You may have noticed by now, activism in the world of music is a featured topic within Deep Cuts – having previously highlighted The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation and 311’s work for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. When it comes to artists having an impact in this space, Pearl Jam may very well get the captains badge. For starters, a portion of every ticket sold goes towards the band’s Vitalogy Foundation. It appears their spirit has been contagious as Pearl Jam fans from around the globe have initiated their own efforts as well.
As Pearl Jam’s tour kicks off today in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, here are a few activities going on in conjunction with the concert that allow fans to participate in some great efforts and causes.
Wishlist art by Branislav Dordevic
Who:
THE WISHLIST FOUNDATION:
What:
The Wishlist Foundation is a nonprofit, grassroots 501(c)(3) fan organization dedicated to supporting Pearl Jam’s charitable and philanthropic efforts. They are 100% fan run, independent from the band, its management and fan club. The Wishlist Foundation holds pre-event fundraisers at establishments close to the concert venue. With this, groups of fans gather before a Pearl Jam show to meet up and make new friends. Add in a charitable cause that you want to support, mix in a raffle and some merchandise available for a small donation and you’re joining with fellow fans to do great things! The first pre-party fundraiser was on October 5, 2004 at Humphrey’s Bar & Grill in St. Louis prior to the Pearl Jam VFC concert. To date, The Wishlist Foundation has raised over 800k for local and national nonprofits.
When and Where:
Prior to every Pearl Jam concert on the 2016 tour
See the entire event schedule below and the corresponding facebook event pages here and here:
Visit: www.wishlishtfoundation.org for more info.
============ Wishlist Schedule for 2016 Spring Tour ===============
Friday, April 8: Ft Lauderdale, FL – BB&T Center
Organizers: Tina B
Location: Billiard Club 2610 Sawgrass Mills Circle, Sunrise FL 33323 (954) 835-1114
Beneficiaries: Tomorrow’s Rainbow & PJ Spotlight Charities
Saturday, April 9: Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena
Organizers: Tina T
Location: Hard Rock Cafe 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami FL 33132 (305) 377-3110
Beneficiaries: Young Musician’s Unite & PJ Spotlight Charities
Monday, April 11: Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Organizers: Clinton S
Location: Ferg’s Live Tampa 490 Channelside Dr, Tampa FL 33602 (813) 443-8403
Beneficiaries: Brain Tumor Alliance & PJ Spotlight Charities
Wednesday, April 13: Jacksonville, FL- Jacksonville Veterans Arena
Organizers: John W, Boris K
Location: Jacksonville Sports Tavern 234 A Philip Randolph Rd, Jacksonville FL 32202 (904) 361-3547
Beneficiaries: Haven Hospice, Tom Couglin’s Jay Fund Foundation & PJ Spotlight Charities
Saturday, April 16: Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Organizers: Michelle F
Location: Carolina Ale House 113 S Main St, Greenville SC 29601 (864) 351-0521
Beneficiaries: Julie Valentine Center & PJ Spotlight Charities
Monday, April 18: Hampton, VA – Hampton Arena
Organizers: Pam W
Location: Tapps 1976 Power Plant Pkwy, Hampton VA 23666 (757) 827-8100
Beneficiaries: Alternatives, Inc. & PJ Spotlight Charities
Wednesday, April 20: Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
Organizers: David D
Location: Backyard Bistro 1235 Hurricane Alley Way, Raleigh NC 27606 (919) 851-6203
Beneficiaries: NC Sustainable Energy Association & PJ Spotlight Charities
Thursday April 21: Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Organizers: Matt K
Location: Tin Roof Columbia 1022 Senate St, Columbia SC 29201 (803) 771-1558
Beneficiaries: Palmetto Health Foundation & PJ Spotlight Charities
Saturday, April 23: New Orleans, LA – Jazzfest
Organizers: TBA
Location: TBA
Beneficiaries: TBA
Tuesday, April 26: Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
Organizers: Chris G, Matt R
Location: Hop Cat – Lexington 410 W Short St, Lexington KY 40507 (859) 286-6847
Beneficiaries: KY Blood Center’s Power of Life HS Scholarship Program & PJ Spotlight Charities
Thursday, April 28 & Friday, April 29: Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Organizers: Gina L, Liz W, Matt S
Location: XFINITY Live! Philadelphia 1100 Pattison Ave, Philadelphia PA 19148 (855) 406-4119
Beneficiaries: CCFA Philadelphia/DE Chapter, Philabundance & PJ Spotlight Charities
Sunday, May 1 & Saturday, May 2: New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Organizers: Carin C, Jennifer M, Ny N, Rae Anne M
Location: Madison Square Tavern 150 West 30th St at 7th Ave, New York NY 10001 (212) 244-0410
Beneficiaries: Most Valuable Kids, GLWD & PJ Spotlight Charities
Thursday, May 5: Quebec City, QC – Centre Vidéotron
Organizers: Mike G
Location: Pub Galway 1112, avenue Cartier, Quebec QC G1R 2S5 (418) 522-5282
Beneficiaries: Canadian Mental Health Association & PJ Spotlight Charities
Sunday, May 8: Ottawa, ON – CTC Arena
Organizers: Shamir K, Chris B, Kelly A
Location: Bert’s Bar 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa ON K2V 1A5 (613) 599-2582
Beneficiaries: DIFD at The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health & PJ Spotlight Charities
Tuesday, May 10 & Wednesday, May 11: Toronto, ON – Air Canada Center
Organizers: Joanne C, Marion H
Location: Firkin on Harbour 10 Yonge Street, Toronto ON M5E 1R4 (416) 519-9949
Beneficiaries: Sketch & PJ Spotlight Charities
May 2016: Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
Organizers: TBA
Location: TBA
Beneficiaries: TBA
Saturday, July 9: Telluride, CO – The Ride Festival
Organizers: TBA
Location: TBA
Beneficiaries: TBA
============ 2016 Fenway Park and Wrigley Field ===============
Friday, August 5 & Sunday, August 7: Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Organizers: Mike G
Location: TBA
Beneficiaries: TBA
Saturday, August 20 & Monday, August 22 : Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
Organizers: Jennifer B, Trisha S, Laura T
Location: Sluggers World Class Sports Bar & Grill 3540 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60657 (773) 248-0055
Beneficiaries: TBA
Who:
PEARL JAM FAN PORTRAITS
What:
Pearl Jam Fan Portraits is a black and white portrait collection of dedicated Pearl Jam fans with lyrics that mean the most to them. This project brings Pearl Jam fans together through the creativeness of photography. They take photos of fans with their favorite lyrics to create a personalized portrait collection of the Pearl Jam community, often at concert pre-parties hosted by the Wishlist Foundation.To make each portrait personalized, you write down your favorite lyrics. They provide the paper and markers, but feel free to get creative and bring something with you. Fans order their print after the shows, once their portrait are posted online. Prints are provided as a way to save the memory.
