Global Citizen Festival (NYC/2015)

[Tuolumne]

Yeah, Daughter and Betterman were their two biggest radio play events, prior to Last Kiss. Long lived popularity is a different measurement.

That said, it's hard to reconcile the many realities of this band's popularity. On the one hand, Yield is far below the first three records in terms of presence. On the other, DTE and Given tend to rank surprisingly high compared to other tracks on streaming site charts (DTE is often a top ten PJ song for the last six months on last.fm). On the one hand they spent thirteen years as a "whatever happened to" band. On the other, in the US at least, the following statements are true:

1. If you add up the sales of all the original Smashing Pumpkins studio albums...all of them...you have roughly the sales of Ten.
2. If you add up the sales of all of the original Soundgarden studio albums...you have roughly the sales of Vs. (with both of these examples, you'll often find overstated sales on places like Wikipedia...looking at something like ukmix will give you clearer data).
3. Beyoncé has never had a solo album that matched the sales of Vitalogy (one Destiny's Child album makes it).
4. Daughter and Betterman were both averaging more plays at classic radio (in 2006) than Black Hole Sun, Tonight Tonight, Mr Jones, or any Alice in Chains song.
5. The top two Pearl Jam records are roughly equivalent in sales to the top two U2 records.
6. They remain an abnormally successful band for long term sales. Vitalogy is within 100,000 sales of 6x platinum, and Yield is a gnats breath from double (if it hasn't passed the mark already).

This band could announce that they were retiring Ten songs from concerts forever, and they'd still have two of the biggest rock radio hits of the 90's at their disposal, as well as a number of hits big and small (notice how Just Breathe fares in evenslows lists). And they'd still have relatively high sales figures for the size of the venues they frequent.

Almost as much as their hits, the band is now also known as "that band that survived grunge and is still around and has very devoted fans". This is sorta Springsteen territory. Not a huge singles act today, but a band that can bring it with alot of different songs and flavors and still have some people engaged. As a result, there is a curiosity among folks that don't know the band that well, but they are willing to hear what they're all about given the "mystique" or whatever of having survived this long. So, I don't think they need to crank out the hit machine as much, just enough to let people know there is something familiar in there. Your average singles pop fan won't have the patience, and will probably gravitate to Nirvana's timeless (and better) hit singles to see what that era was about. But for those that have the patience and want that elder statesmen who can deliver a trancendent concert performance, they'll hang w/ PJ, much in the same way they'll hang w/ Springsteen for a set even if they barely even know Born in the USA.

[Tuolumne]

Also, sales virtually mean nothing in today's landscape. Any person w/ internet access can consume the whole history of music as any time now. Streaming and youtube hits are a better indication. A kid discovering the band now might think Just Breathe and Sirens is as big a deal as Alive. There weren't around for Alive, so if they find JB on the same popularity list, they'll treat both songs virtually the same.

[VinylGuy]

The band seemed very into it...having a lot of fun. I dont get why a show like that is consider as something negative here. Im pretty exited to see them playing with Beyonce as well as X and Neil, Jay Z, Mudhoney....they been and are everywhere. Good for them.

[Mine]

It has little to do with the internet. Songs that end up being classics for a band and those that sold/where the biggest hits when they were released don't necessarily coincide.
It's been this way since before the internet.
I don't think they where ever much of a singles band. I think even Alive and Even Flow are mostly known to people who "were there" or are familiar with alt. rock, grunge or whatever.
As for the general public exceptions for songs performed in concert, there's no such a thing any more. With ticket prices as high as they are no one pays that much money for an act they barely know the discography of.

I think they get invited to events like this one because of the kind of ethos they're associated with rather than play familiar songs.

[Monkey_Driven]

The band seemed very into it...having a lot of fun. I dont get why a show like that is consider as something negative here. Im pretty exited to see them playing with Beyonce as well as X and Neil, Jay Z, Mudhoney....they been and are everywhere. Good for them.

