PEARL JAM - MONKEYWRENCH RADIO: LIVE AT THE SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA, NOVEMBER 7, 1995

 PEARL JAM 

MONKEYWRENCH RADIO 
LIVE AT THE SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA 
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 7, 1995 

YES, PEARL JAM.  

YEAH, YEAH, PEARL JAM SUCKS.  MAINSTREAM, FAUX-ANGST-RIDDEN "JOCK" RADIO ROCK, SLAPPED WITH THE "GRUNGE" LABEL BY MARKETING TEAMS, MASQUERADING AS SOMETHING AUTHENTICALLY GRASS-ROOTS AND MEANINGFUL, RIGHT?  MAYBE FOR THE FIRST TWO PEARL JAM RECORDS, THIS IS THE CASE.  LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM, SOMETHING ABOUT THE THIRD RECORD, "VITALOGY," COMES ACROSS AS AUTHENTICALLY IRRITATED, SICK OF THE WHOLE ORDEAL, AND THE BAND'S EXHAUSTION AND FRUSTRATION WITH THE GRIND OF BEING A MAJOR COMMODITY OF SHOWBUSINESS CAN BE FELT.  IT IS AN INDUSTRY OOZING WITH ENERGY-SUCKING, MONEY HUNGRY LEECHES WHO DO NOTHING BUT SHOW UP IN A SUIT, JAWING FROM TOO MUCH COCAINE, REEKING OF COLOGNE.  THEIR PROFESSION IS MERELY EXISTING AND BEING PRESENT, NAME-DROPPING AT STRATEGIC POINTS IN A CONVERSATION.  (THE COOL KIDS THESE DAYS CALL THIS "NETWORKING," APPARENTLY, AND IT IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL CAREER, EVEN IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO BAG GROCERIES AT SOME MINIMUM WAGE JOB.  THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE SHOWCASING OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, IT IS PSYCHIC VAMPIRISM.)  

YOU CAN FEEL THE SADNESS FROM THE LOSS OF FRIENDS AND PEERS ON THIS RECORD, BOTH IN THE PAST AND IN THE PRESENT (IN THE PRESENT OF 1995), AND THE EMOTION AND FRUSTRATION DOESN'T COME ACROSS AS FEIGNED.  THIS IS PEAK PEARL JAM, IN THIS WRITER'S OPINION (AND THAT ISN'T JUST BECAUSE A FAMILY MEMBER WAS AN ASSISTANT ENGINEER ON THE ALBUM, EITHER - SHOUT OUT TO COUSIN JOHN BURTON - HOW'S THAT FOR NAME-DROPPING?).  FIRST, IN 1995, THE CASSETTE EDITION OF "VITALOGY" WAS PURCHASED.  THE BAND MADE IT A POINT TO RELEASE THE ALBUM INITIALLY ON VINYL EXCLUSIVELY, AT A TIME WHEN VINYL ON A MAJOR COMMERCIAL SCALE WAS A DEAD FORMAT.  YEARS LATER, THE CD VERION WAS PURCHASED, THEN EVEN MORE YEARS LATER, THE LP WAS PURCHASED.  MAYBE IT'S THAT NOSTALGIA THING AGAIN, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY SONG ON THIS RECORD SERVES A PURPOSE.  EVEN THE WEIRD STUFF.  THIS POST IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE VERY POPULAR, PARTICULARLY WITH THE DIEHARD GRINDCORE FANATICS AND HARDCORE CRUST PUNKERS, BUT WHO GIVES A SHIT, REALLY?  

PEARL JAM CAME OUT OF THE RUINS OF SEATTLE DARLINGS MOTHER LOVE BONE, AFTER THE DEATH OF ANDREW ("L'ANDREW THE LOVE GOD") WOOD.  MOTHER LOVE BONE WERE AN OVERTLY FLASHY, GLAM-INFUSED, TEASED HAIR AND TIGHT JEANS BAND, WITH A GLARING 1970'S AND 80'S COCK-ROCK FLAIR. THEY WERE ACTIVELY SEEKING HUGE FAME WITH PURPOSE, A BAND ON A MISSION.  ONE COULD HAVE MISTAKEN THEM AS COMING RIGHT OFF THE SUNSET STRIP (IRONICALLY, GUNS 'N' ROSES BASSIST DUFF MCKAGAN IS FROM SEATTLE, AND WAS A VETERAN OF THE LOCAL ROCK AND PUNK SCENE OF THE 1980'S, AND HAD PLAYED IN THE FARTZ).  MOTHER LOVE BONE WERE THE SEATTLE BAND THAT WAS MEANT TO BREAK OUT AND BE WORLD FAMOUS.  THEN THAT DREAM ENDED IN A SAD NIGHTMARE WITH THE OVERDOSE DEATH OF FRONTMAN WOOD.  

