Pearl Jam review – Manchester audience rescues a stricken Eddie Vedder

Co-Op Live, Manchester​The Seattle band have settled handsomely into classic rock, and Vedder’s vocal struggles scarcely matter amid a set full of surprises, singalongs and showboating guitarWhen they first emerged in the Seattle grunge boom of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam’s classic rock leanings were viewed with some suspicion, but now they’re probably key to their longevity. Although they’ve long been viewed as one of the great modern American rock bands, the No 2 chart position for much-praised new album Dark Matter is their equal UK best in the last three decades.They play four tracks from it here, and emotive album opener Scared of Fear along with the edgier React, Respond are definitive Pearl Jam. Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard, Crass T-shirted bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron’s wonderfully creative grooves are topped off by Mike McCready’s piercing, hypnotic guitar melodies and Eddie Vedder’s trademark holler. Continue reading...