Review Summary: Simply, amazing.
May 13th, 1992. An applauding crowd welcomes the 5 young Seattle musicians, entering one at a time. Stone Gossard comes in first, plucking his guitar as soon as he reaches his seat. Ament, McCready and Abbruzzese quickly follow; Dave, smiling and seemingly in a great mood, starts pounding on his drum kick, giving another smile to the joyful people standing there, anxious for the performance to start. A young Eddie Vedder comes in last, notebook in his hand, his hat pulled back, giving out a timid smile as the fans welcome his presence greatly. He sits and reaches for his microphone, only managing to murmur a couple of words, before the crowd storms in applause once again. He laughs, shy as ever, as his friends and band members warm up, perhaps not hiding some anxiety as well. Finally, Vedder looks at Gossard, his smile still folded across his face. "Alright... 1, 2, 3...", he mumbles. Then starts "Oceans". Or, even better. Then starts one of the most memorable and powerful live recordings of the 90's, one of the most outstanding performances MTV would ever broadcast in the famous Unplugged series.
For the next 36 minutes, the young musicians play a 7-song set for fans who only grow more excited as the performance goes on. As soon as Vedder begins singing the first line of "Oceans", a unanimously positive response from everyone standing there is heard. Ament's wavy bass line blends in perfectly alongside McCready and Gossard's acoustic instrumentation, not to mention Abbruzzese's cymbals, which help set an environment truly reminiscent of the ocean waves. Finally, the chorus sets in. As soon as Vedder performs his falsetto melody, a truly iconic part of the song, he suddenly feels different, more relaxed than before. He can't help but to show a small smile on his face. It's almost as if he gained an entirely new confidence. Now his performance is elevated to a different level. As Dave's drum fill adds a sublime texture to an already excellent ambience, Vedder delivers his line "Oh, I will be there once more", performing his falsetto again, now much more loose and natural. The crowd feels it, and responds amazingly. After a superb moody opener, everyone in that room knows they're in for a truly special occasion.
And special it is. "Busted down the pretext...", Vedder says, announcing "State Of Love And Trust". A frenetic and simple guitar riff played by Gossard and a great euphoric performance by Abbruzzese both serve as a huge driving force behind a truly memorable vocal delivery by Eddie. There's no denying that, despite how energetic Abbruzzesse's furious attack on his drums may be, or how perfectly McCready and Gossard combine on a frenetic heavy bluesy rhythm, McCready especially delivering a tasteful guitar solo, it's Vedder who shines the most on a truly memorable "State Of Love And Trust". The emotion and honesty in his voice is almost effortlessly passed out to anyone hearing, as he really sings at the top of his game. Vedder himself feels the energy and moves around in his seat, as McCready eases back and pulls off a slick acoustic solo to finish out a unique performance of one of Pearl Jam's finest gems ever. Simply put, it all comes together in the superb "State Of Love And Trust", every member contributes hugely, resulting in a unique moment. After a relaxed and calm opener, Pearl Jam shift gears almost naturally and deliver a very strong punch.
Pearl Jam run across the "soon to be" hits earning a deserved positive response from every fan standing there, on that warm evening. Whether it's Gossard's stripped down main riff, McCready's colorful texture complimenting it, Ament and Abbruzzesse's nice interplay or Vedder's haunting lyrics and somber but hopeful vocals on "Alive", or a more bluesy take on the classic "Even Flow", further enhanced by the amazingly fitting acoustic guitars and a funk influenced drum beat delivered by Abbruzzese, or even the definitive "Jeremy", not losing one bit of energy when compared to the electric version and sounding even more honest than before, in which Vedder even lets a smile slip away after having to censor himself and performs his magnificent outro excellently, there's always an aspect ready to trigger an immediate applause. But it's the haunting silence and despair of "Black" that still stands today as one of the finest moments of Pearl Jam's Unplugged performance. Gossard, Ament and Abbruzzese establish a perfect rhythm, while McCready adds a somber texture over his guitar licks. Vedder then sings on top of that, perhaps his time of greater honesty and intimacy of the evening. The silence felt and heard is truly chilling, as Vedder's emotional delivery, highlighted by amazing lyrics, is unbelievably great.
However, even after 30 minutes of an already memorable concert, the evening would never be complete if not for "Porch". After a string of performances full of emotion, energy and intensity, the closing number embodies all of the above, culminating in yet another amazing moment. While not necessarily the best song of the evening, "Porch" was simply the best choice to close out such a magnificent live album. After one minute and a half of a stunning showcase of the band's musicianship, here sharper than ever, as Abbruzzese and Vedder lead the way during the frenetic verses, the band delves into the definitive moment of the night. As McCready quickly jumps to an extended improvised solo, and Vedder and Ament literally jumps to the top of the chairs and begin the wildest moment of the night. Vedder spins, spins in his chair, Ament starts crashing the cymbals, Abbruzzesse is moved by the vitality of his band members and starts playing at a dazzling speed, as McCready and Gossard indulge in the extended solo. The audience feels the vigor of the band just as strongly and move along to the frenetic jam. After setting up a building climax, Vedder screams along his way in the last part of the song, ending the song and the concert in the highest possible note.
In essence, Pearl Jam's
MTV Unplugged is truly a classic. While grunge colleagues Nirvana's and Alice In Chains' Unplugged performances are memorable and special for the intimacy, stripped down nature of it and the tender sensibility of Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley respectively, Pearl Jam's combines just that and more, an infectious energy courtesy of frontman Eddie Vedder, and an inimitable, unmatched sense of union between the band and the audience, as if they were one during the entire concert. Pearl Jam's acoustic concert is just so special and unique for so many reasons, it's nearly impossible to be described, it's best when heard and seen. But rest assured, it's a magnificent display of a hugely talented band, capturing possibly one of the most outstanding concerts they've done on tape.
