Ok, I am a die-hard Pearl Jam fan. To be fair, I must admit that there are few things that spark passion within me like that band does. Laugh if you will, but it's true and I don't give a shit how dorky it is. I even have the obligatory tattoo to pay homage to my rock gods of choice.
I signed up for their fan club (which has gone by a few names, but the tried and true is Ten Club) in 1996... this is after begging my mother to let me sign up for 4 years prior. 1996 is the year I opened my own checking account and no longer had to ask her permission for such things. Anyhow, the good folks who run it have been pretty good to me and my kin over the years. They have gotten me good seats to shows. They have sent me cherished Christmas singles, newsletters and given access to nerdy memorabilia I would have otherwise not had access to. I have counted on this club every tour and with their extreme kindness and usually awesome service, avoided Ticketmonster more often than not and seen 40+ shows, made more friends than I can count, had great adventures and spent more money than I care to admit in the process. We all count on them to maintain this high level of service and understanding of our addiction. They are prided for showing lots of respect for the fans and going above and beyond to nurse our PJ habits.
Up until about a month ago, I wouldn't have said a single bad word about the club - they would have gotten a shining 5 stars and then some.... but then came Ed's April Fool's Tour, which was announced (and seemingly thrown together) in a last-minute sort of fashion. I won't get too negative here, because at the end of the day I still appreciate and love the club -- but I will give a quick overview of the disappointment that went down: the tour was announced, tickets went on sale days later (all at the same time and only online), servers could not handle traffic, fuckups ensued -- cards charged for tix that didn't exist, people locked out, emails ignored, mass hysteria, no statement from club -- sadness. The first tour in the 13 years I've been seeing their shows (and solo/side shows) where I had no access to tickets without going through scalpers. Total and complete disappointment. So for the poor planning and aftermath of that bit of lameness, I have to knock off a star. Maybe we're just spoiled, but nevertheless it bummed tons of faithful fans out. It's a snafu that can't be ignored. So four stars it is.
All that aside, any self-respecting PJ nerd knows membership is mandatory... so get on it, if you haven't. read more