Grievance, Down, and Thumbing my Way?! Are you kidding?
I would have cried and cried. Lucky you! Anyway has a video of Thumbing my way?
I bet the guy standing on the rail in front of me who filmed the whole show does. Sorry, didn't get his name.
I will agree, it was a most awesome show. Closer than I have ever been and I would not trade that experience for anything! I will treasure this experience always. Thank you PJ and thank you 10C
Incredible setlist and show: The opening 3 were amazing: Pendulum, Release, In My Tree.
Down into RVM,
Unreal: Grievance, Faithfull, Sad, Thumbing My Way, Footsteps, Mother, Swallowed Whole, Got my first Big Wave.
I don't post often but Ive got to say something: I never understand when people post that the crowd ruined the show for them. I could care less how the rest of the crowd is. If it's a great show (which it will be because any PJ show is likely to be great) its a great show. The boys are on fire this tour and last night was no exception. Their show might be better now than 10-15 years ago. But, I think it is fair to note that the crowd was the weakest I've ever seen. Again, it didn't change the show for me personally at all, but people have to stop saying "tour the south more". Last night was the prime example of why PJ rarely tour the south. I was in section 114 with fanclub seats and there were rows of people sitting and on their phones the whole show. Sitting, fine, people are older, who knows, they want to enjoy the show that way and that's cool, but you can't defend being on an iphone for an extended period during a show. Section 113 to my right looked even worse. When they played Sad you would have thought the guys farted on stage. If it wasn't Corduroy or Jeremy, the crowd couldn't care less. Again, didn't ruin anything for me, as it was in my top 5 for me after 30 + shows, but PJ should just add more shows in the northeast. Those crowds energy are always high regardless. Disclaimer: Its just my opinion alone and it should not effect any of your thoughts of the show.
I could have been the only one in the room. I couldn't tell you what everybody else was doing I was so engrossed in the show myself. It is what you make it.
Has it been confirmed that Stone created this list? That was said a couple times in the relay thread. That would be interesting to me - because I hadn't seen the band since '08 before Balt and C'ville. In '08 the crazy killer set list show I saw was Hartford, and Jeff created that set list. I see a pattern here...
Why all the hating on the crowd? PJ has never hit this town before and I was thrilled at the crowd..I thought the band was very appreciative as well..no need to coax it out of us, as some have implied. I was told 11,000 strong last night and the majority was having a blast..
Exactly right. Not every crowd can be Chicago 2000, which has to be about the loudest arena crowd in their US Touring history. They just can't all be like that. In fact, a lot of the Ten Club isn't 25 anymore either.
The C'Ville crowd near me in those first rows of the 10c reserved on Mike's side were going bonkers as they kept on pulling out surprises we all wanted to hear. But hating on crowds is largely silly. Way less than 33% of fans at most every show are super fan bonkers about everything, and can physically bounce the entire time.
i'd like to start by saying that I bought Ten shortly after it came out, and I've bought every other pearl jam record on the day it was released. PJ has always been one of my favorite bands.
this was my first pearl jam concert after listening to them for 20 years, and I had an absolute blast. I had always wanted to see PJ, but back in '95 I saw a different band (first concert) and got caught up in that band and spent most of my free time and money seeing them 75 times so far (they mix up their setlists more than PJ, bigger catalog of songs etc.) Pearl Jam finally came close to where I live, so I absolutely had to go. I got my 10C pit tickets - worth the membership fees just for that in my opinion.
The crowd in the pit was very good and courteous - so much room in the back of the pit, which is nice for those of us who don't like being crammed up against other people, but still want to be close.
as far as the setlist goes - no complaints here. i knew every song played and was glad to get some rarities along with some of the songs that made me love PJ in the first place (alive, state of love & trust, porch etc)
But the best part for me was getting a pseudo shout-out from ed - I held up a picture of Lou Reed all night so the band could see it (but was careful not to obstruct anybody's view) - Lou was a personal hero, and as far as I'm concerned invented what it means to be a cool rock and roll star. This was part of my mourning process for him passing away the other day. My friend and I passed out about 20 pictures of Lou that night, but I made sure that the band saw mine. I was hoping for a tease of a Lou song or something like Bmore got, but I'll settle with Ed mentioning me holding up a picture of Lou Reed and accusing me of conspiracy. I found out from a friend last night that PJ even tweeted about it during the show.
I had a couple of friends with pit tickets in Charlotte, and I told one of them about the Lou picture, and she made her own copy to hold up from the rail and Ed grabbed it out of her hand last night.
Anywho, it was great to see this band after decades of listening and watching video of shows. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
I'll leave y'all with this gif I shot
oh, what a setlist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'll want to be there but.... waiting for europe...
1996: Paris/2006: Paris/2007: Werchter/2010:Werchter/2012: Amsterdam 1 and Werchter/2014: Amsterdam 1&2 and Werchter/2018: Amsterdam 1&2 and Werchter/2022: Werchter and Amsterdam 2
Sincerely, genuinely ASTONISHED. This was my first show in the front row, on the rail, and its as if this was a frigging gift! I will never forget this experience, from Eddie tipping his hat at my thank you sign, to Mike coming over to Stone's side during Alive, shaking our hands and coming back with picks, to Eddie giving my wife the wine bottle during the second encore (State, I believe bc I can't remember from all the excitement!), to him locking eyes with me during Baba and teasing a leap onto us with a huge smile...the boys were having a blast with all of us last night Charlottesville! They gave us an EPIC show bc of our energy and Eddie looked surprised and excited about this crowd. He def seemed to make it clear they wanted to come back, so we all need to find our way back next time and blow the roof off JPJ again! Instant, legendary, classic. What a night. Didn't think I'd ever get one for the ages. I absolutely love our boys. THANK YOU PJ!!! From the thank you sign guy!
I was right behind you, and at the end, mike pointed at your THANK YOU sign and said 'you're welcome'
such an amazing night
show was epic indeed!!!
1996 - Columbia Maryland, Hartford
1998 - DC RFK Stadium, Virginia Beach, Columbia Maryland, DC Constitution Hall
2000 - Virginia Beach, Camden I+II, Columbia Maryland
2002 - Seattle Key Arena I+II
2003 - Raleigh, Charlotte, State College, Bristow, Camden II
2004 - Asheville
2006 - Boston II, Camden I+II, DC
2008 - Virginia Beach, Camden I+II, DC
2009 - Philadelphia I, II, III, IV
2010 - Bristow
2013 - Philadelphia II, Baltimore, Charlottesville, Charlotte
I can't stop thinking about how incredible this show was. How is it possible that I loved it more than the PJ20 shows?!
SETLIST
- The setlist broke expectations and kept sending me into a frenzy. I can't even point out a single song that did it for me, but SO many great moments were had by all the fans.
