It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

Formed in 1990 after the demise of Mother Love Bone following the death of singer Andrew Wood, Pearl Jam checks in today at #8 as we continue with the top 10.  The new group burst onto the Seattle grunge scene in 1991 and, by the second half of 1992, became a world wide sensation#8: Pearl Jam
iTunes stats: 653 plays
Previous ranking: #9

The grunge godfathers move up on spot thanks to an 88% increase in plays, thanks in part to my attending their 2018 show at Wrigley Field.  Their 653 plays come from 42 tracks and 12 different albums.  Go, tied for their most listened to song, earned additional plays after being used as the walkup song for White Sox star Paul Konerko’s final seasons and its inclusion on my various victory playlists.

I’ve seen them in concert twice: at Soldier Field back in 1995 and the aforementioned Wrigley Field performance in 2018.  The first show took place during the tour they put on without using Ticketmaster, which led to a lottery for tickets. Pearl Jam came out and performed an astounding 29 song set, including 2 encores.  My favorite memory of the night was during the performance of Better Man, when my friend Joe, not understanding the meaning of the song, said that all of the girls sang it about him, that they couldn’t find a better man.  Ironically, this was my last visit to old Soldier Field, which would be “renovated” in 2001 and 2002.

The second show, more than 20 years later, came a long time since I had last considered myself a Pearl Jam fan.  The show, while entertaining, certainly dragged for long periods between songs that I knew as the last album that I owned came out prior to the 1995 show.