If you’d arrived at Sydney Olympic Park’s showground early enough (and 6pm is very early) , you’d have seen Eddie Vedder introducing the Cosmic Psychos to the crowd as one of his favourite bands. The seminal Melbourne punk band really don’t need much introduction, just a small bit of stage and a mic. What they do with it is something else.
“It’s nice to be in Sydney,” declared bassist and front man, Ross Knight. “Anyway, this is Fuckwit City.” There’s certainly no spiders being molested in this set.
It has to be said that three people making such a racket to a fairly empty stadium meant you heard everything vibrating from the brutal bass and bass, but it was the visceral vocals from Knight that really set the Psychos apart. That and the tongue in cheek lyrics, especially to their final track, “David Lee Roth”; “I want long, golden locks. I want a great big 20-inch cock. Never change!
There was a stark contrast between all of the acts on the bill, but most notably, the Pixies set was decidedly low-key. The alternative band from Boston, USA, have released as many albums in the last ten years as they did in their first stint from 1986 to 1993 but it’s their iconic tracks that everyone remembers or sometimes forgets that it is by them.
Their first three tracks were taken from their first three albums, released in the ‘80s. “Here Comes Your Man”, with it’s jaunty pop melody is such a stand-out track from their catalogue by has also sat strangely within their more downbeat introspective bed fellows.
“Motorway to Roswell” taken from their 1991 “Trompe le Monde” album felt like a highlight of a relatively short set which was punctuated with two false starts to songs, most noticeably after about 30 seconds of “Hey” with its sparse bass opening. Guitar issues seem to affect the start of the track as Black Francis switched guitars, but Francis’ vocals danced well with bassist Emma Richardson’s (ex-Band of Skulls) who has been a worthy replacement for Kim Deal who never returned to the band after their 1993 break up.
A group of three tracks from their latest record, “The Night the Zombies Came” featured in the middle of their set, but otherwise it was one for the old fans with other tracks only coming from their ‘80s to ‘90s records. “Caribou” rounded out a relatively short set, which contained basically no banter from the band, a bit of a shame considering the size of the growing crowd.
The last time Pearl Jam played in Sydney it was on the very same stage as part of the Big Day Out in 2014. Ten years on, a lot has changed, but similarly, many things stay the same with flannel shirts, plenty of black and newly purchased hats spotted around the crowd.
“Good evening Sydney, this is a special one,” Eddie Vedder announced, looking casual in a sporting jersey and wide-brimmed hat, smiling at the adoring audience, with the floor and stands of ENGIE Stadium full to the brim. Later he would say, “We’ve been looking forward to this for a long long long time. I can’t believe we’ve made it to Sydney.”
“Release” started the night, a perfect way to warm up the vocal chords for both singer and audience alike. The chance to sing along with an idol like Eddie Vedder is one that the crowd did not let pass them by, it was loud and fervent all night and the fact that it was an outdoor show meant that you could still hear Vedder’s vocals over the top.
During the solo in the second song, “Even Flow”, Mike McCready was nailing it with his guitar behind his head and it was immediately evident that this band is still in their prime. The performance from Vedder, Ament, McCready, Gossard and Cameron was exemplary all night, a line-up that has remained static since 1998. The addition of Josh Klinghoffer on keys only served to enhance the pristine sound from the band.
With such a mammoth catalogue spanning 34 years, you know that there will be a wide range of tracks performed and perhaps you can’t expect all of your favourites to get a spin, but boy, they gave it a crack. Obviously, picks from “Ten”, “Vs” and “Vitalogy” would be hotly received, but 2024 album, “Dark Matter” received a lot of love, particularly for the title track and “Waiting For Stevie”.
An extended version of “Corduroy” gave the band a chance to expand and contract with each other, the crescendo of the track delivering more blistering guitar work from McCready and Gossard – this would be showcased all night long.
“We’re not going to wanna go home!” declared Vedder as he made a habit of chatting in between every couple of songs, seemingly in a very upbeat mood and wanting to connect with his audience. This lead to a number of stories and messages regarding fans and old stories of people including the “adventurous spirit” of all Australians he’s met. Happy stories were mixed with the sad, particularly when referencing the news of the tourists who had passed in Laos this week. He dedicated “Come Back” to the girl still fighting to survive after the drink-spiking incident.
A frenetic version of “State of Love and Trust” was a highlight for the old-school fans and led into an equally speedy version of new track, “Running”, before the opening bass line to “Jeremy” was played by Jeff Ament and the crowd popped off. Vedder would take time in many songs to seek out the crowd involvement and when the crowd nailed the vocal, it was goosebump inducing. Particularly the “ooh, ooh, ooh” moments at the end of Jeremy which got the crowd yelling excitedly.
In a lovely moment, Vedder spoke of the significance of the ground we were at. Big Day Out aside, he brought up the fact that the GWS Giants, the AFL team whose home ground it is, had recently supported the ‘EB Research Partnership’, a charity close to Eddie and Jill, his wife’s, heart. Showing photos of the Giants wearing a kit sporting the EB logo, it felt like a significant and moving moment for the frontman.
Straight after this, the crowd were treated to a sensational version of “Faithful”, a rarely played treat from their 1998 album “Yield” or as Vedder jokingly indicated was called “Give Way” in Australia, before the iconic “Porch” rounded out the main set, again the “Yeahs” at the end echoed into the crowd who sang it back with gusto, every song finishing with a distinct reminder who just how good these songs are and how they can impact so many fans.
We were hoping for a big encore and we were not disappointed. Imagine, if you will, the transition of just hearing Eddie Vedder play the brilliant cover of Wayne Cochran’s “Last Kiss” solo on stage with an acoustic guitar, bringing tears to the crowd to the immediate and fiery opening to “Animal”. It’s not something you could predict and it was perfect.
What came next was an encore for the ages including a magical rendition of “Black”. The classic track from “Ten” was not on the original written playlist so the fact that we could have missed hearing this song live would have been a travesty. We held back the tears or just let them flow, because it has to go down as one of, if not the best, song Pearl Jam have ever written. Add to that one of the most blistering guitar solos you’ve ever heard from Mike McCready and you had a live moment core memory to store away for the rest of your days.
When the inevitability of “Alive” arrived, the euphoria was at fever-pitch, so when the house lights went up it felt like a pure celebration. The lights stayed up as Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” inspired some fantastic Dad dancing and we let the heart slow down a little as we belted out the final track, “Indifference”.
“I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room”. We certainly did and it gave us tingles.
It’s easy to gush about this concert as a fan, but objectively this was a show that proves the star power of Pearl Jam, reinforces them as one of the biggest bands in the world and reminds just how bloody good they are as musicians.
The songs were performed with such loyalty to the originals that it made it easy for everyone to get involved and despite them playing some of the songs hundreds of times there were seemingly no moments of boredom or of ‘going through the motions’.
Vedder and the band utilised the whole of the large stage, interacting with the audience, reading their signs and generally listening to their shouts for requests throughout the show. There’s a respect given to the fans that has been present ever since their inception, which has led to a fanatical and loyal fanbase including their official “Ten Club” whose shirts were observed around the throng.
“We’ll be back and it won’t be ten years,” announced Eddie Vedder as the show wrapped up. We can only hope, because if you get a chance to see this show (for the first time or again) on Saturday, don’t miss out.
The Pearl Jam Dark Matter World Tour ends with the final show at Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium on Saturday the 23rd of November. Tickets are still available here.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Photo Credit: Pete Dovgan