- "The Fixer" returned!! Woohoo!
- No "Daughter," "Even Flow," "Yellow Ledbetter," "Better Man" - all great songs and fun singalongs, but this was a "more intelligent" set as Ed said.
CROWD
- WOOOOOW. Kudos to this crowd. Someone above me said a crowd doesn't make a difference. It sure does for me. And it's because the band feeds off it. In Baltimore, I only felt the crowd energize the band in the second encore. In Charlottesville, it was all damn night.
ENERGY
- The band was on fire. They didn't seem worn out like they did in Baltimore, where I felt like Eddie struggled a lot on vocals for stuff like "Sirens" and "Blood." This set was PERFECTLY executed.
ATMOSPHERE
- I felt like there was a special feeling from the moment "Release" started until the end of the show. I've only felt that at Philly 3 in 2009 and at times during PJ20.
00: Va Beach, 03: Bristow, 04: Reading, 05: Atlantic City 2x
06: Camden, Washington DC, 08: Va Beach, Washington DC
09: Philly 2+3, 10: Bristow, 11: East Troy PJ20 1+2, 13: Baltimore, Charlottesville
I'm sorry but if this set list was played in baltimore we would have heard crickets and seen a lot of sitting...no comparison as far as venue, crowd, etc
You sure about that? Come on!
Yeah people around me in Baltimore were sitting on their asses during many amazing songs (I think even RVM ).
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; WF Center 10/21/13; WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; SeaHearNow Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
10/31/93 Berkeley (Baba!) • 10/1/94 Bridge School, 9/16/96 Seattle (In My Tree!) • 10/19/96 & 10/20/96 B. School (Alt Corduroy & Alt Porch!) • 10/25/03 B. School, 6/1/03 Mtnview (Crazy Mary! You Are!) • 11/29/13 Portland (All Those Yesterdays! Even Flow!) • 10/25/14 Bridge School (Rain! Fuckin Up! TOTD!) • 5/13/22 Oakland (had to leave early, but W.M.A.! Immortality!)
epic....I just got home from charlotte, and had to comment...One word does it! love to all who were there, arent we some lucky sons of bitches???
I couldn't agree more! I hauled butt down to Charlottesville from Pittsburgh and invited my younger brother to make the trip from DC. He had never been to a PJ concert before. He is familiar with their music, but doesn't know some of the rare stuff. After the show he told me "This is one of the best concerts I have ever seen!" Thanks, Pearl Jam, for making such a great impression on my younger brother, and thanks for the phenomenal show!
And, having seen them in Pgh, Buffalo, and C-ville this tour, I have to say this was by far my favorite of the three.
"and I listen to the voice inside my head..."
1994-Cleveland, 1998-Pittsburgh, 2000-Pittsburgh, 2006-Pittsburgh, 2013 Pittsburgh, 2013-Buffalo, 2013-Charlottesville, 2016-Wrigley 1, 2018-Seattle 2, 2022-Nashville, 2022-St. Louis, 2023-St. Paul 2, 2023-Chicago 1
Amy The Great #74594
New Orleans LA 7/4/95 reschedule 9/17/95
Chicago IL 1998, 10/9/00, 06/18/03, 05/16/06, 05/17/06
08/23/09, 08/24/09, Lolla 08/05/07
Champaign IL 4/23/03
Grand Rapids MI VFC 10/03/04
Grand Rapids MI 19May06
Noblesville IN 05/07/10 Cleveland OH 05/09/10
PJ 20 2011
Baltimore MD, Charlottesville VA, Seattle WA 2013
St. Louis MO, Milwaukee WI 2014
Tampa FL, Chicago IL, Lexington KY 2016 Missoula MT 2018
I've already posted my short review, so here goes my long one for personal closure.
I went into Cville (Charlottesville) with low expectations and was slightly concerned. Outside the arena there were basically no lines; everything was so laid back. I was shocked. It almost seemed too good to be true. Weather was beautiful, the arena and environment around the arena were beautiful, I had my beautiful girlfriend with me, and I was experiencing the beauty of a lack of hassle. Parking was a piece of cake, got all my merch with basically no line. My concern - this crowd is going to suck and the setlist will most likely be greatest hits as a result. BOY, WAS I EVER WRONG.
I guessed Release as an opener after Pendulum, but I didn't realize the effect Release would have on me. I heard it at Bonnaroo 08 and it made me tear up. I balled my eyes out in Cville. It was a reaction that I didn't foresee or plan on. It was good tears, but I cannot believe it hit me like a ton of bricks like that. I was still skeptical of the crowd up until In My Tree and the crowd generally seemed into the song. From there on, I could tell the crowd was quite good and the band were feeding off it.
The setlist was one of my personal favorites for a couple reasons. Not counting the new LB songs, I hadn't heard 16 of those songs (Cville being my 4th show). Second, I got to hear Sleight of Hand and it was a beautiful rendition. SoH is my favorite PJ song and I never expected to hear it since it was already played once this tour. My damn jaw dropped and I was in absolute shock (I still am). The band was generally tight. Night quite as tight as ATL 2012, but close. The only major flub was Ed forgetting the last verse of Whipping, but it was only a brief moment and kinda funny. ALL the other major rarities were basically flawless and very well performed. The show gave me a new appreciation for Future Days and Thumbing My Way. Eds voice just filled that small arena so well with those songs.
The arena itself was not only gorgeous to look at, but had a nice clean crisp sound. The acoustics were simply wonderful.
All in all, everything was perfect. That's not a generalization either, it was as close to perfect as I will most likely get at a PJ show. I was listening with a critical ear and also trying to guess the setlist. What I heard was the band on fire ( I use this term rarely, but it applies here) and I couldn't guess what was coming in the set hardly at all. My only nitpicking remark was the security girl behind me was a pain to deal with and clearly had no respect for the band. I asked her if she knew what happened when Ed stopped Down. She said he forgot the lyrics :roll: . I told her that wasn't the case; it was a security issue. Other than this, no complaints here! Too bad the same cannot be said for Charlotte.
2008: Bonnaroo
2010: Bristow
2012: Atlanta
2013: Charlottesville, Charlotte
2014: Cincinnati
2016: Greenville, Hampton, Raleigh (cancelled), Columbia, Lexington
I've already posted my short review, so here goes my long one for personal closure.
I went into Cville (Charlottesville) with low expectations and was slightly concerned. Outside the arena there were basically no lines; everything was so laid back. I was shocked. It almost seemed too good to be true. Weather was beautiful, the arena and environment around the arena were beautiful, I had my beautiful girlfriend with me, and I was experiencing the beauty of a lack of hassle. Parking was a piece of cake, got all my merch with basically no line. My concern - this crowd is going to suck and the setlist will most likely be greatest hits as a result. BOY, WAS I EVER WRONG.
