Pearl Jam are indisputably one of the biggest bands from the 1990s, and one of the reasons for this,
as well as their continued success, is their stellar live shows writes Ali Glen.
Across two evenings, as part of British Summer Time’s inhabitancy of London’s Hyde Park, Pearl Jam showed their disciples that they were still every bit the performers that were propelled to stardom in the last century. Bolstered by a stellar supporting line-up, including Pixies and Johnny Marr, the grunge icons proved to be the centrepiece of an excellent live music weekend .
On both nights, Eddie Vedder and co. walked out to The Beatles’ iconic track All You Need is Love,
but this was one of the few consistencies between the two nights, as the band played two largely different sets. Vedder even made reference to this early on in the second night, leading the audience
in an exercise of getting them to cheer if they had been at night 1, promising to 'play the shit [they]
didn’t last night', before launching into Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, a track that, fittingly, had not seen an outing in the first show. The decision highlighted the impressive depth of classic songs that the band has accumulated across their 11 albums, successfully keeping the 65,000-strong crowd enraptured through both performances.
Fortunately, the songs were given justice by the high-quality conversion of these hits onto the Great Oak Stage. Across both nights, the band showed that they were every bit as tight as they were in their 90s heyday. The driving guitars were matched by Eddie Vedder’s voice, which continues to be one of the most powerful and distinctive in rock music, well into its third decade of prominence. On River Cross, a melancholy and soaring piano ballad from the 2020 album Gigaton, Vedder showed a level of malleability in his vocals that was unfortunately not on display for the rest of either performance.
"These songs made it evident that these shows, in central London, acted not only as a celebration of Pearl Jam alone, but of rock music as a whole."
The spoken pretext of this particular song truly showcased all that is great about Pearl Jam as a live
act. Speaking with articulate passion on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Eddie compared the plight of
refugees with the history of Hyde Park as a sanctuary for people impacted by the Great Plague of 1665. Whilst this metaphor was remarkably apt for the point at hand, it also doubled as an insight into the frontman’s psyche. He saw his stage as a personal refuge, performing to people he adores, who evidently adore him back. Eddie sincerely values the level of support he receives from his masses of admirers, as evidenced by the lucid conversation that he engaged in with the audience throughout the night. For example, when a young fan was put up on the big screens displaying a "my first show” sign, the crowd was regaled in a story of guitarist Mike McCready’s first show, a Van Halen gig that shaped the core identity of the band’s sound. These moments of personableness were generously distributed across both nights, and provided some of the best and strongest presiding memories from Pearl Jam’s residency.
As well as their appreciation for their audience, Pearl Jam also exhibited a healthy respect for their
predecessors and contemporaries. Throughout both sets, the band interspersed snippets of some of
their favourite songs into their own material. On night one, they covered Public Image Ltd., before
bringing on Simon Townshend, who appeared earlier on in the day for his own set, to play his track
I’m The Answer. Neil Young tracks get an outing on both nights, with Rockin’ in the Free World
closing the show on night 1, and Throw Your Hatred Down, in which the band were joined on stage by
Johnny Marr. This was preceded by an impassioned speech about gun violence in the United States, and for final song of the night, a cover of The Who’s Baba O’Reilly. These songs made it evident that these shows, in central London, acted not only as a celebration of Pearl Jam alone, but of rock music as a whole.
Of course, this exhibition of music across the rock spectrum was only bolstered by the stellar undercard that warmed the crowd up for the main event. On day 1, The Murder Capital were excellent in their early afternoon set, undeterred by the enormity of the Great Oak Stage.The band conducted themselves with a swagger that suggested they’ve occupied stages such as this for years, rattling through their debut album When I Have Fears: the more raucous tracks in their discography, More is Less and Don’t Cling to Life, translated to the arena setting effectively. On the Birdcage stage, Dream Nails livened up the crowd in the 30-degree he brand of energetic queer pop, which was best exemplified by their closer Jillian, a song about discovering sexuality through fitness videos. In keeping with this theme, the band led a fitness routine of their own, and left a marked impression on those who weren’t previously familiar with their work. Similarly, Hull band LIFE left a mark with their punchy bass-lines and incisive, observational lyricism. They ride a wave of bands such as Do Nothing, Yard Act, and Dry Cleaning, and if this performance is anything to go by, look likely to challenge at the very top of this particular subgenre.
Pixies took to the arena immediately before Pearl Jam, and although their set suffered from issues
involving pacing, they still managed to get the crowd riled up with some of their greatest hits. At
times the songs were given very little time to breathe, with few gaps between them, and little
audience interaction from the Boston group. However, the strength of their illustrious discography carried them through the hour. Early in the set, the whole of Hyde Park was enwrapped in renditions of Here Comes Your Man and Where is My Mind, before treating them to Doolittle single Monkey Gone To Heaven, and finally closing on the headbanging drums and powerful riffs of modern classic Debaser.
Day 2’s highlight was undoubtedly Johnny Marr: the former Smiths member was on top form, treating Hyde Park to a career-spanning set. Though his work in his first band was quite obviously exceptional, and given ample time to shine throughout this set (Panic, This Charming Man, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, and How Soon is Now? all got a run out) it is also worth remembering the merits of his other work, including his work with Electronic, and his excellent solo career. Spirit, Power and Soul, the disco track from his 2022 release Fever Dreams Pt. 1-4, as well as the anthemic Easy Money, were some of the peaks of the set as a whole. Finally, Johnny took something of a victory lap, told through one of the most iconic songs from his discography, There is a Light That Never Goes Out. It spoke to the longevity of these fantastic tracks that a song such as that, never obviously written as an arena rock singalong, provoked this strong a reaction from an audience over 35 years after its first composition.
The penultimate act of the days was Stereophonics. The Welsh rockers delivered their customary
set of crowd-pleasing hits from their pantheon days around the turn of the century. Have a Nice Day
got everyone chanting along in Hyde Park, regardless of their intimate knowledge of the band’s catalogue and Mr and Mrs Smith, a track from their 2015 record Keep The Village Alive, was a surprise standout of the set. In one of the few audience interactions of their hour, singer Kelly Jones prefaces it by telling the audience how the song was written in reference to an affair he had, before warning the audience of the dangers of that path. Of course, the show inevitably concluded with Dakota, a song befitting the massive scale of the gig.
Pearl Jam’s Hyde Park occupation served not only as a complete celebration of the 90s icons’ career but also as a testament to the superb staple of summers in London that British Summer Time have created. Their exemplary organisational abilities provided attendees with a wide range of activities and high-quality food stalls, many of which I indulged in throughout the weekend. These qualities created a slick experience and excellent backdrops for the performances. On this stage, all that was left was for the bands to deliver on their end of the bargain, which, inarguably, they managed to do. This combination of organisation and showmanship created a spectacle that British Summer Time and Pearl Jam have both become renowned for – excellent concerts on a grand scale.
Ali Glen
Edited by: Caradoc Gayer
In article and cover images courtesy of Pearl Jam and BST Hyde Park via Facebook. In article video courtesy of Murder Capital via YouTube.
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