Pearl JamYes I’m excited that my favorite band of all time is releasing a new album in May, Pearl Jam, and from the sound of the single “World Wide Suicide” iTunes it looks to be another classic. I guess each time they announce a new release it brings out the 9th grader inside of me, rocking out to “Alive” and “Jeremy” on a school bus. Of course I’ve changed a lot since then and so has Pearl Jam Wikipedia.

While the core of the band has remained the same over the last 15 years (with the exception of drummers, of which they’ve had four), no two Pearl Jam albums have been the same. A big part of the difference is caused by the fact that unlike almost any other band, all the members of Pearl Jam contribute to the band’s song writing. The frequent change has served as a refiner’s fire to its fan base. While it’s contributed to a drop in commercial success for each album from the record setting sales of Vs. (1993) and Vitology (1994), the fans that remain are as diehard as they come.

The strong base is also in large part due to the fact that Pearl Jam treats their fans well. Sure these guys have got to millionaires. Sure it costs $50 a seat to catch a show these days. Sure Stone Gossard was recently quoted as hoping the new album would have more commercial success than the previous few. These aren’t starving artists! Nor should they be.

They fought TicketMaster in 1994 to reduce ticket surcharges for fans. They were one of the first artists to make special ticket arrangements for fan club members so they could be assured the best possible seats at show. Their fan club remains one of the most affordable in all of rock at $20 per year, providing 2 new letters, a holiday single, and special ticket and merchandise access. They were among the first to formalize a program to release every live concert on CD, which made sense since they are one of the few acts to plays a completely unique set list every night and performs every song in their catalog over the course of a tour. And they have always provided a steady stream of news on their site whether their next album is 2 months or two years away. (All that and they thanked me on their site for posting a concert review of a show in Maryland in 1998)

So if it’s been a while since you listened to a Pearl Jam disc, I suggest you get reacquainted. Their 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror iTunes, is a great way to get caught up. Also, If you pre-order the new album at their website, you get a additional live album and can download the album at 12:01 am on its release day, May 2. If you’re not a fan club member, I’d also suggest you sign up before the next leg of the tour is announced so you can get what are truly the best seats in the house. Rock on!