Experiences Following Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on an Australian Solo Tour
The first time I saw Pearl Jam live was when I was in high school. Chris’s Mom was on the phone and Chris had excitedly explained that she was speaking with Ticketmaster regarding the purchase of Pearl Jam tickets for their show in Vancouver. Chris and his brother were going to fly over for the weekend and experience their first Pearl Jam show together. Filled with jealousy and impulse I pleaded for her to buy an extra ticket so that I could come along. Chris supported the cause while his mother hesitated, phone pressed against her ear, until she finally responded, “are… are sure you’ll be able to go? Well ok, three tickets together then thanks.” She was right to be unsure as I was an unemployed high school student with less than 2 months to come up with the money for the ticket and flights.
The next day I was peddling resumes all over town and accepted the first position I was offered at a local grocery store. I was made responsible for the sanitation of the cutting machines they used in the meat department to prepare the steaks, fillet the fish, and mince the pork. Hot soapy water would spray out of the pressure washer with enough force that tiny bits of butchery bounced back stinging my eyes and leaving a fishy taste when I licked my lips. Five weeks and two failed exams later I earned the necessary funds for my first Pearl Jam experience. It was the best investment I had ever made.
I quit the grocery store job but I never stopped chasing Pearl Jam concerts. As often as I could I’d fly to multiple venues on their tours, quickly realizing that only going to one show was an amateur mistake. Since that very first concert, I’ve found that these Pearl Jam pilgrimages have always seemed to coincide with major turning points in my life; each tour punctuating a new chapter. Coincidental or consequential, I’ve never been sure. But today I stare at a computer screen entirely too small for comfort as I try to record perhaps the most profound tour through perhaps the largest chapter change in my life.
Six shows, four cities, and only one man by the name of Mister Eddie Vedder. His solo tour kicked off in Brisbane, Australia — which is also where it had all started for me nearly three years ago. I have always known that I wanted to live and travel outside of Canada. However, I could never have anticipated that I’d be immigrating to Australia only two weeks after completing university. Yet here I am, considering all the events that have taken me to where I am now and contemplating what to do next…
Leave a Reply