Although Greg Lake looked me directly in the eye and assured me, “I hate that bloody album,” when I asked if the just reunited 1992 version of ELP would be playing any cuts from that record that must-not-be-named among Emerson, Lake & Palmer fans, still, I do love me some Love Beach. I was doing the backstage hang with Emerson, Lake & Palmer at a rehearsal the night before their tour’s opening show, a one-off they were playing at Philadelphia’s Tower Theater. Come to worship with a scant few hundred at the altar of which will always be my personal Father, Son and Holy Ghost of Prog, I was hoping beyond all hopes that maybe we’d get a tickle of anything from the band’s much maligned seventh album. I took it Mr. Lake was speaking for the whole band this night. My beloved ELP, pretty much exhausted and broke from lugging an orchestra with them on their 1977 Works World Tour, (and making up dates as a three-piece only during it to get money back in the coffers) probably should have demurred from Atlantic Records’ head Ahmet Ertegun when he urged them back into the studio. Ertegun wanted ELP’s 7th album they owed Atlantic to be a more commercial affair and all but pushed the trio back into recording. But as Carl Palmer has remarked about his band’s history at this time, “We were done, put it on the shelf.” Love Beach shows ELP’s lack of singles-creation ability as well as how in sync they were not at the time. Still, there is enough good here that I believe Love Beach deserves Lost Gem inclusion. To defend myself, let’s ignore the often lambasted, first side of this album. Sure, a “Lucky Man” or “From The Beginning” rate among the band’s shorter-form, radio-friendly hits. But those songs came from Emerson, Lake & Palmer organically. And in the case of their first and arguably their most mainstream single, “Lucky Man,” Greg Lake brought the song in for his fellows to embellish, a tune he had written at the ripe old age of twelve. But as is evident on five out of six songs on the album’s first side, my ELP guys are not at their best trying to retrofit their sound to forced singles. “All I Want Is You,” has a passable love song-y musical flow, but the lyrics are cringe-worthy, I shan’t even discuss the title track (ick!) the stab at sexual tease of “Taste Of My Love,” (the #MeToo movement would have a field day here!) and while “The Gambler,” is kind of fun and I like Lake’s overdriven guitar on “For You,” there really is nothing here save the last instrumental, “Canario.” Here we get Keith Emerson reworking of an instrumental from the longer “Fantasía Para Un Gentilhombre (Fantasia For A Gentleman)” concerto written by Spanish composer and pianist Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre. Making for one of the best, and surely the last of solid Emerson, Lake & Palmer instrumentals, this is a song I have seen Carl Palmer perform with his trio and it soars. It’s side ‘B’ side of Love Beach, the 20-minute plus, four-part “Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentleman,” suite mini concept that lifts the album.  The story of a soldier facing deployment into World War II from his U.K. home, the suite continues with the ravages that war takes on the narrator’s life, specifically as it affects him and his fiancée. Emerson, Lake & Palmer was a band known for concepts, from the “Tarkus” suite on the first side of their 1972 album of the same name, the three parts of their very popular “Karn Evil 9” trilogy from what is arguably their most popular album Brain Salad Surgery, and their reworking of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures At An Exhibition,” on their cleverly-entitled Pictures At An Exhibition live album. Where those pieces explored sci-fi tropes and the weird interplay between the divine and man, with lots of synthesizer bombast, “Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman” deals with everyday folk and a bit of history, with gentler instrumentation, mainly piano. I feel this side features some of Greg Lake’s best singing (actually his voice sounds wonderful all throughout Love Beach) and some genuinely superb Keith Emerson ivory