(I HIT THE CITY AND I LOST MY BAND, I WATCHED THE NEEDLE TAKE ANOTHER MAN, GONE, GONE, THE DAMAGE DONE...)  

THE REMAINING MEMBERS WERE HEARTBROKEN AND DIRECTIONLESS.  CRUSHED.  THEN, AFTER SOME TIME REGROUPING AND HEALING (YOU'LL NEVER REALLY COMPLETELY HEAL FROM THE LOSS OF A FRIEND LIKE THAT), THEY BEGAN TO PICK UP THE PIECES, AND PUT SOMETHING NEW BACK TOGETHER.  SOMETHING A BIT MORE STRIPPED DOWN, WITH LESS FASHION AND LESS GIMMICKS, AND MORE FOCUS ON SIMPLY WRITING AND PLAYING MUSIC.  LESS GLAMOUR.  NO GLITZ.  KEEP THE JEANS, LOSE THE HAIRSPRAY, GRAB SOME FLANNELS.  

THERE IS A MOUNTAIN RANGE OF ANECDOTES, ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, AND DOCUMENTARY MATERIAL ON THIS TRANSITION BETWEEN MOTHER LOVE BONE AND WHAT WOULD BECOME PEARL JAM (AND TEMPLE OF THE DOG, WHICH PRECEDED PEARL JAM, AND WAS ESSENTIALLY A TRIBUTE TO ANDREW WOOD).  THE 2011 DOCUMENTARY "PJ20" IS A GOOD SOURCE FOR THIS TYPE OF INSIGHT INTO THAT TIME PERIOD.  

SO MOTHER LOVE BONE DIDN'T MAKE IT.  MEANWHILE, ALICE IN CHAINS BEGAN TO ALERT THE WORLD TO WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST OF THE UNITED STATES.  SOUNDGARDEN, WHO HAD BEEN PLUGGING AWAY SINCE SOMETIME AROUND 1985 OR 1986, STARTED GAINING GROUND (ALONGSIDE ALICE IN CHAINS), SCORING OPENING SLOTS ON MAJOR TOURS WITH BANDS LIKE METALLICA.  THEN NIRVANA PUSHED PAST ALL OF THEM AND BLEW EVERYTHING OPEN.  BY THIS TIME PEARL JAM HAD FORMED AND THEIR DEBUT ALBUM "TEN" WAS RELEASED AND ROSE UP THROUGH THE CHARTS.  NIRVANA AND PEARL JAM WERE ENGAGED IN SOME STRANGE BAND RIVALRY, LIKE THE ONE BETWEEN THE ROLLING STONES AND THE BEATLES.  AS IF IN SOME TWILIGHT ZONE, ALTERNATE-REALITY TWIST, KURT COBAIN'S TENDENCY TOWARD INSERTING POP HOOKS INTO HIS SONGS SEEMED TO ALIGN NIRVANA WITH THE BEATLES, WHILE PEARL JAM'S MORE ROUGH ROCK AND ROLL DUDE AESTHETIC ALIGNED CLOSER WITH THE STONES, YET NIRVANA'S DESTRUCTIVE NATURE AND KURT'S NOTORIOUS DRUG CONSUMPTION SEEMED TO PUT THEIR BEHAVIOR MORE IN LINE WITH THE BAD-BOY IMAGE OF THE STONES, WHILE PEARL JAM SEEMED TO BE MORE MELLOW AND WELL BEHAVED (ASIDE FROM EDDIE VEDDER'S RAFTER-CLIMBING HABIT), LIKE THE BEATLES.  THE BANDS FINALLY MADE NICE BACKSTAGE AT THE 1992 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, AND IT WAS ALL COOL, FOR THE MOST PART (KURT WAS QUOTED AS SAYING, "I STILL THINK YOUR BAND SUCKS").

COVER ART FROM A CD BOOTLEG OF ONE OF THE NOVEMBER, 1995 SAN DIEGO SHOWS.  

