Set List: Corduroy, Whipping, Hail Hail, Brain of J., Dissident, Even Flow, Jeremy, Given To Fly, Leatherman, In Hiding, State of Love and Trust, Daughter/Noise of Carpet, MFC, Better Man, Rearviewmirror, Black, Alive; 1st encore: Do The Evolution, Wishlist, I Got Shit, Footsteps, Spin The Black Circle, Go; 2nd encore: Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Jackie (jsmoore@wolfenet.com)

"You're going to see what?" Several asked me.
"Pearl Jam." I replied.
"But, you're..." Their voices would trail off.
Too what...Too old..?

Well, suffice it to say, we sat in the 'old folks' section, way up in the rafters, watching the seagulls shit on people. It was hot for Seattle, and we wandered around a lot while Zeke roared echoing music. The only words I could understand was when someone in the band would shout 'One, two, three, four!' It was concert-like. C'mon, I'm old, right? Maybe it was my ears...

Anyway, then this group called Wallflowers gets up on-stage and we could understand them. I recognized a couple of songs that my 15 year old listens to. I remember sighing, thinking, SHE should be at this concert, not me and Dad. The old man and I even wandered onto the field and kind of merged with the throng in the late evening sunlight. We took pictures with the 'throw away' camera, and I thought the crowd was pretty cool. When they played Won't Get Fooled Again, I turned to my husband and said, "You've gotta be kidding!" I was so impressed. The Who has always been my all time favorite band *Sorry to all Pearl Jam fanatics* The audience was digging it, and everyone seemed like flower children from a different era.

When the Wallflowers left the stage...The excitement began to build to a fever. People ran to the Astroturf and joined the growing landscape of people, swaying in the heat and crush. Kind hearted souls began to throw popsicles into the first few rows of steaming bodies, and I sighed in relief for them.

We went back into the stands with the more reserved and waited...Five pillar candles were lit on the stage, and a feeling of blood lust began to show in the flushed faces of the Chosen who headed bravely onto the field like Gladiators. They laughed, eagerly heading for the huge ocean of people that rippled before the stage.

Here's where things began to change...I watched the crowd getting anxious, crushing others as they surged forward. I remember thinking in a soft inner voice, "Eddie, your people are dying...". The next thought was more of a plea. I wondered if the band intended to wait an hour or so for the sun to go down. I was concerned for the innocent souls that had as little idea of what a mosh pit was as I did. The crowd was juiced up and sloppy, to coin a phrase, and people would be seriously hurt either by dehydration or each other.

I was sober. But, a strange series of images went through my head - Some of which I would only share with Eddie if the opportunity ever arises- Visions that were ancient and haunting and breath taking. I felt the hair rise on my arms and I knew something was going to happen that would change me.

Let me state that I am not a PJ fanatic. I like some of their songs, and enjoy it when the stereo is cranked and the words flow across my soul...To enjoy some tunes and feel like I was part of something; That's why I had come to Memorial Stadium on July 21..

When they took the stage...The crowd resembled a roaring flood of multi-colored lava, with exploding pockets of moshers, twisting bodies rolling ontop of the crowd as if churning towards a sacrifice..I pictured Egypt...I pictured Rome...And I was riveted....

I had heard of moshing, but had never seen it. I would imagine, that for some it is a rite of passage, as there are few white buffalo to hunt. For others, it is simply a trendy feather in the cap - 'I survived the Mosh pit at Pearl Jam 98!'. And for the few...It must have been almost a religious experience.

Since my glasses had broken in half two days before, I was blinded, and had to rely on the many other senses to capture the essence of Pearl Jam. It was only through my brother's binoculars that I could see the band on rare occasions, the predatory faces of the security guards, and the primitive dance that infected the crowd. I really regret not being able to actually see them play, but without my glasses, I might as well have stared at the sky...Which I did more than once. For some of us, those tickets are a luxury that happens only once or twice in a lifetime. Before anyone gets teary eyed, let me assure you; I was in for one hell of a concert, and enjoyed myself despite the lack of sight.

The music exploded carefully, the amps so clear, I could hear Eddie breathe. Deep within my 38 year old soul, came the unexpected urge to...Do something...To dance...To sing along to words I never seem to remember...Part of me ran with the beast, teeth clenched and joining in some way with the crowd, the band, and the beautiful night sky above.

I was ageless...I was 38...I was 5...I was 90...I was so many things that night. When Daughter began, I began to realize that the music had a rhythm beyond a drum beat. The whole concert swirled in cycles of battering ram thunder and then a slow fall into depth that moved me...I sang out, tears filling my eyes for many things...RearViewMirror made me scream myself hoarse...And the light show...

The lighting, even from the level we were at, was incredible. It was art come to life; Subtle shimmers to follow a rift here, a sudden blast to emphasize the chorus...Give them a raise, boys- The light crew were wizards...

Just as I thought the affair was over, and it was time to wash the grit away, I heard a familiar staccato of guitar. I stood up to greet with disbelief a song that I have cherished for all of my days...Baba O'Riley

As I mentioned, The Who had been my favorite band for two and a half decades, people. I screamed the lyrics, tears once again on my face. It was as if I was sharing a private moment with thousands of people. I wanted to go up and thank Pearl Jam in person...For giving me a gift so precious, I haven't even found the words yet to explain. Youth, memories, hope, and that incredible feeling of understanding; That maybe 38 was not so old, and that maybe the things I stood for then and still stand for now have a meaning.

Jeez...I'm sorry about babbling...I could keep writing for hours. The show was fantastic, ominous, and unforgettable. As for the ten thousand thousand who shared the sun with us...Thanks for helping us to feel welcome in the lion's den. I emerged changed, but not a single scar to be seen.