There will be a book made that contains a collection of photos taken since the inception of the concept in 2012. 2016 tour photos will be in the mix as well so this is your chance to be in the book.
At the conclusion of the tour, a Kickstarter campaign will be launched to start the process.
You can sign up now here where you will be directed to fill out a form, select your show and prepay. The pre-order prints are at discount.
For the fans, by the fans!
When and Where:
Here are the shows Pearl Jam fan portraits will be at this year. Due to overwhelming demand and long lines, you should sign up in advance and secure your spot. For most of the shows, Fan Portraits will be taking place at the GA lines in the early afternoon to capture fans there. They will then go to the Wishlist pre-parties after that.
Portraits will take place in:
Ft. Lauderdale
Miami
Greenville
Hampton
Raleigh
Lexington
Philly 1 & 2
MSG/NYC 1 & 2
Ottawa
Toronto 1 & 2
Fenway 1 & 2
Wrigley 1 &2
More details are available here and the video below:
Who:
THE FAITHFUL. A PEARL JAM FAN DOCUMENTARY
What:
Created by Mike Dozier, the goal here is to create a documentary about Pearl Jam fanatics. This documentary will explore the unique fandom that’s attached to music by using Pearl Jam as the median. 2016 will mark 25 years of Pearl Jam music and the perfect opportunity to interview their faithful fans and uncover what made Pearl Jam the last band standing from the grunge era. Dozier will document his travel and interactions with Pearl Jam fans and discover why they have an undying loyalty towards this particular band and how their personalities and life choices have been influenced by their music. Dozier’s plan is to capture the passion this subcultural of fans have. These people will wait in line for hours for a poster, and days for a concert; the dedication and support these fans show is unlike any other fan base. This documentary will explore the fanaticism and the family environment thats created with each unique Pearl Jam show. Sitting on the concrete waiting for the show to start is where I will find out the most about these faithful fans and the friendships and relationships Pearl Jam’s music helped form. I want to uncover what makes them tick while finding the common string that ties all these Pearl Jam fans together.
This documentary will show how Pearl Jam’s influence has bleed into the lives of their fans. We will document people at the concert and at home and show how some can only truly feel free at a Pearl Jam show. We will also be using fan shot footage in the film to add a more personal fan touch. Dozier wants to create a documentary for the fans, by the fans, and for that he needs the fans to lend their support and their stories.
When and Where:
A Kickstarter campaign has been live and running since February.
Fans can email their stories and set up interviews with Dozier and his team at Wrigley Field. Simply send your story and interview request in to Pearljamfandoc@gmail.com
For more information visit the fan docs Facebook page where you can also watch their amazing launch video.
Follow the project on Twitter @TheFaithfulPJ
Who:
MUSICARES HEARING HEALTH
What:
Pearl Jam and MusiCares have teamed up to spread the word on hearing health, giving away Earplugs. Win a custom pair as well.
When and Where:
MusiCares will have a table at each of Pearl Jam’s U.S. shows on the 2016 Spring Tour where fans can pick up a pair of limited edition Pearl Jam- MusiCares Earplugs. A suggested donation will be requested to receive the limited edition case and pair of earplugs. Once you have your Earplugs, you can enter to win one of 12 pairs of Pro Series Custom-Fit Musician’s Earplugs from ACS Custom USA.
There are two different ways to win:
1. Instagram- Post a photo of yourself rocking out with your new PJ X MusiCares Earplugs and use the hashtag #PJCARES
2. Twitter- Go to @musicares and retweet the pin tweet.
Hashtag the #CITY where you got your plugs in your posts!
Learn more about MusiCares here:
The last thing you can do is simply have a great time. Sing your lungs out ‘til it fills the room. It makes a difference.
Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.
Follow Jeff Gorra on Twitter Here:
jeffgorra@gmail