Interview with Josh Smith from Halestorm at Rock On The Range 2015

How has the response to Into the Wild Life been?

It’s been really amazing… I mean, the best response to an album yet. Even in terms of not only positive feedback, but just response in general. There’s negative feedback, but it’s fun to read all the comments and what people think, why they think it, and their interpretations of the music. It’s been really cool. I enjoy it and we’re having such a great time playing all the new stuff live and having more stuff to fit in the catalogue and mess with the setlist every night. It’s been a blast. And I’m not sick of the album yet, I’ve been listening to it!

I’m not either! [laughs]

I have to listen to it still just to fine tune and see what else I can make work live. In listening to it still, I enjoy it.

You talked about the setlist, what goes into y’all picking the songs that get played and don’t get played? I know festivals are a little different, but when I saw you in Birmingham a few weeks ago and I noticed that each set has the same songs, but in a different order.

It’s kind of just being aware on stage of how everything’s working, the flow of the set, and also paying attention to the crowd and seeing if they’re enjoying themselves or if there’s any dead air, “Oh, that was really awkward,” you know? And when you have an awkward moment on stage, it’s probably about five seconds but it feels like an eternity. So it’s just kinda keeping that in mind and constantly seeing how you can improve on song placement or what songs are played. We’re early on in this album cycle so we have to be careful with how much new stuff we play because you have to think that essentially not everyone has heard the album yet so you have to keep the old stuff active and alive. Sort of put a new song in, and then maybe an old song, then a new song, then two old songs, and just sprinkle it in accordingly. I think the coolest part is now that we have thirteen more songs to throw in, it gives us the flexibility to change it up every night and say “Let’s try this here” or “Let’s try this there”. That’s like the dream to write the setlist right before you go on stage and do it like Pearl Jam does.

That’s my band! That’s what I was thinking of, but I wasn’t gonna say anything. Besides Hanson, that is my other band! I have 13 favorite bands and y’all are in the top 13.

Oh my god, that’s awesome.

My mom and I follow Pearl Jam, so that’s our band.

So do we, they are a true rock band.

Have you seen Pearl Jam?

I, shoot me now, have not seen Pearl Jam live.

My mom has seen Pearl Jam almost 80 times. Not exaggerating. I’ve seen them nine times.

That’s so cool. I’ve gotten tickets for my brothers to see them.

Well that’s not fair!

It’s not!

Where did they see them?

They saw them in Philadelphia at the Made in America concert. My friends went to the last Spectrum concerts, which was cool, but I’m just waiting for the day I get to see them. It can’t come soon enough.

We make travel plans around Pearl Jam tours, like “Oh, we’re going on vacation but we’re seeing Pearl Jam while we’re there.” My first Pearl Jam show was in Hawaii in 2006. It was the first time I had flown anywhere, and I flew to Hawaii, not for vacation, but to see Pearl Jam and then we plan the vacation around seeing Pearl Jam.

Perfect. Sounds like a great trip.

I was in the sixth grade when that happened, oh my god I feel old now.

I doubt you’re older than me.

No, I’m not. I’m a baby. I’m probably the youngest one in this room.

You’re an old baby.

Yeah, looking around, I think I’m the youngest one here.

I’d say that’s accurate.

I mean I’m not even old enough to drink.

Wow! [laughs] you are young.

What do you think about the current state of music? It can be your type of music or music in general.

I think the current state of music is at an exciting time. For the last few years, it seems like rock music or just real music with people playing instruments sort of took a back seat to electronic, poppy sounding stuff which is fine, that’s just the evident flow, sort of the pendulum swing-

Pearl Jam reference!

Yeah!

I hope you caught that.

I just dropped a little easter egg there and she found it.

Did you do that on purpose?

Yes! [laughs] but I have a feeling that it’s swinging back in our direction though and you know, you’re seeing rock bands up on the charts again and you’re seeing some of the best turnouts at festivals that we’ve ever seen so this is amazing and it’s a good time to be a rock fan. I think it’s a damn good time in music and I think you’re gonna hear some stuff in the next few years that you’ll hear for the rest of your time.

Is there anything else you wanna add?

No, thanks for taking the time and hanging out and I can’t wait to get back down to Alabama soon.

Pearl Jam FedEx Forum Memphis, TN 10/14/14

On Tuesday, October 14th, I travelled to the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN for Pearl Jam's anticipated return to the city.

Previously the band had not played Memphis since 2000. The energy from the crowd was felt throughout the entire night.

Since there was no opening act, the show was just a Rock and Roll evening with Pearl Jam, which is what some fan's dreams are made of (just like mine!)

