13 November 2024 – People First Stadium, Gold Coast – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Bec Harbour
First and foremost, I would like to extend our sympathy to Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers who had their set cut from tonight’s show due to the extreme weather on the Gold Coast tonight. For those of you who are unaware of Teen Jesus, the 5 piece from Canberra have quickly become a staple for major international touring acts as well as being a leading force in the resurgence of the Australian Rock scene. A super exciting act to see live, the band released their debut album ‘I Love You’ in 2023 and subsequent deluxe edition ‘I Love You Too’ in 2024. We highly recommend that if you’re attending the subsequent Pearl Jam shows in Sydney and Melbourne, that you turn up early and give this wonderful band your unrelenting attention. You will not regret it.
What better way to kick off the opening night of an Australian tour than with a torrential thunderstorm putting the entire night in jeopardy. Punters frantically pace the outskirts of People First Stadium awaiting updates whilst online comment sections fill with rage. On a whim, the gates finally open… kind of. We can access the grounds but not our seats or standing sections. An opportune time to pick up some merch and food sure, but now what? The clouds are getting closer, the lightning brighter and the thunder louder. What is possibly going to happen?
After hours of “we’ll keep you updated” and doubts still filling the air, the news we had all been waiting for arrived – “We will be putting on a rock show for you tonight.”
Schedules had to be changed, and sadly we missed out on Teen Jesus, but a show was happening nonetheless. Now the question was, just how much of a show were we going to get?
As the rain began to subside, oceans of people would then flood the grounds of the stadium a whole 2 hours after being let into the venue. With no indication of how sets where going to be impacted, the dampening of the weather wasn’t enough to impact the spirits of the ‘Ten Club’ that got themselves onto the barricade, just happy for the show to be going ahead.
PIXIES: No need for a fancy intro track, just wandering on out is more than enough for The Pixies. Straight into a tune up, the lights dimming gets the loudest ovation of the night. ‘Cactus’ gets the set started warmly, ‘Black Francis’s voice booms loudly throughout, making this stadium feel like a small room. No further crowd control needed, we were all but seeds in the hands of ‘The Pixies’.
Pixies – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
Clearly working to time constraints, ‘Where is My Mind?’ which is a backend set song, follows up garnering a loud collection of high pitched “Ooooooos” from the PJ faithful, accompanying the ever beautiful voice of Emma Richardson (formerly of Band of Skulls) as she fills the void of former bassist ‘Paz’ who left the band earlier in 2024. ‘Here Comes Your Man’ keeps the hits rolling with no interruption, the dancing on rain soaked floors extends into the seats as bodies continue to groove. Seeing attendees in high spirits after the debacle of storms that left major question marks gives high hopes for the rest of the show.
Touching on their latest album The Night The Zombies Came (released in October 2024) ‘Mercy Me’ and ‘The Vegas Suite’ haunts the dark lit canopy of the Queensland skies, only interrupted by the distant flash of lightning. You couldn’t set a more perfect landscape for a Pixies concert. God himself could tear the sky open, throw his might to the grounds we attend on and shape the world in a new image, and it still wouldn’t be as fitting as the eerie thunderstorms that plague the surrounding atmosphere.
Pixies – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
Touching back into the old school with ‘In Heaven’ and ‘Wave of Mutilation’ gives a chance for the old school post punk fans to relish in the moment before ‘Vamos’ closes the set in style. Not a word spoken between songs, not a feature given until a hearty “thank you very much” from Francis before a quick departure, The Pixies may not have been everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to the headlining act. But to have a piece of alt-rock history set the foundations of the night was an absolute treat.
I hope to see the Pixies return for a headline tour of the new album in the near future. If this is the spectacle of them opening a show; then a chance to be a part of a headline tour has now become a piece of my bucket list.
PEARL JAM: It was over an hour later than scheduled (again, out of of everyone’s hands) but considering just a few hours ago we weren’t expecting the show to go ahead, it’s safe to say that when Pearl Jam finally hit the stage, a massive sigh of relief filled the air. The stadium was full, the digital curtains were pulled back and the Seattle quintet filled the screens. It was time.
As Eddie Vedder leads the Gold Coast crowd into an ad-libbed sing-a-long during ‘Courdroy’, you immediately forget that this is a man that’s been singing to his fullest extent for over 30 years. His voice sounds as strong and as youthful as ever. And sure, they aren’t the same stage crazy roustabouts that burst into the scene in the early 90’s but that doesn’t stop the band from taking a jump or banging their heads where they could.
