Went down to Cincinnati, Ohio to see Pearl Jam on June 24, 2006 with my friend (and fellow PJ fan) Bob. I am a member of the Pearl Jam Fan Club (Ten Club) and so I was able to secure floor seats in the center section 3rd row center. Awesome seats! The opening act was Robert Pollard who was the leader and creative force behind the indie band Guided by Voices and is now going solo. Pollard and his band were excellent and it made me sad that I never got a chance to see GbV when they were still together. This is especially a bummer since GbV was based in Dayton, Ohio and I am sure there were many missed opportunities to see them. I do intend to see Robert Pollard when I can (he starts a new tour for his new album in October 2006). Unfortunately we didn’t got there late and missed Eddie Vedder’s solo performance of The Kids Are Alright before Pollard’s performance. What was funny that during Pearl Jam’s performance someone yelled out “The Kids Are Alright!!!” (as a request) and Eddie responded laughing saying something like “I already played that one tonight asshole!” Pearl Jam was great and really kicked the audiences asses. It was really an awesome performance (set list). During the show Eddie brought up the fact that in 1979 in this very arena (then called the Riverfront Coliseum) the tragic incident that happened where 11 people were trampled just before a concert with The Who. Robert Pollard (who is from nearby Dayton, Ohio) was at that concert. Pollard joined Pearl Jam in a cover of The Who song Baba O’Riley. It was a great show and I was glad I was able to go since I missed the Cleveland, Ohio show back on May 20th.

Categories: Music