Old school meets even older school in a surprising performance

-- Andrea Jackley

Generations came together Monday, Jun. 26 and Tuesday, Jun. 27 as ‘90s grunge icons, Pearl Jam, opened for veteran rockers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The two-show line up had been one of the most anticipated music events of the summer.

At the Monday night show, Pearl Jam packed their 85 minute set with familiar favorites that sent the late-twenty to early-thirty-somethings that dominated the crowd into a singing frenzy. From hard ringing hits like "Alive" and "Jeremy" to ballads like "Daughter" and "Better Man," the Seattle quintet inspired a trip down memory lane for their many fans in attendance.

Despite the crowd’s heartfelt singing along, Pearl Jam couldn’t seem to muster the same energy their fans poured out. Front man, Eddy Vedder, spent much of his time on stage wandering around like a lame duck squawking the same tune he has for years—with less than adequate enthusiasm. His occasional leap in the air along with a good guitar riff was usually followed by moping around the back of the stage.

Although reminiscent of the ‘90s loathing and teenage angst that first propelled Pearl Jam onto the frontline of popular music fifteen years ago when their break out album Ten hit the music scene, the act left a lot to be desired by an older, more stable fan base. It was a lackluster performance at best.

To be fair, Pearl Jam lived up to their politically-oriented reputation by performing newer material such as "World Wide Suicide," which berates the Republican Party, and "Rockin' in the Free World" as a tribute to Warren Buffet and his massive contribution to society. The band also paid homage to Petty by playing a few lines of "I Won’t Back Down" before the end of their set.

After a half hour break, Petty and the Heartbreakers burst on stage with "Listen to Her Heart," and received a vivacious round of applause for the recognizable tune. The outstanding energy of the veteran rockers visibly won the crowd over as they moved into hits such as "Runnin' Down a Dream," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "Refugee" and the everlasting "Free Fallin'."

Petty paraded in front of the packed stadium like a rock deity motioning for reactions from the crowd, which they gladly obliged. Mega hit "Learning to Fly" was sung primarily by the audience at Petty’s behest.

Petty also wooed the audience with mentions of his upcoming album, "Highway Companion," from which he and the Heartbreakers performed "Saving Grace." They followed with a foot-stomping rendition of Bo Diddley's bluesy rock song "I'm a Man," honorably credited with inspiring the hall of famers' careers in music.

To finish the evening, Petty and the Heartbreakers joined hands with Pearl Jam to perform a version of "American Girl" after several long minutes of virtual begging from the audience, who were on their feet and screaming for more.