Pearl Jam Debuts ‘Got Some’ on Tonight Show, Inks Target Deal
Pearl Jam treated the Tonight Show audience Monday night with the debut of “Got Some”, a song off their new record, Backspacer. If the tune is any indication, the new record (due out this summer) should pick up right about where 2006’s Avocado album left off.
The Outside Lands co-headliners have also been in the news as of late regarding a controversial distribution deal with the retail giant Target. Billboard.com confirmed Tuesday that Pearl Jam has indeed inked some kind of deal with Target to serve as the “big box” retailer for Backspacer.
In another un-PJ-like move, the band’s manager, Kelly Curtis, confirmed that the band has filmed a commercial for Target directed by PJ fanatic, Cameron Crowe. The commercial includes footage from a corporate-invite-only private taping held last week at the Showbox Theatre in Seattle.
Needless to say, the news has caused quite a stir in the Pearl Jam community.
Sell outs…
Thanks, Jay. Typical coming from you :) At least PJ haven’t posed for a men’s fashion magazine.
Regardless, I’m pretty disappointed and surprised by the recent developments. Even though I can say (unashamedly) that Pearl Jam is and always will be my favorite band, it was still a bit of a shock to hear the news.
Over the 17+ years that I’ve been a fan, PJ is one of the only bands that has stayed true to their ethos even when it wasn’t the most popular or lucrative thing to do. The anti-videos, the progressive political stance, the stand against Ticketmaster, the 4 hr pirate radio shows, the fanclub-only special club shows, (the list goes on and on). These are all examples of things that Pearl Jam didn’t have to do, but chose to pursue because of their dedication to their fans and to themselves. Whether you like their music or not, you have to admit that they are a great band to be a fan of.
As a teenager in the mid-nineties, the music and message of Pearl Jam, as well as the literature and art that they endorsed, helped me shape my own world view and develop into the adult that I am today.To myself and countless others, the music has become almost secondary to the philosophy and sense of community that the band projects. It’s this phenomenon that has created a fan base that is second only to the Deadheads in their passion and loyalty.
So, it’s not hard to see why this recent Target news has created such a stir in the Pearl Jam camp. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, chastising Pearl Jam, and nailing Vedder to the proverbial corporate sell-out cross, I’m going to give the band the benefit of the doubt until I hear official word about what the deal with Target is all about. I only wish they could have used this opportunity to take the baton from Radiohead and Trent Reznor and do something truly unique and ground breaking with this release.
At a fundamental level, it seems a bit disingenuous to act like we all abide by the same moral standards that we project on our musical idols. People have to pay their bills and feed their families and it’s likely no different for Pearl Jam. We all make choices that are compromises. We all bend the rules, even if it’s just a little bit. It’s not fair to impose standards on celebrities that we don’t ultimately hold ourselves to, and doing so only opens oneself up for certain disappointment.
In response to the backlash against the bloggers leaking live recordings of “The Fixer”, I get it. It should have been handled more delicately, but I understand why it happened. Working in the digital music industry, I realize how messy it can get when you’re dealing with exclusive rights to yet-to-be released content and corporate sponsors who view that exclusivity as an important asset. It’s a bit naive to think that Pearl Jam has total control of this situation with all of the intricate moving parts that go into a deal like this one. Like any smart band, they hire experienced people they can trust to handle the business side and they focus on the music. In fact, they’re probably rehearsing as we speak, getting ready to rock my face off this summer at Outside Lands. And really, that’s what they should be doing; focusing on the music and their craft.
Still, only because they have conditioned me to place extremely high standards on them by their years of relentless servitude to all that is just and good in this world, I am disappointed. In an odd way, I kind of feel like I’m seven years old again, discovering that the handwriting on all of my letters from Santa Claus bared an uncanny resemblance to my mother’s.
When all is said and done, I still feel lucky to be a Pearl Jam fan. I’ll let their track record of humility and altruism speak for itself for now and hope that what comes out of this whole situation is something that is consistent with the band that I fell in love with so many years ago. Whatever happens, we always have the music and that’s all that really matters anyway.
They are going to lose fans over this. Even some of their cult like followers will see their blatant self serving hypocrisy here. Just look some of this mans pictures. Vedder is a mentally ill?, self righteous, Narcissist whose contempt for everyone but his worshippers is only thinly disguised. A Narcissist is all about image, presentation but every once in a while you will see their true colors.
I don’t have a problem with any band making a buck off their music. However, it seems that this is rankling people more than it would for other bands because Pearl Jam has cultivated a mythology or ethos of being above capitalism and purely for the music and their fans.
In short, I doubt fans are upset that the band is making a buck, but are upset about the hypocrisy.
It does seem odd for a band that has carefully managed its image for nearly two decades to make such uncharacteristic (and ham-handed) moves in such a short period.
I have to admit that part of me perversely enjoys watching PJ fans get so bent out of shape about this. I was as big a fan as anyone in the early 90s, but Pearl Jam has been past their prime for nearly 15 years. The only reason they’re still more popular than, say, Soundgarden today is that the band, and Eddie Vedder in particular, have developed a sort of cult of personality or mythology that has become more important than their music.
I totally believe that emotional connections allow for a deeper appreciation of music, but it cuts both ways. You’re gonna be let down any time you inflate a band (or author, artist, director, actor, etc. etc.) with elements other than the music.
SELLOUTS! Maybe ten people will buy the album now instead of five. They haven’t put out a truly good album in over a decade. It’s a shame cuz they were at one point truly creative and inspiring to lots of people. They should give it up.
pearl jam has declared itself a link of rock and roll . this being we know as pearl jam is now revealing itself to other creatures, fully in charge. choosing to now be consumed, integrity and dignity fully matured, with no danger of pollution from and outer agent. it will film commercials, exchange its soundwave vibrations for currency and appear on the big screen because it wants to, now. all friends of pearl jam will make a choice , the NO CODE choice , move away or remain as PEARL JAM APPEARS AS A MEMBER OF ROCK AND ROLL ,TO CARRY ON , TEAR IT UP , BEFORE ITS GONE , FOR NEW FRIENDS TO MEET. we are pearl jam we are healthy for you to to eat WE ARE PEARL JAM WE ARE ROCK AND ROLL CREATURES WE COME IN PEACE , LOVE , PEARL JAM . see ya .l
I want to hear it on record. They’re still capable of making great records.
look, if this is what it takes to avoid a record label, fine. any fans they lose over this, they are better off without. who cares where it is sold. ill order it off their site or itunes, cause there is not a target near me.