Pearl Jam, the iconic rock band famous for pioneering the ’90s Seattle-sound, has digitally released archival footage of 200 live shows. The band also has just announced their first U.S. concert of 2021.
Pearl Jam Is Back
The archive release comes at a critical time in live music. Many of us have not attended a concert in over a year, if you were able to attend any at all in 2020 before the pandemic took hold. Releasing archival footage of 186 concerts is such a gift to music lovers. We get to be privy to the various experiences of nearly 5,500 live songs. Not only that, but the concerts take place across two decades. This release is public preservation of music history.
As for Pearl Jam’s current touring status, the band has not played a gig since September 4th, 2018 at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park. They had plans for a 2020 tour in support of their latest album, Gigaton. However, the pandemic tanked those plans. Both American and European tour dates are rescheduled for 2022. Until then, the band’s latest announcement of an upcoming concert this year is the best news for fans in years, on par with the archive release, of course.
The concert is to be held at Eddie Vedder’s fifth annual Ohana Festival. The dates are September 24th to the 26th. Other performers include Kings Of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Maggie Rogers, Brandi Carlile, Sharon Van Etten, Spoon, YOLA, Mac DeMarco, Cold War Kids, and more.
The Band’s History
The band formed in 1990 from the ashes of another beloved Seattle-sound band, Mother Love Bone. For the uninitiated, Pearl Jam is in the same league as other iconic grunge groups such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. But Pearl Jam is the only band able to still perform with founding members today.
Founding members include frontman Eddie Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, lead guitarist Mike McCready, and rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard. Drummer Matt Cameron is the latest addition. But considering he joined back in 1998, he is not an unfamiliar face for long-term fans.
You can view the digital concert archive on the hub here. You can purchase tickets for the upcoming concert here.
