"Ten" is just an amazing piece of work, primarily on the strength of the first six songs on the CD. It was their debut album, making it's way all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 200. It's sold 13 million copies to date, and it made Eddie Vedder both a superstar and a household name. "Ten" is still the most successful CD of their long career as a band.
Look at those first six songs, though: "Once," "Even Flow," "Alive," "Why Go," "Black," and "Jeremy." Each song bristles with raw emotion and energy, Vedder's voice flying from a mumbled whisper to an impassioned scream in the space of a few distorted guitar chords. The lyrics are just as raw, speaking of loss, depression, and despair. And with all that, it just rocks, man, plain and simple.
Pearl Jam is one of the best bands I've never seen live. My sister simply adored this band when they broke big—she was already well-connected to the Seattle music scene as a subscriber to Sub Pop Records—and we stood in line for almost two hours to buy tickets to one of their St. Louis concerts, only to be told within two or three people between us and the ticket window that the concert had sold out. No Stub Hub to appeal to in those days, either; you had to take your chances with a scalper and hope he wasn't a police detective.
It was one of the most disappointing music experiences in memory; I'm not sure if my sister ever got over it, but I hope she did. I've always said if I ever had a chance to get tickets to one of their shows and take her, I would. I also said I'd jump at the chance to see the band Rush in concert, too, until I found out their recent stop in St. Louis featured nose-bleed seats starting at $90. Who has that kind of money to see a band play live? Not me, and probably not a lot of other people, either. Sometimes an opportunity missed will always be an opportunity lost.
Jules and I used to like to scream along with the radio when this one came on, so this one's for you, Toad:
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