REMEMBER WHEN, SHORTLY AFTER THE DEATH OF KURT COBAIN, PEARL JAM SUDDENLY FOUND THEMSELVES TO BE THE BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD?  (THIS NEXT PART OF THE LECTURE IS FOR THE KIDS - "DO IT FOR THE KIDS, YEAH, DO IT FOR THE KIDS, YEAH!" -COURTNEY LOVE)  

THIS WAS WHEN THE WORLD WIDE WEB WAS STILL IN IT'S TODDLER YEARS, WHEN AMERICA ONLINE AND PRODIGY WERE THE DOMINANT GATEKEEPERS OF CYBERSPACE, AND YAHOO WAS UP-AND-COMING, BASICALLY INVENTING THE INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE.  NETSCAPE WAS THE DEFAULT WEB BROWSER.  YOU HAD TO USE A TELEPHONE LAND LINE WITH DIAL-UP INTERNET SERVICE TO CONNECT, AND IF YOU ONLY HAD ONE PHONE LINE AND SOMEONE ELSE IN THE HOUSE PICKED UP THE PHONE, YOU WOULD BE KNOCKED OFF THE INTERNET.   WEB PAGES COULD TAKE UP TO A HALF HOUR OR MORE TO FULLY LOAD, AND AN IMAGE FILE (LIKE THE ONE PICTURED ABOVE) WOULD REQUIRE ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO TEN MINUTES TO BE COMPLETELY VISIBLE.  YOU KNOW, WALKING UPHILL THIRTY-THREE MILES BAREFOOT IN THE SNOW BOTH WAYS TO GET TO SCHOOL TYPE OF STUFF.  ONLINE TICKET SALES WERE STILL YEARS AWAY.  PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO WALK, DRIVE, RIDE THEIR BIKE, OR TAKE THE BUS TO A TICKETMASTER OUTLET (YES, THE COMPANY PEARL JAM SUED AND TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS OVER THEIR MONOPOLISTIC PRACTICES AND EXCESSIVE SERVICE CHARGES, YET PROBABLY STILL UTILIZE THEIR SERVICES TO THIS DAY - PERHAPS UNDER THE MONIKER "LIVE NATION"- BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY).  FANS WOULD STAND IN LINE (THIS IS CALIFORNIA, WE DON'T SAY "WAIT IN QUE," QUEING IS WHAT DJ'S DO WITH TRACKS THEY ARE GOING TO PLAY, OR "WAIT ON LINE," ON LINE MEANS BEING ON THE INTERNET, YOU CRAZY PEOPLE!), AND MAYBE STILL BE TURNED AWAY AFTER HOURS OF WAITING BECAUSE THE SHOWS WOULD SELL OUT SO FAST.  THE PRIMARY TICKETMASTER OUTLET HERE IN TOWN WAS AT MACY'S IN THE MALL.  SOMETIMES YOU COULD GO TO THE WAREHOUSE OR TOWER RECORDS (NOW-DEFUNCT CHAIN STORES), OR BLUE MEANNIE RECORDS (THE INFAMOUS AWESOME INDEPENDENT RECORD COLLECTOR'S HAVEN, OUR OWN LOCAL EMPIRE RECORDS, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS AROUND A DECADE AGO, REST IN PEACE) FOR TICKETS TO CERTAIN SHOWS.  WITHIN MINUTES, LITERALLY AROUND FIVE TO TEN MINUTES FOR ARENA-SIZED VENUES, PEARL JAM WOULD ALWAYS SELL OUT, WITHOUT FAIL.  PHONE SALES WERE POSSIBLE, IF YOU HAD A CREDIT CARD AND COULD GET THROUGH, BUT SALES WOULD END IN NO MORE THAN TEN MINUTES.  

PEARL JAM WERE UNQUESTIONABLY THE BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME, FILLING THE VOID THAT NIRVANA HAD LEFT AFTER KURT COBAIN DIED.  

