Al Ford is many things (the man that hired me for the Zone, Sonic 102.9‘s Program Director) and one of those things is rock & roll photog.
Back in 1991, a little known Seattle band came to Victoria to open for Alice in Chains and Al was there to capture it all.
Jerry Cantrell :: picture Al Ford
Jerry Cantrell's Guitars :: picture Al Ford
Layne Staley :: picture Al Ford
Eddie Vedder :: picture Al Ford
Jeff Ament :: picture Al Ford
***
Years later, this concert would be immortalized in Rolling Stone.
>> Rolling Stone 10-28-93 Five Against the World by Cameron Crowe
“An early turning point came onstage at a club called Harpo’s, in Victoria, British Columbia. It was Pearl Jam’s maiden tour, their first appearance away from a nurturing audience of Seattle friends. But this Canadian crowd was far more interested in getting drunk. In midset, Vedder decided to challenge the jaded audience, to wake them up. Unscrewing the 12-pound steel base of the microphone stand, Vedder sent it flying over their heads, like a lethal Frisbee. The steel disk crashed into the wall of the back bar. They woke up. “
By some accounts this story may or may not have happened. The jury is out on to the authenticity of the actual event s of the night. But what is true, Cameron Crowe believed it and published it in Rolling Stone!
Nice.
I blogged about this show before >> Vintage Victoria Rock History
Mike Devlin’s article on Pearl Jam’s Ten >> Vancouver Sun
Rolling Stone 1993
Go with yourself my jaded drunks.
The Morning After 
Love your picture of Layne! How lucky wereyou to see this!
well I wasn’t at this show… I was just 11 at the time. But luckily my man Al Ford was there!
Man I wish I could say that I was at that show. Or I could just lie and say I was at that show. Anyways…wish I had been at that show. I’ve been to Harpo’s a couple of times. More was with the metal/rock crowd at The Forge.
I did happen to be at that show, and Vedder was right. We were noisy and unappreciative, but not only because we were interested in getting drunk. At the time, the scene in Victoria was only about 200 strong. Most of us were in bands, and most of us were playing hardcore. Nothing like Pearl Jam had ever come through Victoria before, and If it wasn’t hardcore punk, well… it was gonna have to take a few listens to sink in. But as a side note, most of us were there (full house, by the way) because we were familiar with the early projects Green River and Mother Love Bone. Not too many other Canadian cities were even interested, not even Vancouver at the time, as I seem to remember things. Did Vedder throw his mike stand? If so, it must have gone right over my head.
I was there but can’t remember a lot. Harpo’s the only joint in town to hear any good music. Well said leroy😎
[…] his death with friend Chris Cornell as Temple of The Dog before morphing with Eddie Vedder into Mookie Blaylock and ultimately Pearl […]