It was a cool night at The Kia Forum, but the night would be anything but, courtesy of Pearl Jam and the band’s Dark Matter Tour. With a string of shows on the horizon, including a pair at Ohana Fest, fans could not wait to get on the doors to see the first night of this legendary band.
Celebrating the band’s 12th studio album titled “Dark Matter,” Pearl Jam remains just as close to the core as any band with their longevity.
Ready to take another run and entertaining the masses, Eddie Vedder (vocals & guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), and Matt Cameron (drums) were primed and ready to go.
The crowd rolled into the Kia Forum with a majestic banner of the band and their name lit up, and the dynamic range of concertgoers was evident. Teens, young adults and not so teen filled the Kia Forum equally.
Nationalities of every kind attended the show, and the social cliques were also dynamic. Despite their differences; they all had one thing in common, they all had this deep connection with the band and their music.
As soon as doors opened, there was a line a mile long at every merch booth you passed by. In the arena, it didn’t take long for it to fill to near capacity. As I took my seat, I spoke with a few fans and none really knew what to expect. Perhaps a collection of their greatest hits with a few songs from the new album? Some guessed a combination of the two, newer music with some of their classic catalog?
Before we got our answer, we got a nice warm up from opener Deep Sea Diver. This fellow Seattle band was pumped to open the show.
Lead vocalist Jessica Dobson sounded great, her vocals were robust, as if she had been playing arenas like this her entire life. Clearly, the band had fans there as they opened with songs familiar to many in the crowd, “Lights Out,” “Wide Awake,” and “Impossible Weight.”
DEEP SEA DIVER
In addition to sounding great, the band moved about the stage freely and Dobson jumped on a giant box belting out their tunes, “What Do I Know,” “Wishing,” and although this was an abbreviated set, the crowd cheered as they closed with “Eyes Are Red (Don’t Be Afraid).” And as quickly as they appeared on stage, they were off to a roar of a now capacity crowd.
Between sets, you could feel the energy in the room in anticipation of Pearl Jam. Immediately you could tell this was a no nonsense kind of show. There were no over-the-top video screens, no crazy light gear, just a stage with a handful of lights, and a stage for the band to play.
Truthfully, it did take a minute or two for the band to take the stage, but when they did, it was to a roar that sounded like a jet taking off from nearby LAX.
With Talking Heads adjacent silhouettes to band members taking the stage, their opening was performed in near darkness to newer tunes, “Oceans,” “Come Back,” and “Off He Goes.”
With a smile that lit up the entire arena, Vedder’s joy was apparent once the lights came up and the crowd got a good luck at him in his leather jacket, classic number 34 Chicago Bears / Walter Payton jersey and hat. Vedder welcomed the crowd and genuinely thanked them for coming out.
Now with a very live crowd, they played their first song of their seminal album “10” with “Why Go,” then the crowd was treated to a set of booming songs, “Scared of Fear,” “React, Respond,” “Wreckage,” “Got Some,” and their title track to the new album, “Dark Matter,” then an eruption of epic proportions to “Daughter” ala Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”
Even though we first heard Vedder’s booming voice in 1990, it’s remarkable just how powerful his voice remains. The memories he has given us hit everyone attending the show.
Vedder spoke about what playing in L.A. meant to him, and coming to the Forum. He recalled the fantastic memories he had as a kid coming to see the Lakers play at this great venue, and the crowd loved every word. He even had security bring up a father and son that had been sitting up in the rafters where he used to sit with his dad and had them brought down to watch from the best seats in the house. Then, the band lit up the arena with their signature sound.
They went off taking us on their next sonic journey with intense high velocity tunes, “In My Tree,” “Waiting for Stevie,” and then the crowd erupted to “Even Flow!” McCreedy never sounded better and Gossard shredded! The power and energy this band possesses was only dwarfed by the energy being returned by the capacity crowd.
They finished off the set with “Upper Hand,” “Save You,” and “Faithful,” which was dedicated to Michele Castrellon (a long-time fan who had recently passed) before closing the show with “Rearviewmirror.”
This was an emotional closing to say the least.
Being the classy act they are, Pearl Jam didn’t keep the crowd waiting a they came back out for their encore. For their first song, they played what I believe is one of the sincerest and most honest songs anyone has ever recorded. Vedder played a stunning acoustic version of “Just Breathe.”
This was a song Vedder dedicated to his daughter, and his wife, and to all women. You could hear the subtle tone and cracking in his voice, it was a goosebump moment for sure. If there’s any doubt of the power in music, check out the lyrics to the song; you’ll see how emotional a person can get to words about the things in life that matter.
The encore rounded out with a few more pumping tunes, “Running,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Something Special,” “Leash,” then show stopper, “Alive!” Well, we thought “Alive” was the show stopper, then came PJ’s cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.” Wow, wow, wow that’s all anyone could say to describe what they just saw and heard. Everyone, and I mean everyone was singing long to the teenage wasteland that was the Kia Forum.
With fervor in Vedder’s voice, Pearl Jam closed with “Setting Sun,. As the song ended, the crowd sang back to Vedder, “Let us not fade / let us not fade.”
And with that, Pearl Jam’s return to Los Angeles was a monumental success.
As we all left the Kia Forum, the moon shined brightly on the venue; as if it was giving its approval of the night’s festivities. Whatever the reason, the colors were so bright and vivid, everyone captured a moment in time they would not forget anytime soon.
The tour continues, make sure to get out and see the iconic band when they come to your neck of the woods.
