Concert Review: U2 & Pearl Jam, Honolulu, Dec. 9 2006
Who knows exactly what miracle conspired to bring U2 and Pearl Jam onto the same stage Saturday before last. I know the bands are friendly and have performed together before, but this was different. This was U2's concert, long planned for April, then postponed, then rescheduled for December. And then they added Pearl Jam as the opening act. Pearl Jam subsequently booked and played a show in Honolulu on December 2nd, but that was a "hey, why not, we'll already be there" move.
I was going to try and write an objective review, and separate out my personal reactions, but I doubt I can. This was the best concert I've ever seen. I was doubting that I'd ever see a show good enough to outshine Midnight Oil's at Leysin in 1990, but I finally did.
To begin with, I was completely blown away by Pearl Jam. They were absolutely fantastic, probably the better performer overall. They proved why they are the only major grunge act to survive past the '90s: they still like each other, they still have a blast playing together, they still have tons of energy, and Eddie Vedder can still howl with the best of them. They really took me by surprise. I never paid much attention to grunge, since it mostly sounded painfully loud and not very creative to me. I did know that Pearl Jam was considered the cream of grunge, that they did more than just turn up the distortion, and that they had excellent politics and economics. But at the concert, I learned this: they're an kick-ass rock 'n roll band.
Pearl Jam played in a tight formation, mostly ignoring the massive expanse of U2's stage, and their sound was equally tight, but exploding with energy. In classic rock fashion, they worked in a brilliant behind-the-head guitar solo, a blistering drum solo, and some nice acoustic changes-of-pace. They played for a full hour (remember, opening act), with top performances of Do The Evolution, Alive (with 47,000 fans singing along), and a ripping cover of Baba O'Reilly for the finale. The best moment of the set came midway with a reverent, chickenskin-inducing cover of the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole song Hawai'i '78. It's hard to explain exactly what Iz, who died in 1997, means to Hawaii, and what it meant for Pearl Jam to play that song. Maybe something like this: Imagine that U2 dies tomorrow. Ten years from now, Pearl Jam goes to Dublin and plays Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Speaking of U2, they also played at this concert. :-) After Pearl Jam's no-nonsense set, U2 took the stage in their customarily spectacular manner: towering LED light displays, multiple jumbotrons, and frequent use of the catwalks jutting at least 30 meters into the crowds. They were truly larger than life, and indeed it's hard to imagine them playing to anything less than the full Aloha Stadium crowd. They did a marvelous job connecting with fans, sending all members (drummer Larry Mullen included) down the catwalks. Bono brought no less than three fans up on stage with him, including one very amped-up man who convinced the band to play Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses while he contributed keyboards. It actually worked! At one point Bono asked the crowd to text message their names in support of the One campaign, and later the names scrolled across the LED towers.
With all the theater, U2 still kept the music firmly at the center of things. Opening with City Of Blinding Lights and Vertigo, they rarely took their foot off the gas for the next two hours. They've got a large enough catalog by now that the set was almost entirely hits, but they still worked in a couple of surprises, including a low-key version of The First Time with only Edge on acoustic and Bono on vocals. My favorites were City Of Blinding Lights, Where The Streets Have No Name, and their gift at the end, All I Want Is You, probably their best closing song on any album, and certainly some of Edge's best guitar moments. In general Edge was dazzling this night, working his echoes and pedals to maximum effect while never losing the passion and energy in his playing. For Bullet The Blue Sky, he even brought out a Stratocaster and played a rare bluesy solo. I was also very impressed with Larry's complex drumming, stadium-ready but lacking nothing in intricacy. Adam was rock-solid on bass as usual, and Bono was, well, Bono. They spread themselves out across the stage, communicating with looks and nods, mostly looking out to the crowd, and they were very obviously enjoying playing together which held it all together.
I have to say, though, that I found all the theater to be a bit distracting at times. What was up with the faceless walking man animation during Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, or the vaguely-related phrases flashing during The Fly? I supposed I learned that while I really love U2's music, I don't have much need for U2 The Spectacle. I certainly appreciate how U2 uses their popularity and theater to lift up humanitarian causes, so I'm not going to argue, but it's more than I need. Being up near the front in the semi-crush of thousands of sweaty fans -- mostly very friendly and peaceable -- ended up being not so much to my liking either. So now I know: next time I see U2 (and I wish that were tomorrow!), I'll stake out a little space near the back where I can dance and and sing and forget the rest.
