Tonight Kurt and a full assemblage of Loders will be doing their thing and paying tribute in a big way to seminal 90's band Pearl Jam in the heart of Allentown at Nietzsche's. Not content to unleash one set of Pearl Jam jams after a warmup of non PJ 90's classics, this year's tribute to the former Mother Love Bone will also feature a bonus set of Pearl Jam classics. That's right, for $5 you get a 90's sing along, a set of Pearl Jam love and another set of Pearl Jam love at no additional charge. Doors open at 10, music starts at 10:15.

Last week, Pearl Jam released their first new album in four years, and the response largely fell into two categories:

1. Hey, Pearl Jam are a classic rock band now!
2. Hey, they might be the last classic rock band!

This back and forth makes for solid think-piece fodder (what is classic rock anyway, maaaaaan?), but when it came to the reviews, the responses were fairly predictable. Basically, popular music criticism outlets reacted to a 2013 Pearl Jam album the exact way you'd expect them to react.

Take Pitchfork, who gave it a 5.0, and mostly complained how it didn't break any ground, and just seemed like a "comfortable" record. To which I would respond, what the fuck do you expect? They've been around for 20 years, and they aren't The Flaming Lips, so a bit of a rut is to be expected. Unless you want every album to be experimental like No Code, why not just enjoy a meat-and-potatoes Pearl Jam album?

Because they're Pitchfork, that's fucking why. They didn't get to where they are now by handing out "Best New Music" stamps to Pearl Jam albums. Even though Pitchfork hasn't been "indie" in quite some time (my mom even knows about them), they still like to cling to that little bit of credability. So whenever a dinosaur-ish act like Pearl Jam puts out a new album, they make an art out of saying "meh." But this is ultimately unnecessary; we all know what Pitchfork thinks of the new work of bands like Pearl Jam, and they'd be saying more by not reviewing the album at all.

But hey, I still got a little more out of that than I did from Rolling Stone's review. Huge surprise: they gave it 3 and a half stars. You know what else Rolling Stone gave 3 and a half stars to? Here's a brief list:

The sun
The moon
The heavens
The earth
The stars
The meaning of life
Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life
Thad Lewis
EJ Manuel
Doug Flutie
The 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres'
The recorded crying of Blue Ivy Carter from 3:14 A.M. to 4:49 A.M.on August 23, 2012 (note: Jay-Z eventually got her to go to sleep by singing a lullaby version of "Song Cry." Rolling Stone gave it 3 and a half stars)

Honestly, music criticism from the major outlets has gotten so predictable - with regard to already-established artists at least - that there's little point in even reading them. One great moment of honesty from a Rock Critic came when Steven Hyden wrote his "Winner's History Of Rock 'N Roll" piece on Linkin Park for Grantland. He's not a huge fan, but he kind of admits that their last few records weren't bad (they actually weren't, seriously). But then, he basically says that there was pretty much no way he'd ever say anything all that positive about Linkin Park. I mean, he's got a reputation to protect. It was the rare moment that a critic ever-so-subtly admitted that a band's reputation might effect what that critic thinks and says about them. I respected his candor quite a bit.

I'd like to see music reviewers - especially ones who write for Pitchfork and Rolling Stone - branch out a bit. Give a 10.0 to someone who isn't Kanye, or a 5/5 to someone who isn't Springsteen. We'll all be better off for it. If not, I may have to do to the next Rolling Stone what Eddie Vedder did back in '06:

1996, 2003, 2010, and most recently, 2013 (October 12, to be exact) are the years that Pearl Jam had performed in Buffalo. Of the four shows, last night was the only one to not close with "Yellow Ledbetter." Instead, "Indifference" was the final song of a three song encore, 2 hour and 45 minute performance. It was also the only time they played without an opener (the open time slot may have given the band more room for themselves, but from a concert go-ers standpoint, I would’ve taken a Carrie Brownstein band over extra time in the vendor lines.

Eddie riled up the crowd just a few songs in by using his best SNL introduction voice, “Live from Buffalo, it's Saturday Night”. His wino generosity was on full display as he handed out multiple bottles throughout the evening to celebrate with the audience. The band played nine new songs last night off the anticipated Lightning Bolt, scheduled for release this Tuesday. I for one can’t even think of a time where I saw a band play anywhere close to nine songs off an album prior to its release. It was bold, and during the two slower acoustic songs during the first encore, the audience either lost its energy surge or went idle for a moment to gather enough strength for a strong finish. Eddie after back-to-back, vocally straining songs, "Mind Your Manners" and "Do the Evolution," called an audible, and strayed off the setlist path in order to properly pace himself. Eddie’s vocals sounded astoundingly good towards the first half of the set, perhaps due to this only being the second show of the tour thus far.

