We travelled from Washington State halfway around the world to take in the Washington State modern rock sensation Pearl Jam last night at the Ericsson Globe Arena in the grungy Globe City neighborhood of Stockholm Sweden.
The Sweden Solar System is the world's largest permanent scale model of our Solar System. The Ericsson Globe at a diameter of 110 meters (the world's largest hemispherical building) represents the Sun, and all of the planets are also represented. The planets (and their moons) are aligned to scale in size and distance radiating northward throughout Sweden, from the Globe in Stockholm all the way out to the representation of cute cute Pluto at a diameter of only 12 cm (softball sized) up with the reindeer in Lapland at Delsbo. The Earth is 65 cm in diameter (beachball sized) located in the Cosmonova Museum in suburban Stockholm, and the Jupiter is 7.3m in diameter (hot air balloon sized), located at a highway roundabout north of Arlanda.
Saturday night, Pearl Jam did the Globe proud, all hot and flaring and radiating gasses and rays and energy -- just like the sun.
Show was a sell-out at 16,000 worldly fans packed in like herring.
LA punk sensation from another generation X opened the show -- peg leg frazz all over. Here is X's John Doe still doing it like 1982.
Pearl Jam took the stage like the sexy sextet that they are.
Here is lead guitarist Mike McCready, traveling with his 1959 Fender Stratocaster and his parents who made him take music lessons (just like yours did).
Here is keyboardist and native Hawaiian Boom Gaspar on his first visit to Sweden.
Here is drummer Matt Cameron who is fast on the skins like, say, Keith Moon was.
Here is Montana native Jeff Ament who wears his bass strap too long so that he looks somewhat like a midget hedge fund manager, but slaps it out with the best of them.
Here is rhythm guitarist and Seattle native Stone Gossard along with frontman Sir Eddie Vedder in a deep mood.
Set I:
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town -- "I just want to say hello!"
Corduroy -- Our perfect second level section is seated!
Got Some -- Mr. Vedder drinks wine from a bottle.
Why Go -- Some in the fire hazard pit are wondering if it might be time.
Here is Mr. Vedder thanking the crowd in Swedish -- annunciated slowly although not too badly our seat neighbor tells us.
Amongst The Waves -- A very large wave is being ridden to its completion.
Wishlist -- "I wish I were a neutron bomb that wont go off."
Given To Fly -- Mr. Vedder pulls up his shirt like wings (to swoons.)
Comatose -- Sounds discordant like Phish's Sanity.
Even Flow -- Even better than the Adam Sandler version.
World Wide Suicide -- The pit looks like popping corn.
Garden -- Let Stone sing!
Better Things -- Kinks cover about hope.
Unthought Known -- Section B6 is still essentially motionless. Quizzical.
All Those Yesterdays -- A few of the PJ members have receding hairlines, but, hey, that's ok, so does the audience.
The Fixer -- Mr. Vedder thanks his physician and his mechanic.
1/2 Full -- Mr. Vedder asks for a new bottle of wine and it is replenished faster than you can say Peter.
Jeremy -- Jeff Ament on the solo intro and outro. You know its the closer.
Set II:
Off He Goes -- "Nothing has changed but the surrounding bullshit..."
Just Breathe -- Beautiful acoustic intro and dedicated by Mr. Vedder to the newlyweds in the audience.
State Of Love And Trust -- Mr. Vedder is taking requests.
Do The Evolution -- "You're in control now. This set is evolving..."
Love, Reign O'er Me -- Does The Who justice -- especially Jeff and Matt.
Porch -- Sloppy. Here is Mr. Vedder doing his laying of the hands session like Jesus would do.
E:
Happy Birthday -- sung to two of the crew and one special birthday girl who caught Mr. Vedder's eye.
Once -- Highway living by the side of the road -- you know a Neil Young song is coming.
Better Man/Save It For Later -- Run out nicely. Crowd on the "oh oh oh oh yah's."
Crazy Mary -- No smoking or drinking in the Globe Arena.
Black -- Pearl Jam has a beautiful song. Ed joins Boom on keys.
Alive -- Along with the stuffed animals and blouses, several Italian flags are passed up to Mr. Vedder -- who loops them into his belt and strips them off to swoons (in Italian as well as Swedish.)
Rockin' In The Free World -- House lights up. Mr. Vedder supposes that Neil Young would be proud of Stockholm.
Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing -- Mr. Vedder gives away a dozen tambourines to close the show.
Tonight's only oddity was the sea of seated patrons in the second level where we were. One lone beautiful dancer danced untouched like it was her birthday. Your correspondent rose to groove only to be punched first and asked to sit later. At least they were dancing outside.
Stockholm is fit for a king. But next time ask for the regal box -- standing and dancing allowed!
See you in Oslo!