Gift Ideas – What to Buy For a Pearl Jam Fan
What should you get for a hardcore Pearl Jam fan for their birthday, for Christmas or if you just want to be nice? Maybe one of the many Pearl Jam books? Chances are they have everything already. Pearl Jam fans are notorious for being obsessive with their band and collecting items is part of the game. However, there are some items that are timeless and that every fan would like. Check out the list below as a starting point for present ideas for any Pearl Jam fan.
Vinyl Records
The gift of music is the best gift of all for any fan and the preferred medium these days is vinyl. Obviously, find out which ones they already have, but even if they don’t own a record player, vinyls are usually always welcome.
There are live shows like the ultra popular MTV Unplugged, the recently released Live at Easy Street, or a show from the vault like the Orpheum Theatre. Maybe they prefer the newest album Gigaton, or a classic set of the band’s first 3 albums Ten, VS, and Vitalogy. Or perhaps they want something rare like the singles from Mike McCready’s record label Hockeytalkter. You can’t really go wrong with records.
Turntable slip mats are popular too, so a something like this Hockeytalkter Slip Mat would be acceptable as well.
Concert Posters
The most popular collectible for Pearl Jam fans are concert posters. Every show has its own unique print to commemorate the event and fans generally want a piece of it to show how memorable the moment was to them. Plus these are usually always great designs by superb artists. However, this could get expensive as some rare pieces can go up to $1000 and more. But in general, they will be less than $100 including this newly released poster to celebrate the first ever show at The Off Ramp from 1990.
You should find out what their favourite shows are and look for the posters in the 10 Club Store or some of the more rare ones through Ebay.
Poster Portfolio
What if they already have a ton of posters, which is a more likely scenario. Well, you can get them a gift certificate for poster framing. Or you can also get them an organizer to store the posters safely like this 18 x 24 Portfolio by Itoya. Although they vary in sizes, this is the standard size for most posters. They will eternally be grateful to you for this.
Pearl Jam T-shirt
Pearl Jam shirts are always a winner. Fans love wearing them outside of shows in their day-to-day life as they like to show who their band is. The classic Stickman Shirt is the most common one out there, but there are many options for shirts in the 10 Club Store.
If they have kids, which is very likely given the age demographic of Pearl Jam fans, you can get a matching Stickman Onesie since most fans tend to pass along their fandom to their children as well.
Pearl Jam Books
There are many books out there about the band, but which Pearl Jam books should you buy? Check out that link for some options, but the book that covers everything is Pearl Jam Twenty and then there is Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros which showcases many of the posters created for the shows over the years.
If you want a fan’s story about his journey touring with Pearl Jam, then This All Encompassing Trip is the choice. This is really a book for the fans by a fan. There’s even a new hardcover version of the book that was just released now.
Ticket Stub Album
If you’re trying to buy something for a Pearl Jam fan, you can safely assume that they’ve been to more than a handful of shows. So they probably have stack of concert ticket stubs sitting in a shoe box in their closet. Why not get them a ticket stub wallet or album for them to store them in and display. These are simple and effective and a perfect gift for any fan.
Composition Notebooks
A journal? Yes. These are the marble style of composition notebooks that Eddie Vedder uses for writing and taking notes for his ideas on songs, set lists, and whatever is on his mind. He is often holding one on stage during a show, so every fan would instantly recognize the significance of it and start using these for their daily note taking.
Pearl Jam Anthology
This is for the Pearl Jam fan who wants to learn how to play the songs. Pearl Jam Anthology contains guitar tabs and sheet music officially released by the band, so this will certainly provide hours of entertainment for any fan. Plus they can impress their friends with their newfound musical knowledge.
Other popular options for your guitar playing friend would be guitar picks like this set on Amazon or sometimes you can even find ones on ebay that are from actual shows.
Mini Replica Eddie Vedder Guitar
How awesome would it be to have same guitar as Eddie Vedder? Well, something that’s more affordable would be this mini replica version. I mean, you could buy them a real guitar or even a ukulele, but this is definitely something that a Pearl Jam fan would display on their desk at work or on a shelf at home.
Guitar Case Lunch Box
Getting something for their kids is always a good choice. How about a kid’s tambourine like the ones the Ed throws out to fans at shows? Maybe some kid’s headphones? Something that might grab there attention though are these Guitar Case Lunch Boxes from Suck UK. They can put their favourite Pearl Jam stickers on it and use the case to store their toys or stationary or use it as an actual lunch box.
Mike McCready Bobblehead
This one is going to be harder to find. But the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation released a few versions of these during special nights at Seattle Mariners games. You would have had to be in attendance to get one, although they were available on a limited basis afterwards as well. These days you’ll have to search on ebay to find one. But what a find this would be for a Pearl Jam fan.
Pearl Jam Bag
This super versatile Pearl Jam bag by Patagonia is suitable for carrying laptops, school books, baby diapers, your lunch, or anything you wish to carry. The band has released different bags before from gym bags to laptop bags to backpacks, with all of them selling out within minutes. So this would be a hot item to get for your Pearl Jam fan friend.
Smile Inspired Candle
Smile is a fan favourite among the countless number of songs within the Pearl Jam catalog. Get them this nice fan created wax candle with the 3 crooked hearts design on it. Every time they light it up, they’ll be thankful for your present.
Pearl Jam Show Tickets
Well this would be the best gift of all. A Pearl Jam show is the ultimate experience for any fan and most of them would travel to the moon and back just to attend one or five. Now these are definitely not easy to get, but most fans are happy to just be in the building. If they are ever on tour, take a look for available for tickets to any show within your region. You will definitely shoot up the ranks on their friend’s list.
Ten Club Shop Gift Card
If you’ve exhausted all your gift ideas, you could always just get them a Gift Card to the Pearl Jam Ten Club Shop and they can use it on anything they desire (including show tickets). This is really the best place to buy anything Pearl Jam related, from music to apparel to side project items from the band members. You cannot go wrong with a Gift Card.