6000 Foot Drop

Oslo, Norway: Pearl Jam 7/9/12 at the Oslo Spektrum -- Nobel Peace Prize

Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and left a vast fortune and directives for the award of annual prizes under his name.  Nobel was Swedish and the Nobel prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economics are awarded annually in his native Sweden.  But Nobel's directives decree that this most noble of the Nobels -- the Nobel Peace Prize -- be decided by Norwegians and awarded in Norway, perhaps as a nod to Norway's long-standing policies of peace and neutrality.  

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to "whoever shall have done the most or best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the holding and promotion of peace."  The award is over a million dollars and has been awarded annually since 1901. The Nobel Peace Prize annual concert is held at the Oslo Spektrum with its capacity of 9700.  

Last night, the American rockers Pearl Jam and their handsome leader Eddie Vedder made a pretty good case for a Nobel Peace Prize -- most certainly promoting fraternity between the nations and promoting peace through music.

Here is Mr. Vedder promoting more peace.

Show was a sell-out at 9700.  Norwegians are polite concert goers -- there was no smoking, and although drinks were allowed in the venue, none were spilled on or near us.  The Spektrum has an odd alignment, with a floor area that is too wide and luxury boxes at the very top that are the worst seats in the house.  The Spektrum also has some odd policies, like old-school hand stamp insie-outsies (barely enforced) and  "no standing in the seated sections" (vigorously enforced -- perhaps because the seats are so steep?)

Set I:

Long Road -- "My wish for you today..." Quiet with nice range.

Animal -- Sloppy, but we later find out Mr. Vedder isn't feeling well.

Hail, Hail -- Mr. Vedder kicks and jumps like a frontman is supposed to do.

Given to Fly -- Mr. Vedder does his shirt as wings trick.  Crowd is popping like popcorn.

Interstellar Overdrive -- One of Pink Floyd's oldest songs.

Corduroy -- Am I the only one who thinks this song sounds like U2's I Will Follow? (Yes I am the only one.)

Mr. Vedder explains that his throat is (noticeably) sore: "I must have caught something from kissing a sick Swedish boy." 

Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town -- Even the elderly in the crowd like this one.  "Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away..."

Low Light -- Dreamy.

Severed Hand -- Halting -- like the ushers trying to stop the fans from standing in the seated sections.

Even Flow -- Mr. Vedder shakes his jowls on the yabba-dabba-doo Adam Sandler impersonation part.  A fan's small "Smile" sign is passed-up and placed on stage under the keyboards.  

Green Disease -- Punky.  Mike McCready is fast on the frets.

Red Mosquito -- Request goes out to a couple from Moscow (and we thought we were the only ones in the audience with Idaho connections.)

Daughter -- "Don't call me daughter..." because I am afraid to turn on my phone in Europe.

It's OK -- Call and response.

Immortality -- Matt Cameron owns the song on the kit and Mr. Vedder acknowledges as such as he closes it out.

Leatherman -- Mr. Vedder is the man for the land with his speed strumming.

The Fixer -- Good fatherly advice -- "If something's broke, put a little fixer on it..."

Black -- Stone Gossard is very impressive on the soulful songs.  Beautiful life indeed.

Why Go --  The ushers are actively fighting back people who are only doing what comes naturally.

Set II:
Inside Job -- Plaintive and sincere, unlike most Phish.

Mr. Vedder tells a sad story of insomnia and hearing the bad news this morning that a friend had passed away.  He reminds the crowd to tell your loved ones that you love them, so we do.

Just Breathe -- Beautiful.  I too am a lucky man.

Breath -- Italian, French, and Norwegian flags are passed to the stage.

Mr. Vedder turns the mic over to rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard who explains: "I am going to sing Mankind which is a rarity. So enjoy it on that level." 

Mankind -- Stone sings and Mr. Vedder goes hyper-kinetic on the tambourine.

Do The Evolution -- Mr. Vedder's vocie is evolving (devolving?)

Porch -- At 600+ bpm.  With Star Spangled Banner teases.  Mike McCready removes his shirt and gives it to a fan, foolball style.

E:
Once -- "Once upon a time...."

Mr. Vedder fulfills a request for a young couple and also thanks the Norwegian audience for being well-behaved enough that a young couple could survive in the front.  

Smile -- Mr. Vedder on harmonica.

Mother -- Poignant Pink Floyd song.  Although the audience does want Mr. Vedder to "run for president", we think awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize would be more appropriate.

Alive -- House lights are up. The whack-a-mole ushers have finally given up on the seated dancers.

Rockin' In The Free World -- LA punk openers X join the melee.

Yellow Ledbetter -- You know its the closer.  Mr. Vedder thanks Olso for inviting the band.

See you at the Berkeley Greek for The String Cheese Incident!

Smile!

 

Stockholm, Sweden: Pearl Jam 7/7/12 at Ericsson Globe Arena -- Copernican Tra-La

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!