Pearl Jam live CD set #17
Salzburg, Austria 6/18/2K
& Five Horizons .com

Let me begin by saying what an inherently cool idea these discs are. With one feel-good swipe, Pearl Jam has sent listeners a pleasant experience and bootleggers a heavy blow. Just picture standing in whatever store, from the mega-buy warehouse to the independent record store, leafing through handfuls of double disc packets, all priced inexplicably low. You know they must sound good. And I don't mean the songs will be fantastic, I mean the quality of the sound. There isn't the bootleg-sewn fear that you'll get Zippy the Idiot screaming through half the concert because he was so close to the guy's hand held recorder. And despite the plain packaging, it's far better having the blessing and pseudo-style of Pearl Jam's art department than the ridiculous uncredited, stolen press photos that fill a bootleg inlay card (branded with song titles that are often wrong and sometimes embarrassingly mis-labeled). After much shuffling, leaving, returning, shuffling....and finally discovering, I settled on the Salzburg, Austria performance. It had a nice mix of songs I really liked, and I hadn't seen it everywhere (and in my baseball card, comic-book, collecting mind this meant it must be rare--even just to me). I'll try and keep the specifics of the songs to a minimum here--I don't believe that this is the best set for everyone, and there's something really cool about having 25 sets of full live concerts to choose from, especially with the huge variance in set lists. For those totally in the dark about this project, Pearl Jam released all the European shows from 2000, each two CDs long and sold online and in stores. Surprisingly quickly I might add. And if you need any proof that they mix up their 80+ song catalogue, let me inform you that the 2 shows I was lucky enough to see in Philly had approx. 28 song sets for each, and only 5 or 6 overlapped. Pretty remarkable. They have suggested, but not officially stated, that they will release U.S. tour discs too (and I hope they will). In fact, because they might, I almost held off getting any of the European ones. But Salzburg held some gems I was eager to have on one set: some classics, Alive/Once/Even Flow/Black, some of the early favorites, Animal/Go/Rearviewmirror/Daughter/Betterman, and newer greats, Breakerfall/Do The Evolution/God's Dice/Light Years...and loads more (28 tracks in all). The real gleaming diamonds in the batch for me, from first glance of the package, were the presence of State of Love and Trust and a Rockin' In The Free World finale, as well as a track marked "Improv" that could be very cool.

And all that was before I listened to it. The tracks are great. The songs, even (or perhaps especially) the ones I didn't pay much attention to on the line up, really shined; Insignificance/Not for You in particular. The set seemed to really prove Pearl Jam's relevance as a band that has incredible musicianship and insight...and it made me feel good for liking them. Eddie Vedder's banter with the crowd was clearly heard but not totally understood...I wasn't there at the show so I don't know what he's pointing at or referring to. But it doesn't distract long and the fantastic fact that I owned an entire Pearl Jam show on two discs for less than 15 dollars was overwhelming. Bootlegged, the show would have cost at least $30-35 for lower quality. But I had an extra bonus that I could tap. I remembered the Five Horizon's site which I had visited so often around the time I went to the Philly shows with concert-savior/friend Mr. Rods and Cones. The website has a wonderful recap of Pearl Jam concerts, with setlist, notes from those that were there, info on location/opening acts/poster and sometimes more. So I looked up what I lovingly considered "my show" in Salzburg. I don't hesitate to say that it totally changed my perspective. For the better. Not only did I understand what Eddie Vedder was referring to when he spoke of "the people up there" (the concert was in the city square, and onlookers old and young listened from the windows and roof of their homes), but I could really get a feeling of the show's experience. They had links to the poster and a review (which provided another great perspective on the show and European concert experience). Five Horizons provides more as a tour tool and a real fan composite of experiences than any fan site I know. The organization and inclusion of all shows in this year's schedule is a daunting and impressive task. Helping me understand and appreciate the show I bought was icing on the cake.

In total, if I am truly recommending anything here (and not just gushing about some fanboy experience) take a look at these sets. Even if you aren't that big of a fan of Pearl Jam, but you are a fan of music, particularly the live kind, give this procedure a try: Visit a few stores that have the sets in stock. Browse through them in the aisle, taking note of a few that strike you with songs or locales you recognize. Leave. Come back. Browse. Choose for your own reasons of taste. Buy it, (2 CD's for under $15 bucks is a deal, and some sell it for as low as $13) then give it a listen. Enjoy it for its own sake. And when you have the time or desire, drop by www.fivehorizons.com and look up the date of your show. Get an idea of what kind of venue it was, the weather, the crowd, maybe the politics, the mood of the band, the banter, the improv's, the memories of those who were there. With this plan I guarantee that even if you aren't a fan of Pearl Jam you'll realize that there is a special type of ownership that comes with one of these sets. It's the combo of interconnection the internet allows, and the desire for interconnection that Pearl Jam encourages. If it pleases you, give it a try.

Related Links: www.pearljam.com & www.fivehorizons.com

-Dean Browell