Pearl Jammer - Diamond, Nottingham, 29/92013

by Dave Goodwin

published: 3 / 10 / 2013

Dave Goodwin watches outstanding tribute act Pearl Jammer play an impressive set at The Diamond in Nottingham

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After having seen Pearl Jammer before, I was keen to see them play another gig. Make no mistake about it, Pearl Jammer, as their name suggests, are a tribute act. I am not a tribute act man to be honest. Just the thought conjures up images of a really bad Michael Jackson I saw once or an embarrassingly bad Erasure take-off I bore witness to. I saw Pearl Jammer at a festival once a few years ago because my humble accomplice wanted to see them on one of the other stages. So we did. Imagine my surprise when out of the gloom on the stage walked Eddie. Not bad, I thought. Let’s see exactly how they are though. And then they struck up their guitars and the thump of the drum kicked in, and suddenly we were at our own Pearl Jam concert deep in the heart of England. Well, tonight is again no exception. They kept us all waiting at the start but that just made everyone a bit more eager to get up front and enjoy the ride. From start to finish the delivery of each track and the mannerisms of each member are spot on. They admitted to me in a conversation a while back that they take pride in what they do and spend hours getting the persona righ. The angst-driven grasping of the mic; the sad, lost gazing-out in to the audience; the pure adrenalin rush of the music and the perfect Eddie vocals all captivated the adoring fans in front of them. The guy with the pony tail, the lass with the tattoos, the bald bloke with the gold tooth and the group of lads out for a bit of fun weren't at the Diamond tonight. They were somewhere else entirely. They were all in a huge stadium somewhere listening to Pearl Jam. As I said, I am not a tribute man but, shit, are these guys good. Pearl Jammer are one of the most hard working bands I have had the pleasure to meet. And it shows. They are experts in their craft. They are Pearl Jam.