By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
Arcade Columnist

Whatever you do, don’t refer to Pearl Jam as a grunge act. That’s about as appropriate as pulling out your ripped jeans from 1991 and then wearing them to a formal wedding reception.

Instead, think of the band’s music as classic rock for the 21st century.

The music openly nods to influences from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, while the band sells millions of hits. Yet it also maintains an independent streak that can make a large venue seem more a like a club atmosphere.

Pearl Jam will show what that’s like when the quintet plays 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Formed 20 years ago, the band members had deep ties to the Seattle music scene. Adding a final element — southern California transplant Eddie Vedder — and the members’ energetic rock became a combustible mix.

The band’s debut album, titled “Ten,” and tracks such as “Evenflow” and “Alive” combined shades of that early era’s teen spirit with heavy power chords, the kind of power chords that can fill up the vast space of arenas.

With major support from its record company, lots of touring and a cable music video network searching for the Next Big Thing, the quintet quickly moved from obscurity to a sensation.

While supporting that release, Pearl Jam played an early slot on the 1992 Lollapalooza Tour. At that time the single, “Jeremy,” was making an impact on video music outlets. The band’s set that summer at Blossom Music Center created a rabid reaction. Getting away from a sudden downpour, fans stormed the pavilion from the lawn area. The mayhem resulted in a more intimate performance in the normally sedate surroundings.

Later that day, Vedder and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell joined fans by sliding down the Blossom hill ala the infamous scene in Woodstock where rain-soaked concertgoers slid around and became “mud people.”

A change in sound

A re-issue of “Ten” came out last year, and it’s noticeable that since that early success the band’s music has morphed to tightly-wound garage rock. The source of that career game-changer can be found on Pearl Jam’s third album, “Vitalogy.” It stripped away the muscular riffs for a much more stripped-down structure, and then experimented with that musical recipe over the next several albums.

For those who jumped on the bandwagon due to the popularity of “Ten,” the new sound came as an unwelcome shock. Others, who connected to the despair, alienation and inspiration from Vedder’s lyrics and delivery, stuck with the band.

Through this step back from mega-success, the quintet found a comfortable musical foundation as well as a core audience that filled arenas around the globe.

And just as new musical forms come from a combination of the past and present, Pearl Jam unconsciously managed to unite punk’s do-it-yourself style and ethics with an attitude similar to the Grateful Dead. Although the Seattle act has little to do with psychedelia and a meshing of American roots sounds a la the Dead, like the San Francisco legends, Pearl Jam does change up its set list each night and uses the power of its status for charitable causes. Plus, the members attract the type of fans who travel around North America for numerous shows and collect and trade live concert recordings.

In a Paste online story (paste.com), Dean Simmons, a 53 year old Philadelphia retail manager noticed little difference between the two acts. “There’s a flow of energy, from the band to the people and the people to the band. It’s like a group karaoke. Like a group hug.”

With the help of the Internet the bond has grown even stronger. After 15 years with major labels, that allowed Pearl Jam the capability to release its current album, “Backspacer,” on its own. More importantly, it was done with the type of distribution achieved by major record companies yet kept the group connected firmly to the street level.

Back on target

Target signed an exclusive agreement to sell “Backspacer,” but the band made sure the new release would be available at places other than a major retail stores such as the band’s official website (pearljam.com), iTunes, Xbox’s Rock Band and at more than 800 members of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores.

On the album the two forces that have always been struggling within the musical framework of Pearl Jam produce a vital partnership.

Classic rock leanings gain a newfound vitality when matched to the punk and alternative rock movements. It opens with three blazing rockers, followed by Vedder’s reflective acoustic numbers and a set of tunes that find inspiration from the Who, Crowded House and the Ramones.

Two decades later, Pearl Jam balances angst, optimism and activism. Together, with the group’s passion for recording and performing the group should cause Quicken Loans Arena to be filled Sunday evening with longtime devotees singing along to every song.

In a pop culture that fabricates stars as frequently as Detroit used to assemble cars, the band on stage and the cheering crowd in front of it show up because the music still matters.

If you go

Pearl Jam and Band of Horses performs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena. Tickets start at $69 for general public, with $2 from each ticket sold donated to the artist’s charity. For more information, call 800-332-2287.

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