On March 16, 1992, the Seattle-born grunge band Pearl Jam sat down and recorded an MTV Unplugged performance. But fans of the band and of the series, which has included shows with everyone from Nirvana to 10,000 Maniacs, were unable to buy a copy of the show until Record Store Day 2019.
For many, the Pearl Jam Unplugged was lost and forgotten. But in recent years, we’re able to dive back into it. To explore the space and bask in the acoustic-driven grunge musical majesty. That’s what we wanted to do here. To remember three top performances from the set that many thought might never see the light of day.
“Alive”
Pearl Jam released its debut studio LP, Ten, in August of 1991. That record helped them become household names amongst a growing young audience of rock (and grunge) fans. The album also included the three songs here on this list. The band’s unplugged version of their song “Alive” is brimming with life. It’s vibrating and buzzing and lead vocalist Eddie Vedder is going wild in his seat as his band plays their rhythms around him. Just looking at this group of long-haired brothers, you can understand what grunge was all about.
“Black”
The band’s song “Black” is a bit sweeter, a bit more subdued than the tune above. It’s reflective and more melancholy. It begins with Stone Gossard strumming chords on his acoustic and then the band, including Vedder, comes in. He sings about a loving vision, the object of his affection. How lovely and difficult everything is. It’s as if he’s painting a picture with his colofrful, vivid lyrics. His bold voice conjuring effective, invisible images for the audience.
“Even Flow”
A powerful, gut punch of a song. This storytelling track from Pearl Jam shows the gritty, angrier side of Vedder’s voice. His band races to keep up with his viciousness. He bellows and beckons. The result has the listener’s heart racing and mind wandering. What will happen next? Where do I get more of this? Why hasn’t grunge made a comeback? Is Pearl Jam the greatest band of all time? These questions must be answered!
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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