Eddie Vedder Officially Kicks Off “Earthlings Tour” at NYC’s Beacon Theater: Recap + Setlist
The post Eddie Vedder Officially Kicks Off “Earthlings Tour” at NYC’s Beacon Theater: Recap + Setlist appeared first on Consequence.
Has anybody ever successfully covered a Tom Petty song? It’s a serious question. Despite the sturdiness of his material, it’s hard to name an inspired rendition — even after an inundation of “Wildflowers” covers after Petty’s too-young death. That said, Eddie Vedder — a close friend of Petty’s — came closer than ever on February 3rd at NYC’s gilded Beacon Theater.
But he didn’t reach for low-hanging fruit, like “Don’t Do Me Like That” or “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” Instead, the Pearl Jam bandleader — backed by his new band the Earthlings — covered “Room at the Top,” the opener from Petty’s for-real-ones-only 1999 album with the Heartbreakers, Echo.
This relatively deep cut seems to sum up Vedder’s place in the rock landscape, both in its context and content. Echo was Petty’s “divorce” and “heroin” record — and while neither is applicable to Vedder at the moment, the deaths of his half-brother, Chris Mueller, and close friend, Chris Cornell, came in a one-two punch and knocked him off his axis.
Unlike grunge colleagues Cornell, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, and Andrew Wood, though, Vedder made it, intact and happy — and Thursday’s gig was a heartening reminder of that. (Vedder and his Earthlings played a private show at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on February 1st; this concert served as the official tour kickoff.)
Not only is Pearl Jam going strong after more than 30 years, with the underrated Gigaton in the immediate rearview. Vedder remains creatively vibrant in his own right, with Earthling, his first solo album since 2011’s Ukulele Songs (out February 11th). Plus, with Omicron on the retreat, he gets to kick out the jams with two of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Chilis in question are guitarist Josh Klinghoffer — who left pre-pandemic and was replaced by a returning John Frusciante — and drummer Jack Irons, who joined Pearl Jam for 1996’s No Code and left after 1998’s Yield. (The latter just celebrated its 24th anniversary; Vedder incorrectly shouted it out as being 25.)
With Earthling, Eddie Vedder Becomes a Rock Elder
Rounding out the Earthlings are guitarist Andrew Watt, who produced the album; bassist Chris Chaney, who hails from Jane’s Addiction; and Glen Hansard, who you may remember as the sensitive busker from the 2007 film Once.
Hansard opened the show, ably commanding the audience with just an acoustic guitar and some well-employed effects. His lapsings into full-bore screaming wore thin after a few tunes — maybe that’s just a side effect of trying to work a room of that size.
Still, hearing “Falling Slowly” — you know, the one that goes “I don’t know you/ But I want you” — after (possibly) more than a decade gave the audience palpable fuzzy emotions. Thankfully, Hansard didn’t overstay his welcome, emotively slugging out some solo and Frames tunes before exiting stage left.
The time-warp vibe continued as Vedder and his comrades took the stage, and not just because the audience screamed, “I graduated high school in 1992.” (Props to a colleague in the press section for that observation.) With his Earthlings, he opened with not one, not two, but three covers, all of which can ostensibly be found in any karaoke songbook in America.
Those were R.E.M.’s “Drive,” which Vedder inhabited beautifully; the aforementioned Petty cover; and the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.” In the latter, Vedder couldn’t resist making a mildly cringe-y 2022 update: “I feel that ice is quickly melting.”
Sure, these were obvious picks, but that choice was nobler than buttering up the audience with selections from you-know-who. In the midsection of the setlist, the Earthlings tried out a good chunk of their titular album.
This ranged from the lackluster and generically uplifting “Invincible” to the fantastic “Fallout Today,” which boasts a craggy melody and philosophical vibe. Somewhere in between, quality-wise, were “The Dark,” “The Haves,” and “Long Way” — not to be confused with Pearl Jam’s “Take the Long Way,” whether or not it’s meant to be a sequel.
After the showcase of new tunes for fans — besides “The Haves,” almost nobody outside of journalists had heard these — the Earthlings hurtled back into cover-band mode (including Patti Smith and Pretenders covers), with a few Pearl Jam songs sprinkled therein.
Without the muscle of his main band, “Porch” fell flat; however, “Better Man” sparkled on the merits of just being a sublime pop song. “Wishlist,” from Yield, came close, although the accelerated tempo didn’t do it any favors — nor do the lyrics, which include an embarrassing line about a Christmas tree.
But after a muscular rendition of “All Along the Watchtower,” any misgivings with the gig melted away: it’s arresting to watch Vedder smilingly rock out in a gorgeous sold-out theater with old friends, after so much time off as a solo act and two years of interminable pandemic doldrums.
What more could a musician ask for? Despite the insanity and grief and elation that come with such a long and complicated career, he had a room at the top of the world — and he ain’t coming down.
Vedder plays the Beacon Theatre again tonight (February 4th). Tickets for that date, and the rest of the tour, are available via Ticketmaster.
Setlist:
Drive (R.E.M. cover)
Room at the Top (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles cover)
The Haves
I’ll Be Waiting
Invincible
The Dark
Power of Right
Fallout Today
Long Way
Tender Mercies
Wishlist
Brother the Cloud
Mrs. Mills
Try
Rose of Jericho
Porch
Encore:
Precious (Pretenders cover)
Better Man
People Have the Power (Patti Smith cover)
Isn’t It a Pity (George Harrison cover)
All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)
Eddie Vedder Officially Kicks Off “Earthlings Tour” at NYC’s Beacon Theater: Recap + Setlist
Morgan Enos
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