Bank-Ally Tester Helped by Pearl Jam

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jon Tester, who led the charge on Capitol Hill for a delay in interchange fee reform, has raised plenty of campaign cash from Wall Street.

But don't think the Montana Democrat, locked in a tight reelection race against Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg, has sold out to the man.

Pearl Jam, the band that famously boycotted Ticketmaster in the 1990s, is now helping Tester raise money.

Go to jontester.com, and you can enter to win two tickets — your seats will be recliners on stage — and backstage passes to a Pearl Jam concert in Missoula on Sept. 30. That prize has an approximate retail value of $3,410, according to the fine print.

You don't have to give to Tester's campaign to enter, but contributions are being strongly encouraged.

According to Tester's website, for $500 you could get tickets to the concert, plus an invitation to a pre-show meet-and-greet, plus a dinner with Tester and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, but that package is sold out.

Ament was born in Havre, Mont., and his father was the longtime mayor of Big Sandy, Mont., which is near Tester's farm, which may explain all the love for Pearl Jam.