tickling. “Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentleman” also marks the last significant piece of music from my favorite band as far as I’m concerned. This fabulous suite begins with “Prologue/The Education of a Gentleman,” offering slow piano and Lake’s dulcet tones. The band hits its stride a few moments in, chugging along with a mid-tempo, march-like presentation. Emerson’s synth keyboard cuts through like a stirring trumpet with its distinct melody, and Palmer rolls a backbeat as Lake growls through “The Education Of A Gentleman” second half. It’s on the second, B part of this quartet of tunes, where we hear Emerson at his most notable, running scales up and down the piano, with Lake singing some of his last real romantic balladeering about meeting his “Love At First Sight.” To hear just the simple combination of Lake singing and Emerson playing piano makes this part of Love Beach alone worthy of mention. After Emerson manages his expert solo, Lake follows with some perfectly plucked acoustic, then, we are set up for Palmer. He doesn’t disappoint — floating in with simple snare and light tom work at the nine-and-half-minute mark. This is truly the highlight for me across “Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentleman.” “Letters From The Front” starts with Palmer setting up the beat with Emerson’s electric piano and synth arpeggio lead following. It’s the heaviest the trio gets on “Memoirs,” and it’s not really all that heavy. The instrumental interlude here that fronts the song is reminiscent in sound and spirited interplay to parts of “Pirates,” another great longer piece of ELP music from the band’s Works Volume 1 album. The song chugs along as Lake ‘reads’ the letters his love has sent him while he’s “moving out to the front.” The young soldier’s future suddenly ends in a swirly synth as we are led into watery keys arpeggiation and Palmer tom work under Lake’s lower-toned reading of a sudden, unexpected tragedy. Our narrator, now a heartbroken shell of a man due to the sudden death of his love, makes his ironic declaration that he indeed now knows what it means to be an officer and a gentleman. Emerson’s flute-sounding synth with Palmer’s marching snare and Lake’s subtle bass informs the last part of the suite, “Honorable Company (A March).” The band builds a stirring rise over the main keyboard riff for just a tickle over three minutes, very much like they do on the last song on their Trilogy album, “Abaddon’s Bolero.” Yes, it’s yet another instrumental from this band, harkening back to better times for this trio and a great way to end Love Beach. A year to the month after Love Beach was released, the single live album Emerson, Lake & Palmer in Concert was released. In my naïve18-year-old enthusiasm I figured this unexpected release, plus Love Beach before it, had to mean my favorite band was going to make it into the nearing 80s. ELP though, had in fact broken up. Man, do I miss me my Emerson, Lake & Palmer, as much as the times in which the music they made was so popular. Luckily, we all have their music, which indeed includes the brilliant B-side of Love Beach that relegates the album into gem status for me. ~ Ralph Greco, Jr.

Photos by Joe Schaeffer Cruise To The Edge, the premiere progressive rock festival at sea, set out on April 4-9, 2025 aboard the Norwegian Gem, with stops at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. At the center of it all was the music. The 2025 lineup of musical performers was off the hook. Headliners Robert Fripp, David Singleton, and Rick Wakeman, were all first-timers. Cruise veteran Steve Hackett was also at the top of the bill. Others included instrumental trio The Aristocrats, IQ, Von Hertzen Bros, Leprous, Caligula’s Horse, Beardfish, Trifecta, Karmakanic, Temic, Lari Basilio, Pure Reason Revolution, and The Beggs SIsters. Big Big Train, Riverside, Haken, Saga, Pendragon, Gazpacho, Moon Safari, Magic Pie, Thank You Scientist, Dave Kerzner and Friends, Kyros, and Dave Cureton rounded up the ship’s lineup. Joe Schaeffer, frequent VintageRock.com contributor and Cruise To The Edge photographer, was there to capture the moments, and offered to share a few shots here.

