Jeff Mesnil
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⇨ Pearl Jam, the Perils of Fame, and the Trouble With Avoiding It

November 3, 2010

Pearl Jam isn't the first veteran rock band to see a decrease in fans as it got older. But it's the best example of a band deliberately expediting the process. Pearl Jam helped to set a template that all too many alt-rock bands would follow in the '90s: success, and then retreat. Make people love you, and then disengage. Get to a certain level, and just stop.

Pearl Jam feels like a band who enjoys playing together and have fun with their fans, not seeking media attention.
I went to hear them at Paris on a September 11th a few years ago (for their Advocado album) and it was the best rock concert I ever went to.