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| Eddie Vedder photo courtesy of PJ20.com. |
Good bands come and go every day. Most flare out with little recognition or broad knowledge of their existence. Some experience a decent amount of success, possibly even crossing over into the mainstream consciousness for a few years before ultimately meeting their end through “creative differences,” issues with drugs and alcohol, or an increasingly disinterested public only to reappear 10 years later for the official launch of the “We Ran Out Of Money Reunion Tour.”
But there are select few bands that are able to stand the test of time with their integrity fully intact. We call these bands legends and continuously celebrate their impressively timeless album catalogs as the years turn into decades. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones to name a few: all great bands that let their music define their legacy. Released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the band’s inception, the documentary PJ20 sets out to prove Pearl Jam worthy of being lofted to this pantheon of rock greatness. And on a lot of levels, it makes a truly compelling case.
In classic Pearl Jam fashion, the film was released in one-night-only format in select theaters throughout the United States and 47 other countries. The Milwaukee screening was held at the indescribably beautiful Oriental Theatre, a fitting backdrop for a not-so-exclusive-exclusive showing. I must say I came into this screening with highly elevated expectations and was amazed by how much the film blew them away.
PJ20 begins where the music began: Seattle, Wash., in the early ’90s. And as the old footage began to roll, I was nostalgically transported back to my youth. I remember turning on my boom box and expecting Hot 102 to serenade me with some smooth Shai or Boyz II Men jams. What I heard instead — thanks to an overnight format change — was Nirvana’s “In Bloom” blasting from the 6-inch speakers (with “Super Bass”). Then came Alice In Chains and Soundgarden and, of course, Pearl Jam. My taste in and passion for music would never be the same.
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| Crowe and Mike McCready photo courtesy of PJ20.com. |
We all know the story of the tightly knit, supportive Seattle scene of the early ’90s, but music journalist-turned-filmmaker and firsthand witness Cameron Crowe delves deeply into the friendships between these like-minded musicians and how their interactions and close bonds were at the heart of one of the most unique and prolific scenes in rock history. Crowe has long been the documenter of the ’90s Seattle rock scene, and he utilized all of his resources to dig up an astounding amount of raw footage of the band from all phases of its career. And he weaves it all together brilliantly.
The film moves chronologically from the birth and all-too-sudden demise of Mother Love Bone and the explosion of the grunge movement to Pearl Jam’s well-publicized battle with Ticketmaster and the heartbreaking events at a Danish music festival that forever changed the band. There are no earth-shattering revelations here, but the film opens a fascinating new window into the dynamics and encounters that shaped the band, from Eddie Vedder’s hot-and-cold relationship with Kurt Cobain to the shamanic mentorship of Neil Young.
There is a ton of music played throughout the film, and a movie about a band better damn well sound good. PJ20 does not disappoint. Crowe is able to seamlessly transition from chest-pounding album cuts to crystal-clear live performances, making for a truly enthralling experience. When this film comes out in deluxe DVD and Blue-Ray format on Oct. 25, please don’t do yourself the disservice of listening through TV speakers. This score deserves to be heard in all of its goosebump-inducing glory.
It’s difficult to come to grips with just how meteoric Pearl Jam’s — and ultimately the entire grunge movement’s — rise to fame was. Through the tried-and-true use of loud music, quick cuts and montages of press clippings and news video, Crowe attempts to get the pure chaos across, but it is the candid interviews with the band members — Vedder in particular — that really convey the sense of helplessness in the face of unrelenting celebrity that helped drive many of the genre’s brightest to drugs and, in some cases, untimely death.
All of which make the fact that Pearl Jam not only survived the ’90s, but is also still writing and releasing amazing music some two decades later, all the more unprecedented. And it is absolutely fascinating to watch the band members grow and mature as artists and people from flannel-laden rebellious youths to unquestioned rock icons.
The movie made such an impact on me and my companions that we all turned to each other on the way out of the theater and immediately decided to grab a beer. We needed to further discuss what could only be described as a Pearl Jam-inspired spiritual event. Fortunately for us, the perfect bar for such a conversation was right around the corner: Yield. Still buzzing from the intense theatrical experience, we argued about our favorite Pearl Jam albums, reminisced about skipping school to buy concert tickets and ruminated on how a band could have such an indelible, visceral impact on an entire generation of people.
It takes a special film and band to inspire such a deeply rooted nostalgic response. And what PJ20 excels at above all else is never losing focus on the heart of the subject matter: Pearl Jam’s music and their passion for making it. These guys live to play music and create art. It’s the only thing they truly know how to do. And judging by the band’s body of work over the past 20 years, they must be doing something right.
