Ten, a Pearl Jam tribute band, and Guerilla Radio, a Rage Against the Machine tribute band, played at 2454 West on Saturday, February 5.

The name Ten comes from Pearl Jam’s 1991 debut album “Ten”. Guerrilla Radio comes from Rage Against the Machine’s 1999 hit under the same name.

Ten’s band members include Patrick on vocals and guitar, Henry on guitar, Scott on drums, and Frank on bass. Guerilla Radio features Mike Shamrock on guitar, James Berlade on vocals, Randy Maiz on drums, and Paul Kelly on bass. 

The vibes of Pearl Jam and Rage’s music vastly contrast each other. Pearl Jam gives us rich, deep-cutting tracks, while Rage gives us hard-hitting political commentary. It was interesting to see these two bands playing together, considering the differences in the music.

Ten’s set was an amazing tribute to Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. Patrick’s vocals fit perfectly with the rest of the band. Overall, the whole band was strikingly in sync with each other, making for a great show. James Berlade of Guerilla Radio joined Patrick for one last song Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog. With Patrick on lead vocals and Berlade on backing vocals, this ended up being my favorite part of the show.

Ten was a tough act to follow, so I was not sure how Guerilla Radio would combat that, but they blew everybody away. I had never heard a single Rage song before so I did not think I would enjoy this performance as much as I did Ten, but I was wrong. Shamrock played the best guitar I have seen in my life, with amazing solos and crazy effects, it was captivating to watch. Berlade was even crazier to watch, he would jump off stage, jump on top of the speakers, and run around the whole venue while singing, not to mention his iconic screams. I had never seen anything like it. 

Even though the two bands were different, it was a great show. Ten was great to listen to, while Guerilla Radio was great to watch. I would definitely recommend seeing either of the bands in concert. You can find their tour dates on BandsInTown.com.