I guessed Release as an opener after Pendulum, but I didn't realize the effect Release would have on me. I heard it at Bonnaroo 08 and it made me tear up. I balled my eyes out in Cville. It was a reaction that I didn't foresee or plan on. It was good tears, but I cannot believe it hit me like a ton of bricks like that. I was still skeptical of the crowd up until In My Tree and the crowd generally seemed into the song. From there on, I could tell the crowd was quite good and the band were feeding off it.
The setlist was one of my personal favorites for a couple reasons. Not counting the new LB songs, I hadn't heard 16 of those songs (Cville being my 4th show). Second, I got to hear Sleight of Hand and it was a beautiful rendition. SoH is my favorite PJ song and I never expected to hear it since it was already played once this tour. My damn jaw dropped and I was in absolute shock (I still am). The band was generally tight. Night quite as tight as ATL 2012, but close. The only major flub was Ed forgetting the last verse of Whipping, but it was only a brief moment and kinda funny. ALL the other major rarities were basically flawless and very well performed. The show gave me a new appreciation for Future Days and Thumbing My Way. Eds voice just filled that small arena so well with those songs.
The arena itself was not only gorgeous to look at, but had a nice clean crisp sound. The acoustics were simply wonderful.
All in all, everything was perfect. That's not a generalization either, it was as close to perfect as I will most likely get at a PJ show. I was listening with a critical ear and also trying to guess the setlist. What I heard was the band on fire ( I use this term rarely, but it applies here) and I couldn't guess what was coming in the set hardly at all. My only nitpicking remark was the security girl behind me was a pain to deal with and clearly had no respect for the band. I asked her if she knew what happened when Ed stopped Down. She said he forgot the lyrics :roll: . I told her that wasn't the case; it was a security issue. Other than this, no complaints here! Too bad the same cannot be said for Charlotte.
There was a douchebag that kept trying to push his way to the front. He was trying to go through people that had been planted in the same spot all evening. Small dude, bunch of hair, looked fairly wasted. And I was fairly wasted so he must have been really hammered. It happened about 2 feet to my front left. The people started getting really pissed and Ed immediately stopped the song and security was right there. Other than him, the pit was really great. Awesome people and it was very respectful.
I had a couple of gomers jumping up and down for no apparent reason (not like during Go, but totally off key for a song), but that was more funny than anything. There's more to it, but I'll say no more in case these guys are on the board. But for anyone that was near them, they will know what I'm talking about...
Great pics...sorry my phone's in the way of your shot for when the band was bowing
Glad to hear the story on that guy during Down...saw the argument as it happened to the left of my buddy but didn't see what the guy did. The guy who got ejected did seem to be in quite the drunken stupor. Hope I'm not the guy you're referring to as a gomer...tried to keep my jumping to stuff like Go. If not me, I think I've got a decent idea of who you might be referring to
As to my review...this was my 2nd out of 4 shows for the year (Wrigley, Bmore, Cville, Charlotte) and 35th show overall. I'm definitely biased being GA and in my hometown but it's close to top 5 for me. Still behind the last 2 Spectrum shows, MSGII in 2010 and the Vic for me but that might be it. I still can't believe they played Charlottesville. Of course, it happened a year and a half after moving away but it was definitely worth coming back for. I knew a bunch of people going to the show who weren't necessarily fans of the band - they just wanted to see why we schedule family vacations around Pearl Jam and they all came away impressed. I have no doubt they would have had the same reaction for any PJ show but especially happy that they got to witness arguably the show of the tour.
The ten club sections seemed solid. Sure, the fans in the non TC sections didn't compare to the major market cities but the set list actually complemented that extremely well. The lack of hits/sing-a-longs put the focus on the band, not the crowd.
No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't you. These guys were directly to my left, not in front. They were awfully touchy feely in an unusual way. If you happened to smell an herb or two here and there...well that may have emitted from our space.
No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't you. These guys were directly to my left, not in front. They were awfully touchy feely in an unusual way. If you happened to smell an herb or two here and there...well that may have emitted from our space.
Ok, yeah...definitely know who you are referring to then
96 - Ft Lauderdale
98 - ATL; WPB I & II
00 - WPB I & II
03 - Boston I; Detroit I & II
04 - Boston VFC I & II
05 - Borgata II
08 - WPB; NY MSG I & II
10 - CLE
12 - Music Midtown; EV Jax II; EV Orlando I&II
13 - BWI; CVille; CLT
14 - Memphis
16 - Jax; Gville; Cola; Fenway II
My 24th show and first fanview. Sorry, it's a bit long.
So I've always struggled to try to rank my "best" shows. Before Charlottesville I had a bunch that I grouped near the top but couldn't really say which was the best. Philly '05, the Key Arena shows in '02, and the DC and first E. Rutherford show in '06 made the list. All of them were amazing for different reasons, but to say one was the "best" would mean another was second best, another third, etc, and once you reach 5 or 6 you say to yourself "No, that show was better than that". So it becomes an impossible exercise.
Now I can say I have a clear winner.
What would be the ingredients of a perfect show?
* Venue -- Smaller is better, and excellent acoustics.
* Setlist -- As crazed diehard PJ fans, we all have certain songs that make a show special. The more of these we hear in a show, the more special that show becomes.
* Performance -- These guys are at the top of their game right now, but certainly over the years there have been performances that were not the best. Maybe someone was off key, or Ed kept forgetting lyrics...nobody's perfect, nor does the band have to play perfectly for a show to be great. But, when they are "on" -- high energy level, firing on all cylinders -- it's a very powerful experience.
* Seats -- Being up close is being part of the show. Being far away is only slightly better than watching it on YouTube. In my experience anyway.
* Your mood/state of mind -- You have to be ready for a great show. None of the above matters if you're tired or preoccupied. Many of us enjoy certain substances during shows which facilitate the right state of mind. While obviously not mandatory for a good show, it can certainly help.
* The rush -- Sometimes an experience can transcend a specific moment in time. Something happens, a chord is struck within you and you are transported somewhere unexpectedly. I don't know how else to explain it and it's never happened to me at a show before this one. To anyone in my vicinity that may have been put off by a stoned teary-eyed dude looking up at the ceiling as if God himself was up there while Ed sang Thumbing my Way and Sleight of Hand, I sincerely apologize. I'm okay now.
My wife and I came from Atlanta and stayed over the night before so we were well rested and fully stoked on Tuesday to see the band. Last proper show was almost 4 years ago to the day, at the Spectrum on Halloween. We were at Music Midtown last year, but I don't even count that as a PJ show. I need to be in a good venue close to the stage surrounded by 10C people to feel like I'm really at a show.
