Last night I had the opportunity to check out Pearl Jam for the first time, thanks for a mate of mine who managed to get me ticket for $50.  My short review is that it was $50 very well spent, and was certainly worth a full price charge.  My lengthier review is as follows:

The evening started with us getting to the venue at about 6:30pm.  By that time the opening act Liam Finn had already been and gone, and Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 were just starting.  They put on a pretty good set from what I heard, though most of the set was spent in a long line to get a beer.  Eddie Vedder came out to join the band for a cover of Queen’s Under Pressure.

Initial concerns that the sun was in a bad spot (the stage was facing east with the sun setting directly behind it) were quickly quashed, as the sun hit the horizon at more or less the same time as Pearl Jam came on stage.  Security checking people getting access to general admission was pretty relaxed, we had seated tickets near the back somewhere and had no problems walking straight into GA.  While it was great for us, those who paid a ticket premium to get into this area would justifiably be a little pissed.

Pearl Jam’s set was a mix of tracks both old and new.  They rolled out the classics as expected, threw in about half a dozen tracks off their latest album and also played a cover of The Who’s The Real Me.  Overall the setlist was pretty good, there were a few tracks I didn’t recognise, but I missed a few of their last albums, so that’s no huge surprise.  Eddie was in great spirits during the show, taking plenty of chances to chat to the audience, certainly giving us the impression that they are genuinely happy to be in town and performing for us.

During the first encore Ben Harper joined the band onstage to play his slide guitar on the track Red Mosquito, and then sang Indifference in duet with Eddie.  Other highlights of the set included a great extended jam during Even Flow, and a thumping version of Rearviewmirror, apparently not played in Adelaide since 1998.  The oval lights coming on midway through Alive during the encore didn’t faze the band either, who seems to ignore this “get off stage” message and continued to finish their set as planned.

Sonically, the show is as good as any outdoor gig I can remember.  Occasionally you could here a little reverb about the place, but overall the sound was top notch.  Hat’s off to the audio crew for this show.  The camera work and lighting were all great as well, though I’d guess when you’ve been around as long as Pearl Jam, and have access to the resources they do, you’d expect all of this.  However, similar bands have been disappointing in this area, so it’s great to see someone get it right.

Overall, it was a great show, I’d almost go as far as to say it’s one of the top 10 gigs I’ve ever been to.  If you’re a Pearl Jam fan given the opportunity to see them on this tour, then make sure you do – you won’t be disappointed.

Mastodon, who are touring Australia and New Zealand as part of the Big Day Out festival have announced a couple of sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne:

SYDNEY – Thursday 21 January – THE ROUNDHOUSE, UNIVERSITY OF NSW
Presented by triple j & FasterLouder – Tickets: Ticketek 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au

MELBOURNE – Thursday 28 January – THE PALACE
Presented by triple j & FasterLouder – Tickets: Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100

Personally, I’d love to see them, but won’t be attending the BDO due to it being sold out, and the rest of the lineup being generally pretty crappy. 

To Mastodon – please consider doing your own tour next time around.  I’d really like to check you out but won’t spend $150 to do so, nor will I go and see you if you’re the support act of another band I’m not so interested in seeing.

AcousticPhenomena emailed me today to let me know that DGM Live are releasing a King Crimson live show, recorded on the Tool/King Crimson tour way back in 2001.  While there are no plans to release the Tool set, the King Crimson set does feature Danny Carey on the second half of Red.

According to the blurb:

San Diego was the last of nine dates Crimson played opening for Tool and it catches them on dazzling form. The gigs were part of a wider KC roadtrip which took in a total of 21 concerts as the band tried and tested material for what would eventually become The Power To Believe.
Transfered directly from the multi-track ADAT tapes, and mixed by Alex “Stormy” Mundy, this truncated set acts as a first class introduction to King Crimson, which of course, for the many fans of Tool who made up the audience, is exactly what it was.
The swiping violence of the chokes on Level Five can make even the most battle-weary KC-vet stand back in wide-eyed admiration and this rendition of Deception of the Thrush captures both sides to Crimson’s musical personality, veering as it does between the terrifying and the transcendent.
The interlocking sections of TCOL are delivered with the kind of full-blooded passion that reminds us how tight a unit the Double Duo could be, whilst a truly knockout LTIA4 has a savage reading of the fast lines from Fripp and a classic squerning wern-fest Belew solo at the end.
A highly-charged gig where the team blow the doors off the venue with a tight uncompromising set in which even the older material sounds fresh out of the writing room. This is also the concert where during the second portion of Red, the team are joined by Tool drummer Danny Carey, who slips behind Pat’s kit to give it some thumping goodness.
One word describes this gig: Essential.

Audio samples are available on the site.