IN NOVEMBER, 1995, PEARL JAM HAD TWO SHOWS BOOKED IN SAN DIEGO AT THE SPORTS ARENA IN THE MIDWAY DISTRICT, ON THE SIXTH AND THE SEVENTH.  THEY HAD BROUGHT ALONG WITH THEM SOME SORT OF MOBILE PIRATE RADIO STATION CALLED MONKEYWRENCH RADIO (THAT'S WHAT THE BURNED CD-R SAYS, ANYWAY, WHICH COULD BE INCORRECT, BUT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, THE TITLE IS THERE AND IT'S STAYING, SO DEAL WITH IT).  THE STATION WAS BROADCASTING ON 90.7 FM, AND THE SIGNAL WAS SIMULCAST BY LOCAL ALTERNATIVE STATION 91X, FM 91.1.  WHO PAYED THE F.C.C. FINES IS ANYBODY'S GUESS.  THIS BROADCAST WAS RECORDED ON A BLANK LONG-FORM DICTATION CASSETTE THAT WAS ONE OF MANY RETRIEVED FROM THE TRASH BY A JANITORIAL CREW FROM THE LOCAL WATER DISTRICT OFFICE, AND USED TO RECORD VARIOUS MUSIC AND RADIO BROADCASTS.  IT WAS THE 90'S, CD BURNERS WERE VERY EXPENSIVE AND MAINLY ONLY USED IN PROFESSIONAL STUDIOS (IF THEY EVEN HAD THEM, MOST STUDIOS WERE STILL PRIMARILY TRACKING TO ADAT, THEN MAYBE BURNING A ROUGH MIX TO CD USING A RACK-MOUNTED CD RECORDER).  BURNERS DID NOT YET FIT INTO A DESKTOP COMPUTER.  THE BAND'S ENTIRE SET WAS NOT CAPTURED, MOST LIKELY DUE TO LIMITED CASSETTE SPACE.  91X PROBABLY BROADCAST THE ENTIRE SET, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THEY CUT IT SHORT, THE BAND PLAYED A VERY LENGTHY SHOW.  

PEARL JAM LIVE ONSTAGE AT THE SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA, NOVEMBER, 1995.

PROPS MUST BE GIVEN TO EDDIE VEDDER (WHO IS A LOCAL SAN DIEGO BOY, AS A MATTER OF FACT, ALUMNI OF SAN DIEGUITO HIGH SCHOOL IN THE BEACH COMMUNITY OF ENCINITAS), FOR THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY AND DRIVE HE EXHIBITED DURING THIS TIME FRAME.  HE HAD JUST TOURED WITH MIKE WATT (THE MINUTEMEN), PLAYING GUITAR AND PERFORMING VOCALS, SUPPORTING WATT'S HALF-SOLO-HALF-SUPERGROUP ALBUM ON WHICH VEDDER APPEARED, "BALLHOG OR TUGBOAT," WHICH FEATURED MANY PROMINENT MUSICIANS FROM THE PUNK, GRUNGE, AND HARDCORE WORLD, INCLUDING DAVE GROHL, THRUSTON MOORE, J MASCIS, FLEA, HENRY ROLLINS, AND MANY MORE.  VEDDER BASICALLY CAME OFF THAT TOUR AND IMMEDIATELY WENT STRAIGHT INTO THIS PEARL JAM TOUR TO SUPPORT "VITALOGY."  

THE CASSETTE USED TO RECORD THE LIVE BROADCAST  

THE TAPE COVERING THE NOTCHES TO MAKE THE CASSETTE RECORDABLE IS STILL PRESENT 

ROUGHLY ONE QUARTER OF THE SET IS MISSING: THE LAST SIX SONGS OF THE MAIN SET - "LUKIN," "WHIPPING BOY," "THIS BOY" (THAT DOG COVER), "ALIVE," "BLACK," AND "BLOOD;" PLUS THE FOUR-SONG ENCORE - "SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE," "LEAVING HERE" (EDWARD HOLLAND JR. COVER), "I CAN'T EXPLAIN" (THE WHO COVER), AND "PORCH."  SOME DIGITAL ALTERATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE IN KEY PLACES TO EQUALIZE VOLUME WHERE NECESSARY DUE TO NOTICABLE DROPOUTS, BUT THE RECORDING IS OTHERWISE LEFT UNCHANGED.  THERE IS ONE SPOT EARLY IN THE SET THAT THE TAPE GETS A LITTLE BIT CRINKLY FOR ABOUT A SECOND.  (NOTE TO ALL YOU YOUNG CASSETTE ENTHUSIASTS, THERE IS A GOOD REASON WE SWITCHED TO COMPACT DISC, BECAUSE OF SHIT LIKE THIS.  EVENTUALLY, YOUR FAVORITE CASSETTE WILL BE EATEN BY YOUR DECK.  HERE'S A TIP FOR WHEN THAT HAPPENS: PRESS REWIND AND THE CASSETTE DECK WILL HOPEFULLY SPIT THE STRIP OF TAPE BACK OUT, BUT IT WILL PROBABLY BE PERMANENTLY DEGRADED).  THE RAMONES OPENED THESE TWO SHOWS, AND AT ONE POINT THE BAND GIVES A NOD OF APPRECIATION TO THEM AS THEY WATCH FROM THE SIDE OF THE STAGE.  TOWARD THE END OF THE SET THERE IS A MEDELEY BEGINNING WITH "DAUGHTER," WHICH THEN GOES INTO A BREIF STRETCH OF THE RAMONES' "I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES," "TOUCH OF GREY" BY THE GRATEFUL DEAD, FOLLOWED BY "W.M.A."  

