Seattle post-punk legends Pearl Jam went deep into extra innings Friday at the venerable Wrigley Field in the Lakewood community of Chicago. Show was a sell-out at over 50,000. The 99-year old stadium was built for $250,000, about the cost-per-outing for today's Cubs' pitchers. The ivy-covered brick outfield walls run 355 to 400 feet from home plate, but even from deep center field, Pearl Jam was throwing smoke right over the plate -- that is, until Wrigley's unreasonably paranoid insurance brokers, lawyers and weathermen took over the show, halting it for over 2 hours.
Wrigley chewing gum potentate WIlliam Wrigley Sr. (Willie Jr. still runs the company) named the ballpark after himself after buying the Cubs in 1918, sort of how he named the Wrigley gum brands after himself -- trumpian. The Wrigleyville neighborhood surrounding Wrigely Field from the Addison Red Line stop shares a zest with Boston's Fenway and the surrounding Fens -- many shops and restaurants and bars dedicated to athletics and shirts and beer, but not necessarily rock music. Pearl Jam took the stage in the daylight 50 minutes after showtime at 8:20 with no opening act. We were in row 7 on the third base line with neighbors from Virginia, Long Island and Denver.
Set I:
Release -- Soft and slow opener, portending the long show the band wanted, but never got to deliver.
Nothingman -- Jeff Ament on upright bass and Stone Gossard on acoustic guitar.
Present Tense -- You better believe, because Mr. Vedder is 40 feet tall and has a new schoolboy haircut.
Hold On -- Indecipherable. Mr. Vedder leads the aural gibberish in communal prayer style.
Low Light -- Mike McCready is the song's MVP with his clear tone, and Mr. Vedder redeems himself by holding the final note in the Lyric Opera of Chicago style.
Come Back -- Mr. Vedder runs through Pearl Jam's Chicago venue history before proclaiming Wrigley Field "the crown jewel of the whole planet earth" (has he never been to Mallorca?) Mr. Vedder dedicates this song to a friend who has passed away and goes deep and emotional, ending it in Ray Charles style.
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town -- Mr. Vedder opens the tune by promising 3, 4, 6, 10 or more songs and then ends the tune by calling the first set quits because it might rain in the next 30 minutes. Rain-or-shine deadheads groan.
The band takes an unexplained 165 minute set-break while Mr. Wrigley cools off his hot box with rain from above. Some of the true music lovers leave to take-in the talented Vermont musical phenomenon Phish down the shore at Northerly Isle.
Set II:
All The Way -- All the way back to whichever seat you want.
All Night -- Pearl Jam's favorite boy-who-cried-wolf promise.
Do The Evolution -- Apparently the evolution includes the confluence of insurance people, lawyers and weathermen.
Setting Forth -- Some of the Wrigley staff complain that they were supposed to be home by now, but there is no doubt 7/19/13 will remain the biggest beer sale day in Wrigley Field history.
Corduroy -- Everything has changed including the “everything has changed” part.
Faithfull -- Many of the faithful are already asleep back in their hotel rooms.
Mind Your Manners -- And you thought Pearl Jam fans listened to Pearl Jam.
Lightning Bolt -- Bass player Jeff Ament visited the merchandise tent during the break.State Of Love And Trust -- Carved into one of the historic skyscrapers in the loop.
Wishlist -- The neutron bomb has gone off at least partially as many fans head to the crowded L platforms.
Even Flow -- After midnight, the yabba-dabba-do part sounds even funnier.
Leatherman -- Another of the terrific "man" songs in the PJ repertoire.
Eruption -- What would David Lee Roth do?
Bugs -- Easy to see among the lighted falling rain drops.
Why Go -- He's asking the wrong people.
Unthought Known -- Many people's favorite Pearl Jam song enjoyed on the Wrigley Field webcam from their hotel rooms.
Rearview Mirror -- Some PJ fans will be re-assessing after this coventry-like fiasco.
E:
Future Days
Mother
Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns
Porch
Wasted Reprise/Life Wasted
Black
Rocking In The Free World -- Neil Young would be proud, if he had stuck-around.
See you tonight at Northerly Isle for Phish!