Pearl Jam Rumor Pit

We welcome you to the
Pearl Jam Rumor Pit
A Special Issue -- December 4, 1998

Pearl Jam, Place/Date
A Photo-Book Review

Have we ever been waiting for this! - Beautifully produced and imaginitively photographed by acclaimed rock photographers Charles Peterson and Lance Mercer, Place/Date's collection of photographs artfully span Pearl Jam's eight-year history. Creatively designed by Hank Trotter, this Pearl Jam photo-book provides us with much more than a visual record of the band's career. We're warmly treated to images that capture the spirit and intensity of special memories and strive to include us right there with them - on stage, in the crowd and in quieter kicking-back moments. Some of these special moments include:

1995 Moore Theatre Fan Club Show Rehearsal - One of the most dramatic, the jacket cover photo is a candid black & white shot of the band rehearsing for one of their first plugged in shows with Jack Irons on drums. They're formed into a circle, Mike standing at one side, Jeff and Ed with guitars in hand have their backs to the camera while a thoughtful Stone is seated on the drum riser, his hand to his forehead. Jack stands under low light in near-silhouette. Unaware that Lance has perfectly captured this quietly creative moment, rehearsal continues on.

Chicago Stadium '94 - An action shot reflecting the heat of the moment, a glowing red spotlight illuminates an oblivious Mike during a fiery solo, down on his knees with his head on the stage. He's totally into it and on fire for Jeff's birthday!

Charlotte, NC '96 - Our vantage point in this shot is stage right where we see Jeff seated and waiting, standup bass ready to go. Stone's strumming a cool riff and Ed's surveying the scene while approaching the mic. The enormous crowd is on its feet waiting for the next song. In that place, on that date, it's almost like we're there experiencing the anticipation before the music begins again. If you actually were there that day, flip to the next page in Place/Date and you may find yourself.

These three amazing shots are contained in the 128 pages of color and black and white photographs carefully chosen from Pearl Jam's earliest days in 1991 up through Monkey Wrench II in January, 1998. The cover and spine of this special hardcover edition are modestly embossed with "Pearl Jam, Place/Date" and "Vitalogy Health Club." Printed on a high-quality matte stock, it's bound with a classy black cloth that was carefully selected by the band. In the absence of page numbers and captions, a refreshing index of tiny pictures in the back obliges you to change your focus with each photograph to identify the place and date. A shot of Ed and Beth at Lollapalooza '92 is identified by the framed picture of Gary Shandling on the wall. Take special note of hands to find what you seek.

In our exclusive interview with Lance Mercer for Place/Date, he shared the following:

What else would you want people to know about the book?
Lance: We all went into it with keeping in mind, Ok what do people want to see that go to the shows...that see the band live? I'd rather have people look at it and go, "Wow. It was a totally different place but this totally makes me feel, and reminds me of when I went and saw them." Even though it was a couple of years later and all the way across the country, it brings back those feelings - that's the whole point of photographs in general.
[ complete interview ]

This special cloth-bound version of Place/Date is available for $30 + shipping to fan club members only at this time, so if you're a fan club member who hasn't yet ordered a copy, we suggest you do it right now while there are still some available or you'll be missing out. It's an amazing and treasured addition to our personal Pearl Jam collections. If you're not a fan club member, you can join now, if not for concert ticket offers, newsletters, fan club singles, etc., then join for the opportunity to buy this amazing book before the paperback version goes on sale to the general public in the spring.

We'd like to thank Pearl Jam, Lance Mercer, Charles Peterson, Hank Trotter and the Vitalogy Health Club for their creative and artistic efforts. You live and tell the story in a beautiful way and it feels good.

DigitalKat and OfTheSea

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For more information on how to join the fan club and place an order for the Place/Date limited edition cloth covered book, as well as receive the many other perks, i.e., newsletters, fan club singles, ticket offers, etc., write to: The Ten Club, PO Box 4570, Seattle, WA 98104 or email them at info@tenclub.net.

Photographs used with permission. Photographs © copyright 1998 Charles Peterson and Lance Mercer. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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