The weather is perfect and I take a stroll over to the arena around 1PM to check out the scene. 10C window isn't open yet so I get in line for merch. I buy a shirt, hat and some stickers. 2:30 rolls around and the ticket line forms. I'm in section 113, third row. Nice! I'm on Mike's side, but 3 sections out so I get a more full-on view of the stage. I've been directly sidestage before (Albany) and that kind of sucked.
So fast forward a bit, we're well lubricated on Starr Hill beer (highly recommended btw) and head to our seats. The one song my wife wants to hear is Release, which I know is a long shot since they are opening with Pendulum every night. My wife's dad passed away while she was in college and Release is very meaningful to her.
They open with Pendulum as expected and it's amazing. The band sounds great and the acoustics in the arena are crystal clear. It dawns on me that this is actually the smallest place I've ever seen PJ play. With at least a quarter of the place curtained off, it feels more like a midsized theater than an arena.
Then, Release. Those opening notes play and I turn immediately to my wife and she's already getting emotional. That was really cool. Two songs in and it already feels like a special show just because my wife got to hear that.
The rest of the main set was near perfection. The building intensity from In My Tree, through Corduroy, Go, Why Go, Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners was so great. I'm dancing around, screaming every word as usual, then we downshift into I Am Mine and Swallowed Whole. Nice. Then Faithfull!!! An alltime favorite of mine and sounded amazing. Wishlist, then Sirens, one of the best songs from the new album IMO. Jeremy made me roll my eyes at first but then I'm singing along with the rest of the crowd and loving it. Down made an appearance and sounded great, then a really strong RVM. Very solid first set overall, perfectly paced and good variety of old and new.
So then I sit down, pack a bowl and take 3 nice hits. I hope I have not offended anyone by mentioning this but it kind of plays into the next part of the show.
Ed comes out with his acoustic guitar and proceeds to play The End, Thumbing My Way, Sleight of Hand, Footsteps and Future Days. Again, the sound in this venue is a 10 out of 10, and Ed sounded like he was in my living room. It was quite simply the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life. And I'm a guy that really prefers the more aggressive stuff. I really just can't say enough about this part of the show. Clearly my state of mind was chemically altered, but I felt myself starting to leave section 113. My shoulders relaxed and instead of leaning forward with anticipation for each note and instead of singing every word, I just let it wash over me. It. Was. Fucking. Amazing. I ended up somewhere in the rafters looking down on it all. I can't describe what that felt like except to say it was unexpected and not like anything I've felt before.
As far as the song selection itself, I would've picked those 5 if Ed asked me. Last time I saw Sleight of Hand was in Houston in 2000. Future Days is the best ballad they've recorded in 17 years IMO, and the other 3 are favorites as well. I felt extremely fortunate to witness and hear these songs.
So how do we top that? Let's play some Pink Floyd. Oh okay sure. Holy shit, man. Then Given to Fly, and again I'm up in the rafters as the whole place is singing along. So now I'm just shaking my head and trying to take it all in, and not forget a second of this. Whipping is a favorite of mine and sounded great, and I forgot about the fuckup at the end until I read some of the earlier fanviews. Didn't matter.
Porch was just insane as usual. Mike was on fire. Love watching those light globes swinging around and the guys dodging them. Then Ed gets on one and starts swinging around. Ed is older than me and I feel like I've had the shit kicked out of me for the past 90 minutes and he's up there performing and still has all this energy. Unbelievable.
So by this time I don't know what to think anymore. What will they play next? Who cares, I already can't believe this show. Okay Breath, then State of Love and Trust. WTF?? Is this their last show ever? Why Charlottesville? Why wouldn't Boston or Philly or New York or Seattle get this show? Again I'm just shaking my head, taking it all in, singing my head off and feeling very, very lucky to be in the room. By the time we get through Alive and Baba, I do feel spent. Every ounce of energy that came from that stage, I gave right back, and now I don't have anything left. Except Ed mentions we're in John Paul Jones Arena and Mike starts with the Zeppelin riffs. I'm thinking, no way, they aren't going to play a Zeppelin song. I might actually pass out. Nope, it's going to be Ledbetter. Yep, that's how they'll finish. Yeah, love this Little Wing riff at the beginning, nice touch. Then we're gonna segue right into Ledbetter. I hope Mike finishes with the Star Bangled Banner. Then I hear Ed sing "Well she's walkin'....." and I just go "Ohhhhhhhhh no way!!!!!". That was so cool and unexpected. Mike's guitar work on this song...there are no words. He played insanely well from start to finish, not that that's anything surprising.
We are so spoiled with this band, honestly. There are bands that put on a good show but really nothing remotely close to these guys in my opinion. Words don't suffice, they're simply the best.
Afterward, walking out of the place and into that crisp fall night, I had this strange sense of calm contentment and well-being that again, is kind of out of character for me. And most bizarrely, I really didn't want to make the trip to Charlotte the next day. I felt like, okay, nothing will ever top that, I just saw THE show, or 100 shows in one night, and I could miss the next one and read 1000 glowing reviews of it and be like, meh, no problem. Of course we didn't do that, but that's how I felt at the time.
If anyone in the band ever reads these, thanks for a night I'll never forget if I live to be a billion. I hope sometimes you get to feel some of what I described while you're playing for us, because it was amazing.
My 24th show and first fanview. Sorry, it's a bit long.
So I've always struggled to try to rank my "best" shows. Before Charlottesville I had a bunch that I grouped near the top but couldn't really say which was the best. Philly '05, the Key Arena shows in '02, and the DC and first E. Rutherford show in '06 made the list. All of them were amazing for different reasons, but to say one was the "best" would mean another was second best, another third, etc, and once you reach 5 or 6 you say to yourself "No, that show was better than that". So it becomes an impossible exercise.
Now I can say I have a clear winner.
What would be the ingredients of a perfect show?
* Venue -- Smaller is better, and excellent acoustics.
* Setlist -- As crazed diehard PJ fans, we all have certain songs that make a show special. The more of these we hear in a show, the more special that show becomes.
* Performance -- These guys are at the top of their game right now, but certainly over the years there have been performances that were not the best. Maybe someone was off key, or Ed kept forgetting lyrics...nobody's perfect, nor does the band have to play perfectly for a show to be great. But, when they are "on" -- high energy level, firing on all cylinders -- it's a very powerful experience.
* Seats -- Being up close is being part of the show. Being far away is only slightly better than watching it on YouTube. In my experience anyway.
* Your mood/state of mind -- You have to be ready for a great show. None of the above matters if you're tired or preoccupied. Many of us enjoy certain substances during shows which facilitate the right state of mind. While obviously not mandatory for a good show, it can certainly help.
