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By: Will Bavinger
Eddie Vedder :: 04.16.08 :: Spreckles Theatre :: San Diego, CA
The sell out crowd of over 1600 consisted of fans of all musical tastes. I talked to an old couple bent on telling me stories of seeing Pink Floyd live in the '70s, sat in front of a group of 20-something's excited about Coachella, and next to a young couple on a very expensive date; all of us together to see the legendary Eddie Vedder on the final night of his first-ever solo tour, which took us on a journey into the wild.
For nearly two and a half hours, Vedder's baritone vocals reminded the capacity audience why they dig this famous frontman from that Seattle band. His guitar playing showed remarkable range for a guy mainly known for his vocals, employing acoustic and electric guitars, as well as the mandolin. However, overall his songwriting seemed to lack a certain depth. Yes, he did play the obvious solo hits "Society," "Rise" and "Hard Sun," which were pretty cool even if you have heard them a thousand times on the radio. But, other originals didn't really grab your balls. They just laid flat, existing rather than impressing. He must have known these limitations because he made up for it with some incredible covers and succeeded in keeping the crowd well entertained throughout the night.
Vedder grabbed the mandolin, which seems to be his new favorite instrument, and ripped a stirring rendition of Pearl Jam's "Porch." He also torched an ode to Pete Townshend, playing a hit from The Who mastermind's solo work, "Let My Love Open the Door." Splitting the crowd into guys and girls, he gave us the opportunity to back him on the refrain, over and over again. As fun as this was, perhaps the most entertaining portion of the evening didn't require Vedder to play an instrument at all. He just had to dance around the stage like a goofball with two men dressed in hipster doofus attire to Barry White's seductive "Can't Get Enough of Your Love."
The fanfare didn't parallel most Pearl Jam shows, where Vedder has been known to climb up into the rafters, but it did provide for a memorable evening. The San Diego native's mom was in the audience to celebrate her birthday. Vedder's present to her (and to us) was a cover of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young." His mom was even provided a tiny star struck moment not often found in San Diego, as Emile Hirsch, who played the lead role in the movie Into The Wild, sat onstage for a couple of songs while Vedder gave him hell for being "a Hollywood fat cat."
As if composing an opera, Vedder's song selection took us on a musical journey. After a relatively slow start, he was able to accomplish what he set out to do, and it may have been the last song of the night that really tied it all together. The stage filled with smoke, a projector displayed a sunset backdrop on the curtain behind Vedder, and our man put on a black and white striped jacket that would have made Beetlejuice proud. The stage turned into an ocean of mist and while standing in the surf, Vedder broke out the opening to his hit, "Hard Sun." The crowd erupted with an energy that he fed off of for the remaining minutes. During the closing chords of the concert, he leapt into the air and showed his affinity for Pete Townshend again with a midair windmill and split. With that the show was over. Cries of "Ed-die, Ed-die, Ed-die" greeted him as he took his bow.
JamBase | California
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