Live at Benaroya Hall Oct. 22, 2003 [Digipak] - Pearl Jam (CD 2004)

I guess I'll start this review of the latest Pearl Jam live release by saying that if you read the announcement of the project, the group talked about their MTV Unplugged performance from 1992, a performance that remains one of the band's most popular. But any comparisons between that show, which featured in this writer's opinion, the greatest single song in the history of that series (Porch, with lead singer Eddie Vedder dancing on his stool and writing "pro-choice" down his arm in thick black marker) and this one, recorded in October of last year at Benaroya Hall in Seattle during a short run of benefit shows the band did, are unfair.

Unfair because the MTV performance was chaotic, while this is more laid back, the focus being on songs that are more about the words and not so much the music. At times the performance feels more like a funeral. In terms of hits, only Black, Daughter, and the show closing, fully plugged in Yellow Ledbetter are played. The focus is instead on the No Code, Binaural and Riot Act records, along with various b-sides and covers.

The disc opens with Of the Girl, the shuffling ballad that was one of the few highlights from the Binaural record. Lead guitarist Mike McCready is plugged in for this song, though his playing is more in tune with the relaxed nature of the evening than blistering. And if you like shuffling ballads, then this is the two disc set for you. Outside of the ridiculous experiment of playing Lukin straight up acoustically, only the ultra-fun Down ramps things up much in terms of pace, and it shows: Vedder sings ultra clearly, while the band also seems relieved to be playing something with a bit of a pace to it. The Johnny Cash cover 25 Minutes to Go also gets the pace up a bit, though I'm not sure how often I want to hear Pearl Jam do country.

That's not to say that there aren't highlights. Vedder's solo rendition of Dead Man in the first encore is haunting as ever, and the cover of Bob Dylan's Masters of War that follows comes close to matching Vedder and McCready's first performance of it at the Bob Dylan tribute concert back in 1992.

Highlights on the even more uneven first disc include a gorgeous rendition of Low Light, as well as a surprisingly solid Fatal, which features some nice fills from drummer Matt Cameron. The band's Golden Globe nominated song from Big Fish, Man of the Hour, is notable for the hush it brings over the crowd. Immortality is a complete showcase for Cameron at the end, proving that he now owns this song for all intents and purposes.

The group does a major restructuring to The Ramones' I Believe in Miracles, making it into more of a strutting kind of song that works surprisingly well. And the show closing Yellow Ledbetter, done with the band plugged in, proves to be as rousing and appropriate a show closer as ever.

My problems with the set are plentiful. First of all, any set that includes Thumbing My Way, Nothing as it Seems, Around the Bend, and Sleight of Hand is going to lose me. Around the Bend is a lullaby, and while it worked (I guess) as the closer to No Code, it doesn't work here as a midset choice. Nothing as it Seems used to blow me away, now it just bores me to death. We won't even get into how abysmally awful the lyrics are. If Sleight of Hand had more moments like the "I'll see you on the other side" refrain towards the end, it would be much more memorable. And don't even get me started on All Or None, which if not for McCready's solo would not even be worth your time of day. Some fans may be blowing their wads over this stuff, but I'm not.

Vedder's trusty ukelele makes an appearance for a solo Can't Keep. Note to Ed: only bring out the uke for Soon Forget, ok? Black makes me yearn for the passion the song once had with each performance. The fact this is an unplugged version makes me only yearn even more for the MTV Unplugged performance, with the unforgettable "we belong together" addendum at the end.

So who is this set for? If you're truly dying to hear these songs in an acoustic setting (with McCready on electric for a few numbers), or if you're a diehard fan who didn't buy the 7/11/03 bootleg (with the acoustic pre-set), you might get more out of this than I did. If you're a casual fan though, I can't see you getting more than a couple of spins out of this.

As for myself, I'm wondering why the band didn't release the Santa Barbara show from 6 days after this one. That was the show where a full on Temple of the Dog reunion took place, where Jack Irons joined the band for a couple of songs, where John Frusciante joined the band for a couple of Ramones covers, and where Jack Johnson helped out on a couple of numbers with Eddie. Oh, and need I mention the Chris Cornell 2 song acoustic solo set? And they released this show why?

2.5 stars. Sorry boys.

More on Pearl Jam:
ALBUMS:
Ten
Vs.
Vitalogy
Mirror Ball (with Neil Young)
No Code
Yield
Binaural
Riot Act
Lost Dogs

SINGLES:
Dissident 3 CD single set
Daughter
Merkin Ball
Nothing as it Seems-Import
Light Years
I Am Mine
Man of the Hour

DVD/VIDEOS:
Single Video Theory
Touring Band 2000
Live at the Showbox
Live at the Garden

OFFICIAL BOOTLEGS:
10/22/00 Las Vegas (10 Year Anniversary Show)
11/6/00 Seattle
5/3/03 State College

CONCERT REVIEWS:
Boston Garden, 4/11/94
Tweeter Center, 8/29/00
Tweeter Center, 8/30/00
Tweeter Center, 7/2&3/03
Madison Square Garden, 7/8&9/03
Tweeter Center, 7/11/03