Maturing Pearl Jam keeps their energy

As teenagers, my friends and I looked on the rebellious music and social attitude of the 1990s as our version of the 1960s: the same, only angrier.

The theme carried into our twenties, and now we hear political pundits refer to Iraq as the next Vietnam.

Following that pattern, Pearl Jam must be my generation’s The Who.

Thursday night’s sold-out show at The Gorge affirmed it: lead guitarist Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist Stone Gossard and, of course, front man Eddie Vedder rocked the kinds of kicks, jumps, riffs and voice- hoarsening anthems that gave me chills the first time my brother sat me down in front of The Who documentary “The Kids Are Alright.”

It was the same, only angrier.

Actually, maybe it’s not anger anymore. The maturing Pearl Jam from Thursday night carried a certain weight with it – a solemn yet triumphant sound, made stronger by years of celebrating and condemning the awes and terrors of being alive.

As the sun sank, the band settled onto stools to start the show, while the 20,000-strong crowd rose to its feet.

“Everybody here?” Vedder asked, looking up the hill before starting into a soft, acoustic cover of “I Believe in Miracles” by The Ramones.

Before playing “Elderly Woman …,” Vedder joked that the first set was “sunset music” for friend Tom Petty, who he said was staying nearby, resting up for his pair of Gorge shows on Friday night and tonight.

Before taking a break, the band treated the crowd to “Hard to Imagine,” a low-key rarity which multiple fan sites claim hasn’t been played live since 1998.

Pearl Jam reclaimed the stage with electric guitars and ripped into a soaring version of “Learning to Fly,” from “Yield,” setting the pace for the second set. From then on, the most concertgoers seemed to say to each other was “awesome,” sandwiched between various expletives.

The brilliance of the rock ‘n’ roll half of the show was no surprise. Pearl Jam has been selling out arenas for a decade and a half; the band blows minds for a living.

It was the feeling of love, of intense appreciation between band and fans that made the night an experience.

When Mike McCready tore through extended, burning, free-form solos – which he did during many of the 35 songs played that night – the crowd screamed with pleasure.

During “Do the Evolution,” when Vedder screamed, “Here’s my church, I sing in the choir,” nearly the whole crowd raised its hands to answer, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”

Before shredding “MFC,” Vedder recruited the crowd to pester Petty, chanting, “Hello, Tom. Come down, Tom,” which the crowd sang between songs and during encore breaks.

Predictably, one of the most feverish tunes was “Alive.” Even way up on the hill, the fans sang so loudly they nearly drowned Vedder’s vocals.

After “Alive,” Vedder took a moment for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, especially those in New Orleans.

“If you’ve ever been there, it’s a tremendous place,” he said, sincerely adding, “I certainly hope those two cops who arrested me are OK.”

By the time the band took the stage for the second encore, the crowd had been standing three hours.

Vedder started another chant, singing “We’re sorry, Tom,” and dedicated a solo version of Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” to “Miss Cindy Sheehan.” The crowd filled in when his exhausted throat couldn’t take it.

For the third encore, Vedder had the house raise the lights on the hill, so he could “see everyone in real life.”

Then, with the hill lit like the stage, Pearl Jam gave the crowd two classic anthems.

The first was Vedder and McCready’s “Yellow Ledbetter.”

The second was “Baba O’Riley,” by The Who.