The Politics of Trust
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Vedder speaks almost mystically about two things: the primacy of the music and the connection between performer and audience, a relationship he takes seriously indeed. The chat was prompted by a recent Hitsville column about a crowd-safety watchdog, Paul Wertheimer, who was pulled from the crowd and later arrested at Pearl Jam’s Soldier Field show last month. Vedder says he has no reason to doubt the version of events given to him by his security people on the scene, who said that Wertheimer was causing trouble in the pit. (Hitsville doubted this scenario.)
The argument against moshing is simple: it’s a dangerous activity engaged in by kids who don’t know enough not to do it. Vedder’s answer is equally reductive. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked with some exasperation. “It turns me into Perry Como. I mean, god forbid that any tiny little thing happens at a rock concert. I do feel responsible. But what’s going to happen? Will it be illegal to dance at a concert if you’re not wearing a helmet? It’s part of the element of rock. At some point you have to take responsibility for your own actions. I just feel like things are being taken away from rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not like Disneyland: ‘Watch your belongings and enjoy the ride.’”
“Look,” he said, “I guess I’m just asking people to have some faith in the bands–in the bands and the people who come to see them. I think we have an intelligent crowd. They all have enough wits about them to get together, come through the gates, and see the show. And look what happened: it was a beautiful night.”