THE "TRAIL OF SOURCE AUDIO CUSTODY" IS AS FOLLOWS: 

LIVE SOUNDBOARD (PRESUMABLY) >> 90.7 FM MONKEYWRENCH RADIO BROADCAST >> 91.1 FM 91X SIMULCAST >> UNKNOWN MAKE/MODEL AM-FM CASSETTE RECORDER/CD PLAYER (ONE OF THOSE 1990'S ~$150 DEALS, IT WAS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM SANTA IN 1994, POSSIBLY PANASONIC, SAMSUNG OR PIONEER, DEFINITELY NOT KENWOOD, BOSE OR BLAUPUNKT) >> 3M 542 STANDARD DICTATION 90 MINUTE CASSETTE (RESCUED FROM THE WATER DISTRICT OFFICE TRASH CAN) >> DIFFERENT UNKNOWN MAKE/MODEL CASSETTE DECK CONNECTED TO AN UNKNOWN MAKE/MODEL RECEIVER (30 WATTS IF MEMORY SERVES, THRIFT STORE SCORE) RCA LEFT/RIGHT LINE-OUT WITH RCA-TO-1/8 INCH JACK CORD >> 1/8 INCH MICROPHONE INPUT OF UNKNOWN CHEAP SOUND CARD INSTALLED IN A FRANKENSTEIN HOME-BUILT DESKTOP COMPUTER >> 44.1 KHZ 16 BIT STEREO WAV FILES RECORDED WITH GOLDWAVE (REMEMBER THAT PROGRAM?) >> BURNED CD-R (CD BURNERS FINALLY FIT INTO YOUR DESKTOP AND WERE AFFORDABLE!) >> MP3 FILES RIPPED AT 320 KBPS >> COMPRESSED .ZIP FILE >> MEDIAFIRE >> YOUR DEVICE.

APOLOGIES FOR THE LENGTHY POST AND ALL THE DIGRESSIONS, BUT IT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WAS HELD ONTO FOR DECADES AND IT'S EXCITING TO SHARE, EVEN IF THOSE WHO MIGHT CHECK OUT THIS BLOG DON'T DIG THIS BAND.  MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE WILL FIND IT AND BE EXCITED TO HAVE ACCESS TO IT, WHO KNOWS.  THERE MUST SURELY BE OTHER VERSIONS OF THIS SET OUT THERE AVAILABLE (THERE IS DEFINITELY AT LEAST ONE OR TWO CD BOOTLEGS), BUT THIS ONE WAS PERSONALLY RECORDED AND SAVED AND MAYBE WILL BE PASSED ON TO FAMILY IN THE FUTURE SO SOMEONE CAN LOOK BACK IN FIFTY YEARS WHILE DIGGING THROUGH A BOX AND SAY, "OH DAMN, THIS IS SOME VINTAGE STUFF RIGHT HERE, WOW!"  OR NOT, MAYBE IT WILL END UP BURIED IN A LANDFILL, OR VAPORIZED BY A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.  

IN 2020, ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.  

"WATCH THIS...   NEW GUITAR, PLEASE!  I AM A ROCK STAR, AFTER ALL!" -EDDIE VEDDER 

TRACKLIST: 

1. INTRO/OCEANS 

2. GO 

3. ANIMAL 

4. LAST EXIT 

5. TREMOR CHRIST 

6. CORDUROY 

7. REARVIEWMIRROR 

8. BETTER MAN 

9. EVEN FLOW 

10. WHY GO 

11. DEEP / RED MOSQUITO 

12. GLORIFIED G 

13. DAUGHTER / I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES / TOUCH OF GREY / W.M.A. 

14. NO JEREMY 

15. NOT FOR YOU 

16. I GOT ID 

DOWNLOAD: 

PEARL JAM - MONKEYWRENCH RADIO - SAN DIEGO, NOVEMBER 7, 1995