The entire gang was there, and with a newly organized energy, often huddling around Matt Cameron who executed his duties to near perfection. This wasn’t the same Matt who raced through set lists in the past: his role has changed and he now seems to be the unnamed captain. Of the six (including Boom), Mike McCready was last night's all-star. He makes old, tired songs sound new with alternate renditions, blazing energy and a way to connect with the audience very few guitarists can match. In the past, McCready came off to some as a guitar prodigy-type show off, but he really seemed to be in the moment, more than any of the others, last night. McCready shared his time before and after the concert with fans, and nearly set his guitar into flames at one point with ferocious speed during "Even Flow," perhaps to challenge all the air guitarists in the audience in an effort to keep up. The band wisely chose to play choices from their earlier releases up until the album Riot Act, which is a reasonably affordable cut off point, most loyal followers would agree. The earlier back catalog songs didn’t necessarily make you feel as if you were reliving the 90’s: and at some points (especially during "Once" and "State of Love and Trust") seemed to, dare to say, be going through the motions.

Eddie no longer climbs ceiling beams nor has the same youthful disdain as he did in his younger days, and everyone can agree that this isn’t to be expected at this point of his career. I do believe however that the sentimental value attached to such powerhouses can be pushed just as well as the hits, which were performed flawlessly and, to what it seemed like, everyone’s satisfaction.

High Points including their performances of "Rats," "Present Tense," and "Elderly Woman," where the band kindly considered the rear audience and played facing them. Low points were the crowd chanting Maple Leaf cheers and U-S-A to rival.

The band is approaching 23 years since the release of their debut album, Ten. It's certainly been nothing short of enthralling to be on such a journey with easily one the most admirable bands today. There is nothing contrived about Pearl Jam, and Eddie has to be the most esteemed front man in rock music history. They don’t need image, attitude, gimmicks or marketing schemes to hold the throne. This is what makes Pearl Jam absolutely pivotal, even today.

Lightning Bolt, lyrically, could be Ed’s career highlight and artistically the most diverse the band has ventured. "Sirens," the album's second single, perfectly captures this. “Oh, it’s a fragile thing, this life we lead, if I think too much, I can’t get over. When by the graces, by which we live our lives with death over our shoulders. Want you to know, that should I go, I always loved you, held you high above too. I studied your face, the fear goes away.” Lifelong fans have went on a ride starting with teenage animosity, to overcoming loss and grief. The fear does go away and collectively Pearl Jam made it easier. This cannot be said about any other group from what could end up being as the last influential period of rock and roll.

Fun Facts:
Eddie shared a story about how the song “I Got Shit” came to be. He and Neil Young were in the studio and Neil mentioned that they had nine songs total for the album Mirror Ball. Neil said to Eddie, "How many do you got?" Eddie responded, “I got shit.” For such a seemingly thrown together song, it certainly came out fantastically well. I personally requested Pearl Jam play that song on the ten club forums, as I’ve heard from other die hards that the band views it from time to time to gather ideas to select from their extensive catalog. Who knows if that had anything to actually do with it, but its not hard to imagine.

Eddie commented on how cool looking the classic Sabres logo is. Undoubtedly this form of flattery still will not provide any positive momentum for this year's season.

Crowd-riding was back in action again at the First Niagara Center. Fans wore shirts ranging from fictitious bands such as Citizen Dick, to Metallica’s Metal up your Ass, to Clutch and the expected array of 90’s “grunge-era” essentials.

What's there to say that hasn't already been said about Pearl Jam? Rock royalty, survivors of grunge, a rabid fanbase which never seems to stop growing, twenty plus years of consistency and innovation, a Cameron Crowe-directed documentary, and the list goes on and on and on. Put simply, Pearl Jam is a band you know, and if you are a fan you've probably seem them live. Just in case you haven't they are playing tonight at First Niagara Center (7:30pm, $69). I'm one of the few to say I haven't and that's a shame. I hear they're pretty amazing live.

Being born in 1984, I was a bit too young to really appreciate a couple things. One being the Bills' historic Super Bowl run of futility, and maybe that's a good thing. The second was grunge. Had I been a few years older, then maybe, but I was lucky enough to come of age during the reign of Dave Matthews Band (ugh) and the nostalgia of the genre never really pulled me in. No matter. I do understand the genre's importance though, which I don't need to get into in it's entirety here. It pretty much killed hair metal (thanks alot!) but it's demise kind of allowed the gansta rap to emerge (thanks alot...) Anyways, you know the major players:  Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam.

Speaking of Pearl Jam, they just announced a major U.S. tour beginning this fall, running into December, and Buffalo is batting second. This ends the mysterious countdown that the band had featured on their website since the beginning of the month. Eddie Vedder and crew will roll through town on October 12th with a return appearance at the First Niagara Center. Prices and on-sale date are not yet available, and if this was any other band, I would suggest starting to save now as that $50 Black Keys ticket you got for tonight could certainly look like a bargain. BUT, Pearl Jam has always hated Ticketmaster, and they tend to try to keep their ticket costs at a reasonable price. Anyways, good luck.