I did not realize how large The FedEx Forum was until I was escorted into the photo pit.

It was one of those moments you see in movies where your breath is taken away and all you can do is take in the moment.

But enough emotions for now. Let's get down to the real story.

Pearl Jam graced the stage in the darkest of light cues, but with enough energy to quickly get the crowd standing.

Their set consisted of a variety of songs from their extensive catalogue and the crowd was more than happy to hear some of the surprises Pearl Jam pulled out of their hats.

Setlist:

Pendulum

Wash

Low Light

Why Go

All Night

Mind Your Manners

Even Flow

Lightning Bolt

Sirens

1/2 Full

Garden

Alone (RAREITY! Only been played 44 times. Played at their first show in 1990)

Wishlist

Given to Fly

Let the Records Play

Spin the Black Circle

Black

Rearviewmirror

Encore:

Nothing as It Seems

Come Back

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

Do the Evolution

Breath

Porch

Encore 2:

Once

Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams cover)

Better Man

Alive

Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young cover)

Yellow Ledbetter

Also on the setlist, but not played were:

No Way

Ghost

During Alone, the crowd roared throughout FedEx Forum and people were yelling random numbers that represented how many years they've waited to hear the song. The guy beside me yelled 22. We high fived.

Given To Fly is always a crowd favorite and I am almost positive the building shook. Then again, I was jumping, so it might not have been as shaky as I remember. (Ha!)

Before Let The Records Play and Spin The Black Circle, Ed told a story about Mike and Matt going to Sun Studios down the road. The people that worked there said the drummer for Pearl Jam came in the day before and they were a little confused. Then, they realized it was Dave Kruzen and they laughed. (Kruzen was in the band very early in their career.) Then the songs were dedicated to Memphis. During STBC, Mike always runs around the stage and it is the coolest thing.

When Come Back is played (I have seen it live twice) there are always a few people who cry. I understand why, though. It is a sad song.

Small Town always renders the best crowd responses, especially when the song says, "I just wanna scream... HELLLOOOOO!!!!" It gets real.

Breath is always a nice, personal surprise for me. It is one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs.

During Crazy Mary, the lyric goes, "Take a bottle. Drink it down. Pass it around." Ed was sick, so instead of passing his wine bottle around, he acquired a new bottle and filled the cups of the Faithfull on the front row.

The night ended with the house lights coming up for Alive, Rockin' In The Free World, and Yellow Ledbetter. Ed threw tambourines into the crowd. (One of my goals in life is to catch one.)

As the crowd left the FedEx Forum, there were smiles all around and light hearted laughter. Some people went back to their hotels and from there, either went back home, or headed to Detroit for another Pearl Jam show two days later.

Pearl Jam is a band who truly shows what it is like to stand the test of time in the industry. Their fans, albums, and performances prove that.

Kudos to you, Pearl Jam. Kudos. 

Voodoo Music Fest Day One New Orleans, LA 11/1/13

Obviously, when you have fall break at college, the first thing you do is buy tickets to see your favorite band and go on a solo road trip. Right? Right. Since (at the time) I did not think I would be able to go on Pearl Jam's fall tour, I was pretty upset. But, Pearl Jam announced they would be playing Voodoo Fest in New Orleans over my fall break. Yeah, I'm so there. As soon as classes were done, I made a pit stop at my parents house, and then I headed to New Orleans. One of the few reasons this trip was possible is that I have family in New Orleans and they let me crash on their couch for the weekend.

The first band I saw on Friday was Youngblood Hawke. I first heard of them from VH1's Top 20 Countdown and I really liked their sound. They played (not in order)

Rootless

Dannyboy

In Our Blood

Dreams

Stars (Hold On)