* The rush -- Sometimes an experience can transcend a specific moment in time. Something happens, a chord is struck within you and you are transported somewhere unexpectedly. I don't know how else to explain it and it's never happened to me at a show before this one. To anyone in my vicinity that may have been put off by a stoned teary-eyed dude looking up at the ceiling as if God himself was up there while Ed sang Thumbing my Way and Sleight of Hand, I sincerely apologize. I'm okay now.
My wife and I came from Atlanta and stayed over the night before so we were well rested and fully stoked on Tuesday to see the band. Last proper show was almost 4 years ago to the day, at the Spectrum on Halloween. We were at Music Midtown last year, but I don't even count that as a PJ show. I need to be in a good venue close to the stage surrounded by 10C people to feel like I'm really at a show.
The weather is perfect and I take a stroll over to the arena around 1PM to check out the scene. 10C window isn't open yet so I get in line for merch. I buy a shirt, hat and some stickers. 2:30 rolls around and the ticket line forms. I'm in section 113, third row. Nice! I'm on Mike's side, but 3 sections out so I get a more full-on view of the stage. I've been directly sidestage before (Albany) and that kind of sucked.
So fast forward a bit, we're well lubricated on Starr Hill beer (highly recommended btw) and head to our seats. The one song my wife wants to hear is Release, which I know is a long shot since they are opening with Pendulum every night. My wife's dad passed away while she was in college and Release is very meaningful to her.
They open with Pendulum as expected and it's amazing. The band sounds great and the acoustics in the arena are crystal clear. It dawns on me that this is actually the smallest place I've ever seen PJ play. With at least a quarter of the place curtained off, it feels more like a midsized theater than an arena.
Then, Release. Those opening notes play and I turn immediately to my wife and she's already getting emotional. That was really cool. Two songs in and it already feels like a special show just because my wife got to hear that.
The rest of the main set was near perfection. The building intensity from In My Tree, through Corduroy, Go, Why Go, Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners was so great. I'm dancing around, screaming every word as usual, then we downshift into I Am Mine and Swallowed Whole. Nice. Then Faithfull!!! An alltime favorite of mine and sounded amazing. Wishlist, then Sirens, one of the best songs from the new album IMO. Jeremy made me roll my eyes at first but then I'm singing along with the rest of the crowd and loving it. Down made an appearance and sounded great, then a really strong RVM. Very solid first set overall, perfectly paced and good variety of old and new.
So then I sit down, pack a bowl and take 3 nice hits. I hope I have not offended anyone by mentioning this but it kind of plays into the next part of the show.
Ed comes out with his acoustic guitar and proceeds to play The End, Thumbing My Way, Sleight of Hand, Footsteps and Future Days. Again, the sound in this venue is a 10 out of 10, and Ed sounded like he was in my living room. It was quite simply the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life. And I'm a guy that really prefers the more aggressive stuff. I really just can't say enough about this part of the show. Clearly my state of mind was chemically altered, but I felt myself starting to leave section 113. My shoulders relaxed and instead of leaning forward with anticipation for each note and instead of singing every word, I just let it wash over me. It. Was. Fucking. Amazing. I ended up somewhere in the rafters looking down on it all. I can't describe what that felt like except to say it was unexpected and not like anything I've felt before.
As far as the song selection itself, I would've picked those 5 if Ed asked me. Last time I saw Sleight of Hand was in Houston in 2000. Future Days is the best ballad they've recorded in 17 years IMO, and the other 3 are favorites as well. I felt extremely fortunate to witness and hear these songs.
So how do we top that? Let's play some Pink Floyd. Oh okay sure. Holy shit, man. Then Given to Fly, and again I'm up in the rafters as the whole place is singing along. So now I'm just shaking my head and trying to take it all in, and not forget a second of this. Whipping is a favorite of mine and sounded great, and I forgot about the fuckup at the end until I read some of the earlier fanviews. Didn't matter.
Porch was just insane as usual. Mike was on fire. Love watching those light globes swinging around and the guys dodging them. Then Ed gets on one and starts swinging around. Ed is older than me and I feel like I've had the shit kicked out of me for the past 90 minutes and he's up there performing and still has all this energy. Unbelievable.
So by this time I don't know what to think anymore. What will they play next? Who cares, I already can't believe this show. Okay Breath, then State of Love and Trust. WTF?? Is this their last show ever? Why Charlottesville? Why wouldn't Boston or Philly or New York or Seattle get this show? Again I'm just shaking my head, taking it all in, singing my head off and feeling very, very lucky to be in the room. By the time we get through Alive and Baba, I do feel spent. Every ounce of energy that came from that stage, I gave right back, and now I don't have anything left. Except Ed mentions we're in John Paul Jones Arena and Mike starts with the Zeppelin riffs. I'm thinking, no way, they aren't going to play a Zeppelin song. I might actually pass out. Nope, it's going to be Ledbetter. Yep, that's how they'll finish. Yeah, love this Little Wing riff at the beginning, nice touch. Then we're gonna segue right into Ledbetter. I hope Mike finishes with the Star Bangled Banner. Then I hear Ed sing "Well she's walkin'....." and I just go "Ohhhhhhhhh no way!!!!!". That was so cool and unexpected. Mike's guitar work on this song...there are no words. He played insanely well from start to finish, not that that's anything surprising.
We are so spoiled with this band, honestly. There are bands that put on a good show but really nothing remotely close to these guys in my opinion. Words don't suffice, they're simply the best.
Afterward, walking out of the place and into that crisp fall night, I had this strange sense of calm contentment and well-being that again, is kind of out of character for me. And most bizarrely, I really didn't want to make the trip to Charlotte the next day. I felt like, okay, nothing will ever top that, I just saw THE show, or 100 shows in one night, and I could miss the next one and read 1000 glowing reviews of it and be like, meh, no problem. Of course we didn't do that, but that's how I felt at the time.
If anyone in the band ever reads these, thanks for a night I'll never forget if I live to be a billion. I hope sometimes you get to feel some of what I described while you're playing for us, because it was amazing.
Great review! Im glad you have a clear winner after so many shows. What were your thoughts on Charlotte the next evening?
2008: Bonnaroo
2010: Bristow
2012: Atlanta
2013: Charlottesville, Charlotte
2014: Cincinnati
2016: Greenville, Hampton, Raleigh (cancelled), Columbia, Lexington
Great review! Im glad you have a clear winner after so many shows. What were your thoughts on Charlotte the next evening?
Pretty great show as well, I just wish I had an extra day in between to recover. Highlights for me were Present Tense, Last Exit, Severed Hand, the Getaway debut, and especially Not For You and Immortality back to back in the main set, two of my absolute favorites. But the big one was The Real Me. I've probably heard their version from the Who tribute show 500 times and it doesn't get old. I was not expecting to see that one in person. Would have been nice if anyone else around me was nearly as stoked but I don't let lack of crowd energy ruin a show for me.
