Pearl Jam: You Wouldn't Understand

Go to a Pearl Jam concert as a spectator and you will witness a gathering almost cult-like. Arms raising in V's... "1,2,3,4, 5 (against one)" fingers flying up in the air, clapping, bowing and headbanging in unison just as the Christians kneel and sit before their God. Except ours is Eddie Vedder and he bellows his grunts and moans and preaches his ever so opinionated word.

It's time for our communion when Ed takes a bottle of wine, drinks it down and passes it around. We give thanks to him and the rest of the bandmates and taste that sweet taste of the sweat pouring off of our face.

(Eddie Vedder with a bottle of wine & Jeff Ament in background in Pittsburgh, Pa, 10-11-13, Photo By: Tori Atkinson)

Pearl Jam fans are a family. I once heard it was corny to go to a concert and wear that band's shirt. Not at a Pearl Jam show. We appreciate and gawk at all the other Pearl Jam shirts people adorn and wish we had them in our collections.

I've met countless people with so many different backgrounds who love Pearl Jam and hearing how they first heard of them is always a memorable experience.

I'll tell you a little about my Pearl Jam upbringing. It started at such a young age, I was just a few years old when I first heard the Ten album. My mom loved Pearl Jam and her best friend from college, Julie, loved them too. Julie had a daughter my age and the four of us grew up to be best friends and avid Pearl Jam fans.

Our moms are both Ten Club members and have been since it originated. We've seen Pearl Jam at least 20 times combined and each time has been even more special. We even planned a Florida vacation around a Pearl Jam concert.

Finally, October 11, 2013 my mom and I won general admission tickets through the Ten Club. We got to The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for their tour opener around noon and were about 25th in line to get in the building. Doors opened at 6 and we rushed to the stage. SECOND ROW. Finally, my mom gets to see her favorite band just feet away.

(My beautiful mother, Lisa Atkinson, and I with our Pearl Jam tickets 10-11-13)

That feeling is something that I can hardly describe. Your heart beats so fast, you can't stop smiling, the anticipation is almost too much to handle. The band you've loved, know every word to every song they've ever written, will soon be a few feet in front of you playing live. Seeing you as clear as you can see them.

After an hour of stage preparation, and about 4,000 heart palpitations, they finally come on stage. Eddie leads the crew then Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Boom Gaspar and finally Matt Cameron take their places on stage.

It doesn't hit me yet. They play 2 songs off their new album. I'm still in awe. I look over at my mom. She's high. And I mean higher than any drug can get you. She's high on music. High on life. She's truly happy.

Then, we hear the sounds of the familiar and beautiful "Nothingman." I can't even help it. Tears form in my eyes and they stream. And they stream hard. And I'm singing at the top of my lungs and I'm crying and I have my arms in the air. And I look around me. And everyone else is doing the same thing. Happiness, real deep emotions let out through their favorite music.

It's such a beautiful experience to be there with your family. I just met some of these people waiting in line earlier that day and I felt a connection to them. We were safe. This isn't the type of concert where someone will push their way to the front. Or mosh into you without an apology. We deserved these spots and our friends behind us helped preserve our spots.

What's truly magical was being there with my mother. My best friend. My guiding light for the music I love today. People have said, "Your mom is a total bad ass." And man, they're so right.

They played a few songs off their new album but rocked the house all night with hits and old classics and even some rarities. You look around though and you see everyone knows every word to every song. It isn't rehearsed. It's appreciated. It's years of anxiously awaiting their new music. Being addicted to that album. And still appreciating their old stuff. And never forgetting the album that got them to where they are today.

Coolest moment for the Pittsburghers in the crowd (and believe it or not most people traveled from other states to see Pearl Jam on the opening night of their tour) was when Jason Grilli of the Pittsburgh Pirates got on stage and rocked out with the band. Not sure if anyone caught it but Eddie sang "Whipping" to Jason. The first few lyrics are "Don't need a helmet got a hard, hard head." Jason gave Eddie a Pirates helmet and in return Eddie gave him the guitar off his back! Jason didn't leave the stage before giving a really heartwarming speech to the crowd saying we're the best city with the best fans and next year is our year. (Minus some choice expletives.)

(Eddie sporting a Roberto Clemente Pirates helmet, Pittsburgh, Pa 10-11-13 photo by: Tori Atkinson)

They had 2 encores and a total of 31 songs that night. In Eddie Vedder time that was 2 bottles of wine and a Corona. The band was never short of showing their appreciation for their fans. Everyone stood the entire 3 hour show. The last encore all of the house lights were turned on and it was such a surreal feeling to see a sold out beautiful hockey arena full of loving fans waving their arms in sync to their music. Even the seats behind the stage were full and Eddie was sure to not ignore them. He played a few songs singing to the back of the stadium.

(Standing ovation at the sold out tour opener in Pittsburgh, Pa 10-11-13, photo by: Tori Atkinson)

I realized being a Pearl Jam fan is actually a religion to us. It fills our souls. I can believe in them and I can see them. Their songs get me through some of the most difficult things in my life. I can relate to their ideas and feel their music deep in my bones. Eddie once said at a concert in Philadelphia, his only commandment would be "Thou shall not be an asshole." Pearl Jam is our church and we'll sing to the choir "Hallelujah, hallelujah!"