but he collapsed. Friend #1 grabbed his legs and friend #2 put his arms under the pits and across the chest. As they carried him, he briefly came to with a “what’s happening” expression. People in the crowd laughed and took photos, angering friend #2 whose middle-finger-extended-hands rested on his barely conscious friend’s chest, as if he was willing to drop the guy and fight 20-30 people.

We headed over and grabbed a seat in the grandstand for Alice in Chains, who we were both anxious to hear with new lead singer William DuVall. Opening with “Rain When I Die,” the band destroyed our apprehensions, as they sounded great. DuVall has a deeper voice than the late Layne Stayley, but what helps smooth the transition is guitarist Jerry Cantrell singing harmonies. However sitting where we were the sound was very odd, almost like the speakers were rotating. A lot of people in the crowd were happy to hear the old songs live. Listen to them here.

I must confess I am still unable to comprehend the appeal of the studio-polished, rap/rock of Linkin Park, but was in the minority at Epicenter. They are all adequate at what they do, but none are compelling enough to generate any interest in me, and I am completely turned off to the shrill shrieking vocals of Chester Bennington. Their stage set-up was odd as members stood on boxes at different times, looking like children trying to reach the grown-up’s table. At one point, the sound when out during a song to the delight of Tool fans who find LP weak, but fans helped finish the vocal. Things came to a screeching halt when Mike Shinoda offered up some poem about a soldier about war that mentioned Bush and Obama. Bennington brought out his side project Dead By Sunrise for three songs. I enjoyed their ‘80s alt vibe on the first, but the second sounded too much like LP.

Tool closed the show with the most impressive set of the day. I enjoyed their songs, which are not only heavy but also have a progressive rock element to them as they run slightly longer and are seemingly more complex than most of the bands that played this day. The visuals are also an integral part to a Tool experience. The video screens offered unusual images in accompaniment to the music, likely the videos for the songs, and colored lasers shot out over the crowd and pierced the black sky above.

Vocalist Maynard James Keenan was on crutches but told the crowd he wasn’t going to let them down. It was interesting to see him staged in the back alongside the drums, creating a sense that the vocals are not more important than any other element of the song.

Epicenter '09 was a great success from my vantage point and those around me, so here’s looking forward to Epicenter ’10.

CHRIS CORNELL
Avalon Hollywood, CA
5/2/2007

Vine Street was abuzz as Chris Cornell brought his club tour to the Avalon Hollywood. There were as many people looking for a ticket as had one since it’s not often a performer of Cornell’s stature plays such a small venue. Avalon holds roughly 1,500. In Los Angeles, he easily could have filled a much larger facility.

Understandably some artists want to make a break from their past, so they can establish their new work and identity. Cornell’s new album will be hitting stores on June 5th, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if he used the opportunity to showcase his upcoming material. Just being so close to him would surely be enough for any fan. Right from the get-go, he revealed his intentions. His touring band, comprised of guitarist Yogi Lonich (Wallflowers and Buckcherry), guitarist Peter Thorn (Courtney Love), drummer Jason Sutter, and bassist Corey McCormick, launched into Soundgarden’s “Spoon Man,” and the house went wild.

The first new song was the rockin’ “No Such Thing,” and the crowd enjoyed it. Then, Cornell had an audience member pass up some type of white rag to the stage. He flashed it to the crowd and the band launched into the song written on it: “Say Hello 2 Heaven.” The audience exploded with joy. While many fans most likely hoped and assumed we’d be getting Soundgarden songs, the majority had to be surprised upon hearing Temple of the Dog. Cornell continued with that band’s other big hit, “Hunger Strike.” It was amazing to hear him still hit the high notes on the chorus. He’s arguably got one of the best voices of a rock singer. He easily could have found himself performing opera had he traveled a different path in life.

Midway through the show, Cornell carried his son, about 18 months old, out to the center of the stage and asked the ladies in the house to say hello. He grabbed an acoustic guitar and dedicated “Seasons” from the movie Singles to the kid. The unplugged mini-set continued with the new “Scar on the Sky,” “Can't Change Me” from his first solo album “Euphoria Morning” and a pair of Audioslave tunes, “ I Am The Highway” and “Doesn't Remind Me” with the band returning to finish off the latter song.

Cornell delivered a fantastic, gut-wrenching version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” It is admittedly hard not to initially scoff at the idea, but he really delivers on the song. The initial set ended after about 75 minutes with “Cochise.” Cornell pulled out a rarity for the first encore, “Sunshower” from Great Expectations. During the second encore, Cornell went to the audience again and pulled up a sign that requested “Zero Chance.” They closed with an extended "Slaves & Bulldozers," which included a drum solo.

If you are a fan of Cornell's work, I highly recommend you see him. In the month of June, Cornell will be heading to Europe, opening for Aerosmith. In July, he returns to the States to play larger venues. In August, he returns to Europe to play festivals. Tour information is available at his website.

Setlist: Spoonman - Outshined - Original Fire - No Such Thing - Say Hello 2 Heaven - Hunger Strike - What You Are - Rusty Cage - Seasons - Scar on the Sky - I am the Highway - Can't Change Me - Doesn't Remind Me - Your Soul Today - Billie Jean - Cochise - Like a Stone - Sunshower - Black Hole Sun - You Know My Name - Zero Chance - Slaves and Bulldozers

Video of "Black Hole Sun" from the show

Video of "Doesn't Remind Me" from the show