Q&A: Jeff Ament feels alive again with Pearl Jam’s return

By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament spent his time off during the pandemic recording a solo album, painting and he even contributed to Olympics coverage with his friend Kenny Mayne. He’s ready to hit the stage again with Pear Jam, who play Saturday in front of a live crowd for the first time since a fall 2018 date at Fenway Park when it headlines the Sea Hear Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Ament, singer Eddie Vedder, and guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready are in their fourth decade together and have plenty to mine in a catalog that dates to the 1991 debut album “Ten.”