1992 MTV Unplugged: Pearl Jam

This has to be my all time favorite performance in the history of all that is Unplugged. One of the hottest new bands to emerge out of music hot bed Seattle at the time of this taping, Pearl Jam was currently riding high on the success of their debut album Ten. Taped at midnight at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in March of 1992, Pearl Jam band members Eddie Vedder (vocals), Mike McCready (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), and Dave Abbruzzese (drums) gave an unforgettable and captivating performance that unleashed the band's raw, poetic and lyrical genius to the world, also highlighting a point of Eddie's personal and political values that made his music seem more genuine and real. But before we get into the music, lets begin with the heart of this live performance.

One thing to be noted about Pearl Jam during the duration (35 minutes) of this show is their energy and devotion towards the music they play, as well as the pure joy they get out of performing. The camera catches glimpses of Dave smiling and mouthing the words as he rocks out on the drum set throughout the entire show, and you'll notice McCready and Stone start to move their bodies with the rhythm of the music and dedicate their entire mindset and emotion to each song's pivotal guitar solo found within most of Pearl Jam's pieces. However, I find myself completely lost to the world around me when I see Eddie sing. Eddie's voice alone is gripping and intense as he sings the tune is such a way to showcase power, pureness, and patience, but when you put that talent along with his enthralling facial expressions, you get...well...a damn good show. Eddie's face (aside from being absolutely beautiful) leaves you wondering whether or not he's having an epileptic seizure, wanting to kill someone, or just completely lost in the music. His eyes roll in the back of his head, his head jerks around in short, fast movements, and he'll even give you a twisted little smile, raising his cheekbones and pursing his lips, in parts of the song that usually aren't that happy. Passion runs through his blood and it is evident in the way he performs.

The following is the set list to the 1992 MTV Unplugged broadcasting featuring Pearl Jam (Season 3, Episode 4)

01. Oceans
02. State of Love and Trust
03. Alive

04. Black

05. Jeremy

06. Evenflow

07. Porch

1. "Oceans" was inspired by Vedder's affinity for surfing. Following Pearl Jam's performance, Vedder stated, "[that was] a little love song I wrote about my surfboard...no actually it's to somebody named Beth who hopefully I'll see tomorrow." Eddie's vocal range really shines through, and although this piece is musically and texturally different from the rest of the songs on the set list, as well as on the album, it gives a rather heavily intense performance a melodically soothing beginning.

2. Next on the list is my number one favorite song by Pearl Jam. This piece really picks up the dynamism of the performance, allowing Vedder to break out the true, rough intensity of his voice, raising the energy of the entire band. According to Ament, the lyrics for "State of Love and Trust" are based on what Vedder took from watching the film Singles, and added, "I think he probably took a heavier angle on what the movie was about than a lot of people will, but that's Eddie, which is a beautiful thing." Vedder once introduced it as "a song about being faithful," but there are multiple ways to read between the lines of such a powerfully worded song, so go experience it for yourself.

3. "Alive" has been revealed by Vedder to be part autobiographical and part fiction. When Vedder was a teenager, his mother revealed to him that the man he thought was his father was actually his stepfather, and that his biological father was dead. The first and last verses detail those actual events. When the song begins Eddie takes his hat off and lets his hair fall down, and throughout the song you see an unnerving, fixated intensity that was not present during "State of Love and Trust." This song is as real as it gets, and Vedder is experiencing real emotions based on real life events. If you ever get the chance to see your favorite artist completely exposed in such a way in which he or she shares something so private on such a delicate topic, that's when you know the music is at its purest.

4. This next piece is genius. "Black" became one of Pearl Jam's best known songs and is a central emotional piece on the album Ten. Despite pressure from Epic Records, the band refused to make it into a single, feeling that it was too personal and the feeling of it would be lost by a video or a single release. Vedder stated that "fragile songs get crushed by the business. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't think the band wants to be part of it." The first verse alone lets you know exactly what Eddie meant about it being a "fragile" song. The performance went from giving me goosebumps by listening to Abbruzzese's solid drumming that so effortlessly complimented the sick guitar solo by McCready towards the end of "Alive", to giving me instant, distressing flashbacks that gave off the same message as the song "Black." That's ok though. Songs that make you feel are songs worth listening to. An artist's greatest power is the influence he or she has over other people's emotions, and Pearl Jam uses this influence quite well.

5. Pearl Jam continues to play up the emotion and intensity in the room by performing "Jeremy." Mixed with dominant vocals, metaphorically simple lyrics, and a disturbing message, this song is perfect for such a memorable line up, especially since it holds meaning to such a vast number of people outside the Pearl Jam fan club.The song takes its main inspiration from a newspaper article about a 16-year-old boy named Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson, Texas who shot himself in front of his classmates on the morning of January 8, 1991. In a 2009 interview, Vedder said that he felt "the need to take that small article and make something of it—to give that action, to give it reaction, to give it more importance." Hands gripping the microphone, a disgruntled face, and eyes shut during parts of this song show you how much the meaning  affects Eddie.

6. The mood instantly picks up with the performance of "Evenflow" as Vedder and his band mates introduce this heavy electric piece in an acoustic way, or as MTV would have it, completely "unplugged." With just as much power and invigorating flow as the original, Pearl Jam has a lot of fun with this piece as they move and strum and bob their heads to the melody of this song. Vedder introduced the song at his 1994 concert in Miami by saying, "I thought I'd throw in a bit of street education while you still have an open mind...Right across the street there's a little homeless community that lives under the bridge. You should just know that those people ain't all crazy and sometimes it's not their fault. This song is called 'Even Flow'."

7. "Porch" is the final, most stimulating song of them all. The mood and body language of the band members did a complete 180 from songs like "Black" and "Jeremy" to "Porch." The audience is more hyped as Eddie sings while doing a little, giddy dance in his chair, but a true finale doesn't begin till the singing stops, the music quiets down, and Eddie "falls" off his chair. At this point, Mr. Vedder is putting on a show, rolling around on the floor and doing the "superman" over his chair seat. This is when Eddie famously stands up on the chair to write "pro-choice" on his arm in magic marker. The personal and political side of Eddie is revealed at that point to the audience and to the vast amount of viewers watching Unplugged at that time. The camera man focuses in on Jeff as he smiles and hits the drums with his guitar, Eddie does a dance and throws and kicks stuff, vocals are challenged with all the passionate, pro-choice screaming, and overall it was a lasting performance.

So, can you see now why this is my favorite MTV Unplugged performance? Pearl Jam shows us that there is no limitation on vocals, lyrical messages, or sick guitar solos. Imperfection is perfection in this live performance of Pearl Jam's most popular songs. I'm adding the following picture just because.