The KFW Edit
Whazzzzzzup??? The enduring appeal of Eddie Vedder, what to do with all that zucchini and more expensive baseball fan gear.
August 30, 2024
Like many of you who are of a certain age, I have a deep affection for Pearl Jam. Did you know Eddie Vedder turns 60 this year? If, like me, Pearl Jam played the soundtrack of your youth, accompanying every major (and minor) high school and college milestone, this nugget can feel more than a little sobering. But, do not fear, he’s still got it.
For those of us who are native Chicagoans, seeing Pearl Jam at Wrigley Field feels a bit like a rite of passage. Even for this Sox fan, the history, the charm, the pull of Wrigley is real. And last night, Eddie Vedder was all of us, reminiscing of a childhood spent at that very ballpark; contemplating aging; and delivering every bit of the magic you would hope for in a Pearl Jam concert at Wrigley.
Some notes/highlights:
Eddie Vedder’s voice is still positively dripping with animal magnetism.
Drinking wine straight from the wine bottle while delivering a 3 hour concert has never looked like a better idea.
Mike McCready was on fire.
Every white male in the greater Chicagoland area between 45-55 was at Wrigley Field last night. Try to prove me wrong.
The random fan they pulled on stage to sing “Won’t Tell” met the moment in front of 40,000+ who weren’t so sure. Go girl.
Concert merch has gotten way better my lifetime. We walked out next to a guy holding a Wrigley Field/Pearl Jam skateboard.
It takes 48 minutes to drive the 8 miles from my childhood home on the northwest side to Wrigley Field, regardless of the time of day, time of year or actual year. Since as long as I can remember. And, still now. (Just in case you were wondering.)
Here’s Chris and me and NY-Julie (who continues to live her very best summer of ‘24 life) on our way in:
And for good measure:
It’s still 600º out, and I know many of you continue to haul buckets full of zucchini out of your gardens. Do you have a mandoline? Or reliable knife skills? Please make this. I promise you’ll love it. (As long as you don’t slice a finger off…use good sense, or a mandoline guard, at least.) ***Important note: add toasted pine nuts. Trust me.***
Since I’m nostalgic in this issue of the Edit…enjoy this flashback…
I have something important to tell you. Baseball is never over. You might surmise, when you are a childless person, that the youth baseball season runs roughly from spring through mid-to-late summer. You would be wrong. (I’m here with all the inconvenient truths.) If your child loves baseball, just go ahead and prepare for a lifetime spent sitting behind chain link fences. And you’re going to be there for hours, so put your aging ass in something comfy. Our spines are not what they used to be, amiright?
You’ll also be freezing half the time. Or sitting in the mist. And, you’re probably a half mile from your car. Here’s what you’re going to do: click on this photo below, close your eyes at the price tag, and purchase one of these for every adult in your family. Fully waterproof. Crazy warm. Comes in tall, for Karla! They never EVER go on sale, but are 15% off right now. Use code LABORDAY15. Click click. Just do it.
And! My final hot tip on preparing for fall baseball season: don’t overlook those pom hats on the team merch site. You’re going to need them in October. And again in April. And all winter long as you escort your child into and out of smelly indoor training facilities.
(Note: go ahead and substitute the word “soccer” above as needed…I understand you suffer from similar problems.)
I’ve been easing out of my summer reading program (less beaches, more city streets…sigh). Last month, I stumbled onto this fascinating piece by Taffy Brodesser-Akner about a friend of her father’s who was kidnapped in front of his home at gunpoint, later released, and then went on with the rest of his life seemingly unphased. (Hot tip: he was phased.) The article is behind a paywall, but worth a read if you feel so inclined. Anyway, unrelated to that specific story, I remembered Brodesser-Akner is also the author of Fleishman is in Trouble. That novel made it on, and then somehow off, my reading list in the last few years, but I enjoyed her writing so much in the NYT Mag piece, I tracked down a copy at the library. It touches on a lot of juicy topics: marriage, divorce, ambition, middle age. Who is at fault when a marriage fails? How does high society treat a successful career woman? Should I stop encouraging my children to go to medical school??? Check it out. The kids are back in school. It’s time to get serious about our reading lists again.
(PS: This one is also a TV show! Apparently, I am in my novel-to-television era.)
I leave you with this. It circulated several years ago, and just found my eyeballs again, much to my delight. Is it the funniest thing I’ve ever seen? Possibly…
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Ooh, I just realized I can comment!