Ageless Pearls retain their lustre

Polly Coufos
The Australian
November 16, 2009 

Pearl Jam: Members Equity Stadium, Perth, November 14

THE scene is familiar. A singer is standing onstage silently mouthing the words to one of his hits before thousands of fans.

Towards the end of a 140-minute set Pearl Jam's frontman Eddie Vedder confessed he'd been lip-synching while the crowd sang Betterman. His sweat-drenched face bore the same cheeky smile he'd been wearing all night as he then took the song back and belted it out for all he was worth.

Forget the circus surrounding that other American visitor, this was old-fashioned, passionate rock 'n' roll, based on the simple premise that all an act needs to create a night to remember is a selection of quality songs performed well.

As they move into veteran status, Pearl Jam remains in remarkably good shape, physically and musically.

Now in their 20th year, they maintained a clear focus between old and new and delivered a performance based in the moment.

In a 28-song set they played seven tracks from their latest album, Backspacer, as well as something from most of their other albums, including a handful from their smash debut Ten.

At no point did it feel like nostalgia or that they were merely positioning the new material as bait to once more celebrate the likes of 'Do the Evolution, Daughter, or Alive.

Possibly due to the two bottles of tongue-loosening red wine he swigged while on stage, Vedder spoke at length about his time in Perth, including name-checking several young bands he'd seen the night before, dedicating songs to them as well as several local people he'd met.

Vedder is a walking, talking compact case of charisma.

As soon as the singer stopped chatting, the band powered with a sonic assault.

Although less frenetic than they once may have been, they just may be getting better.

An emotional reworking of the Who's Love Reign O'er Me was a highlight.

A very casual duet between Vedder and Liam Finn on the Australian rock classic Throw Your Arms Around Me was sloppy fun.

An earlier duet with Ben Harper, during his support set, on Under Pressure, sat somewhere between the two, with Harper given the unenviable task of reprising Freddie Mercury's part.

Of course he missed by some way, but this music fan wasn't looking for perfection, just a sense of occasion.

It was delivered.