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PEARL JAM
+ Pixies
@ People First Stadium,
Gold Coast, QLD,
13th November 2024
(Live Review)

Review  and photos by Wezzy Cruze (@wezzycruze)

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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“Lighting Bolt” is the name of Pearl Jam’s 2013 album, it also turned out to be the main reason we may not have had a show last night, as severe weather warnings saw delays to the beginning of this event situated on the Gold Coast. With lightning strikes occurring three to five kilometres of the venue, officials kept punters safe in the corridors and at the gates before allowing access to the staged area.

With the event set to kick off at 5:30pm, it continued to pour, meaning Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers were having their set cut completely due to safety and timing reasons, a most unfortunate outcome for the upcoming Australian act. The stage plot began to dismantle and roadie’s began to move things around, setting up for the Pixies’ set, which to those in the audience, may or may not have been happening.

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Pixies / Photo – @wezzycruze

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With a slight watery mist in the air, the Pixies hit the stage at the much later time of 7:45. The Boston born alt-rock quartet skip the formalities and get to business, coming out with their cult status classics “Where Is My Mind?” and “Here Comes Your Man”. There’s no nonsense with their act, and I’m unsure if that’s a time restriction thing, or a Pixies thing in general, but their 30 minute set trims every bit of fat to ensure their’s the maximum amount of punch. David Lovering on drums is having a great time however, sneaking in the occasional grin between drum fills. Fresh face to the mix, Emma Richardson, their bass player, takes on vocal duties with a cover of “In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)”, and shortly after, Frank Black calls it, stating “thanks a lot, goodnight”.

With the weather beginning to subside, the crowd were still as eager for Pearl Jam to take the stage, and as the sky began to decorate itself with stars instead of storm clouds, the opening chords of “Corduroy” ring out, igniting the audience. There’s hand made signs out of the front barrier, young children with their parents cheering on. Music from this band spanning generations, for different generations to come together and enjoy.

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Pixies / Photo – @wezzycruze

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Having recently rewatched “PJ20” in anticipation for last night’s event, the realisation that we’re now closer to a hypothetical PJ40 at this point, the band have showed no signs of slowing down. While the break neck antics of their stage performances might be something of a distant era, their chemistry and camaraderie shows them as tight and in tune with one another. While it’s true that bands thrive off the energy of the crowd (and this crowd had plenty to give), this is a band that’s super comfortable in their own company, and you can tell that you’re getting the most true version of a band enjoying their time on the main stage.

A sling of new songs off their latest release, Dark Matter, enter the ever-changing setlist of last night’s show. With “Dark Matter”, “React, Respond”, and “Wreckage” getting roaring applause, and former Red Hot Chilli Peppers member Josh Klinghoffer jumping on stage to help with some extra instrumentation on “Got To Give”. A later revealed set-list on Pearl Jam’s instagram, writing in Vedder’s signature style of handwriting would later reveal we missed out on one extra song from the album, being “Setting Sun”. And credit where credit is due, Dark Matter as an album has been widely praised and critically well received as one of their best album’s since their formation nearly 30 years ago, and to hear a band with this much history still willing to embrace their newer material and showcase it with their back catalogue so prominently is a true testament to their skills and talents as songwriters. These newer songs also see the unit come to life, with Mike McCready, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament all gathering around drummer Matt Cameron at different intervals and vibing with one another.

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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It’s an interesting time in the world to be seeing Pearl Jam, as they’ve always showcased their beliefs prominently in their work, if not speaking about them publicly. Eddie Vedder speaks about the recent American election and women’s rights. They’ve always been on the side of the every day man, the underdogs. But it’s not all matters of seriousness and angst, Vedder is known for his love of the beach and surf, with him giving much love to the region of Surfer’s Paradise, but criticising the horrible weather the day had brought.

Introducing “Even Flow” with a much longer and different title, something along the lines of “I don’t know the rules of cricket…”, the 90’s anthem has a faster than normal tempo, surprising even myself, with McCready dialling the theatrics up to 11 by playing his guitar with firstly his teeth, and then flipping it over his shoulder to play it behind his neck, undoubtedly solidifying his status as one of the greatest guitarists to not only come out of the grunge landscape, but the realm of rock’n’roll as a whole.

Giving a happy birthday to long time friend and collaborator of the band, Neil Young, the band break into “I Got Shit”, as well as “Daughter” (which featured an outro consisting of “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2″ by Pink Floyd), fan-favourite “Black” and Ten classic “Porch”.

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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Going solo for a moment, Vedder takes to the stage to dedicate “Man Of The Hour” to a fellow fan who’d lost their life, stating “They are here in us. We give them a home”.  shortly joined by Ament on double bass. The encore continues with “Do The Evolution”, complete with inter-splicing of the iconic cartoon video splashed on the screen, and crowd-favourite “Better Man”, seeing a wave of mobile phones appear to record the moment.

With the band close to wrapping up, their other massive 90’s anthem comes out, with the crowd cheering along to the lines of “Alive” while the iconic riff rang out. The stadium’s lighting came on towards the final chorus, and I speculated whether that was part of the show or not, before deducing it was a call to the band to “wrap-up” the show. The audience was fortunate enough to be informed that public transport would be extended due to the storm, but it looked like that curfew call was coming in hot, with the band giving us one more song, with Neil Young’s “Rockin’ (In The Free World)”, with Pearl Jam, Josh Klinghoffer and touring member Boom Gaspar bowing out the Gold Coast audience.

It was during “Porch”, that I asked myself the question, “Am I watching the greatest rock band on earth right now?”, and given the production, set list choices ( considering some being cut due to the poor weather), and overall stage performance of the band, it’s safe to say, yes, I damn well was. I don’t think you could find another rock band doing what Pearl Jam continues to achieve right now.

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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Check out Wezzy Cruze’s (@wezzycruze) full gallery of this event HERE

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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Follow PEARL JAM
Website – Instagram – Facebook
YouTube – Twitter/X – Tik Tok

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Pearl Jam / Photo – @wezzycruze

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Press Release 6th September 2024 (below) HERE

PEARL JAM
add local artists to line up
for Australia and
New Zealand legs of
Dark Matter World Tour

Liam Finn, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers & Cosmic Psychos to feature

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DARK MATTER
World Tour Dates 2024
Australia and New Zealand

With special guest PIXIES

GO MEDIA STADIUM, MT SMART, AUCKLAND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
GO MEDIA STADIUM, MT SMART, AUCKLAND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10
PEOPLE FIRST STADIUM, GOLD COAST WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
MARVEL STADIUM, MELBOURNE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
MARVEL STADIUM, MELBOURNE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18
ENGIE STADIUM, SYDNEY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21
ENGIE STADIUM, SYDNEY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23

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AMNPLIFY – DB