Groovy Rhino
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that got started in 1990 in Seattle, Washington.
The members of the band include Eddie Vedder who is on lead vocals, Mike McCready who is on lead guitar, Stone Gossard who is on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament who is on bass, and their drummer, Matt Cameron.
Many of their fans might think they know everything there is to know about Pearl Jam but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about Pearl Jam.
7, Their first name
Their very first name was Mookie Blaylock. They had named the band after the basketball player, Mookie Blaylock who played for the New Jersey Nets back then. They needed a name for the band in a hurry and one of his trading cards somehow got inside their tape case of one of their demo tapes. Since they needed a fast name for a gig they needed to go to, they decided to name the band Mookie Blaylock because they saw his trading card there. Their very first album is named after Mookie’s jersey number, 10.
6, They only use Ticketmaster when they really have to
They believed that Ticketmaster was playing Monopoly with their fans and overcharging them so they filed a complaint against them at one time. They avoid using them as often as possible and will only do so when they can’t find anyone else.
5, Eddie Vedder’s wife had her own band once
Eddie Vedder’s wife, Beth and a few of her friends had their own band they called, “Hovercraft.” Eddie even played the drums for their very first single. Eddie was married to Beth from 1994 to 2000.
4, They used to have their own trading cards
After they released their album, “No Code” they also released their own trading cards. Each card represented a song on the album.
3, What Eddie Vedder did before making it big with the band
Before starting the band and making it big with them, Eddie Vedder had a bunch of low-paying jobs to make ends meet with. He used to be a gas station attendant, a security guard at a hotel, as well as a waiter. He was actually fired from the security guard job for neglecting his duties so he could play the guitar.
2, Eddie Vedder used to climb and leap into the crowd
When Eddie Vedder was younger, he would climb just about anything dangerous and leap into the crowd. He would climb lighting rigs, camera mounts, and anything he could find that was even somewhat dangerous. Although he says he wasn’t afraid, his band members were always afraid he would hurt himself. He says he wouldn’t feel anything at the time but the next day he would have bruises on him and that was when he would feel the pain.
1, In 2000, 9 fans died by being crushed to death
On June 30, 2000, 9 of their fans died from being crushed to death when the crowd went forward during one of their concerts in Europe. This had a huge effect on the band and they considered quitting the group. However, they went on with it and even went on tour in the US a month later.
These are just a few things you didn’t know about Pearl Jam. Do you know anything else about the band?
Featured image via consequenceofsound
