Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is a Seattle-based rock band, who are considered to be one of the most popular and influential artists of the 1990s. They, along with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, helped popularize the grunge movement of the early 90's. Moreover, they are also the only grunge band that has remained active since the atrophy of their aforementioned contemporaries, despite the band's abandonment of their early sound to favour an ever evolving one that defies categorization.

Pearl Jam's Current Days: 2003-present

In June 2003, the band announced they were officially leaving their label of twelve years, Epic Records, a Sony imprint. The move was viewed as something of a coup and has been described as "...one institution leaving another, the most popular and important American rock band of the '90's, voluntarily rejecting the grandest label heritage...". Pearl Jam states it has "no interest at this time" of signing with another label and is "excited about our freedom". Pundits say if Pearl Jam's move is successful, it may be the death knell of the music industry as we know it. However, Pearl Jam is expected to release a new studio album in late 2005 or early 2006 on the J Records label. Ironically, J Records is part of the BMG music conglomerate, which is 50% owned by Sony and includes Epic Records. This gives weight to accusations that international artists at least can never really escape the "big four" record companies (Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, EMI Group and Warner Music Group).

Related Topics:
2003 - Epic Records - Sony - 2005 - 2006 - J Records - BMG - Sony BMG Music Entertainment - Universal Music Group - EMI Group - Warner Music Group

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Pearl Jam were outspoken supporters of Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000. In 2004, the band explicitly withdrew its support for Nader, with members appearing in Rolling Stone to promote the candidacy of John Kerry, and on the Vote for Change tour.

Related Topics:
Ralph Nader - Presidential - 2000 - 2004 - Nader - Rolling Stone - John Kerry - Vote for Change

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In 2005, the band embarked on a Canadian cross-country tour, stopping in cities such as Saskatoon where they had never before played. As in the past, they relased bootlegs of the shows, but this time the bootlegs were available online through their website. The music downloads were accompanied by pictures from individual shows.

Related Topics:
2005 - Saskatoon

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In 2005, Pearl Jam also scheduled a benefit concert to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief. The concert, which takes place October 5th at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois, also features Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin fame) on the bill.

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Also, they scheduled a Latin America tour for the first time in their career. This tour has 3 dates sold out by this time.

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