Pearl Jam - NYE in NYC (1992)

"Ending a year in which heirs had become apparent, in rock as well as politics, Eddie Vedder was trying hard to keep his veneer of ugliness in place. He looked a wreck, even more than usual, because of the hat: Vedder had stuffed his curly locks under a huge, misshapen black stocking cap, as if to say, 'Girls, boys, don't you dare think I'm sexy.' But his trademark spastic gyrations kept sending the thing flying. So a few songs into the set, Vedder grabbed a roll of black packing tape and angrily secured the hat to his head. Neither as weird as Nirvana nor as unpleasant as Guns N'Roses, Pearl Jam is being groomed by rock's aging pantheon to inherit their kingdom. That's why Vedder got to stand in for Jim Morrison when the Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and why the band made sense opening for Keith Richards as part of CBS's festivities last New Year's Eve. 'If it weren't for Keith we wouldn't be here tonight,' Vedder mumbled before launching into 'Alive.' Then he remembered that Richards wasn't the one who'd bought all those copies of Ten, and added sheepishly, 'We're happy to be here.'"

... Ann Powers, from Spin, April 1993

The above is from a review of Pearl Jam’s 1992 New Year’s Eve show at The Academy in New York, in which they were the opening act for Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos. It’s strangely premonitory, this comment from Ms. Powers 14 years ago that Pearl Jam was being groomed to become rock hierarchy. So many other bands imploded along the way. Fortunately this one didn’t.

Some additional notes on the show, from Five Horizons:
-- Unusual fast version of "Wash."
-- A short clip of "Sonic Reducer" was broadcast on CBS's New Year's Eve broadcast. See the song in its entirety, as well as other videos from this show at YouTube.
-- The rare "Dirty Frank" had not been played previously live in its entirety.

The entire show as a Zip file.

Speed Wash.mp3
Sonic Reducer.mp3
Why Go.mp3
Even Flow.mp3
Alone.mp3
Garden.mp3
Daughter.mp3
Dirty Frank.mp3
Oceans.mp3
Alive.mp3
Leash.mp3
Porch.mp3

posted by aikin @ 1:06 PM