Check out this nice little article with Jeff. It looks like for those of you going to the shows with Petty, you're going to get a 90 minute PJ set.


Pearl Jam keeps Montana in mind

Much can be said about Pearl Jam's longevity. Playing by their own rules and catering to their own beliefs, Pearl Jam is the perfect example of a band of brothers who do their own thing.

Maybe that's why they've sold more than 25 million albums in nearly two decades.

"I think for the most part, we just kind of put our heads down and make decisions based on what we think is the right thing to do at the time," explained bassist Jeff Ament in a phone interview from New York City.

The Big Sandy native was in the Big Apple preparing for a performance on Saturday Night Live two days later.

"We feel totally lucky and blessed to be able to ... make records how we want, tour how we want, and we've sold enough records that we have a little bit of power. ... We're not always playing the game."

Gearing up for Tuesday's release of the band's self-titled album, Pearl Jam is soaking in the sudden success of the first single, "World Wide Suicide." It climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart as well as No. 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Although the band has been producing albums for more than 16 years, its self-imposed absence from radio in recent years has left many mainstream rock fans in the dark on Pearl Jam happenings.

"I don't know if we've really had a song that's been played at radio at this level in a long time," Ament said. "I think (the past two) records just didn't get promoted in a way that's on certain people's radar, and that's fine. I think it's fine to pop in and out of that world, and things are certainly more crazy this time. I guess it's just kind of what happens when you stick around long enough. You do pop in and out of the mainstream."

Perhaps the reason Pearl Jam has been able to maintain a fresh perspective with each album's release comes down to the way they construct the music.

"I think all of us, when we're writing, there's a certain aspect of how we all write that we're comfortable with and we all feel good about," Ament said. "I think even when I'm sitting down and trying to come up with the bass part for one of Ed's songs, or somebody else's song, when you initially hear the song, you might go, 'OK, if I mess with my sound and kind of push it this other way, it's gonna kind of change it a little bit.'

"We push and pull a lot, even when it comes to each song, trying to make it our own. Trying to make it a real Pearl Jam song, as opposed to an Ed song, or a Stone song, or a Jeff song, or a Matt song or a Mike song, I'm pretty proud of that."

The band hasn't toured behind a batch of new tunes since the 2002 release of "Riot Act." That has Ament anxiously awaiting their new tour, which kicks off May 9 in Toronto.

"The best thing about this record is, I think we'll be able to play everything live," he said. "There's not really any of those studio art projects, those songs that are really tough to tackle. I can't wait to just get out and play a bunch of songs. I think that's the thing that we're best at, and I think that's the thing that we crave, that we love."

Pearl Jam will join forces with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on a few selected U.S. dates this summer, providing fans with a double dose of rock history. Combining with Petty will condense Pearl Jam's set to just an hour and a half, compared with a show that usually lasts more than two hours.

"We have 90 minutes, so I imagine we'll tighten it up a bit, and I imagine it'll be a little more rockin'," Ament said. "It's kind of fun to share the responsibility and share the pressure and share the stage."

Ament, who continues to live in Montana and is an avid skateboarder, regularly visits the Electric City Skate Park in Great Falls. The community is lucky to have such a state-of-the-art facility, he said.

"Great Falls sets the tone for Montana," he said. "This is going to be the greatest summer of skateboarding in Montana, ever. Missoula's park's gonna be done. Whitefish's park just got done. Kalispell's is already done. They're working on Butte right now. They're going to Polson after that. It's incredible."

"I always tell kids, you don't know how lucky you are," he continued. "We had a crappy little 8-foot-wide halfpipe in our backyard, and that was the only thing for 200 miles. You have a 25,000-square-foot skatepark, built by one of the best skate park building companies in the world, and it's in Great Falls. You have a better park than most towns in California."

Ament has helped raise money for numerous Montana-based organizations and causes, including a skatepark in Missoula and Democratic Senate candidate Jon Tester. Ament's dedication to Montana has been evident in three major Pearl Jam shows in Missoula over the past eight years, most recently last August.

But don't look for the band to play a gig in Montana this summer. Wanting to keep the Montana performances special, Ament prefers to bring the band to the state every other tour and hopes to one day take the stage in the Electric City.

"I'm always looking out for people in Montana, trying to get something at least close," he said. "At some point, we gotta play the Four Seasons there. That's where I saw my first concert."

Cool article. That 90 minute business is quite a shock. Why are they touring with Petty again?

Well, he is one of the best American rock n roll artists around. Plus, I've seen him live twice and he knows how to put on a damn good show. PJ would be crazy not to play with him.

90 minutes seems pretty reasonable to me considering both bands have huge catalogs.

im thinking that pearl jam wanting to play with petty would be much like one of us and our bands or friends or whatever, wanting to play with pj. If your frans btiched about that, youd probably tell them to not come to the concert. i would.

it's a thrill for them. that's why the open for the stones too.

exactly. and play with neil young.

and play SNL

and play letterman

and play secret shows

and on and on and on and on.

How cool is Jeff?

He's the man, I was a little worried about his song writing experiance on this album, but it sounds like he's havin a good time, and his head is in a good place.

Awesome!

I noticed that he said 'rockin' not 'rocking'...

'rockin' is better right??

Always

Playing with Neil Young, Letterman, SNL and secret shows aren't the same as opening for Tom Petty on 6 dates when they themselves are on a world tour. I like Tom Petty and I enjoyed him live. Pearl Jam however is an event. Each time they play is a special occasion. I don't think a shorter set for a higher ticket price and them not closing the show is a good idea.

A good idea was when they got the Chili Peppers to open form them in 2000. Having Neil come out in Toledo was a great idea. I imagine that this move to play with Petty was a commercial move, not an "oh we get to play before Tom Petty 6 times" kind of move.

eh, i disagree.

I hear you. I'm not upset about it, I just don't understand the move. I would be upset if it was my only PJ show of the tour.

I would be too. Well not upset as it would still be a great show. but id be upset if i only saw one pearl jam show any tour!

fuck.

i wonder if i can get a refund from the 10c?

Are you serious?

$100 for a 90 min PJ set?

no thanks..

i love Petty a lot, but wouldn't pay more than $35-40 to see him really, especially 2 nights in a row.

not to mention we're cutting our honeymoon short by 2 days to see these shows, think i'd rather spend another 2 days in Vancouver/Seattle myself.

even if you're not seeing pearl jam open, go see tom petty, especially if he's serious about not touring anymore (ahem... eric clapton, anyone?). his live jams, incredible catalogue, and pot stories are worth the price of admission. and mike campbell's badass too.

i've seen Tom before, at the Gorge in 1998 w/ Lucinda Williams, he's great, i just know that i wouldn't have bought tix for both shows if i knew PJ's set was going to be that much shorter than normal. i didn't expect a full 2.5 obvs, but 100-120 min seemed pretty feasible..

when the Crowes played 75-80 min last summer before Petty they were billed as OPENERS

congrats on the marriage.

I would be unhappy about this too because seeing PJ is my priority and while I'm sure Tom Petty puts on a good show he's not important enough to me to justify shortning PJ's set by an hour.

thanks

we actually met at the 6/24/98 Rapid City PJ show

and yeah, i'm sure it'll still be a great time, but it's a lotta cash for a shortened PJ set is all.