Since moving house, my regular trips to the Woodseats Royal Mail depot have recommenced. I’ll talk about some of my new acquisitions in a bit, but one worthy of mention is the Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros coffeetable (yup) book which showcases some of the best gig posters ever to grace the walls of lucky fans who manage to grab one. I can’t for the life of me remember the Ames Bros (Barry Ament is the brother of Jeff) poster for the 2000 gig in Manchester (there is one[1]). Probably I was none the wiser. The only Ames Bros-related Pearl Jam material i have is my Pilate tee and a boleh tahan Milwaukee 2006 poster[2] from the Ten Club bargain basement. When I was in Dublin for the 2006 gig, my priority was the front row. Besides, just to make me feel better, the Ireland/UK Ames Bros poster wasn’t much to shout home about.

The first time i was aware of Pearl Jam’s unique merchandise per venue was when I saw my friend’s tee from the Troy, MI gig during the Yield era. Designs noted in these posters are simply superb, varying from wood-etchings to silver age Marvel Comic covers. Like visual easter eggs, some of the more complicated images reveal hidden dates and names of support acts.

When i bought the house, I had envisaged Ames Bros posters framed and mounted on the walls of the media and jam room. I still want a Donwood, but at 200 squids per limited edition print, I’m in no rush[3]. The Ames Bros stuff, on the other hand, were cheaper and easily obtainable on my favourite online marketplace albeit at a hiked price. Cakap dah fan, kan? So, I bought three more whilst lazing on my aerobed on Sunday night[4]. Well, tomorrow is a special day, innit?

As some of you out there know by now, I’m also involved in organising a lil’ shindig come April. I’ve always wanted a B-movie poster for the gig but my skills on Adobe Illustrator is absolutely nil. Until I saw one of the comic-esque poster for one of Pearl Jam’s gig at East Lansing, MI which inspired me to come up with this (muchas terima kasih to Comiclife, Google dan pelukis Galactus, don’t want to be called a plagiarist now, do we?):

[1]I now own a limited edition signed copy after seeing it on sale on the Ames Bros website.
[2]As I’ve run out of wall space, this poster is going to my nephews in Juxtaposed!
[3]I’ve given up on it.
[4]The NYC one didn’t arrive. There goes my USD81.