I finished the Pearl Jam Twnety book last night. And I was struck by a thought. This band is older than I am. Hell they played their first show in Glasgow before I was born. I was born the day after this:
(I like to think that I somehow heard this whilst in the womb and decided it was time for me to come out)
And despite all this, 2012 marks only the third anniversary of me buying Ten. And even then, I wasn't expecting much. I'd heard of them and knew people on the internet who were big fans, but I'd seen the video for Alive (I think) on the telly at some point and thought "meh." Then came Guitar Hero 3 and after months of enjoying Even Flow, coupled with an extreme state of depression that had me throwing money at HMV on the weekends, I thought "meh, I might as well give them a chance." Now look what's happened.
It amazes me that a band so far removed from my life and who came into it completely by chance has grown over the last almost-three years from something I didn't really know, wasn't too worried about into something that I couldn't imagine life without. Granted, there are reasons for that. Vs. came into my life at the right time, as did parts of Vitalogy and Yield, while other parts like No Code and Binaural took a bit longer for me to fully realise their importance and impact. I can still remember buying all of them, still remember the effect they had on me as I grew into each record and each live performance, each hidden gem on youtube. Each set of thoughts and emotions, unique to every album, every song, every performance.
It's been a perfect relationship, really. Start not knowing much about them, grow into them, become inseparable, become incapable of living without them. I daresay I'll never get to meet any of Pearl Jam to thank them personally, and to be honest that would be a bit of a train-wreck anyway. I'd either faint or just start hugging them all, weeping. Either way, I still find it hard to put into words what Pearl Jam have given me (and will continue to). I tried when I sent them a letter after seeing Pearl Jam Twenty, and to be honest I struggled then to put into words how I felt.
It's a strange thing to have strong emotions about something as abstract as a band. They're a group of people who're completely different and unrelated to you, yet they manage to produce something that completely encapsulates your life and almost makes it complete, in a way. There's a live performance of Black on one of my CDs somewhere (I think it's one of the Gorge shows), where Eddie says "I hope you don't relate..." before the band lead into the song. And while this is a hope that's grounded in good reason (there's nothing as horrible as relating to a song like Black, even if it's brilliant), you know that just about everyone at that gig still did. Even if it's not Black, there's an infinite number of other songs that I hold dear for various reasons, and always will. That says something about the quality of Pearl Jam. That they can go on for so long, continuing to create such great music that strikes a chord (sorry) with me, despite us being so far removed from each other. That's the mark of not only a great band, but a great affinity, a great connection between band/fan.
Yes, there are other bands that I have/still do adore. Bands like Pulp who to date have provided me with the happiest day of my life. Bands like New Order who saved my life. Bands like Radiohead, Paramore, The Xcerts, You Me at Six and Joy Division who contributed to that too. And other bands since, like Frightened Rabbit, Jimmy Eat World, Rise Against and Manchester Orchestra who I'm liking more and more (Frabbit would have been in the former list if I'd know about them at the time, without question). But none have reached the level that Pearl Jam have. None of them have stuck around in my life for as long as Pearl Jam have, none have had the same impact. None have meant as much to me, and I doubt that any ever will.
I know i probably sound like a gushing moron, but I don't care. This is how I feel. This is how everyone should feel about a band at some point in their lives, be it Pearl Jam or be it someone else. This is too good a thing for people to not experience. And if you have someone else to share it with, then you've hit the jackpot. I haven't. And the only thing I want more than finally seeing Pearl Jam is someone to share them with. The closest thing I've came to love in my life is with a band, and while as I've described, this isn't a bad relationship, it's a bit sad. And I only want someone else to be made as happy as I have been.
I'll leave you with this. If humanity ever needs to send a video out summing up what is possible, then this is it, without a doubt:
And if not that, this:
Please, try and find this kind of connection with a band. It will improve your life considerably.
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