http://theedge.bostonherald.com/musicNe ... eid=140201

Feature on the cover

Pearls of wisdom:Veteran rockers return to Hub, with ‘World Wide’ appeal
By Sean L. McCarthy/ Music
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - Updated: 11:51 AM EST

A character in the May 12 Doonesbury cartoon wants to take a year off to follow “an influential Seattle band.” She finds her first choice, Alice in Chains, is headed to Europe.

Follow Pearl Jam instead, someone suggests.

“Why, yes!” she responds. “And they’ve stopped sucking! Perfect!”

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready let out an audible “Nice!” while reading the Doonesbury in question as he got on the phone with the Herald.

“I’m glad we stopped sucking,” McCready joked. “I thought it was funny. I have such a high respect for (Garry) Trudeau as a writer. (Bass player) Jeff Ament’s pissed right now. But any press is good press, right?”

With a new self-titled album that debuted this month at No. 2 on the Billboard charts and a tour that includes sold-out shows Wednesday and Thursday at TD Banknorth Garden, Pearl Jam is back on everyone’s musical radar.

Not that they ever really left.

“We ducked it,” McCready said. “We made a conscious decision to not do some press and do some experimental records, sure, but we still toured a lot. We got a great response from the crowd in Boston.”

On its 2003 tour, the band managed to play three Boston shows without repeating a song. The following year, they warmed up in Boston before the Vote for Change minitour.

Things feel different now for the band. Comfortable.

“We’re older now, all of us,” said McCready, at 40 the second-youngest in the quintet that includes Ament, singer Eddie Vedder, guitarist Stone Gossard and drummer Matt Cameron.

“And the four of us” - the exception being newest member Cameron - “have been together for 15 years. We can base our past success on some of the success we’re having now. Hopefully, we’re older and wiser now and won’t act as crazy as we did the first time it came around.”

Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly likened Pearl Jam and its fans to the Grateful Dead and its Deadheads.

“I liked it,” McCready said of the comparison, “because there are certain aspects of us that are like that. Musically, we aren’t like that at all. But business-wise, it’s modeled on some of their stuff.”

This is a band, after all, that released 72 live concert CDs from a single tour.

At the start of this tour, the band gave instructions on its Web site for fans who want to use cameras, make audio recordings or download official bootlegs from the concerts.

Also know this: Pearl Jam likes multiple encores.

Why?

“Indulgence?” McCready joked. “That’s an interesting question. I never think of us as playing two encores. It seems so natural. As part of the set. I think it’s just because we have a lot of songs. If the crowd is there with us, we just want to give them everything.”

Which means a healthy sampling of songs from the new “Pearl Jam” CD, including, of course, first single “World Wide Suicide,” a song devoted to forgotten U.S. troops: “Medals on a wooden mantle/next to a handsome face/that the president took for granted/writing checks that others pay.”

Have they learned anything from their 15 years of activism?

“We did Vote for Change. That sure didn’t turn out how we wanted. But we move on and keep looking for positive answers to situations,” McCready said. “What else am I going to do, sit around and watch (expletive) reality TV?

“I think it’s important to be an active member of society. First locally, and then nationally, and then globally. To make any sort of difference in a positive way in the social structure. It’s imperative.” For the Boston shows, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation asked the band’s No. 1 Boston fan, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, for guidance. They decided to donate $1 from every ticket of the May 24 concert to Horizons for Homeless Children. A dollar from every ticket of the May 25 concert will benefit East Boston-based Zumix.

I hate the Herald. Good article though.

pearl jam! lindsay lohan! a giant fucking gun! stellar journalism as always from the herald.

theo epstein is bostons #1 fan

Is there a ranking system? Where am I on that list?

haha, it goes by social status like everything else... so naturally, theo is # 1

you're right behind me, and in the recent rankings I came in at #38. I tried like hell to crack the top 20, what are you going to do?

what are we talking about here?

does the hearald run doonsbury? that's a nice piece of corporate synergy there if it does.

Nah, the Globe does.