Happy Birthday to Pearl Jam’s ‘Yield’

Pearl Jam was arguably the biggest band in the world during the first half of the '90's. Their blockbuster debut album, 1991's Ten was just as big as Nirvana's Nevermind. Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1994) were both huge successes as well, even as the band tried to get a grasp on their super-stardom. Eddie Vedder and the band decided against doing music videos after "Jeremy" in 1992, and they famously took on Ticketmaster in an attempt to keep ticket prices reasonable for their fans.

1998 is a pivotal year in Pearl Jam's history. They were still a huge act, but a lot of fans had jumped ship. They just weren't that accessible. During the Ticketmaster battle, they didn't tour much. 1996's No Code was another #1 album for the band, but it was a bit more experimental and didn't come close to the sales numbers of the previous records. Next up was Yield. Released on February 3, 1998, the album surpassed No Code in sales, perhaps due to a return to a more straightforward rock sound, an increase in promotion and a full-scale tour. They even did a music video for the first time in 6 years for "Do the Evolution"...

The Yield Tour was my first opportunity to see the band live. I saw them three times in four nights, catching their two shows in East Troy, Wisconsin, and also their show at Chicago's United Center. Over the past 18 years, I've seen them live about 30 more times. The band has just announced some North American tour dates for 2016. Check out this blog for those dates and locations.

Tune in to KRNA at Noon on Wednesday, February 3rd as I spin a few tracks from Yield on its 18th birthday!

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