Concert Review: Pearl Jam — Dark Matter World Tour with Glen Hansard

Wow. Almost a full year from the original concert date that was rescheduled due to sickness, Pearl Jam finally returned to Indiana for the first time since 2010. Their long-anticipated return was obvious from the massive, sold-out crowd packed into Ruoff Music Center on one of the hottest days of the summer, which happened to be a work day for most people.

It’s not what you’re given, but what you do with it.

I’ll give you what you’re not supposed to have.

Pearl Jam is known for putting on an impressive, high-energy show, and this one lived up to that expectation. The production quality was top notch, with lighting and visuals appropriately aligned with each song and everything in between, not to mention the band sounded incredible. Even without the flashiness of the visuals, it still would have been an excellent show. This show felt like a gift honestly. Do they even know how good they are? They really put some thought into all the intricate details to give the fans from the front to the very back the best experience possible. It was seamless.

Eddie’s vocals are still impressively strong 30+ years later, and his energy during concerts rivals that of someone half his age. He may not be climbing rafters anymore, but he still knows how to rock. His raw emotion shines through on every song he sings. It’s amazing really. My personal favorite song he sang was “Black” where he reminded me why I fell in love with his voice. He really knows how to connect you to the music.

Mike, Stone, Jeff, and Matt made being in a band look so effortless with their chemistry. They did not miss a beat. As mentioned before, they’ve mastered what it takes to blend together as a team. Mike stood out with his incredible solo during “Even Flow” where he held the guitar up and behind his head. His solos are generally pretty spectacular, but witnessing that kind of mastery in person was awe-inspiring.

Makes much more sense to live in the present tense.

Eddie reminded everyone who Pearl Jam is during the interlude on “Daughter” when he reminisced how they encouraged all the young people to vote 33 years ago and how, now, 33 years later they are still asking and encouraging the fans, including their kids, to vote, especially young women. After that pep talk, they went into a little clip from Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” but with updated lyrics to remind us of their pro-choice stance (“keep your hands off my body, the choice I’m making is my own”). If anyone who attended the show was surprised or offended by that, they clearly aren’t familiar with Pearl Jam.

Eddie also became emotional before a duet with Glen Hansard when dedicating Glen’s “Song of Good Hope” to a fan who is battling cancer, further illustrating his deep connection with fans. They harmonized perfectly, with their powerful vocals bringing raw emotion to the performance.

The waiting drove me mad.

This concert was much anticipated for me, but it was worth the wait. Pearl Jam delivered an amazing experience, playing a perfect mix of new and old songs. In fact, I’ve been pretty speechless about it while trying to recover from my awe and shock at finally seeing them live. It made the overpriced venue markups on food and drink worth it. And truthfully, the ease of parking, getting through security, and buying Pearl Jam merchandise made spending $26 on one beer (including the tip) hurt a little bit less.