Eddie VedderThere's something slightly incongruous about seeing Eddie Vedder in the gilded splendour of the State Theatre, even if he is an older, mellower and wiser version of the wild man who used to climb speaker stacks and drop 20 feet into seething flannelette crowds.
The Pearl Jam frontman's solo shows were opened by another chap without his band – Frames singer Glen Hansard, whose easy charm and Gaelic folk gave way to bursts of incredible energy, organic banter and wistful poignance in a performance that both prepared the way and set a high standard. Vedder's voice was clearly suffering when he hit the stage, and certain technical aspects of the show (something about a starcloth) failed to fire. The first 20 minutes of the set lurched from hopeful enthusiasm on the part of the audience to awkward banter from Vedder as he sought a way ahead.
But he found it, gradually winning over hearts, minds and merch budgets with a combination of his own material and selections from the Pearl Jam back catalogue.
By the time Vedder reached Porch, in the first encore, he knew he had you, and you knew it too. Somehow, despite a scratchy throat, advancing age and a venue (though acoustically wonderful) that would suit a Regency play rather better than an ageing rock star, the magic had worked. He brought Hansard out to join him on a number of duets (including an entirely un-mic'ed version of his solo piece, Sleepless Nights). As he played, spare and unpretentious, something shifted within the audience and we trusted Eddie completely.
It was a typical Sydney audience, generous after the fact, but contributing little to the energy within the performance of the songs. Vedder and Hansard gave us more than we deserved, both in terms of commitment and time. We can only hope they do as well by all who see them.
