Ben Harper/Reletless7 + Pearl Jam = AWESOME SHOW

It may seem like blasphemy to the arena full of Pearl Jam fans, but I mostly bought tickets to this show for the opening act. I've seen those guys before at shows who are clearly there for the opening act, know all the words to these songs I've never heard before. Ben Harper & Relentless7 did a great job, but sadly, played a very short set of about 10 songs.

I've always wanted to see Pearl Jam in concert but I had been to the same arena to see Stone Temple Pilots earlier this year and was very disappointed. They lacked soul and really seemed like they were doing the show for the money or to reclaim some former glory. I incorrectly assumed Pearl Jam would be the same. Boy was I wrong! They came out with a fury. Eddie was on top of the vocals like it was 1992. Mike McCreedy was jumping and dancing while playing lead guitar. The place was ROCKING! They did a great job of covering their catalogue. Didn't play much from the not so good albums between '98-'06, but hit the earlier and late stuff well. They played the three songs I have always wanted to hear them play: Evenflow from Ten, Blood from Vs., and Yellow Leadbetter from the Jeremy single. Between those songs they played well knowns and welcome oddities: Alive, Bee Girl, Immortality, Spin the Black Circle, Just Breathe, etc. Their set lasted for two and a half hours, including both of the long encores. This show moved into the 2nd place slot for the best concerts I've seen. Ben Harper's 2008(or was it 2007?) tour is still the best, without question. Hopefully Pearl Jam won't wait another 11 years to come back to Salt Lake, because they've made me a believer in the Pearl Jam nation.