Pearl Jam rocks Barclays with record attendance levels

Take that, Jay-Z!

Grunge rockers Pearl Jam blew the roof off the Barclays Center on October 18 and 19, attracting record attendance levels of 35,500 concert goers.

The band opened the three-hour show with the single “Pendulum,” off its latest album just released last week, “Lightning Bolt,” followed by the haunting hit “Release” off its debut album, “Ten.”

“Where are our manners?” asked front man Eddie Vedder after playing new single, “Mind Your Manners.” “Welcome! We have 99 problems, but a place to play ain’t one!”

Vedder and the band – drummer Matt Cameron and guitarists Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready – regularly interacted with the crowd as they played a pretty great mix of songs from almost all of their albums. The house lights were turned on for the last three songs, turning Barclays into more of a house party than a concert.

Vedder, who is based in Seattle, Washington, said that he felt very welcome on the East Coast and even expressed his condolences for those rocked by Hurricane Sandy – especially the Jersey Shore.

“We’re thinking about New Jersey. They have been through a lot with the hurricane and the fire,” he said. “We are thinking about them and will still be thinking about them.”

Before the song, “Amongst the Waves,” surfer Vedder noted, “I heard you got some three to four foot glossies out here.”

Vedder – who drank wine from a bottle and hot tea throughout the show – also sang a song by band Mother Love Bone, “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns.” Mother Love Bone’s band was essentially Pearl Jam, save drummer Cameron, before lead singer Andy Wood died from an overdose. Vedder, in essence, replaced Wood.

Although he will be 49 in December, Vedder is still able to do the acrobatic stunts of his younger days. The lead singer smashed a microphone stand and climbed on top of one of the hanging bulbs that were suspended over the stage during the song “Porch.”

To the crowd’s delight, Vedder swung above the stage on top of the giant light bulb.

Near the end of the show, Vedder took two New York state license plates from a fan, and signed items that were passed to him.

“I grew up in the Northwest with the intention of having these many friends in the Northeast,” Vedder said. “We are grateful that every time we come back, here we have this many people. Chase your dreams; they might come true.”