I woke up pretty excited on the morning of November 27th. Pearl Jam was in town, and this was the first time they had been to New Zealand in 11 years.
A cool vibe surrounds Auckland on big concert days. New Zealand is fairly small and expensive to get to, so big international gigs like this (while they are getting a bit more frequent) only happen a couple of times a year. This means that every single one of your friends, friends of friends, workmates, workmate’s friends, and friend’s workmates will be going to any given show, and everyone will be psyched about it.
What was even cooler about this show was that Liam Finn and Ben Harper were the opening acts. I loved that they were all playing together, given the connections they have with each other and New Zealand: first, Eddie Vedder has been down here collaborating with Finn’s dad (most notably on 7 Worlds Collide), and Finn opened for Vedder on his solo tour last year; secondly, Harper is absolutely covered in Maori tattoos, and he gets more every time he comes here. Added to all of this, you just know there will be duets left, right and centre.
With the November afternoon sun shining, we crammed on to the train with everyone heading to Mount Smart Stadium wearing the holey, faded merch they bought in 1998 — the last time Pearl Jam played here. We arrived early enough to catch some of Finn’s act. He blows me away every time with his insatiable energy and the way he layers his sound thicker and thicker, then jumps on the drums to thrash out the ending. He went crazy on the theremin at the end, while his partner in crime Eliza Jane tried to keep up with percussion and backing vocals. I see a bright future for that boy.
To be honest, I didn’t pay too much attention to Ben Harper — I was too busy trying to start a Mexican wave (EPIC FAIL). I like some of his songs, but more as background music. I definitely sang along when he busted out great tunes like “Faded“ and “Fight For Your Mind” (love that slide guitar). We got a sneak preview of Vedder when he came on to help out with a cover of Queen’s “Under Pressure.”
The sun was just starting to go down when the first chords of “Daughter” chimed through the air. The crowd went nuts — to start the set with such a sing-along song was magic, and really set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Vedder, thankfully recovered from the cold that had cut the band’s Sydney concert short a few days before, made a promise to the crowd, telling us: “Don’t worry, we’ll play at least till dark.” They then proceeded to play for well over two hours, covering their whole catalogue and giving us two encores.
Pearl Jam were in fine form and ready to give us what we wanted to hear. From the complete mayhem of “Even Flow” we were taken straight to the catchy riffs of new tune “Johnny Guitar.” Five songs from the latest album – ‘Backspacer’ – were included, which stood up really well against their older material. Most notable for me was the U2-esque “Unthought Unknown,” an emotional, piano-driven power ballad that translated beautifully live.
With my throat already raw from screaming every word of “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” and “Black,” the ecstatic crowd was left to sing the first half of “Better Man.” We were then treated to an acoustic version of “Just Breathe” to start the first encore — a song Vedder says is as close to a love song as they’re ever written.
Auckland was in love with Vedder that night. “It won’t be 11 years till the next time we come,” he promised. “Maybe we’ll come stay for 11 years.”
After more blasts from the past with “Why Go” and “Porch,” Neil and Liam Finn joined Pearl Jam on stage for the start of the second encore. They chose to play a song that is close to every Kiwi’s heart: “Not Given Lightly” by New Zealand musician Chris Knox. Followed up by the excellent new single, “The Fixer” and the obligatory Neil Young cover “Rockin’ In The Free World,” the night was beautifully ended with “Yellow Ledbetter”, Mike McCready’s soulful solo bringing us slowly back down to earth.
It doesn’t matter how long you’re gone, Pearl Jam. When you come back it feels like home.
Set List:
“Daughter”
“Severed Hand”
“Corduroy
“Hail Hail
“Faithfull”
“Hold On”
“Even Flow”
“Johnny Guitar”
“Unthought Known”
“Unemployable”
“Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”
“Black”
“Given To Fly”
“Amongst The Waves”
“Got Some”
“Grievance”
“Wasted Reprise”
“Better Man”
Encore One:
“Just Breathe”
“Red Mosquito” (with Ben Harper)
“Love, Reign O’er Me” (The Who cover)
“Do The Evolution”
“Why Go”
“Porch”
Encore Two:
“Not Given Lightly” (Chris Knox cover with Neil & Liam Finn)
“The Fixer”
“Rockin’ in the Free World” (Neil Young cover)
“Yellow Ledbetter”
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