CONCERT
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Pearl Jam's lead singer, Eddie Vedder, performed with the Kings of Leon to open Saturday's concert.
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Vedder fuels Pearl Jam’s tour-ending tour de force
TWO DAYS after headlining a private show on the North Shore, legendary Seattle rockers Pearl Jam presented the rest of Hawaii with an early Christmas gift.
Playing what was easily the longest set by a mainland act in recent memory, the band satiated its most loyal fans Saturday with almost three hours of new material, obscure favorites and legendary hits.
Lead singer Eddie Vedder gave the Blaisdell Arena crowd an inkling of what was to come early in the night when he sat in with opening act Kings of Leon.
Wielding a pair of tambourines, Vedder seemed to channel The Who's Roger Daltrey, exuding energy that rubbed off on both the musicians around him and fans who were eager to see Pearl Jam play in Honolulu again after a 14-year absence. By the end of "Slow Nights, So Long," he had annihilated the instruments, sending bits and pieces flying across the stage and out into the audience.
After a 40-minute intermission, Pearl Jam sauntered out and kicked off the night's main event with songs off the band's first three albums. Powering through "Oceans," "Corduroy" and "Animal," Vedder continued to press the pace, moving on to songs off 1998's "Yield" and their 2006 self-titled release before taking a moment to address the crowd.
"Good evening, and welcome to Pearl Jam's last show," he said, pausing before adding, "of the tour!"
Vedder then introduced Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar, who grew up in Waimanalo and has been touring and recording with the band since 2002. Telling the crowd he thought Gaspar was the embodiment of the next song, Vedder launched into "Love Boat Captain," which ended with the audience chanting "Boom! Boom!" over and over again.
The most chicken-skin moment came a few minutes later, when the lights went dim and only Vedder and Gaspar were illuminated on stage. After taking a moment for a prayer, Vedder began a rendition of Israel Kamakawiwoole's "Hawaii '78," while Gaspar caressed his keyboard in the background. As the entire band jumped aboard to finish the song, it was evident part-time resident Vedder and company have a deeper connection to Hawaii and its culture than most other acts that pass through.
Vedder also voiced his appreciation many times during the evening, telling the audience, "You couldn't order a better crowd with which to end this tour," and, "We're not going to play these songs again for a while, so we hope you enjoy them."
Sporting a black T-shirt with the word "SL8R" printed on the front, he said hello to professional surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, plugged the veggie burger at Duke's in Waikiki and thanked Gaspar for bringing a group of keiki from Waimanalo's Hui Malama o ke Kai to the show. He even made a point of thanking more than 400 members of the military who were in the audience, getting down on his knees and bowing in appreciation of their service before sending them into a frenzy with "Alive" to cap off the first encore of the evening.
THE concert had already passed the two-hour mark, but nobody in the crowd dared to leave.
They were rewarded after a short five-minute wait, when Vedder returned to the stage by himself and picked up an ukulele to play "You're True." The band then paused to bring out a birthday cake for drummer Matt Cameron, getting the audience to sing "Happy Birthday" before Vedder picked up the sizable cake and threw it about 10 rows back into the seats facing the stage.
"Would you like a fork?" he joked, before the band regrouped and tore into "Smile," "Why Go," "Big Wave" and "Life Wasted."
Powered by several bottles of alcohol and the love of an adoring crowd, the band kept things going at full blast despite having played past midnight. Kings of Leon returned to the stage to help Pearl Jam with a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," before Pearl Jam ended the epic night with a mashup of "Yellow Ledbetter" and Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing."
And even though the house lights had been lit for a good 10 minutes, it seemed as if Vedder just didn't want the show to end.
"It was quite a night," Vedder admitted from the stage, a bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. "May we all sleep well. ... Hawaii, we love you!"
Although Pearl Jam is scheduled to open for U2 Saturday at Aloha Stadium, this concert at the Blaisdell was one for the ages, especially for hard-core fans. Judging by the euphoric looks on people's faces as they exited the venue, fans will have lots of memories to help pass the time until the band decides to headline here again.