When ZZ Top got around to recording their third album, 1973’s Tres Hombres, they’d already found their sound, thanks to engineer Robin Brian, who had guitarist Billy Gibbons overdub and double-up his guitar parts when producer and manager Bill Ham was out of the room. This time, the trio cut short their sessions at Robin Hood studios in Tyler, Texas, and headed to Ardent Studios in Memphis in hopes of expanding their oeuvre. With Terry Manning at the board, the group made an album that was, in the words of Gibbons, “big and bold” and definitely a “turning point” for ZZ Top and their trajectory. Tres Hombres, their first platinum album, was also mixed in quad. Over 50 years later, Rhino has enhanced that mix for its Quadio Blu-ray Disc series. Stand back and take cover. If you thought Tres Hombres was already a kick-ass slab of hard-edged Texas blues, prepare to have your senses popping and flaring to the Quadio mix. “Waiting On The Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” in all their sumptuous sonic deliciousness, serve as teasers for what follows. Gibbons’ guitar and Dusty Hill’s bass, along with their back and forth vocalizations, unleash their fury on the rowdy roundhouse kick of “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers.” Then a slight shift, as the dynamics and interplay comes to the fore on “Master Of Speaks.” Frank Beard’s syncopated drums ricochet from the front to the back, while the guitar and bass swarm the four channels like hard-bitten puzzle pieces tracing a mysterious map to a funky, blues-swamped bayou. If you’re not on your feet and bouncing off the walls when the thundering groove of “Move Me On Down The Line” circles the space, check your pulse and seek immediate therapy. Why it was never a single remains a mystery, though that honor fell solely to “La Grange,” which, of course, became a defining moment for ZZ Top. Here, in all its quad glory, the song explodes in between Gibbons’ guttural mumblings before galloping off into the sunset. You’ll be prompted to blast it three times in a row just to let the neighbors know who owns the airwaves. The wind-down of “Shiek” and “Have You Heard” sums up the short and curlies of Tres Hombres is in its own simple and cut-to-the-chase way.  It was designed to transcend “Southern Rock,” while giving hard and heavy British bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath a run for their money. That we’re still marveling at its punch and power, tempered throughout with subtleties of grace and reverence to the blues form, a half-century later speaks volumes of its place in the pantheon of American rock and roll. The Quadio mix turns Tres Hombres into an immersive, all-encompassing sleighride — a steady mid-range crunch of Gibbons’ multi-channeled guitars wrapped around blues-based melodies and the unbreakable low-end chug of Hill and Beard. Even the album’s classic gatefold photo of a traditional, messy Mexican meal isn’t as tasty as this mix. You put the two together, and you have all the makings of an all-out fiesta salvaje. ~ Shawn Perry Purchase Tres Hombres 

Peter Wolf may be best known as the lead singer for the J. Geils Band. His colorful life, however, has always outstripped his rock star persona. His long-awaited memoir, Waiting On The Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, And Goddesses, joyfully reassesses the man’s journey — from his humble beginnings in New York City, raised by bohemian, progressive parents with artistic streaks and astute eccentricities, to life on his own in Cambridge, where he became a beloved radio DJ and man about town as he honed his skills as a musician, businessman, and celebrity. Instead of a straightforward, linear narrative, Wolf leaps about from character studies (namely his parents) to life-altering experiences. The first chapter alludes to taking in a foreign film with his parents in New York City where a 10-year-old Peter Wolf suddenly finds himself seated next to, presumably, Marilyn Monroe. At some point, she falls asleep on the young man’s shoulder, leaving a lifelong impression and marking the beginning of many close encounters with a wide range of legends of the arts. Wolf offers up each experience and observation without pretense or over-the-top theatrics. He’s a nervous wreck setting up a microphone for Eleanor Roosevelt, who gives a speech at his junior high school. Seeing Louis Armstrong as a youngster helps ignite his passion for music, despite the lousy view. Wolf’s love affair with Edie Hasselman is central to his growth as a DJ, musician, and artist. She was a free spirit, an independent bohemian with interests of her — which was both a blessing and curse. “Although there would be no other relationship that came close to the depth of ours,” Wolf writes, “our time apart increased.” The singer was on the road with J. Geils Band when he received word that Hasselman had died in an auto accident. You