Really for only getting to see two shows on this tour, I got to see a nice variety of songs and a very large number of my personal favorites. Only thing that sucks is having so many conference calls today and not having any voice left.
Comments
I bet the guy standing on the rail in front of me who filmed the whole show does. Sorry, didn't get his name.
I will agree, it was a most awesome show. Closer than I have ever been and I would not trade that experience for anything! I will treasure this experience always. Thank you PJ and thank you 10C
I could have been the only one in the room. I couldn't tell you what everybody else was doing I was so engrossed in the show myself. It is what you make it.
2010: Bristow
2012: Atlanta
2013: Charlottesville, Charlotte
2014: Cincinnati
2016: Greenville, Hampton, Raleigh (cancelled), Columbia, Lexington
For your bootleg review needs or recommendations- http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
Exactly right. Not every crowd can be Chicago 2000, which has to be about the loudest arena crowd in their US Touring history. They just can't all be like that. In fact, a lot of the Ten Club isn't 25 anymore either.
The C'Ville crowd near me in those first rows of the 10c reserved on Mike's side were going bonkers as they kept on pulling out surprises we all wanted to hear. But hating on crowds is largely silly. Way less than 33% of fans at most every show are super fan bonkers about everything, and can physically bounce the entire time.
i'd like to start by saying that I bought Ten shortly after it came out, and I've bought every other pearl jam record on the day it was released. PJ has always been one of my favorite bands.
this was my first pearl jam concert after listening to them for 20 years, and I had an absolute blast. I had always wanted to see PJ, but back in '95 I saw a different band (first concert) and got caught up in that band and spent most of my free time and money seeing them 75 times so far (they mix up their setlists more than PJ, bigger catalog of songs etc.) Pearl Jam finally came close to where I live, so I absolutely had to go. I got my 10C pit tickets - worth the membership fees just for that in my opinion.
The crowd in the pit was very good and courteous - so much room in the back of the pit, which is nice for those of us who don't like being crammed up against other people, but still want to be close.
as far as the setlist goes - no complaints here. i knew every song played and was glad to get some rarities along with some of the songs that made me love PJ in the first place (alive, state of love & trust, porch etc)
But the best part for me was getting a pseudo shout-out from ed - I held up a picture of Lou Reed all night so the band could see it (but was careful not to obstruct anybody's view) - Lou was a personal hero, and as far as I'm concerned invented what it means to be a cool rock and roll star. This was part of my mourning process for him passing away the other day. My friend and I passed out about 20 pictures of Lou that night, but I made sure that the band saw mine. I was hoping for a tease of a Lou song or something like Bmore got, but I'll settle with Ed mentioning me holding up a picture of Lou Reed and accusing me of conspiracy. I found out from a friend last night that PJ even tweeted about it during the show.
I had a couple of friends with pit tickets in Charlotte, and I told one of them about the Lou picture, and she made her own copy to hold up from the rail and Ed grabbed it out of her hand last night.
Anywho, it was great to see this band after decades of listening and watching video of shows. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
I'll leave y'all with this gif I shot
1996: Paris/2006: Paris/2007: Werchter/2010: Werchter/2012: Amsterdam 1 and Werchter/2014: Amsterdam 1&2 and Werchter/2018: Amsterdam 1&2 and Werchter/2022: Werchter and Amsterdam 2
EV: 2012: Amsterdam/2017: Antwerpen/2019: Bruxelles
I was right behind you, and at the end, mike pointed at your THANK YOU sign and said 'you're welcome'
such an amazing night
show was epic indeed!!!
1998 - DC RFK Stadium, Virginia Beach, Columbia Maryland, DC Constitution Hall
2002 - Seattle Key Arena I+II
2003 - Raleigh, Charlotte, State College, Bristow, Camden II
2004 - Asheville
2006 - Boston II, Camden I+II, DC
2008 - Virginia Beach, Camden I+II, DC
2009 - Philadelphia I, II, III, IV
2010 - Bristow
2013 - Philadelphia II, Baltimore, Charlottesville, Charlotte
2022 - Camden
SETLIST
- The setlist broke expectations and kept sending me into a frenzy. I can't even point out a single song that did it for me, but SO many great moments were had by all the fans.
- "The Fixer" returned!! Woohoo!
- No "Daughter," "Even Flow," "Yellow Ledbetter," "Better Man" - all great songs and fun singalongs, but this was a "more intelligent" set as Ed said.
CROWD
- WOOOOOW. Kudos to this crowd. Someone above me said a crowd doesn't make a difference. It sure does for me. And it's because the band feeds off it. In Baltimore, I only felt the crowd energize the band in the second encore. In Charlottesville, it was all damn night.
ENERGY
- The band was on fire. They didn't seem worn out like they did in Baltimore, where I felt like Eddie struggled a lot on vocals for stuff like "Sirens" and "Blood." This set was PERFECTLY executed.
ATMOSPHERE
- I felt like there was a special feeling from the moment "Release" started until the end of the show. I've only felt that at Philly 3 in 2009 and at times during PJ20.
06: Camden, Washington DC, 08: Va Beach, Washington DC
09: Philly 2+3, 10: Bristow, 11: East Troy PJ20 1+2, 13: Baltimore, Charlottesville
Yeah people around me in Baltimore were sitting on their asses during many amazing songs (I think even RVM
WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16;
Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; SeaHearNow Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEg65dWJ3O8
Wow, I can see why people were blown away.
Hampton 2016
I can still feel the intensity through that vid..and thats not even close to being there..great find..Thank You
Hampton 2016
Hampton 2016
I couldn't agree more! I hauled butt down to Charlottesville from Pittsburgh and invited my younger brother to make the trip from DC. He had never been to a PJ concert before. He is familiar with their music, but doesn't know some of the rare stuff. After the show he told me "This is one of the best concerts I have ever seen!" Thanks, Pearl Jam, for making such a great impression on my younger brother, and thanks for the phenomenal show!
And, having seen them in Pgh, Buffalo, and C-ville this tour, I have to say this was by far my favorite of the three.
1994-Cleveland, 1998-Pittsburgh, 2000-Pittsburgh, 2006-Pittsburgh, 2013 Pittsburgh, 2013-Buffalo, 2013-Charlottesville, 2016-Wrigley 1, 2018-Seattle 2, 2022-Nashville, 2022-St. Louis, 2023-St. Paul 2, 2023-Chicago 1
wow I loved it, then...
