It's taken them 11 years to perform in New Zealand again, but Pearl Jam's Auckland show felt like a homecoming celebration. Chris Schulz was there.
Pearl Jam
Where: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
When: Friday, November 27
Long hair, flannel shirts, extreme guitar solos, a Neil Young cover, an appearance by at least two members of the Finn family and Eddie Vedder sculling wine straight from the bottle.
It might be 11 years since Pearl Jam last played in New Zealand and 18 years since their debut album Ten was released in grunge's heyday, but things haven't changed that much for Vedder and the boys.
Their shows still sell out, the angsty front man likes to bring his friends on stage, and Pearl Jam's hugely enthusiastic fans still know every single word of spine-tingling ballad Betterman and can sing it without assistance.
And, continuing the mayhem that marked both the band's shows in 1995 and 1998 at the Mt Smart Supertop, the moshpit at the front of Pearl Jam's shows still looks like one of the world's most dangerous places.
An obviously concerned Vedder was forced to issue the first of the night's many warnings at the band's sold out show at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland after just the first two songs, pleading with the crowd to take "three steps back" and singling out a particular rowdy group of guys holding up proceedings.
"I've got my eye on you," he warned, waving his finger at them. "You keep your promise to behave and we'll pay you back - don't worry about that."
A wine-sculling Vedder kept his word as the band worked its way through a greatest hits set list that ran for more than two hours and included covers, B-sides, guest appearances and tracks from each of their nine albums.
They opened with Daughter, a song that soon had the stadium's 45,000 fans up on their feet rocking, swaying and singing in unison, before finding their stride with a stunning Faithful as Vedder punched the air for added effect.
Showing no signs of the cold that cut the band's show short in Sydney earlier in the week, Vedder was in fine form, whether he was stealing the spotlight for solo versions of Just Breathe, Life Wasted and Betterman, cooing seductively through a stunning Black, or tailoring Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town to make light of the band's 11 year absence.
"It won't be 11 years till the next time we come," he promised to cheers. "Maybe we'll come stay for 11 years."
The 44 year-old may have lightened up a little these days, but he still has the steely-eyed intensity that made him a hero to millions of teens in the early 90s. His trademarks - gripping the microphone with both hands, shaking his head when he's in the middle of a gravelly howl and pulling sweat-drenched hair out of his eyes - should be studied by all young rock stars.
Vedder was happy to take a back seat too, letting guitarist Mike McCready lead the way with a Guinness World Record-threatening guitar solo during Even Flow, inviting opening act Ben Harper on stage to play slide guitar on a squealy Red Mosquito, and singing back up vocals for Neil and Liam Finn as the father-and-son Kiwi duo dedicated a stirring rendition of Not Given Lightly to the song's creator Chris Knox.
Pearl Jam were at their best when they were giving that moshpit a reason to bounce, from an epic Corduroy and Matt Cameron drumming showcase Given To Fly, to fast-paced early tracks Porch and Why Go from Ten. And songs from this year's acclaimed comeback album Backspacer - Among The Waves, Johnny Guitar and current single The Fixer - stood up surprisingly well against their older material.
It was a shame their second encore was cut short with brief versions of Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World and Yellow Ledbetter played as the stadium's floodlights came on. Are there noise restrictions in South Auckland?
But despite that, and the 11 year wait, tonight's show - from Vedder's obvious affection for the country, to Hawaiian keyboardist Boom Gaspar's All Black top - felt somewhat like a homecoming celebration.
Yep, just like your favourite flannel shirt, Pearl Jam still seem to fit just right.
* Pearl Jam perform in Christchurch at AMI Stadium on Sunday night.