Nevertheless, it was the best concert I've ever seen. May both bands remember how much we love them, and come again soon.
I was going to try and write an objective review, and separate out my personal reactions, but I doubt I can. This was the best concert I've ever seen. I was doubting that I'd ever see a show good enough to outshine Midnight Oil's at Leysin in 1990, but I finally did.
To begin with, I was completely blown away by Pearl Jam. They were absolutely fantastic, probably the better performer overall. They proved why they are the only major grunge act to survive past the '90s: they still like each other, they still have a blast playing together, they still have tons of energy, and Eddie Vedder can still howl with the best of them. They really took me by surprise. I never paid much attention to grunge, since it mostly sounded painfully loud and not very creative to me. I did know that Pearl Jam was considered the cream of grunge, that they did more than just turn up the distortion, and that they had excellent politics and economics. But at the concert, I learned this: they're an kick-ass rock 'n roll band.
Pearl Jam played in a tight formation, mostly ignoring the massive expanse of U2's stage, and their sound was equally tight, but exploding with energy. In classic rock fashion, they worked in a brilliant behind-the-head guitar solo, a blistering drum solo, and some nice acoustic changes-of-pace. They played for a full hour (remember, opening act), with top performances of Do The Evolution, Alive (with 47,000 fans singing along), and a ripping cover of Baba O'Reilly for the finale. The best moment of the set came midway with a reverent, chickenskin-inducing cover of the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole song Hawai'i '78. It's hard to explain exactly what Iz, who died in 1997, means to Hawaii, and what it meant for Pearl Jam to play that song. Maybe something like this: Imagine that U2 dies tomorrow. Ten years from now, Pearl Jam goes to Dublin and plays Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Speaking of U2, they also played at this concert. :-) After Pearl Jam's no-nonsense set, U2 took the stage in their customarily spectacular manner: towering LED light displays, multiple jumbotrons, and frequent use of the catwalks jutting at least 30 meters into the crowds. They were truly larger than life, and indeed it's hard to imagine them playing to anything less than the full Aloha Stadium crowd. They did a marvelous job connecting with fans, sending all members (drummer Larry Mullen included) down the catwalks. Bono brought no less than three fans up on stage with him, including one very amped-up man who convinced the band to play Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses while he contributed keyboards. It actually worked! At one point Bono asked the crowd to text message their names in support of the One campaign, and later the names scrolled across the LED towers.
With all the theater, U2 still kept the music firmly at the center of things. Opening with City Of Blinding Lights and Vertigo, they rarely took their foot off the gas for the next two hours. They've got a large enough catalog by now that the set was almost entirely hits, but they still worked in a couple of surprises, including a low-key version of The First Time with only Edge on acoustic and Bono on vocals. My favorites were City Of Blinding Lights, Where The Streets Have No Name, and their gift at the end, All I Want Is You, probably their best closing song on any album, and certainly some of Edge's best guitar moments. In general Edge was dazzling this night, working his echoes and pedals to maximum effect while never losing the passion and energy in his playing. For Bullet The Blue Sky, he even brought out a Stratocaster and played a rare bluesy solo. I was also very impressed with Larry's complex drumming, stadium-ready but lacking nothing in intricacy. Adam was rock-solid on bass as usual, and Bono was, well, Bono. They spread themselves out across the stage, communicating with looks and nods, mostly looking out to the crowd, and they were very obviously enjoying playing together which held it all together.
I have to say, though, that I found all the theater to be a bit distracting at times. What was up with the faceless walking man animation during Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, or the vaguely-related phrases flashing during The Fly? I supposed I learned that while I really love U2's music, I don't have much need for U2 The Spectacle. I certainly appreciate how U2 uses their popularity and theater to lift up humanitarian causes, so I'm not going to argue, but it's more than I need. Being up near the front in the semi-crush of thousands of sweaty fans -- mostly very friendly and peaceable -- ended up being not so much to my liking either. So now I know: next time I see U2 (and I wish that were tomorrow!), I'll stake out a little space near the back where I can dance and and sing and forget the rest.
Nevertheless, it was the best concert I've ever seen. May both bands remember how much we love them, and come again soon.