Pearl Jam savors end of Epic record contract

Pearl Jam prides itself on doing things its way. So the notion of being without a record label after 12 years with Epic and 25 million records sold doesn't faze the band in the least.

But make no mistake. Singer Eddie Vedder, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron didn't leave Epic. They simply fulfilled the band's contract with the release of its seventh album, "Riot Act," last November.

"We're in this amazing position for the first time in 12 years," Ament said. "We can do whatever we want. Even the feeling of being free is exciting."

The group could simply release albums independently and sell them on its Web site, pearljam.com, which is what has been happening with the "Riot Act" tour CDs.

"It's going to be interesting to see over the next few years what floats to the top," Ament said. "The record industry is not what it was 10 years ago."

Neither is Pearl Jam. Though its core membership has remained constant since the band emerged from its Seattle base with the 10 million-selling album "Ten" in 1991, it has had internal and external battles. The band wasn't comfortable with the demands of the celebrity that came when "Alive" thrust it to the top of the grunge heap. By the release of its fourth album, "No Code," it was in disarray, its future uncertain.

The band's last three studio albums — "Yield," "Binaural" and "Riot Act" — haven't sold like their predecessors, but they are the product of a band that is happy, adventurous and unconcerned about hit singles or platinum records.

The group has learned to pick its battles.

So imagine Pearl Jam's surprise when its April 1 American tour opener in Denver turned political. The Rocky Mountain News reported that several fans walked out of the show after Vedder hung — some say impaled — a mask of President George W. Bush on a microphone stand during a performance of "Bushleaguer," an anti-Bush song from the new album.

Ament said the report was overblown.

"The beauty of that first show is the crowd was totally into it. ... The band or the crew, nobody saw anything remotely negative. The crazy thing is because of what the media generated there, it turned into this negative thing."

And fodder for conservative talk-show hosts and columnists, who had already savaged the Dixie Chicks for criticizing the president as the country was on the verge of war with Iraq.

"Probably most of the people who made that commentary hadn't listened to it or gotten the opportunity to understand its tongue-in-cheek quality," Ament said of "Bushleaguer," which "makes fun of (Bush's) silver-spoon upbringing."

The bad publicity generated boos at a few other shows. Ament said the band can live with that. What bothered members more was the headline on the News' story.

"The headline said 'Dozens jam the exits.' In our mind, it made it seem like a small riot with fans jamming the exits," Ament said. "Who would be more sensitive to that? We just got through with Roskilde."

Nine fans were crushed to death during Pearl Jam's performance at the Danish rock festival in 2000. The group was devastated, canceling its last two European shows. It considered calling off its American tour.

The final leg of the "Riot Act" tour ends July 9 in New York. After that, members will splinter off in various directions and to various side projects. The separation and outside stimuli make them a stronger band, Ament said.

"During our time away, everybody kind of has a little bit different life experience," he explained. "I think when we do get back together and we haven't seen each other in a while, we're excited about that."