Movie/DVD Review

If you bought the last Pearl Jam tour DVD, you’ll probably want to pick this one up as well. Although there aren’t any moments equal to watching “Given to Fly” being artistically transformed into sign language, it’s still a decent follow up. And unlike the previous DVD tour release, this one focuses on a complete, full length show, July 8, 2003, at the legendary Madison Square Garden.

The presentation of Live at the Garden is a two disc set, laid nicely in a tri-fold case, but the artwork is a bit disappointing, as you won’t find any candid band photos or random sketches. A far cry from the No Code collector cards, the 35-page Vitalogy case, or even the Binaural slip book, it lacks the personal touch of Eddie’s scribbled lyrics and incomplete verses.

The thirty song setlist is broken into two discs, the latter the better of the two. Not only featuring the rarely played “Breath,” and cult classic “Crazy Mary,” it also includes Eddie and Ben Harper tag teaming the mic for an amazing rendition of “Indifference.” And even more, “Baba O’Riley” and “Yellow Ledbetter” as the encore, with thorough footage of McCready hammering away on his guitar.

That’s not to say disc one is a throwaway, as it’s a more than solid set. Tracks from all of the main albums are performed, both old and new. “Grievance” and “Low Light” are stellar new songs, and crowd favorite “Black” represents some older material, although the “we belong together” verse didn’t make it into this version. Actually, you’ll find quite a few altered lyrics in this set, including “let the show begin” from “Love Boat Captain.”

No surprise, the camera work focuses mainly on Eddie. But there are ample shots of Jeff, Mike, Matt, and Stone, and you even get an occasional glimpse of Boom, hidden in the back corner. The filming is continuous, lacking any premature cuts into songs, and during song breaks, an ominous far stage shot illuminates within the pitch-black Garden.

For the most part, they avoid the overdone crowd shot pitfalls - one very lucky girl managed to get a few seconds of screen time as she proudly belted out the lyrics to “Grievance” - sparing the panning of the crowd to give just the necessary glimpse of hands raised and fist pumping for sense of the surging crowd energy. Even when the band passes around a bottle of wine to a few fans in the front, the footage is minimal.

For special features, there are six additional songs in the bonus section. If you want to go straight to the footage that became a controversy, select “Bushleaguer,” wherein Eddie sports his Bush mask for a rousing rendition. The outtake and candid footage set to “Down,” is a change of pace from the abundant stage footage, and what seems like a comical addition, there is an option for the “Matt Cam,” which gives you a steady shot of Matt Cameron during a few songs.

Glide is proud to giveaway one copy of Pearl Jam: Live At The Garden. Click here to enter.