Reminiscent of the story of Dionysus from Greek Antiquity, Pearl Jam’s “Dance of the Clairvoyants” evokes feelings of ecstasy, confusion, and madness. Just as the Greek God’s frenetic followers, known as “maenads” follow Dionysus into their own demise, listeners who fall under lead singer Eddie Vedder’s melodious spell are called to action. Vedder, along with the syncopated rhythms of Matt Cameron on drums, staccato licks from Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, both on lead guitar, and the steady pulls from Jeff Ament on bass, pull their listeners into a nearly irresistible clairvoyant trance. The lyrics “confusing it is to commotion” launch us into the track’s chaos. The kaleidoscope of natural imagery is featured throughout the remainder of the track, situating the listener in the vast and uncontrollable nature of our Earth.
Gigaton, the band’s first studio album in seven years, is a tribute to mother Earth in itself. Released on March 27, 2019, just a month shy of Earth Day, the album title is almost prescriptive, begging us to take care of this finite realm we call home. In the scientific community, a “gigaton” is used to measure carbon emissions. According to the U.S Energy Information Administration (and Pearl Jam’s Website), our world emits 32.5 gigatons of carbon --the equivalent of 32.5 billion metric tonnes-- annually.
The group seamlessly intertwines the idea of the crazed maenads from the story of Dionysus and the great implausibility of our Earth. Perhaps Dionysus is leading us to the top of the hill to show us our oncoming and inevitable destruction. Whatever the message, Pearl Jam’s thirty year career leaves us with an impassioned, ethereal warning that we stand back when the spirit comes.