LITTLE WING.
loved it, loved the town, loved the time.
amy
New Orleans LA 7/4/95 reschedule 9/17/95
Chicago IL 1998, 10/9/00, 06/18/03, 05/16/06, 05/17/06
08/23/09, 08/24/09, Lolla 08/05/07
Champaign IL 4/23/03
Grand Rapids MI VFC 10/03/04
Grand Rapids MI 19May06
Noblesville IN 05/07/10 Cleveland OH 05/09/10
PJ 20 2011
Baltimore MD, Charlottesville VA, Seattle WA 2013
St. Louis MO, Milwaukee WI 2014
Tampa FL, Chicago IL, Lexington KY 2016
Missoula MT 2018
http://youtu.be/dxs7HoFHlu0
Hampton 2016
I went into Cville (Charlottesville) with low expectations and was slightly concerned. Outside the arena there were basically no lines; everything was so laid back. I was shocked. It almost seemed too good to be true. Weather was beautiful, the arena and environment around the arena were beautiful, I had my beautiful girlfriend with me, and I was experiencing the beauty of a lack of hassle. Parking was a piece of cake, got all my merch with basically no line. My concern - this crowd is going to suck and the setlist will most likely be greatest hits as a result. BOY, WAS I EVER WRONG.
I guessed Release as an opener after Pendulum, but I didn't realize the effect Release would have on me. I heard it at Bonnaroo 08 and it made me tear up. I balled my eyes out in Cville. It was a reaction that I didn't foresee or plan on. It was good tears, but I cannot believe it hit me like a ton of bricks like that. I was still skeptical of the crowd up until In My Tree and the crowd generally seemed into the song. From there on, I could tell the crowd was quite good and the band were feeding off it.
The setlist was one of my personal favorites for a couple reasons. Not counting the new LB songs, I hadn't heard 16 of those songs (Cville being my 4th show). Second, I got to hear Sleight of Hand and it was a beautiful rendition. SoH is my favorite PJ song and I never expected to hear it since it was already played once this tour. My damn jaw dropped and I was in absolute shock (I still am). The band was generally tight. Night quite as tight as ATL 2012, but close. The only major flub was Ed forgetting the last verse of Whipping, but it was only a brief moment and kinda funny. ALL the other major rarities were basically flawless and very well performed. The show gave me a new appreciation for Future Days and Thumbing My Way. Eds voice just filled that small arena so well with those songs.
The arena itself was not only gorgeous to look at, but had a nice clean crisp sound. The acoustics were simply wonderful.
All in all, everything was perfect. That's not a generalization either, it was as close to perfect as I will most likely get at a PJ show. I was listening with a critical ear and also trying to guess the setlist. What I heard was the band on fire ( I use this term rarely, but it applies here) and I couldn't guess what was coming in the set hardly at all. My only nitpicking remark was the security girl behind me was a pain to deal with and clearly had no respect for the band. I asked her if she knew what happened when Ed stopped Down. She said he forgot the lyrics :roll: . I told her that wasn't the case; it was a security issue. Other than this, no complaints here! Too bad the same cannot be said for Charlotte.
2010: Bristow
2012: Atlanta
2013: Charlottesville, Charlotte
2014: Cincinnati
2016: Greenville, Hampton, Raleigh (cancelled), Columbia, Lexington
For your bootleg review needs or recommendations- http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
There was a douchebag that kept trying to push his way to the front. He was trying to go through people that had been planted in the same spot all evening. Small dude, bunch of hair, looked fairly wasted. And I was fairly wasted so he must have been really hammered. It happened about 2 feet to my front left. The people started getting really pissed and Ed immediately stopped the song and security was right there. Other than him, the pit was really great. Awesome people and it was very respectful.
I had a couple of gomers jumping up and down for no apparent reason (not like during Go, but totally off key for a song), but that was more funny than anything. There's more to it, but I'll say no more in case these guys are on the board. But for anyone that was near them, they will know what I'm talking about...
http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/mrussell72/library/
Great pics...sorry my phone's in the way of your shot for when the band was bowing
Glad to hear the story on that guy during Down...saw the argument as it happened to the left of my buddy but didn't see what the guy did. The guy who got ejected did seem to be in quite the drunken stupor. Hope I'm not the guy you're referring to as a gomer...tried to keep my jumping to stuff like Go. If not me, I think I've got a decent idea of who you might be referring to
As to my review...this was my 2nd out of 4 shows for the year (Wrigley, Bmore, Cville, Charlotte) and 35th show overall. I'm definitely biased being GA and in my hometown but it's close to top 5 for me. Still behind the last 2 Spectrum shows, MSGII in 2010 and the Vic for me but that might be it. I still can't believe they played Charlottesville. Of course, it happened a year and a half after moving away but it was definitely worth coming back for. I knew a bunch of people going to the show who weren't necessarily fans of the band - they just wanted to see why we schedule family vacations around Pearl Jam and they all came away impressed. I have no doubt they would have had the same reaction for any PJ show but especially happy that they got to witness arguably the show of the tour.
The ten club sections seemed solid. Sure, the fans in the non TC sections didn't compare to the major market cities but the set list actually complemented that extremely well. The lack of hits/sing-a-longs put the focus on the band, not the crowd.
Ok, yeah...definitely know who you are referring to then
PM me when it's up! I CANNOT WAIT to relive this night
Charlottesville, VA 10/29/2013
"He who forgets will be destined to remember."
98 - ATL; WPB I & II
00 - WPB I & II
03 - Boston I; Detroit I & II
04 - Boston VFC I & II
05 - Borgata II
08 - WPB; NY MSG I & II
10 - CLE
12 - Music Midtown; EV Jax II; EV Orlando I&II
13 - BWI; CVille; CLT
14 - Memphis
16 - Jax; Gville; Cola; Fenway II
So I've always struggled to try to rank my "best" shows. Before Charlottesville I had a bunch that I grouped near the top but couldn't really say which was the best. Philly '05, the Key Arena shows in '02, and the DC and first E. Rutherford show in '06 made the list. All of them were amazing for different reasons, but to say one was the "best" would mean another was second best, another third, etc, and once you reach 5 or 6 you say to yourself "No, that show was better than that". So it becomes an impossible exercise.
Now I can say I have a clear winner.
What would be the ingredients of a perfect show?
* Venue -- Smaller is better, and excellent acoustics.
* Setlist -- As crazed diehard PJ fans, we all have certain songs that make a show special. The more of these we hear in a show, the more special that show becomes.
* Performance -- These guys are at the top of their game right now, but certainly over the years there have been performances that were not the best. Maybe someone was off key, or Ed kept forgetting lyrics...nobody's perfect, nor does the band have to play perfectly for a show to be great. But, when they are "on" -- high energy level, firing on all cylinders -- it's a very powerful experience.
* Seats -- Being up close is being part of the show. Being far away is only slightly better than watching it on YouTube. In my experience anyway.
