The Who at Wembley Stadium

The Who
Eddie Vedder
Wembley Stadium, 6 July 2019

Let's face it Wembley Stadium is just one of the worst venues in London to see a gig but when I was offered a free ticket (yes! free!) to see The Who, I could grin and bare it to see old Roger and Pete play live again, even from the back of such a vast stadium. If there's anyone whose music could fill a place as big as this, well, it has to be The Who.

Pearl Jam at the O2 Arena

Pearl Jam 
O2 Arena, 18 June 2018

There were jokes about sounding like Liam Gallagher, a Donald Trump mask being forced to drink wine, the usual Eddie Vedder nostalgia about Britain (The Who etc, etc) and more and more tambourines being chucked into the audience. And of course Pearl Jam tunes aplenty despite Eddie clearly struggling with a sore throat. But I am so done with arena shows.

Eddie Vedder at Hammersmith Apollo (Night 2)

Eddie Vedder
Glen Hansard
Hammersmith Apollo, 7 June 2017

After the emotional nature of last night's show I really didn't know what to expect of Eddie's second night in London. Thankfully it was less sombre: I think a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after his difficult tribute to his friend Chris Cornell during the previous show. Obviously there were still sad moments but it was clear Vedder was using his music as a tool to heal tonight.

Eddie Vedder at Hammersmith Apollo (Night 1)

Eddie Vedder
Glen Hansard
Hammersmith Apollo, 6 June 2017

Wow, this was one sad but beautiful show. Ever since I heard about Chris Cornell's suicide these Eddie Vedder shows became so much more important to me. Not only because of the strong connections between Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam and the fact that Eddie was one of his best friends but because I knew I would be among fans who felt the same way. Whether Eddie chose to say anything about it or not, I knew - we all did - that his death would weigh heavy over these performances. It was a way for us fans to mourn together led by someone who knew and loved him well.

Eddie Vedder at Hammersmith Apollo

Eddie Vedder 
Glen Hansard 
Hammersmith Apollo, 30 & 31 July 2012 

Firstly, there are sadly no videos of this show up on YouTube because Eddie requested no recordings and photos (which is rare, as Pearl Jam always allow this) and people were pretty respectful of this, so the cool posters will have to do instead.

Gig memories: Pearl Jam back in 1992

So I'm seeing Eddie Vedder solo for the first time this week and I'm pretty excited. Me and Eddie go back a long way: Pearl Jam was the first gig I ever went to by myself, all the way back in February 1992 at the tiny ULU just before they became hugely famous rock stars. It's needless to say that gig probably changed my life and one day I will write a full Gig Memories post all about it. But in the meantime, rather incredibly and very generously, their support act that very night, Claytown Troupe, has recently uploaded footage of that very gig onto YouTube and it's brought back some very wonderful memories. Pearl Jam are still one of the best live acts in the world but from the clip you can see there's an youthful excitement, energy and joy that will never be matched again and it's amazing to experience it again in some small way.

Pearl Jam at Hyde Park

Hard Rock Calling 2010:
Pearl Jam
Ben Harper & The Relentless 7
The Hives
The Gaslight Anthem
Hyde Park, 25 June 2010

For my annual summer festival experience I returned to the scene of one of my favourite gigs of last year (Neil Young), Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park aka the festival for people who don’t like festivals (camping out and being stuck in mud for a weekend doesn’t appeal much to me these days and getting to go home at the end of the night is a big bonus).

Best & Worst Gigs Of 2009

I learned many lessons from all the concerts I attended this year, important things such as: Bob Dylan fans are grumpy, selfish and have short attention spans but Pearl Jam fans are kind, cool and generally awesome; The Troxy is the worst venue in London unless The Flaming Lips are throwing confetti around the place; Steve Martin is an amazing musician and even more surprising, still very funny; M. Ward really doesn't like cameras; Fleetwood Mac security for the front row is really strict at their shows but the guards can be worn down if you're persistent and appeal to their better nature; going to gigs really sucks when you are ill and, finally, Roger Daltrey of The Who is one of the nicest guys in the whole world. And with that, here are my favourite gigs of the past year. Click on the titles to bring you to my original review of each show.

The Best
1. The Mars Volta at the ICA

2. Neil Young at Hyde Park

3. Crosby, Stills & Nash at the Royal Albert Hall

4. Pearl Jam at Shepherd's Bush Empire

5. Faith No More at Brixton Academy

6. M. Ward at The Borderline

7. Steve Martin at the Royal Festival Hall

8. Fleetwood Mac at Wembley Arena

9. Wilco at The Forum

10. Neko Case at Bush Hall

The Worst
1. Monsters Of Folk at Troxy
2. Bob Dylan at the O2

Pearl Jam at O2 Arena

Pearl Jam
Gomez
O2 Arena, 18 August 2009

Going to arena shows is such an odd experience, especially when the band is attempting to pretend it's not an arena show by having the floor completely standing. Although we arrived early and managed to get practically at the barrier at the front, you turn around and there's literally thousands of people behind you. I tend to go to small shows on the whole, so I'm not used to it. It's a little claustrophobic and slightly worrying when the band starts and the fanatical, Pearl Jam-adoring crowd goes nuts and suddenly you feel that thrust of the hundreds of people surrounding you. Of course it's exciting too, that so many people are feeling that same communal excitement and joy through the music of this simple rock band: the energy of 20,000 people is something to behold, I can't even imagine what it's like for the band on stage.

Pearl Jam at Shepherd's Bush Empire

Photo taken from The Evening Standard's photo gallery

Pearl Jam
Shepherd's Bush Empire, 11 August 2009

One of the first gigs I ever went to was Pearl Jam back in the early 90s, just before they broke big, at the tiny ULU venue. Maybe it was my youth and concert-going inexperience, but to this day that show still holds up as one of the best I've ever been to, with the band playing so passionately and full of excitement, Jeff Ament and other members of Pearl Jam jumping into the crowd and Eddie doing his now legendary climb around the venue and landing just over our heads. The gig even ended with members of the audience jumping on stage and grabbing instruments to play along with the band.