The group’s response to is own fame has been as much a trademark of the band as is sound and Eddie Vedder’s harrowing voice. Pearl Jam has refused to do videos to remain remembered for its music instead of its theatrics. The group has boycotted Ticketmaster for selling Pearl Jam tickets with surcharges. The group has flirted with the idea of releasing only on vinyl. The group has even released material after it achieved fame without a label.

Pearl Jam turbulent history that has seen the group cycle through drummers throughout the ‘90s, going from Dave Krusen to Dave Abbruzzese to Matt Cameron with a few others in between, is the very reason the group found each other in the first place. Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard and Bass guitarist Jeff Ament had been in a band, Mother Love Bone, that was achieving moderate success when tragedy took the life of lead singer Andrew Wood in the form of a heroin overdose.

Gossard and Ament parted ways, but reconnected in 1991 because of lead guitarist Mike McCready. A search through friends throughout the local music community ended up with Eddie Vedder as the lead singer and Matt Dave Krusen as the drummer. First named Mookie Blaylock, the group became Pearl Jam when the label did not see homage to an All-Star NBA point guard as a fitting name.

Pearl Jam exploded onto the scene with Ten, going platinum 12 times. Ironically, Kurt Cobain spoke out against the group, calling them a sellout. Later, he and Vedder would become friends, and along the way the controversial group proved the statement wrong.

The albums of the ‘90s all sold platinum and are among the new classics of rock. Vs., and Vitalogy are remembered as great records regardless of music genre or decade. Pearl Jam tickets were sold in full force as the group tried its best to keep in touch with is rock roots, shunning popularity. The group has struggled to maintain the same success in the 21st century, but has stuck around and is coming back from the self-imposed brink of obscurity.