Pearl Jam Twenty

Our local PBS affiliate did us the great service of airing this on Friday night. Cameron Crowe's rock documentary was well received earlier this year and I was surprised to see it on television so soon.

When released I had heard some buzz that the movie was a bit controversial in that some of the band members had said somethings that could possibly open some healed scars in the band. Any group of people, certainly any band that had stayed together this long was going to have some scabs better not picked.

This movie is excellent. Perhaps along the line of the Tom Petty Running Down a Dream set from Peter Bogdanovich this is done not like a rock bands video tribute but as an actual documentary. Using what apparrently is an unending supply of archival footage both interview and concert we see Pearl Jam through all its stages.

First one must know is that this band came out of the remaining pieces of Mother Love Bone a hot Seattle band that died when its lead singer overdosed. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard the heart and soul of that band became the nucleus of what became Pearl Jam.

At there early days the band was crazy on stage with an energy rarely seen. Vedder jumping off support structures to surf the crowd. The band joining with Chris Cornell and members of Soundgarden did a project called Temple of the Dog which honored their fallen comrade from Mother Love Bone Days.

The loss of Kurt Cobain is discussed as is the even more life changing event of the deaths of nine fans outside of Copenhagen when they were crushed by a surging crowd as the band played. Eddie Vedder says they see the band as pre and post that incident.

The concert footage is revealing. A Christmas song played on the empty steps of an arena in Europe, a crowd singalong to Better Man at Madison Square Garden and a final glorious ending of the film with the song Alive. Truly they are still Alive twenty years later and going strong.

This is a fine picture of a lasting rock band. Thank you PBS for putting it on television for us to view.