Arena Rock Revisited

I'll be attending the Pearl Jam/Tom Petty concert at the Xcel tonight. I wasn't planning on going, but then I found out Mal had an extra ticket...I'm getting pretty excited for it. The only time I saw Pearl Jam was in November of 1991, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. It was Smashing Pumpkins/Pearl Jam/Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was there to see the Chili Peppers, and I thought both of the openers stunk. (This was right before Pearl Jam started getting serious radio play.) Jeff Ament had all sorts of problems with his bass sound- it kept cutting in and out. I think it was a really harsh crowd, as Billy Corgan got hit with a full cup of beer, and I believe both openers cut their sets short.

I loved the first two Pearl Jam Albums (I think 95% of my generation loved Ten, but really stopped paying attention after that. I've always respected the band- their reluctance to sell out; even taking on TicketMonster. Supposedly they put on a great show, so I'm ready to rock out. The boys are starting to look a little old. At least Eddie Vedder grew his hair out a little. I saw a picture of the band a few years ago, and didn't believe it was them.

I'm also quite stoked to see Tom Petty. Luckily, his setlists include plenty of his classic stuff, so I'll know most of the songs.

I've never been to the Xcel, which I hear is a good place to see arena rock. I cannot remember the last time I saw a non-Phish concert at a large arena. I've seen my share of outdoor festivals over the years, but the last time I saw an arena rock show (other than Phish) was a long time ago- 10 years? 15 years? I know I saw Metallica at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the fall of '92 or spring of '93 while I was attending Drake. I saw the Allman Brothers at the Target Center a little later- '94? I'll have to go through my ticket stubs...