A debate over Jam

The first time I saw Pearl Jam, it was on TV. I was a sophomore at Loyola, and a few of us went home for the weekend to Ivan's parent's house. I think it was me, Ivan, Kevin Manning, and Lou Maul. The McCullagh's are from Ireland, and while in Illinois, rented a large house in Libertyville. Mrs. McCullagh loved having everyone over. She had five children of her own, but still had the time and energy to make sure that we were all fed and happy guests. We got to the house late Friday night, and were lounging around their family room after breakfast. I distinctly remember I was sitting on the floor, and Ivan and his dad were on the couch. Lou was in the kitchen with Mrs. MccCullagh, and Kevin was sprawled out on a recliner. We were watching MTV, and Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" video was on. It's the one where Eddie Vedder and the crew is supposed to be at a live performance, and he decides to climb the stage area and jump into the crowd. He still had long hair back then, and he liked to jump around the stage, gyrating all over, his head swinging up and down and side to side, his hair falling all over the place.

We watched in silence, and I knew I was witnessing something special. I loved the music, I loved the vibe, I loved the mystery that was Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. At least through their first and second albums.

When the song was over, Mr. McCullagh got up from the couch, looked straight at the TV, and said, very matter-of-factly, "I think I prefer Smuckers," and walked out of the room. I love his sense of humor.

I thought about Pearl Jam today, as we were driving north on I-17, from Phoenix to Williams, AZ. We are heading to the Grand Canyon tomorrow, and a flood of memories always hits me when I come back to Arizona. Today it was Pearl Jam. I saw them live in 1994 at the Mesa Amphitheater. There was only about 2,000-3,000 people there, but I felt like I was alone. The concert happened on the same day I moved my stuff out of the house I shared with Lyn. She was the woman I dated for 18 of the 24 months I lived in AZ. She had three kids (7-9) and had left her 2nd husband (not the father to any of the kids) just weeks before we met. It was a day of freedom for me, but at the time, I didn't know it yet.

I went to the concert with friends from work, their names long forgotten. The pre-party was at my new apartment I shared with my oldest (in length of time) friend, Shay. She had told me a month or so before that I had to get out of the situation I was in. She nearly forced me into the decision. I made it over a cup of coffee in a real coffee shop (long before there was one on every corner). I remember I felt so grown up that day. Drinking coffee, making a life decision.

The pre-party was the opportunity to get drunk before we started drinking at the concert. The old, "get wasted in cheap beer before you have to spend a crap load of money on cheap beer at a concert" philosophy. And it worked. It always worked. We were all feeling great by the time the concert started.

The concert was in conjunction with their 2nd album, "Vs." I knew every word to that album; "Ten," as well. I was free, I was drunk, and I jumped around the outside venue like the first time I saw Eddie Vedder on TV.

I think I prefer Pearl, myself.