I'm with you. They sounded good and looked like they were having fun. I think that is a very positive thing.

[Strat]

Its just hard for me, at times, to wrap my head around how big pearl jam really is. I fell in love with them at the age of 11 years old and they have always been "my band". Ive had tunnel vision on them forever. I had only a couple friends who also loved them but mostly I was mocked for liking pearl jam. They were huge at first, yes, and then radio hits dwindled away for many many years. It amazs me and it is also a beautiful thing that an entire arena can get behind and sing present tense and yet that was never on the radio or a hit. This goes for many songs in their catalog. They have done a really swell job at building their career without (up until a few years ago) really putting much effort into being the biggest band in the world. U2 has always been hit makers (maybe except for a small period) but they have also always been in your face. So it makes sense to me the world loves u2.

Good on pearl jam. I think they sounded great, did a good job with the song choices and appeared to al be having a good time.

[VinylGuy]

Its just hard for me, at times, to wrap my head around how big pearl jam really is. I fell in love with them at the age of 11 years old and they have always been "my band". Ive had tunnel vision on them forever. I had only a couple friends who also loved them but mostly I was mocked for liking pearl jam. They were huge at first, yes, and then radio hits dwindled away for many many years. It amazs me and it is also a beautiful thing that an entire arena can get behind and sing present tense and yet that was never on the radio or a hit. This goes for many songs in their catalog. They have done a really swell job at building their career without (up until a few years ago) really putting much effort into being the biggest band in the world. U2 has always been hit makers (maybe except for a small period) but they have also always been in your face. So it makes sense to me the world loves u2.

Good on pearl jam. I think they sounded great, did a good job with the song choices and appeared to al be having a good time.

Agree.

Really happy with this.

[Tuolumne]

Its just hard for me, at times, to wrap my head around how big pearl jam really is. I fell in love with them at the age of 11 years old and they have always been "my band". Ive had tunnel vision on them forever. I had only a couple friends who also loved them but mostly I was mocked for liking pearl jam. They were huge at first, yes, and then radio hits dwindled away for many many years. It amazs me and it is also a beautiful thing that an entire arena can get behind and sing present tense and yet that was never on the radio or a hit. This goes for many songs in their catalog. They have done a really swell job at building their career without (up until a few years ago) really putting much effort into being the biggest band in the world. U2 has always been hit makers (maybe except for a small period) but they have also always been in your face. So it makes sense to me the world loves u2.

Good on pearl jam. I think they sounded great, did a good job with the song choices and appeared to al be having a good time.

This is exactly why I put them in that Springsteen category. Bruce has retained alot of his audience from back in the day, but anybody that sees him in the last decade at a festival or tv show or who is seeing him for the first time now most likely barely even knew Born in the USA. But there is proof that he can attract and hold an audience, and newbies trust that. He can't knock you out with a hit single anymore, but the cred is there that he can deliver on a 2-3 hour show. PJ is there too. Most anyone born, say, after 1991 barely even knows Jeremy or Alive, or just in passing. But alot of them know the name, the credibility, and if they are looking for a band that will carry them for a couple of hours, beyond just a 3 minute single, PJ is there and they are a proven entity. The kids of these days who have curiosity of that era will first go to Nirvana and usually they'll enjoy their singles and just stop there. But those who want to go further have PJ, who are still around.

Springsteen, Rush, they are with that category who won't show up trying to compete with Ariana Grande, but who exist in their own world ready to take in a few curious newbies who are looking for something to carry them more than just a 3 minute hit. They are well beyond the "they had a few hits back in the day" guys, they have cred beyond the hits that is sustaining them. Not Beatles or Stones or U2 big hit cred, but more of the 'these older guys are still at it and exciting fans so they must still be pretty good" cred. I just hope the fanbase is welcoming to the brave young souls who are willing to tap their toes in the PJ well and hopefully not get harangued for not knowing Animal. Pretty cool, I think.

