GEEK OUT FOR PJ!

I know I said I'd write more on here and I've obviously choked on that claim but for the moment...just enjoy the VIBRANT excitement that I have for this movie trailer and soon-to-be released Cameron Crowe doc on Pearl Jam.

PJ, as I called them in High School, was first discovered by me in Homeroom of my freshman year. A blonde, pretty girl was singing "Alive" under her breathe with headphones on. I asked her "who was that?" she was listening to. She put the headphones on my head. Magic I tell ya for a angry teenager who needed someone to explain that being pissed at your parents was O.K.

I was just 14 years old. Shit, I'm old huh? 20 years ago this all started. I'm 34 now.

But at that time, I was just learning about the power of music and becoming a nut for its ability to move me. I wanted to know everything about every new band on the scene and wanted to hear all types of music for myself to experience it and to be first to find the band everyone would be talking about in three months. U2 was the band of middle school for me but then grunge took over. Soon I would be wearing flannel shirts tied around my waste and Doc Martin shoes on my feet. Bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Stone Temple Pilots, SoundGarden, and Mudhoney would follow ... but Pearl Jam was special.

"Alive" was the first song I heard from Eddie Vedder and it shook me, changed me. I don't have vivid memories about a lot things in my life prior to becoming an adult ... but I will always remember where I was when I first heard Pearl Jam.

Hours and hours of music listening followed, including my senior year quote in my yearbook. PJ was my high school band and I owe PJ a lot ... the music helped me get through some tough times and was an outlet for my emotion. I would blast songs like "Indifferent" and "Black" when I was sad and "Rearview Mirror" when I knew I wanted to leave Mass.

"State of Love and Trust" is still my favorite song by them ... after all these years. "Ten" and "Animal" are amazing records. I joined the "Ten Club" for almost a decade and belonging got me amazing seats in Hartford for my first PJ show in the late 90's. I still have the ticket stub.

I can not wait to see this movie. This movie will help me see what I missed over all those years when I was in college and not able to go to shows as much as I would have liked . I wasn't old enough to really enjoy seeing PJ when they were at their best ... the club years. By the time I was 21, Pearl Jam had already changed dramatically. Later on, I would promise myself to never miss a band when they were at their most pure.

I've been pretty lucky to see some amazing acts but I never saw Pearl Jam with 1000 people in the crowd. This movie will show what it was like and I can't freakin' wait!


Pearl Jam Twenty from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.