* Your mood/state of mind -- You have to be ready for a great show. None of the above matters if you're tired or preoccupied. Many of us enjoy certain substances during shows which facilitate the right state of mind. While obviously not mandatory for a good show, it can certainly help.
* The rush -- Sometimes an experience can transcend a specific moment in time. Something happens, a chord is struck within you and you are transported somewhere unexpectedly. I don't know how else to explain it and it's never happened to me at a show before this one. To anyone in my vicinity that may have been put off by a stoned teary-eyed dude looking up at the ceiling as if God himself was up there while Ed sang Thumbing my Way and Sleight of Hand, I sincerely apologize. I'm okay now.
My wife and I came from Atlanta and stayed over the night before so we were well rested and fully stoked on Tuesday to see the band. Last proper show was almost 4 years ago to the day, at the Spectrum on Halloween. We were at Music Midtown last year, but I don't even count that as a PJ show. I need to be in a good venue close to the stage surrounded by 10C people to feel like I'm really at a show.
The weather is perfect and I take a stroll over to the arena around 1PM to check out the scene. 10C window isn't open yet so I get in line for merch. I buy a shirt, hat and some stickers. 2:30 rolls around and the ticket line forms. I'm in section 113, third row. Nice! I'm on Mike's side, but 3 sections out so I get a more full-on view of the stage. I've been directly sidestage before (Albany) and that kind of sucked.
So fast forward a bit, we're well lubricated on Starr Hill beer (highly recommended btw) and head to our seats. The one song my wife wants to hear is Release, which I know is a long shot since they are opening with Pendulum every night. My wife's dad passed away while she was in college and Release is very meaningful to her.
They open with Pendulum as expected and it's amazing. The band sounds great and the acoustics in the arena are crystal clear. It dawns on me that this is actually the smallest place I've ever seen PJ play. With at least a quarter of the place curtained off, it feels more like a midsized theater than an arena.
Then, Release. Those opening notes play and I turn immediately to my wife and she's already getting emotional. That was really cool. Two songs in and it already feels like a special show just because my wife got to hear that.
The rest of the main set was near perfection. The building intensity from In My Tree, through Corduroy, Go, Why Go, Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners was so great. I'm dancing around, screaming every word as usual, then we downshift into I Am Mine and Swallowed Whole. Nice. Then Faithfull!!! An alltime favorite of mine and sounded amazing. Wishlist, then Sirens, one of the best songs from the new album IMO. Jeremy made me roll my eyes at first but then I'm singing along with the rest of the crowd and loving it. Down made an appearance and sounded great, then a really strong RVM. Very solid first set overall, perfectly paced and good variety of old and new.
So then I sit down, pack a bowl and take 3 nice hits. I hope I have not offended anyone by mentioning this but it kind of plays into the next part of the show.
Ed comes out with his acoustic guitar and proceeds to play The End, Thumbing My Way, Sleight of Hand, Footsteps and Future Days. Again, the sound in this venue is a 10 out of 10, and Ed sounded like he was in my living room. It was quite simply the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life. And I'm a guy that really prefers the more aggressive stuff. I really just can't say enough about this part of the show. Clearly my state of mind was chemically altered, but I felt myself starting to leave section 113. My shoulders relaxed and instead of leaning forward with anticipation for each note and instead of singing every word, I just let it wash over me. It. Was. Fucking. Amazing. I ended up somewhere in the rafters looking down on it all. I can't describe what that felt like except to say it was unexpected and not like anything I've felt before.
As far as the song selection itself, I would've picked those 5 if Ed asked me. Last time I saw Sleight of Hand was in Houston in 2000. Future Days is the best ballad they've recorded in 17 years IMO, and the other 3 are favorites as well. I felt extremely fortunate to witness and hear these songs.
So how do we top that? Let's play some Pink Floyd. Oh okay sure. Holy shit, man. Then Given to Fly, and again I'm up in the rafters as the whole place is singing along. So now I'm just shaking my head and trying to take it all in, and not forget a second of this. Whipping is a favorite of mine and sounded great, and I forgot about the fuckup at the end until I read some of the earlier fanviews. Didn't matter.
Porch was just insane as usual. Mike was on fire. Love watching those light globes swinging around and the guys dodging them. Then Ed gets on one and starts swinging around. Ed is older than me and I feel like I've had the shit kicked out of me for the past 90 minutes and he's up there performing and still has all this energy. Unbelievable.
So by this time I don't know what to think anymore. What will they play next? Who cares, I already can't believe this show. Okay Breath, then State of Love and Trust. WTF?? Is this their last show ever? Why Charlottesville? Why wouldn't Boston or Philly or New York or Seattle get this show? Again I'm just shaking my head, taking it all in, singing my head off and feeling very, very lucky to be in the room. By the time we get through Alive and Baba, I do feel spent. Every ounce of energy that came from that stage, I gave right back, and now I don't have anything left. Except Ed mentions we're in John Paul Jones Arena and Mike starts with the Zeppelin riffs. I'm thinking, no way, they aren't going to play a Zeppelin song. I might actually pass out. Nope, it's going to be Ledbetter. Yep, that's how they'll finish. Yeah, love this Little Wing riff at the beginning, nice touch. Then we're gonna segue right into Ledbetter. I hope Mike finishes with the Star Bangled Banner. Then I hear Ed sing "Well she's walkin'....." and I just go "Ohhhhhhhhh no way!!!!!". That was so cool and unexpected. Mike's guitar work on this song...there are no words. He played insanely well from start to finish, not that that's anything surprising.
We are so spoiled with this band, honestly. There are bands that put on a good show but really nothing remotely close to these guys in my opinion. Words don't suffice, they're simply the best.
Afterward, walking out of the place and into that crisp fall night, I had this strange sense of calm contentment and well-being that again, is kind of out of character for me. And most bizarrely, I really didn't want to make the trip to Charlotte the next day. I felt like, okay, nothing will ever top that, I just saw THE show, or 100 shows in one night, and I could miss the next one and read 1000 glowing reviews of it and be like, meh, no problem. Of course we didn't do that, but that's how I felt at the time.
If anyone in the band ever reads these, thanks for a night I'll never forget if I live to be a billion. I hope sometimes you get to feel some of what I described while you're playing for us, because it was amazing.
Great review! Im glad you have a clear winner after so many shows. What were your thoughts on Charlotte the next evening?
2010: Bristow
2012: Atlanta
2013: Charlottesville, Charlotte
2014: Cincinnati
2016: Greenville, Hampton, Raleigh (cancelled), Columbia, Lexington
For your bootleg review needs or recommendations- http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
Really for only getting to see two shows on this tour, I got to see a nice variety of songs and a very large number of my personal favorites. Only thing that sucks is having so many conference calls today and not having any voice left.