Pearl Jam - Live At Benaroyal Hall - October 22 2003 (CD)

All Music Guide

Of the many, many live albums Pearl Jam publicly released, their October 23, 2003, show at Benaroya Hall is one of the more novel ones. The show itself is a charity event for the YouthCare organization (/www.youthcare.org), and it's a mainly acoustic affair featuring an untypical set list that's heavy on obscurities. In particular, covers of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War," Shel Silverstein's "25 Minutes to Go" (the immortalized by Johnny Cash on his At Folsom Prison live album), and Victoria Williams' "Crazy Mary" are high points as are nonalbum tracks like "Fatal," "Man of the Hour," "Down," and "Dead Man" and live rarities like "Around the Bend," "Can't Keep," and "I Believe in Miracles." Yes, there are some wellworn live favorites "Immortality," "Lukin," "Black," "Daughter," and the setclosing, very electric "Yellow Ledbetter" but these are the exceptions to the norm here. Such novelty, of course, doesn't make Benaroya Hall an especially excellent set (in fact, it feels a little one...dimensional and subdued because of the acoustic instrumentation), though it is one of the more unique and interesting of the many, many shows Pearl Jam released publicly over the years. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less