LAS VEGAS - Last night's/tonight's Eddie Vedder and the Earthlings show was great. My ears are ringing in a good way. Here is the 22-song setlist and "The Dark," in its entirety.
Where to begin?
First, a few remarks about the Dolby Live theater, which is legit and state-of-the-art. Arguably the most convenient thing about the theater are the speakers located everywhere broadcasting the show, even in the restroom. So, yes, when ya gotta go, have no fear, you can still follow along in the men's room, haha. According to its website there are 402 speakers. The stage is 140 feet long, which is one of the widest of its kind in the world. And, the furthest seat is only 145 feet away from the staging, making for an intimate and comfortable atmosphere.
The Earthlings opened with two chill covers - "Top of World" (Petty) and "Here Comes the Sun" (Beatles) - and then launched into eight straight Eddie Vedder/Earthlings/Pearl Jam songs. Highlights were "The Dark," "Invincible," "I Got Id,"and "Brother the Cloud."
"Wishlist," from 1998's Yield, was played way too fast and left a lot to be desired. The only other disappointment from the night was "Good and Evil." That song is a hot mess of fuzzy noise. I took a bathroom break during it.
Who are the Earthlings?
Guitarist (and Pearl Jam producer) Andrew Watt is no Mike McCready, but he's quite the showman decked out in silk pajamas. He even crowd surfed a bit towards the end of the show. Other bandmates drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (both from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) more than held their own. Smith delivered a pretty lengthy standalone drum solo towards the end and Klinghoffer's keys, especially on lead single "Long Way," stood out. Klinghoffer now tours with Pearl Jam - it's a Chili Peppers take over! 90s bands unite!
Four out of the last six songs were all covers with "Just Like Heaven" (The Cure) being my favorite. The band, according to Ed, who was quite talkative, only learned it a few hours prior to showtime, but they nailed it. Ed told the crowd that during COVID he and his wife would have dance parties in their garage with this being one of the tunes they danced to. He said his kiddos would make fun of them. Ha. Here's a full video of the tune.
Ed also had a lengthy story about coaching baseball (how awesome would it be to have Eddie Vedder as your Little League coach??) and dedicated "Porch" to some lucky kid named Alex.
What I'm wearing
I have a new friend named Lindsay (who mows her own lawn, BTW), who told me to write about the blazer I was wearing. That got me to thinking I should just blog the entire outfit. Back to Lindsay for a sec. After mowing her lawn, she uses kitchen tongs to remove the grass clippings to save her nails. This is the kind of weird we should all embrace.
Back to clothing. This is a Boston-based blog so judging by the "bros" I see wearing khakis in the Financial District everyday, the special dude in your life probably needs the advice below. Just sayin'.
So whether it's your husband/boyfriend/brother/dad/cousin/grandfather we have good news: We can raise his game (and remain super comfortable!) in a few easy steps that I've outlined below.
Sport Coat - Ken Silk, my longtime personal stylist at Nordstrom in Burlington, Mass., hooked me up with this sweet-ass BOSS Hutson Plaid Wool Blend Sport Coat. It's a trim fit, but true to size. If you are 5-foot-8 like me, the regular length will be fine. No need to go short on this one. It's on sale for $357 right now.
Shirt - Nothing fancy. Just a basic black Polo from Lululemon called the Evolution ($88). I have a bunch of these for work. If you can't/won't iron like me, the polyester blend will serve you well.
Pants - Yeah, Lululemon FTW, again. These are the popular ABC pants. So good for travel, they never wrinkle. Are you detecting a pattern here? ($128)
Socks - I have a pet peeve that my socks need to stay up. Many fall down. I'm looking at you J.Crew and you too Banana Republic. The ones from Nice Laundry are pretty OK. And, at no extra charge, you can have them monogramed. ($57 for a pack of three).
Shoes - Even before COVID, workplace shoes were trending towards more casual (and comfortable) hybrids that were something like 80 percent shoe and 20 percent sneaker. With the rise of WFH, Cole Haan went bananas in recent weeks and released an obnoxious (but kind of intriguing) "work sneaker."I have yet to pull the trigger on a pair, but in the meantime I only needed to wear one pair of shoes to Vegas, my trusty GrandPro Crossover Sneakers, which can be dressed up or down. I will hit the gym today wearing these bad boys and the casino floor later tonight. ($160)
I'll have more from Day 2 of my trip later today.
Footnote: Special thanks to the guy who made me a double cheeseburger before the show and allowed me to charge my phone at the condiments counter. The extra juice paid off big time.