Pearl Jam – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
‘Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town’ strips it right back musically, but it doesn’t silence the crowd. As 40,000+ voices come together in unison. As we see drummer Matt Cameron (ex-Soundgarden) don a shirt with the late great Chris Cornell on the back, the audience erupts in tribute to one of the greatest voices to ever be a part of this scene. Footage and lyrical drops of the Gold Coast and Australian scenery fill the back drop, it’s hard to believe this is the bands first Australian tour since the Big Day Out festival of 2014. This is a place they take great pride in visiting and treat it as if it were their home. And we welcome them back with the most open arms.
“We are very very grateful, but most of all; thanks to you all for getting in here safe. For being peaceful humans” praises Vedder, before kicking it to new school PJ with ‘Quick Escape’. And the energy keeps on pumping with ‘React, Respond’ which Vedder dedicates to “An election, that feels like an accident”. Not straying away from the tours focus, the band tackles the title track of the tour ‘Dark Matter’ which garners an extremely positive reaction from the audience. You don’t usually see such a reaction for bands latest material, especially when you’re expecting the hits. But this reaction only demonstrates that the PJ faithful don’t care when the music is from, they just want to hear it. As peaceful as we were to get this show underway, we had plenty of energy to spare for the show.
Pearl Jam – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
Praying for the surf to be a bit more enjoyable tomorrow whilst congratulating crowd member and world surfing champion Mick Fanning for his induction into the Australian Sports Hall Of Fame taking place on Monday, the band dedicates ‘I am Mine’ to all the surfers in the crowd. The breaks between the higher intensity tracks are equally balanced between slower more melodic paced tunes like ‘Wreckage’ keep the crowd engaged for whatever comes next. As some faces in the crowd are clearly waiting for the more well known tunes to make their way out, but what people need to remember (especially if you’re going to one of the bands future shows on this tour) that this a brand new album tour, so you can expect to hear a lot of new tracks.
But I’m sure prayers were answered as the band broke out a much higher tempo version of ‘Even Flow’. Was this due to time constraints? Was it due to them wanting to fly through a hit they’ve been playing non stop since the bands debut? Who’s to say? But man the energy was indescribable. And as the sea of crowds turned into a skyline of bright phone screens for ‘Daughter’ fans were getting their fair share of classics. Vedder commands the mic stand like it was 1991 as he leans his entire body weight into it. These aren’t songs being played for the sake of obligation, there’s still the inner care for these songs, even after 3 decades.
Pearl Jam – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
“If you don’t know this one, you’ll know the next one” says Vedder before going into ‘Got To Give’ from Dark Matter. I hear a voice in front of me say “where the fucking old stuff?”. To him I say “you’re missing the point of this tour”. I fully understand wanting to hear the hits, but when a band tours a new album you just have to accept that older tracks make way for the new. Besides, when the new tracks are as good as these, you’re missing out if you don’t know them. But I’m sure the performance of ‘Black’ was exactly what he was looking for (so was I, but that’s beside the point) The clarity of Vedder’s voice is next level. If you think these classics won’t sound anything like you’re hoping for; please put your fears to rest.
The band took all the extra steps to push curfew back and somehow, the authorities approved it (this is a big deal for music enjoyers) Taking the time to dedicate ‘Man of Hour’ to a family grieving the loss of their brother ‘Greg’, Vedder trips on his words talking about loss including the loss of his own brother a few years ago, bringing the crowd to a complete hush. A beautiful sentiment that didn’t feel forced or once again an obligation. This was a genuine moment the band wanted to dedicate to fans that share life with them. One of the most sincere moments I’ve ever been lucky to witness.
Pearl Jam – People First Stadium – photos by Bec Harbour
If given half the opportunity, Pearl Jam could’ve played for another 2 hours well past midnight. Especially with an encore consisting of ‘Better Man’ and ‘Alive’ (sorry if you were trying to sleep in the nearby neighbourhoods). And as the house lights came on trying to persuade the band to wrap up, the band refused to listen instead breaking into ‘Keep On Rockin in the Free World’ and whilst a percentage of punters made their way to the exit for an early escape, the majority stayed.
Just a few hours ago, the rumours of cancellation due to weather were being thrown around. But now we stand here, breaking the curfew laws of the area, having witnessed one of the most prolific and integral rock shows of 2024. If you have the opportunity to see Pearl Jam whilst they’re in Australia, I encourage you to run not walk. Even after 33 years, Pearl Jam are still at the top of their game and without a shadow of a doubt; one of the greatest live acts you will ever bear witness too.