[hlniv]

Its just hard for me, at times, to wrap my head around how big pearl jam really is. I fell in love with them at the age of 11 years old and they have always been "my band". Ive had tunnel vision on them forever. I had only a couple friends who also loved them but mostly I was mocked for liking pearl jam. They were huge at first, yes, and then radio hits dwindled away for many many years. It amazs me and it is also a beautiful thing that an entire arena can get behind and sing present tense and yet that was never on the radio or a hit. This goes for many songs in their catalog. They have done a really swell job at building their career without (up until a few years ago) really putting much effort into being the biggest band in the world. U2 has always been hit makers (maybe except for a small period) but they have also always been in your face. So it makes sense to me the world loves u2.

Good on pearl jam. I think they sounded great, did a good job with the song choices and appeared to al be having a good time.

Spot on.

For me, I was 15 and it was 1994 when I figured out that I really liked this band. Vitalogy was my first "new" PJ, and got into Ten/Vs all at once. But the point of having tunnel vision with them is something I can share. And I share all the opinions in the rest of this post as well.

I got so busy this week that I missed all of the RM PJ excitement this week. It really is a statement to how my priorities have changed in life- never in a million years would I have missed a late night appearance or a televised live show. But, I actually forgot on both occasions this week that it was happening, despite full well knowing. I woke up on Thursday, and went "shit- forgot to watch Colbert". It just slipped my mind. And Saturday night i was up watching a football game with my son and it never even occurred to me.

As for my general take on the events in NYC for PJ this week... I'm glad they're still at it. My expectations have changed, and I genuinely enjoyed watching both events on my own time without dissecting every little bit.

Mind Your Manners, while I believe to be a good latter-day PJ song, is a little disappointing as the Colbert pick and the opener for a short set, but, regardless. It doesn't really bother me at all. I'm just glad they sounded pretty damn good, and seem to be comfortable doing what they're doing.

In general, I'm a lucky dude to have locked into this band as a youngster and have them still around over 20 years later, with no signs of stopping.

[digster]

This is exactly why I put them in that Springsteen category. Bruce has retained alot of his audience from back in the day, but anybody that sees him in the last decade at a festival or tv show or who is seeing him for the first time now most likely barely even knew Born in the USA. But there is proof that he can attract and hold an audience, and newbies trust that. He can't knock you out with a hit single anymore, but the cred is there that he can deliver on a 2-3 hour show. PJ is there too. Most anyone born, say, after 1991 barely even knows Jeremy or Alive, or just in passing. But alot of them know the name, the credibility, and if they are looking for a band that will carry them for a couple of hours, beyond just a 3 minute single, PJ is there and they are a proven entity. The kids of these days who have curiosity of that era will first go to Nirvana and usually they'll enjoy their singles and just stop there. But those who want to go further have PJ, who are still around.

I think that's underrating the popularity of Born in the USA. It's by far his biggest smash album, isn't it?

But to a degree, I think there's a point that Pearl Jam is basically all you've got if you want to find a band from the 90s that even gets close to that. They're on a far lower level of clout than someone like Springsteen, but rock music's piece of the pie in general is far diminished from where it was a few decades ago.

That being said, in my experience, I just haven't seen all that many new people coming into the fold with PJ. Practically everyone I meet when I've been to shows, from 2000 up through now, is pretty assuredly in the flock, knowing the records and seeing multiple shows. I think it's more that they just have a considerable hardcore fanbase compared to many other bands.

[mikejasond]

I mean I was born in 1992, and I first heard Even Flow in Guitar Hero 3. But that was before I really listened to rock music. Guitar Hero honestly got me into it. But as soon as I started listening to Classic Rock radio before I had anything fancy like Sirius XM to listen more deeply to the genre it was Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy, and Black I knew.

And let's be honest, there's a reason Ten is their most popular album. They always continued to make good songs, but the Ten songs are pretty untouchable. I wish they'd still have a song like Even Flow honestly, that was an interesting sound and vibe they lost since.

[Norah]

Oh man, you come from a world where Pearl Jam just naturally exists in the Classic Rock format.