get a sense he never quite got over her. Other personalities come in and out of his life. He sees Bob Dylan perform in Greenwich Village. He becomes roommates with aspiring film director David Lynch. He befriends Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Van Morrison when they come through Boston. With his role as lead singer and manager of J. Geils Band (there’s little mention of the band until late in the book), he works his way inside Hollywood, meeting with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock about possibly scoring a film, while the famed director is simply looking for a reason to have a drink. Then he becomes acquainted with Faye Dunaway, whom he marries. Even though J. Geils Band isn’t exactly a top-selling band in the 70s, Wolf’s associations with John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, and the Rolling Stones places him amongst the pantheon of A-listers. “The Stones wrote the book on how a successful tour should be run, from VIP access to top-notch catering and well-stocked dressing rooms,” Wolf notes wryly of the time J. Geils Band open for the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band. A few pages on, and he’s sharing an incident during the Stones tour at the entourage’s hotel with “its own stretch of private shoreline” in Jacksonville, Florida. Wolf goes missing and Dunaway immediately suspects he has drowned in the ocean. Promoter Bill Graham helps organize a full- search of the beach, but Wolf doesn’t turn up. Later, he’s found asleep in Keith Richards’ hotel closet. Once the Geils Band starts doing well in the 80s, largely because of Wolf’s business dealings, that’s when things go haywire. From his point of view, his firing from J. Geils Band doesn’t make a lick of sense. And, of course, they fail without Wolf on the front line. The singer doesn’t gloat about it; he’s sincerely more disappointed he was let go from the group just as they had started to find success. Further adventures ensue post-Geils with Martin Scorsese, Aretha Franklin, and Merle Haggard. Each foray is approached with a cool, nonchalant tone, yet Wolf doesn’t come across as boastful or smug; he details these occurrences in his life with an air of exoticism and wonder — as curious about the outcome as he hopes the reader will be. In the end, we get a slice-of-life memoir by a man whose life was and still is well lived. It was often a bumpy ride, but the tales of Waiting On The Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, And Goddesses faithfully capture the drive and ambition of Peter Wolf, who embraces each and every opportunity with layers of passion and pride, a dash of chilliness, and a smidge of luck — good, bad, or indifferent. ~ Shawn Perry Purchase Waiting On The Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, And Goddesses

Despite his massive popularity and influence, it’s obvious Eric Clapton just wants to play the blues — with occasional wanderings into sterile territory whenever the mood strikes. So, in 2001, he did just that for his 14th studio album. Reptile is a well-rounded effort that places the guitarist at the center of his own domain. The lineup of tunes is neatly assembled and evenly spaced in terms of mode and tone. While Clapton doesn’t necessarily burn up the fretboard, his playing is as dexterous, proper and discerningly executed as ever. The title track, which opens the album, is a mindful instrumental that showcases Clapton’s penchant for jazz stylings. From there, it’s straight to the blues for “Got You On My Mind.” Clapton nails the vocals cold while he wails away on his guitar between verses. Accompanied by guitarists Andy Fairweather Low, Doyle Bramhall II, bassist Nathan East, drummer Steve Gadd, along with splashes of keyboards from Joe Sample and Billy Preston — Clapton swings and rocks with a rekindled spirit on many of the 14 tracks. His rendition of J.J. Cale’s “Travelin’ Light” is testament enough that the man could take a powerful melody and kick it into gear when he wants to. For Clapton, the pull of the blues always seems to put things in perspective. On Ray Charles’ “Come Back Baby,” he simply delivers as fine of a performance as you can expect. When he scurries down mellower roads with such excursions as “Find Myself,” “Modern Girl” and the closing instrumental, “Son & Sylvia,” EC’s touch and feel of the material remains as consistent and inspired as when he tears into the blues. While many of us yearn for the days of Cream and Derek & The Dominoes, the fact remains that Eric Clapton still pours his heart and soul into every note he spews out — blues and beyond. ~ Shawn Perry Purchase Reptile 