We’ve know for a couple of months now that Isis are touring Australia as part of the Soundwave Festival in February 2010.  Today the band announced that they will be playing a series of sideshows on the East Coast:

• February 18th Brisbane @ The Hi-Fi
• February 23rd Sydney @ Manning Bar
• February 25th Melbourne @ The Corner Hotel

For those that missed it, they are also playing shows in Auckland and Wellington for our comrades across the Tasman.   Apparently Baroness are supporting them in Japan following these dates, so I’d say there’s a good chance they’ll also support for these shows as well.

Update: Ticketing and venue information can be found here. Thanks Jimmy666.  All shows are 18+.  Tickets on sale on the 20th of November and are about $50 each.

Puscifer’s new EP "C" is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference HERE) is now available for download from iTunes and Amazon.  According to a recent post on Toolband it’s digital only for now, but may come out on vinyl someday.  Also out is the previously released D is for Dubby featuring Lustmord remixes if V is for Vagina.

Have you had a chance to listen yet?  If so, feel free to post your reviews below!

Mattia emailed me to let me know about the Guitar Center Drum Off Finals 2010, which will feature a collaboration between Danny and Mastodon’s Brann Dailor:

Guitar Center announced today that Tommy Lee and the Street Drum Corps’ Frank Zummo will present “Bezerk” – an exclusive project commissioned by Guitar Center, featuring some of today’s top drummers and artists – as part of the upcoming Drum-Off Grand Finals, taking place January 8, 2010 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Artists performing in “Bezerk” include Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Sorum (Guns ‘N Roses, Velvet Revolver), José Pasillas (Incubus), DJ Aero, Sully Erna (Godsmack), Jay Weinberg, BANG! and others to be announced. Hosted by Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), this historic evening will also include a very special tribute to John Bonham by Jason Bonham, along with an exclusive collaborative performance by Danny Carey (Tool) and Brann Dailor (Mastodon).

These all-star drummers will all come together on one stage to celebrate the night’s main event: performances by the top five undiscovered drummers in the nation, who will compete in front of a capacity crowd and a panel of celebrity judges to see who will win a prize package worth more than $40,000 and the title of “Guitar Center Drum-Off Champion” – the nation’s top undiscovered drummer. Guitar Center will also induct drum icons Billy Cobham and John Bonham into Guitar Center’s Drum Legends as part of the evening’s festivities.

Tickets for the show are only $10, and are on sale now at LiveNation.com.

Find out more details Here!

Sounds like a fun night!

A recent post on Toolband has revealed that Isis have a new video for the track 20 Minutes/40 Years.  The video was created by artist Matt Santoro, which observant readers will not has been named by Blair as being involved in a future Tool project.  The video is quite good!

The Melvins are doing a few shows in Europe late this year with Big Business and Porn.  Check them out if they’re in your neck of the woods:

November 24, 2009 Madrid, Spain – Penélope w/ Big Business, Porn
November 25, 2009 Barcelona, Spain – La[2] w/ Big Business, Porn
November 27, 2009 Conegliano, Italy – Zion Rock Club w/ Big Business, Porn
November 29, 2009 Athens, Greece – Unknown Palace w/ Big Business, Porn
December 1, 2009 Bologna, Italy – Estragon w/ Big Business, Porn
December 2, 2009 Segrate, Milan, Italy – Circolo Magnolia w/ Big Business, Porn
December 4, 2009 Munich, Germany – Feierwerk / Hansa 39 w/ Big Business, Porn
December 5, 2009 Schorndorf, Germany – Manufaktur w/ Big Business, Porn
December 6, 2009 Berlin, Germany – Maria am Ostbahnhof w/ Big Business, Porn
December 8, 2009 London, United Kingdom – Garage w/ Witch, Big Business, Porn
December 10, 2009 Kortrijk, Belgium – De Kreun w/ Big Business, Porn
December 11, 2009 – Minehead, United Kingdom – Butlins Holiday Resort – TEN YEARS OF ATP

In other Melvins stuff, King Buzzo has list of his favourite 10 albums, and why he likes them on theskinny.co.uk.

Finally, the remix version of Lustmord’s [O T H E R] album has been released.  Titled [O T H E R D U B] it features Adam Jones both on album playing guitar, and his art work graces the cover.  The album can be purchased here.

Technical Note: Mentioning “Porn” in a comment will see you getting sent to my spam/moderation list.  I’ll approve them as they come in, but don’t get all flustered if your comment doesn’t appear straight away.

Die hard Melvins fans and Vinyl Collectors will be happy to hear that Nude With Boots has now been released on that cherished format:

Timing is everything. You demanded it, so here it is, the most recent, classic, Melvins release, “Nude With Boots” is now available in red vinyl, as a single LP in a double gatefold package. Vinyl collectors begin to drool. It smells real purdy too.

Presumably on sale at a record store near you (or perhaps the Ipecac website).

In other news I haven’t got around to announcing yet, Swedish Metallers Meshuggah are releasing a Live DVD in early February 2010.  Life’s so much easier when you’re a small relatively unknown band!

Meats Meier’s new video fro the Puscifer track The Mission is now streaming on Shockhound….