Lecture 21: Pearl Jam versus Ticketmaster. In the mid-1990s, Pearl Jam challenged the fees that Ticketmaster
charged fans to see Pearl Jam shows. They felt that Ticketmaster jacked
prices up too high for fans. This ultimately resulted in a
boycott of the powerful ticket sales and distribution company by the
band. The episode drew attention to the rising costs of attending rock concerts.
Once modestly priced and accessible to the masses of fans from all
social classes and walks of life, by the 1990s many rock concerts –
thanks to huge corporate entities like Ticketmaster – charged exorbitant
prices, making it harder for people with limited budgets to attend. The
Ticketmaster protest was part of a noble effort by Pearl Jam to try to
keep their concerts accessible to large numbers of fans. This mini-documentary depicts Pearl Jam’s struggle against Ticketmaster.
Lecture 21: Seattle’s grunge sensation Pearl Jam, fronted by Eddie Vedder, perform “Black” from their debut album, Ten (1991). This remarkable live concert footage shows why Pearl Jam has had such a strong following, and why countless fans followed the band on tours, much like those who loved The Grateful Dead. “Black” was a huge hit for Pearl Jam, skyrocketing to #3 on the Billboard charts in 1992, and it helped establish them as rivals in commercial and critical success to fellow Seattle rockers Nirvana.
Lecture 21:
“Jeremy” - Pearl Jam: The Seattle grunge
band Pearl Jam was founded in 1990 by Stone Gossard and
Jeff Ament (formerly of Green River
and Mother Love Bone) along with Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, and Dave Krusen. Their debut album Ten (August, 1991) took time to gain
steam, but it eventually hit the #2
spot in the Billboard 200, thanks in
large part to heavy touring in support of it. By early ‘93 Ten had outsold Nirvana’s breakthrough
album Nevermind and produced hits such as “Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Black” and “Jeremy,” the first single released
from the album.
Lecture 21:
“Daughter” - Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam released five albums in the ‘90s, Ten (1990), Vs. (1993), Vitalogy (1994), No Code
(1996), and Yield (1998), which would all chart in the #1 or #2 positions in the Billboard
200, and help cement Pearl Jam
as one of the premier grunge bands
and one most successful groups of the ‘90s.This is the band performing “Daughter” (from Vs.),
their first Top 40 hit. (Note: The song begins about 45 seconds into the video.)
Lecture 21: “Rusty
Cage” - Soundgarden: One
of the “big four” Seattle
grunge bands, Soundgarden was formed in 1984 by singer and rhythm
guitarist Chris Cornell (Cornell
also played drums until the band recruited Scott Sundquist, who was then replaced by Matt Cameron), Kim Thayil on lead guitar, and
Hiro Yamamoto on bass. The band first found success in the late ‘80s-early
‘90s, particularly their singles “Rusty
Cage” and “Outshined”
from their third album Badmotorfinger (1991). Both have
gone on to become seminal grunge songs.
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