Que se lixe o trabalho, este tem mesmo de ser!

Eu sei que prometi não voltar nos próximos tempos, mas toda a gente sabe que sou muito má a cumprir promessas deste género.

Tinha, porque tinha, de prestar homenagem aos grandes Pearl Jam. Não pude estar lá, mas se a digressão na Europa for ainda este inverno, fica prometido que a minha lua-de-mel incluirá alguns concertos deles.

THEIR upcoming album points to a sunnier tomorrow, but this was vintage Pearl Jam last night: passion, pain, and a thoroughly polished set, packed with fan favourites.

And this was all about the fans; a gig for fan club members ahead of a mini European tour and the new LP, Backspacer, out next month.

There has always been something visceral about the bond between Pearl Jam and their fans, borne of lyrics that actually mean something, blistering live sets, and the intensity of Eddie Vedder, the charismatic and, at times, troubled, front man.

And that energy was in full effect last night as, over 26 songs and two hours 20 minutes, the Seattle five-piece rattled out stone-cold classics (Alive, Corduroy, Yellow Ledbetter), covers (Ronnie Wood joining them on stage for All Along the Watchtower), and three from Backspacer.

The End is heartbreaking stuff ("I just want to hold on and know I’m worth your love, and I don’t think there’s such a thing") but Got Some and the pop-tastic The Fixer, in particular, suggest a more optimistic outlook. After nine studio albums and 18 years as a band, that can be no bad thing.

The london paper

Setlist

Sometimes
Corduroy
The Fixer

All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover) (with Ronnie Wood)

Why Go
Dissident
Severed Hand
Given To Fly
Low Light
Even Flow
Present Tense
Save You
Down
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

Brother
Do The Evolution
Got Some

Encore:
The End
Inside Job
Save It For Later (The Beat cover)
Alive Play

Encore 2:
Soldier of Love (Arthur Alexander cover)
State Of Love And Trust
The Real Me (The Who cover) (with Simon Townshend)
Yellow Ledbetter