Whoever said grunge is dead wasn't in Vancouver Friday night.
Pearl Jam, the fab five from Seattle, resurrected their trademark sound to a packed sold-out show at General Motors Place -- the band's first stop out of their hometown as the band embarks on their 2009 world tour.
With a plaid-shirted Eddie Vedder belting out his signature growl, fans were treated to a frantic two-and-a-half hour set, rife with old favourites and what could soon become new classics.
In Pictures: Pearl Jam performs in Vancouver
It didn't take long for the band to roll out the goods from their new album, "Backspacer," released Sunday to much fan and critical acclaim. A visibly charged Vedder channelled punk energy to deliver "The Fixer," the first single.
But if tracks from their ninth and newest release brought fans to their feet, it was the oldies that made them lose their minds.
"Given to Fly" and "Even Flow" were the first of many in the expansive 27-song set to highlight the band's impressive almost 20-year history. The band's delivery of "Betterman" saw a singalong of nearly 22,000 at their feet.
Pausing between songs, Vedder praised his "neighbours to the north," saying he'd visit more if it wasn't for the borders. He said the band might like to live in Canada one day but was worried becoming residents may affect their audience. Two sold-out shows at Seattle's Key Arena were said to have enthusiastic, if not raucous, fans.
"If Seattle is any example, in five years you're going to be a shit crowd," he said.
Vedder, long known for being socially conscious (famously suing Ticketmaster over service fees and "venue monopolization"), cited B.C. native Terry Fox for kindling the band's spirit of activism in the early 1980's.
"He's one of the first people that taught me -- even when I was a kid -- that you can make a difference."
In honour of the anniversary of Fox's death, the band dedicated a song to the Canadian legend, and pledged $20,000 to the Terry Fox Foundation.
Before the first of two five-song encores, Vedder took a break to speak to the crowd, alluding to rumours "Backspacer" may be their final album -- ever.
But he may be speaking too soon. "Backspacer" is the first Pearl Jam album in 13 years that looks like it has a chance to reach the top of the charts. It's already landed the number one spot on HMV Canada's national album sales. The first single, "The Fixer," has already hit number two on the Billboard chart. It's predicted the album will sell 175,000 to 200,000 copies by the end of the week, a fact that is especially significant given this is their first release without a major record label.
Vancouver's concert showcased the good and the bad from what may just be the band's most tightly wound EP, with 11 tracks unfurled over 37 minutes. While the songwriting may be more simplistic than 1996's No Code -- the album that saw their last number one on Billboard's Top 200 -- this is arguably the tightest and most dynamic release in more than a decade. Each track is infused with strong and uptempo, if not sparse, storytelling.
Friday's tight and concise performance comes as no surprise to the fans who have been following the band since they cut their teeth in the Seattle music scene nearly two decades ago.
Speaking to a Seattle newspaper earlier this week, guitarist Mike McCready attributed their longevity to a delicate combination of incredible success and good fortune.
"It's kind of a dream to wake up and go, 'Wow we're still here.' There's an awareness of how lucky we are and how cool it is that we have a band that is still making music that people are curious about."
Vancouver is the only Canadian date on this latest world tour. The band will make several stops in Washington State and California before headlining the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. The final lag of the tour finishes in Australia and New Zealand in late November.