Cat Stevens, who goes by Yusuf Islam these days, released issued his live album, Saturnight: Live From Tokyo in 1974 as an exclusive Japanese release. The proceeds of the album sales were donated to UNICEF, as Stevens had at the time recently become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, the album 50+ years later enjoys its full worldwide release. Here, Stevens fronts a small band, while making the most to bring his unique voice and guitar strumming to the fore. From the opening “Wild World” on through to “Oh Very Young One” and the piano-led “Sitting,” we are taken down deep in the romance and fancy of Cat Stevens’ world. The plucking slip and slide of the classic “Lady D’Arbanville,” featuring bassist Bruce Lynch and drummer Gerry Conway, makes for an early semi-rocker. The organ-pumping cover of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night” marks the first time the band ever played this song live. As expected, “Peace Train” gets the crowd clapping along. The heartbreaking and beautiful “Father And Son” features the most effecting vocal from Stevens on the record. Of the three covered from Buddha and the Chocolate Box, the album Stevens was supporting at the time, “King Of Trees” is the strongest with an honesty in Stevens’ voice that really cuts  the listener to the quick. A rockin’ “Bitterblue” ends the dozen. Saturnight: Live From Tokyo, released in multiple formats, was remastered from the original production master. This is a full digisleeve package with a 16-page booklet of lyrics and liner notes. For anyone curious about what Cat Stevens was like in concert during the peak of his career, Saturnight: Live From Tokyo is just what you’re looking for…and then some. ~ Ralph Greco, Jr. Purchase Saturnight: Live From Tokyo

There’s a fairly clear distinction among the different eras of Pink Floyd. Most fans know the band from The Dark Side Of The Moon and what followed. From there, it splinters into the Roger Waters years and the David Gilmour years. Of course, there’s those feisty purists who hold fast to the Syd Barrett years, claiming the band’s relevance came to an abrupt end as the Madcap’s last gasp faded on the way out the exit door. What’s received more attention in recent years is what happened between 1968 and 1972. That was when six albums were made, along with a movie filmed in 1971 and released in 1972 called Pink Floyd At Pompeii. What no one seemed to acknowledge at the time what that this was the ultimate cinematic record encompassing everything to love about Pink Floyd. That it planted the seeds for The Dark Side Of The Moon becomes obvious the minute the first pool of boiling mud flashes across the screen. With high-definition 4K video, along with a Dolby Atmos mix to release the spatial qualities of the music, Pink Floyd At Pompeii has been restored to new heights of sights and sounds. Adding MCMLXXII (1972) to the title not only indicates the year the film was released; it also reinforces the power of the Roman architecture that surrounds the band as they perform. For a limited time, you could (and maybe still can) see it in all its IMAX glory. Behind closed doors, the Blu-ray turns your home theater into a Pink Floyd orgy for the eyes and ears. From the outset, director Adrien Maben creates a mystical, surreal atmosphere as each sequence flowers into life. A long, establishing shot inside the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, built around 100 BC, moves in ever so slowly toward the action — the members of Pink Floyd, their instruments, their gear, the camera and sound crew holding steady in their positions — as Rick Wright’s piano pings through the solitary intro of “Echoes.” The song is split into two parts to bookend the film. Most followers agree that this song is the bridge and catalyst between everything before and everything after The Dark Side of The Moon. This is Pink Floyd in their purest, most collective form. There’s no pageantry or spectacle about it. Clad in jeans, t-shirts, and tank tops (or, in Gilmour’s case, shirtless and barefoot), they set course on a rocky journey through space and time. Even in the sunshine and Mount Vesuvius in the background, the oblique, ephemeral sounds emanating from the Amphitheatre may well have rumbled through the neighboring Phlegraean Fields, unleashing a river of molten lava. The golden retriever yowling its heart out in “Mademoiselle Nobs” is a sobering reminder of just how far the band was willing to go to test the patience and tolerance of their audience. They push the plume through “Careful With That Axe Eugene” where Waters’ infamous screech is intense enough to erupt volcanoes and ravage the landscape. On “A Saucerful Of Secrets,” they pack it all in — taking square aim at their instruments, culminating with Waters making mincemeat out of a gong before the melody oscillates, floating off into the sunset and Gilmour’s golden pipes parting the way. The cantankerous instrumental “One Of These Days” puts the focus on drummer Nick Mason, whose relatively simple, yet impactful attack on the tubs underscores his importance to the Pink Floyd imprint. “Set The Control To The Heart Of The Sun” finds Waters