[Strat]

I mean I was born in 1992, and I first heard Even Flow in Guitar Hero 3. But that was before I really listened to rock music. Guitar Hero honestly got me into it. But as soon as I started listening to Classic Rock radio before I had anything fancy like Sirius XM to listen more deeply to the genre it was Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy, and Black I knew.

And let's be honest, there's a reason Ten is their most popular album. They always continued to make good songs, but the Ten songs are pretty untouchable. I wish they'd still have a song like Even Flow honestly, that was an interesting sound and vibe they lost since.

yea but binaural

[stip]

Oh man, you come from a world where Pearl Jam just naturally exists in the Classic Rock format.

we call this planet...Earth

[dimejinky99]

This is all a sham push towards that one world government thing


I heard

[LoathedVermin72]

I'm scared

[EJ]

Wonder how many hungry people Branson's going to give free space rides to on Virgin Galactic?

[Release_Me]

Yeah, Daughter and Betterman were their two biggest radio play events, prior to Last Kiss. Long lived popularity is a different measurement.

That said, it's hard to reconcile the many realities of this band's popularity. On the one hand, Yield is far below the first three records in terms of presence. On the other, DTE and Given tend to rank surprisingly high compared to other tracks on streaming site charts (DTE is often a top ten PJ song for the last six months on last.fm). On the one hand they spent thirteen years as a "whatever happened to" band. On the other, in the US at least, the following statements are true:

1. If you add up the sales of all the original Smashing Pumpkins studio albums...all of them...you have roughly the sales of Ten.
2. If you add up the sales of all of the original Soundgarden studio albums...you have roughly the sales of Vs. (with both of these examples, you'll often find overstated sales on places like Wikipedia...looking at something like ukmix will give you clearer data).
3. Beyoncé has never had a solo album that matched the sales of Vitalogy (one Destiny's Child album makes it).
4. Daughter and Betterman were both averaging more plays at classic radio (in 2006) than Black Hole Sun, Tonight Tonight, Mr Jones, or any Alice in Chains song.
5. The top two Pearl Jam records are roughly equivalent in sales to the top two U2 records.
6. They remain an abnormally successful band for long term sales. Vitalogy is within 100,000 sales of 6x platinum, and Yield is a gnats breath from double (if it hasn't passed the mark already).

This band could announce that they were retiring Ten songs from concerts forever, and they'd still have two of the biggest rock radio hits of the 90's at their disposal, as well as a number of hits big and small (notice how Just Breathe fares in evenslows lists). And they'd still have relatively high sales figures for the size of the venues they frequent.

Almost as much as their hits, the band is now also known as "that band that survived grunge and is still around and has very devoted fans". This is sorta Springsteen territory. Not a huge singles act today, but a band that can bring it with alot of different songs and flavors and still have some people engaged. As a result, there is a curiosity among folks that don't know the band that well, but they are willing to hear what they're all about given the "mystique" or whatever of having survived this long. So, I don't think they need to crank out the hit machine as much, just enough to let people know there is something familiar in there. Your average singles pop fan won't have the patience, and will probably gravitate to Nirvana's timeless (and better) hit singles to see what that era was about. But for those that have the patience and want that elder statesmen who can deliver a trancendent concert performance, they'll hang w/ PJ, much in the same way they'll hang w/ Springsteen for a set even if they barely even know Born in the USA.

Don't agree with that part because I've never been a huge fan of Nirvana's music. I think they are one of the most overrated bands to ever have existed. Then again, it's not because they were bad, not even close. Just not as good as people make them out to be. I think most of their timeless aura comes from the fact that Kurt committed suicide at such a young age. PJ back in the day were the biggest rock band in the world, by all accounts. And that's when Nirvana was still around.

[evenslow]

Hey Release_Me what did you think of Ed's vocals this past week?

[evenslow]

And McP as usual your sales post was like sweet sweet crack to me. I miss the days when sales numbers meant something.