Present Tense – Pearl Jam

Live In Chicago 05.16.2006 – Recorded May 16th, 2006 at The United Center in Chicago

Pearl Jam is one of the 10 or so bands that I feel form the basis of my taste in music, and I have been a fan of their live stuff for a long time. One of my favorite things to hear on a live track is the crowd singing along with or for the lead singer; I have always thought that has to be the greatest feeling in the world as a songwriter. Eddie Vedder & co. are masters at crowd participation, and I came really close to doing this post on one of their performances of “Better Man“, but I decided to feature one of my favorite songs of theirs, the simple but powerful “Present Tense“.

For me, this song is a beautiful kick in the ass. The lyrics are telling us that whatever it is, is out of our hands and there’s nothing left to do but move onwards and upwards.

You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets oh… 
Or you can come to terms and realize 
You’re the only one who can forgive yourself oh yeah… 
Makes much more sense to live in the present tense...

“Present Tense” sends a motivating enough message on its own, but it was featured in what I consider to be one of the greatest sports documentaries ever made, The Last Dance. The Last Dance chronicles the 1997 Chicago Bulls championship run, as well as Michael Jordan’s pro career and the Bulls dynasty of the ’90s. If you are a fan of any sports, or just really good documentaries, I cannot recommend this one enough. Toward the end, a scene uses “Present Tense” as a sort of narration to the entire thing, and it is one of the most perfectly placed pieces of music I’ve seen on screen.

Link to audio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAGyVPXvNuM

Link to end of “The Last Dance” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CucFtTC4RM

Link to a really cool version on Letterman – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=COAqYlZ-6Ds