I don’t mind stealing bread

Soundgarden and Pearl Jam both played at this autumn’s 28th annual Bridge School benefit concert (keeping Matt Cameron fully occupied)*, and the opportunity for a Temple of the Dog reunion was too good to miss.

Wakin’ up the reindeer

Today (6 January) is the 12th day of Christmas, so it’s my last chance until next December to get this post written whilst maintaining a veneer of topicality. We took down the Christmas tree this evening; doesn’t Christmas whizz by these days?!

In recent years (since 2009, as you’ll soon figure out), Becky has put her innate cracked-but-crafty* talents into practice by making me Pearl Jam-related Christmas cards, and this seems an opportune moment to present a gallery of her mighty fine creations, in reverse chronological order.**

2014 Christmas card

I feel a strength

 

 

 

Further to my recent post about next weekend’s Bridge School concert, here are Pearl Jam playing ‘Walk With Me’ with Neil Young at  the 2010 concert.

It’s the lead-off song on Young’s 2010 album Le Noise (his thirty-first studio album, apparently), and the video’s from The Kids Are Twenty, disc two of the PJ20 deluxe edition.

Black with starlight

Pearl Jam and Soundgarden will be performing at the 28th annual Bridge School benefit concert this year (25-26 October 2014).

There’s always a strong line up to support Neil and Pegi Young’s school – Brian Wilson and Tom Jones are playing this year! presumably not together (though why not?) – which uses innovative means to educate children with severe speech and physical impairments. Florence + the Machine, Puss n Boots (Norah Jones’ new band) and Band of Horses are also playing this year.

This old world keeps spinning round

When I eventually figure out that time machine, one of the gigs on the list is Neil Young at Finsbury Park in 1993, supported by grunge upstarts Pearl Jam. So, when Neil Young and Crazy Horse rode into town last month, on what may prove to be their last tour, I was looking forward finally to seeing him live, even if it was at the cavernous, somewhat soulless, London O2.

I’d recently read Young’s rambling, charming autobiography, part of which looks forward to working with Crazy Horse again on what would become the err, rambling, charming Psychedelic Pill, his first album since giving up beer and smoking pot. Hippies these days, just no stamina. (Except for the 24-minute ‘Driftin’ Back’.)

Neil Young, centre, with Frank Sampedro and Billy Talbot, courtesy guardian.co.uk

Bridge School benefit concerts

Last weekend, Eddie Vedder played two solo sets at the 25th anniversary Bridge School Benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA.

The Bridge School was set up by Neil and Pegi Young in 1986. It’s a non-profit organisation that educates children with severe speech and physical impairments so that they can achieve full participation in their communities through the use of augmentative and alternative means of communication: http://www.bridgeschool.org/.

The concerts are always stripped down, acoustic affairs, giving artists the chance to collaborate with other musicians and experiment with songs.