Camden - Susquehanna Center - June 19 2008

We arrived to the wonderful stench of Camden, which is always an awe-inspiring thing. Truth be told, there’s nothing in Camden except a battleship, and aquarium, and an amphitheatre that I can honestly view as a second home. Thank you, Susquehanna Center, for making Camden worth existence.

Also, rain threatened the evening, but honestly, what kind of weather would one expect in such a desolate place?

After a sizeable walk, we arrived at the center just in time for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ set. I’m not very familiar with the band, but a friend that was with me said something during their set that really sums it up. In the immortal words of Mark C. of Trenton, “They played well, but the sound quality was a bit iffy.” The set was enjoyable, but left us all with a subtle ringing in our ears and desire for alcohol.

The intermission at this point was ridiculously long. Plenty of time to imbibe the aforementioned alcohol. The sky cleared, and a brilliant breeze breached over the back mound from the river. The sun set, and suddenly the night was perfect. To lie on the grass and stare into nothingness with the pulse of ten thousand people around me felt like a slice of heaven, ironically right in the middle of the hell that is Camden. At this point the house lights faded and the place roared. It was time.

Pearl Jam. Mother F*cking Pearl Jam. They stormed the stage, front man Eddie Vedder with his bottle of wine in hand, and proceeded to destroy me. The group rocked so hard that I was actually in pain later in the night. They pounded through slurry of the lesser known songs with a nice splattering of hits throughout. Guitarist Mike McCready shredded through the set like I’ve never seen. Playing solo’s behind his head, improvising pure brilliance, and dancing around through it all, his performance slayed me above all.

They rocked far into the night, and ended with Mike laying down a stunning rendition of Jimmi Hendrix’ version of the Star Spangled Banner, that seriously crippled everyone in earshot. The ride home was a total disaster, and I didn’t see my bed until 3:30 the next morning, but none of that mattered. I’d been devastated that night, and thoroughly so.