Pearl Jam w/ Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 @ The Odyssey Arena – 23/06/2010
June 30, 2010 No Comments
Having grunge legends Pearl Jam come to Belfast for the first time in history made me the happiest fan-boy in the entire country. Pearl Jam are that band everyone would like to see for one reason or another, be it because they were part of a fond memory or because they’re one of the greatest rock bands to grace the earth.
Supporting them are Ben Harper and the Relentless7. I had never heard of these guys before entering the massive Odyssey Arena but I walked into the presence of a 4-piece band capable of filling the atmosphere with an incredibly unique sound.
Ben Harper, the lead singer, has an immense voice that vibrates through the girders of the venue. Playing with a nice funky twist on a conventional sound, Harper and his men live up to more than their name suggests, this is a fully-fledged band, not a just a man with a backing band.
They all play off each other effortlessly, each showcasing an amazing musical talent with room made for each instrument to breathe. Regardless of their unknown status in Belfast, they make a positive impression on the crowd, who are clapping, dancing and even singing along to the many vocal hooks. A fantastic start to an already awesome evening.
A massive Pearl Jam sign lights up and a feeling of goosebumps comes over me. They take to the stage and open quietly with “Sometimes” before nicely drifting into the hard and gritty “Do the Evolution.”
Eddie Vedder makes this massive arena his and turns the crowd into putty instantly. “Animal” is an absolute classic that brings us back a decade, and there were plenty in the audience who would have remembered the release of the “Vs.” album in 1993 .
The crowd doesn’t really get into the swing of things until the almighty “Even Flow” and then the true Pearl Jam comes out, playing it hard and playing it as good as they did back in the day, reminding us of how great they are and especially how listenable the album “Ten” is.
The set is a fantastic mix of old and new and everything in between, not leaving out a single album, presenting a showcase for their massive back catalog. Considering this is the first time that Pearl Jam have been to Belfast, playing to a packed arena is a good sign of them coming back again in the near future.
“Jeremy” is a personal highlight of the set for me with Pearl Jam bleeding such emotion and anger into the song that it feeds the atmosphere with the sound of quiet yet destructive guitars and the raw baritone vocals of Vedder.
When the last song “Yellow Bedletter” finishes, I feel as if I’ve just witnessed iconic legends perform in front of me, and walk out of a gig that I shall never forget.
By Chris Leckey