The intertwined history of Pearl Jam and Lollapolooza

By Rob Janicke

For those who have been following since I started covering the 2007 Lollapalooza festival, you know we’ve already talked about what Lollapalooza is and what it means at this moment in time. We’ve also discussed a few tips on how to get the most out of your festival-going experience. So now seems like the perfect time to start delving into the bands. Let’s face it, isn’t it all about the music anyway?

As I was writing this piece there were 90 confirmed bands on the bill. That’s 90 bands over a three day period––just an insane amount of music. So with that in mind I wanted to talk about some of the bands we’ll be seeing in Chicago (August 3-5) but where does one begin to comment on 90 different bands? At the top I suppose. In future articles I’ll profile several bands at a time but I thought if Lollapalooza has a headliner, than so can I.

For those of us old enough to have been an active participant in the 1992 edition of Lollapalooza, we witnessed a band (very early on in the day) that would one day come to be regarded as “the greatest American rock band of all time” (in a USA Today 2005 reader poll). Polls are polls and always up for debate, but I guess the point is that 15 years after a daytime slot on the second-ever Lollapalooza, Pearl Jam are worldwide superstars whose relevance is beyond measure. I guess that qualifies them to headline this years’ event.

Pearl Jam was spawned from the ashes of several bands from Seattle. Founding members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard played separately in several bands in and around Seattle in the early 1980s. In 1984 they came together along with singer Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner and drummer Alex Vincent to form the infamous Green River. After a few years together, Green River disbanded in 1987, paving the way for Ament and Gossard to start a new band. They hooked up with Malfunkshun singer Andrew Wood and called their new creation Mother Love Bone. The new band garnered some local attention and was signed to major record label PolyGram in 1989.

This would prove to be last good thing to happen to Mother Love Bone. Soon after being signed Wood died of a heroin overdose. His death occurred prior to the release of their debut album “Apple,” which left Ament and Gossard seriously contemplating their musical futures.

That contemplation would not last long. After recruiting former Shadow guitarist Mike McCready and enlisting the help of former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons (Irons turned down their original offer to play drums in their band) in finding a singer, things were about to come together with a sonic boom. Irons was given a five-song demo of instrumentals with the hopes of finding a voice to compliment those songs. That voice was found in the person of Eddie Vedder, a friend of Irons and singer of the San Diego band, Bad Radio.

For all intents and purposes, this was the moment Pearl Jam was born. As you could imagine there is so much more that happened before they actually played as “Pearl Jam”—drummers coming and going, name changes and whatnot. If this were a Pearl Jam biography there would be many chapters dedicated to this part alone, but that’s not the point of this piece.

If we fast forward to 1992, we will have witnessed the explosion of the “grunge” movement (the name “grunge” is often attributed to Green River alum and current Mudhoney front man, Mark Arm) and the second Lollapalooza festival. At this point Pearl Jam had already released its debut album “Ten” (which would eventually go on to sell over 12 million copies) and had been touring nonstop. Their slot on Lollapalooza was given to them before they broke worldwide and therefore appeared second on the bill. It was this tour that solidified what many in the Pacific Northwest already knew—that this band flat-out rocked!

Fast forward again to 2007 and you’ll find a group of men, now in their 40s, ready to headline the same festival they basically opened in 1992. It’s quite an accomplishment really. It speaks to the longevity and the importance of a rock band that has meant many things to many people

Yet as popular an certainly influential as it is, Pearl Jam sort of lives in a bubble of its own. Believe it or not, some people have actually said out loud, “I remember Pearl Jam, they’re still around?” No one would say that about U2 or Bruce Springsteen, but people do say that about this year’s headlining act. It proves that bands can fly under the radar, do things their own way and still grow as musicians. You can develop what has become one of the most rabid and loyal fan bases in all of music and not have to make hundreds of videos or have a new single on the radio every month. Pearl Jam is a throw back band with both the present and the future still in the palm of their hands.

With Lollapalooza going through a few different incarnations, some troubled times and a bit of an identity crisis since it first began, having a band like Pearl Jam slotted as the headliner just feels right. Think about it. Pearl Jam has gone through the same kinds of trials and tribulations as the festival it is returning to—the breakthrough in the early 90s, the Ticketmaster wars, the experimental albums, the decrease in popularity and fan base during the late 90s, and now a renewed appreciation.

I have a feeling that both Pearl Jam and Lollapalooza, in their current states, will continue to thrive, inspire and be an integral part of the musical landscape for a very long time to come.