Pearl Jam Tour Update: Camden, NJ & Washington, DC

Pearl Jam / Photo by Eric Nowels

Eddie Vedder was surprisingly restrained in Pearl Jam's most recent visit to the nation's capitol. With all the bad-mouthing of George Bush and his posse that Vedder has done since well before the 2000 election, the anticipation was that the frontman would unleash all his anger from the past eight years in the direction of the White House, which sat just blocks from the Verizon Center.

There were a few quips ("This is about knowing when you fucked up and need to get out of a bad situation as soon as possible," Vedder said before "Evacuation"), but most of the band's aggression and energy was focused on good ol' rock'n'roll, and this was by far the loudest show yet on the tour.

During the band's second encore, Ed pulled a 13-year-old kid up on the stage, handed him his Blonde Fender Telecaster, and showed him the three rhythm chords. The young man stood in awe of the rock gods around him as he lived out the fantasy of everyone in the room. Mike McCready closed the show with a Woodstock-worthy "Star-Spangled Banner," which was perhaps the most poignant political statement of the whole night.

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