whispering the lyrics against an Arabian soundtrack, as Wright’s keys and Mason’s tom toms stir up an exotic flair. When they’re not playing music in the film, the four Floydians wander the countryside, chow down (Mason makes numerous attempts to order pie without crust), and speak to the technology behind their sound. The audience is also taken into Abbey Road studios where the band stitches together parts for the then-upcoming album, The Dark Side of The Moon. In essence, a purview into a typical workday of one of the mightiest institutions in rock and roll. Steven Wilson’s punchy new mixes certainly embellish the allure. One can imagine how he worked through the technical challenges of the recordings, much of it captured live in the thick of rich Italian air swirling around the bowl of an outdoor theater. He’s famously listed Pink Floyd as his favorite band, so he wasn’t about to let this one slip by with a mediocre upgrade. All those Yes, Jethro Tull, and Porcupine Tree mixes had prepared him for this moment. All in all, he beautifully navigates the sonic landscape without letting any rusty nails fall through the cracks. The 4K restoration brings out the stark detail of the green grass adorning the Amphitheatre’s perimeter. The intricacy of the butterfly embroidered into one of Mason’s shirts even stands out. Due to the nature of the frame-by-frame restoration from the original 35mm cut negative, the MCMLXXII version comprises an old-school 4:3 aspect ratio, which may confuse those weaned on widescreen 16:9. Fortunately, once you’re pulled into the flow, any misgivings regarding the size and shape of the picture don’t seem to matter all that much. The senseless modifications Maben added to 2003 reissued ‘Directors Cut’ may have filled out the screen, but it falls short when it comes to the clarity of 4K, the boisterous soundtrack, and really, the original film as a whole — which never needed anything more than Pink Floyd playing their music in an ancient setting to an invisible audience. Stereo mixes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII are available on double CD and vinyl sets, as well as digitally, also mixed by Wilson. These have a couple of bonus tracks — edits and alternate takes — not included on the Blu-ray. With so many choices, including the theatrical IMAX experience, there’s no question audiophiles, completists, old, young, longtime followers, even fresh fish just boarding the bus all have a lot to celebrate with the release of Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII. In so many ways, it is arguably the most intimate, honest, and enjoyable document of David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason’s time together as Pink Floyd. ~ Shawn Perry ~ Shawn Perry Purchase Pink Floyd At Pompeii  

Review by Shawn Perry Photos by Erin Perry For the first of two nights in Nashville behind their extended Dark Matter tour, Pearl Jam played a two-hour-plus, variety-filled set that, for any casual fan such as I, easily checked off all the boxes. Pearl Jam setlists vary, so they don’t always play a song or two that someone really wants to hear (No “Black” for me). This jam band ethos the band has adopted is why so many of their fans travel far and wide to see as many shows as possible. Half the people in the row behind me were from Ohio. Having never seen the band live before, I certainly wasn’t expecting the same five grungy longhairs in cargo shorts, flannels, and long johns I’d seen on MTV in the early 90s. On the contrary. As I watched the members of Pearl Jam enter the stage, they appeared as if they’d just walked off the back nine of the Nashville Golf & Athletic Club. Pearl Jam are all grown up now. Singer Eddie Vedder doesn’t climb the stage rafters (partly because there are none), dive off the stage, or perform other death-defying stunts. Thankfully, his cutting, gruff of a voice is still intact and where it should be. As a frontman, he immediately took command of the program without ever letting go. Things started slowly. The players were stretching out, it seemed, under minimal lighting. They lulled through “Indifference,” the last track from their second album, 1993’s Vs., and followed with “Low Light” from 1998’s Yield and “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,” also from Vs. The whole room sang along to each and every verse. As I was to learn, most of tonight’s set drew from albums released in the 1990s. Which isn’t to say they don’t play at least a song or two from each of their 12 studio albums when the mood strikes. Tonight, however, it was primarily the “older” material, the “hits” to most commoners, slotted in with songs from the group’s most recent studio release, Dark Matter. Part of an image taken from the new album’s cover outlined the backdrop that stretched the width of the arena as the stage lit up and the band fell into the evening’s first new number, “Scared Of Fear.” Because