Last Time

Protect Yourself

We Come Running

Forever

Glacier

At the end of their set, Sam Martin, their singer, asked who was ready for Pearl Jam. The crowd was very enthusiastic, as was I. It is awesome to know that they like Pearl Jam too. When their set was over, I ran to the main stage (also known as The Ritual Stage) and started to stake out my spot for PJ. I managed to catch the end of The New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band. If Jazz music is your thing, then I highly recommend looking them up. But for others, who are just impatient and want to see their favorite band, I do not recommend them. After TNOPHJB, was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Never in my 15 years of concert going have I ever heard bass that loud. It was so loud that I could feel it in my throat and it was hard to breathe. I am not the best with Top 40 music, so I do not remember every single song they played but I do remember Thrift Shop, during which, Macklemore got a random person's costume jacket from the crowd and placed it on the mic stand for the duration of the song. The bass was the loudest during this song and I could not hear one word he was saying. But the crowd seemed to enjoy it and I did too. This was followed by my favorite song, Can't Hold Us. I had been listening to that song all week leading up to that so I could try to learn all of the words. I was fairly successful in my efforts. The crowd went crazy during the NANANANANANANANA part. A few songs after that, he played Same Love and gave a very inspiring speech about the meaning of the song. Fast forward a few more songs. He said that one of his friends from England came all the way to New Orleans to see him. He walked off stage and when he came back, he said that his friend was David Bowie and walked out dressed as the man himself. He put on the aforementioned jacket and a wig and proceeded to play And We Danced. The crowd, which consisted of middle aged men, was not enthused. Finally, Macklemore ended and It was time for Pearl Jam. Oh, my gosh, I was so excited. Since we were in New Orleans (the home of the New Orleans Saints), Steve Gleason, a player from Spokane, Washington who has Lou Gehrig's disease and is an avid Pearl Jam fan, introduced the band. We were later told that he made the set-list. Eddie also announced that Gleason was part of the band. The band played

Sirens (Such an interesting opener)

In My Tree (Love it! Great diehard crowd participation)

Save You (FAST SONG!)

Corduroy

Animal

Lightning Bolt (My favorite song on LB!)

Mind Your Manners (Love hearing this song live)

Given to Fly (One of my favorite PJ songs!) (Read below for the story on this song)

Getaway (I think this was only the second time this has been played)

Even Flow

Present Tense (AH!!!)

Severed Hand (See below for the story of this song! Favorite song on the self titled album!)

Daughter with Another Brick In The Wall Pt. II

Jeremy

Inside Job

State of Love and Trust

Rearviewmirror

(encore)

Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns (OH MY GOD! ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS TO HEAR LIVE!!! I have had the luxury of hearing this version twice. The diehards were going nuts)

Do the Evolution

Go (After 7 Pearl Jam shows, I finally got to hear this song live. It is one of my favorites)

Black (Gave me chills)

Alive

Rockin' in the Free World

Yellow Ledbetter

Throughout the night, there were several things that are worth mentioning because, well, it just would not have been a Pearl Jam show without these.

Eddie made a comment about the VIP section [pointing to his left] "The jacuzzi section or whatever the fuck that is over there." We all know that Eddie has never been a fan of special treatment of fans, but whatever.

Eddie asked the crowd a number of questions: Who has been arrested before? Who has been arrested in New Orleans, and Who thinks they are going to get arrested tonight? Of course, for all three questions the crowd screamed at the top of their lungs. For the second question, Eddie said "I should raise my hand" since he was arrested almost twenty years to the week in the French Quarter. He said that if we were ever in Seattle, and we were arrested, we could call one of his friends and "He'll pay your bail or give you $10 to buy some big, floppy old man shoes. His name is Macklemore. His number is *********" and Macklemore ran out to stop him. Given To Fly was then dedicated to him.

During Severed Hand, Eddie made a comment about the song being written about "all the overdoses on marijuana in Seattle since it was legalized. Obviously, I'm joking, because that's never fucking happened, EVER!"

During RVM, The lyric "I'll forget but I won't forgive" was repeated multiple times.

And how about Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns?! I have always loved their version of these songs and I have had the fortune of hearing them live, not once, but twice (the other time at Wrigley Field). Chloe Dancer has only been played seven times and Crown of Thorns has been played 22 times. All of the die hard fans around me, including myself were freaking out and several of us, including myself, were crying. That is one of those songs that I could hear every time I see PJ and I would not get tired of it.

How could we forget about Eddie Vedder calling out the people in the crowd wearing costumes? One was a possessed unicorn looking thing and the other was a bunny. They somehow were picked out by Eddie and got to go on stage. When he called them out, he said "I heard about this on a Sonic Youth record. Something about how people can't get sexually excited unless they are dressed up like that. Is that you? I knew I would never see anything like this until I got to New Orleans. I am in room 518 at the Hudson Arm or whatever it is. I'll bring my teddy bear." The crowd laughed for a long while, including myself. It was a moment I wish I could un-hear, but it was still funny nonetheless.

Lastly, Eddie and Mike had some fun with the hanging lanterns. Eddie jumped on and started swinging on one of the lanterns and Mike ended up smashing one of the lanterns with his guitar and it was great. He eventually swept all the glass(?) to the side and kept on playing.

I have seen Pearl Jam at festivals in the past, but this was by far the best. (Uh, hello, Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns! Duh!) Steve Gleason picked a great set that combined the hits but still maintained a good variety of die hard favorites! I salute you, Mr. Gleason.