Dark Matter has been out for over a year, many on the floor were very familiar with the song and they came alive once Vedder and company bounced into action. Other heavies from Dark Matter — “Wreckage,” the punky “Running,” and “Got To Give” — kept the momentum going, while pop-in favorites “Even Flow,” “Jeremy” and “Daughter,” with a hint of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” made sure no one wandered off. Even as the singer trotted back and forth across the front of the stage, occasionally stepping out on a centerstage extension, filling glasses and shoes (?) with wine and handing them to anyone within reach — there were guitarists Mike McGready, handling most of the leads, and Stone Gossard, happily standing on his ground on rhythm. Neither called much attention to themselves, although McGready ddid lean into the audience at the edge of stage left at one point and took the spotlight with him. Bassist Jeff Ament had little trouble holding his own, especially when it came to laying into a gungy riff like “Why Go.” Longtime drummer Matt Cameron, the only non-original member of Pearl Jam, is more or less flawless at the post he’s held for over 25 years. For that, he was inducted, along with original drummer David Krusen, into the Rock & Roll of Fame with Pearl Jam in 2017. Vedder gave Cameron kudos for recently becoming a double inductee because the drummer happens to be an original member of Soundgarden, who are part of the 2025 class. Ties run deep in Grungeland. Vedder, who spoke at length during a couple breaks between songs, also gave a shout out to astronaut and friend Scott Kelly (“he’s travelled over 200 million miles”), who was sitting in the audience. Just before debuting “Green Disease” for the first time on this tour, Vedder held up his guitar and mentioned that Jack White, who also happens to be an inductee for the Rock Hall this year with the White Stripes, gave it to him. It would have been great to see White out on stage with Pearl Jam, but chances he was still recovering the Metallica concert in Nashville the week before. To begin the lengthy, seven-song encore, Vedder shared that well-known Australian surfing champion Shane Herring had passed away the month before. The singer, a surfer himself, and the band then went on to play an acoustic version of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” dedicated to Herring. With the house lights on for the rest of encore, Vedder stopped midway through the next song, “Setting Sun,” after catchy a glimpse of a medical emergency in the crowd. Getting assurances from the crowd, they resumed the song without losing the fire. You don’t see that at most concerts. A scorching “Alive” was the last Pearl Jam biggy of the night before they went all out with covers of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” They can get away with playing classics like these because they put their own stamp on it. Even during the slow numbers, no one ever sat down (does a short stint on the armrest count?). Everyone sang and leaped at the highlights. Vedder must have given away a dozen tambourines to determined fans. You have to hand it to Pearl Jam — they know how to keep their huge following engaged and coming for more, year after year, town after town, show after show. It was a privilege to be a part of it for one special night in Nashville.

Gong’s 2014 album I See You enjoys a 10th Anniversary Edition remix release, for a sure set of loopy psychedelia prog this band was always known for. Opening with the funky bass runs and horn bleats of the title track, into a kinetic rush countered with beautiful horn melodies of the short “Occupy,” I See You gives us the last of this band’s frontman and visionary Daevid Allen, who passed away shortly after the album’s initial release. Gong is of a particular taste, even among the particular taste that is progressive rock (none other than “George Jefferson” himself, Sherman Hemsley was a huge Gong fan!) and these 12 selections are surely of a specific singular stripe. There’s “The Eternal Wheel Spins,” a spacey, echoey single-note wild guitar, speedy snare, clicking bass and an almost chanted vocal mélange. There’s more than a liberal use of echo and reverb all across I See You — “Brew Of Special Tea” and the instrumental flute and horn screeching of “Shakti Yoni & Dingo Virgin” are good examples. Anarchic, instrumental flights, contemplations of life and death, even released as it was in 2014, this is pure going-going Gong, not so very far away from what this band gave us from their early 70s releases. Allen is joined by his son Orlando on drums, along with members of the current band lineup — guitarist and frontman Kavus Torabi, horn player Ian East, bassist Dave Sturt, and guitarist Fabio Golfetti on guitar. Together,  they make a very solid showing, sounding better than ever on this anniversary edition. ~ Ralph Greco, Jr. Purchase I See You