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Best PJ Show Ever Played: Where and When?

KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
in The Porch
Grateful Dead have 5/8/77 Barton Hall, Ithaca NY
Phish has 12/31/99 Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (debatable)
I want to know, what is considered by the fans as the best/perfect show ever played by Pearl Jam. You did not have to attend the show for it to be considered. I would also like to know why you think it is (weather outside, good crowd vibe, band on fire, etc).
this has probably been done before, but I cant recall it for a while...
So, lets go! It's almost concert season!!
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    brookelilybrookelily Bethel Park, PA Posts: 235
    4/3/94 is a pretty epic show. Every time I listen to it, I can feel the energy. I guess an argument can be made that the band only had 2.5 records in the catalog (Vitalogy was not quite finished) at that point, but man that show sounds great and has a ton of energy. Its a legendary show.

    Soldier Field is another one, I just like the sound better from Atlanta 4/3.

    That's probably the 2 that come to mind right away for me.
    8/16/92
    9/24/96, 9/28/96
    8/25/98, 9/18/98
    9/5/00
    4/26/03
    6/23/06
    10/28/09
    10/11/13, 10/12/13
    10/1/14
    9/2/18, 9/4/18
    9/18/21
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    Those early Chi-town shows are pretty great. Good call....
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    AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,205
    yeeaah, there's hardly going to be a consensus on this. some will say pinkpop 92. some will say atlanta '94. some will say soldier field '95. some will say randall's island '96. some will say msg '98. some will say pinkpop '00. some will say boston '03. some will say philly '05. some will say grand rapids '06. i would say bonnaroo '08. you get the idea...
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    SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 NYC Posts: 25,855
    Atlanta 2 1994
    Chicago 1995
    Randall's Island 2 1996
    MSG 2 1998
    Katowice 2 2000
    Tokyo 2003
    Gorge 2005
    Grand Rapids 2006
    Hartford 2008
    Philly 4 2009
    MSG 2 2010
    Buenos Aires 2011
    Charlottesville/Hartford 2013
    Leeds 2014
    Moline/Milwaukee 2014
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17

    LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

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    CantKeepmedownCantKeepmedown Portland, Maine Posts: 2,922
    Limiting it to shows that I've been to, it comes down to:
    MSG 9/11/98
    MSG 7/8/03
    Mansfield 7/11/03 (if only for the acoustic set)
    Boston 5/17/10
    Hartford 10/25/13

    For all of these shows, it was a combination of the setlist and environment of the show (enthusiasm of the crowd). MSG 98 had the Breath campaign, a great setlist, and the band was super tight (after a kinda sloppy/off night 1). MSG 03 you can watch the DVD and see how good it was. Mansfield was a culmination of all 3 shows (no repeats and about 100 different songs), Boston 10 was a super good setlist, with some rarer songs and a Crown of Thorns that everyone was anticipating. Hartford 13 might have been the loudest crowd I've ever been in.
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    KC138045KC138045 Columbus, OH Posts: 2,715
    I can only comment on shows I've attended or have the boot.
    did not attend - Katowice 2000
    attended - Columbus 2010
    Columbus-2000
    Columbus-2003
    Cincinnati-2006
    Columbus-2010
    Wrigley-2013
    Cincinnati-2014
    Lexington-2016
    Wrigley 1 & 2-2018
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    Interesting stuff....
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    SVRDhand13 said:

    Atlanta 2 1994
    Chicago 1995
    Randall's Island 2 1996
    MSG 2 1998
    Katowice 2 2000
    Tokyo 2003
    Gorge 2005
    Grand Rapids 2006
    Hartford 2008
    Philly 4 2009
    MSG 2 2010
    Buenos Aires 2011
    Charlottesville/Hartford 2013
    Leeds 2014
    Moline/Milwaukee 2014

    wow, didn't see that list coming. good stuff.
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    AndySlash said:

    yeeaah, there's hardly going to be a consensus on this. some will say pinkpop 92. some will say atlanta '94. some will say soldier field '95. some will say randall's island '96. some will say msg '98. some will say pinkpop '00. some will say boston '03. some will say philly '05. some will say grand rapids '06. i would say bonnaroo '08. you get the idea...

    I understand all that, but was curious to see if there was exactly that, a consensus of the perfect show...Its interesting all the different shows listed thus far.
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    I'm not really looking for a top 5 of your best concerts, but was curious if there was a clear cut winner that the fans all think was the perfect show.
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    droptheleash9droptheleash9 Posts: 1,340
    MSG 2010
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    RS65573RS65573 Posts: 2,372
    Atlanta 94.
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    coco buttercoco butter Posts: 1,435
    No one is right on this question. But, that being said, the concerts that get the most feedback over the past 25 years are Pink Pop 1992, Atlanta 1994, Soldier Field 1995, Randall's Island 1996, College Station 2003, Boston 2003, Gorge 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Spectrum night 3 and 4 2009, MSG 2010, Leeds 2014, Moline and Milwaukee 2014 and a few others from other years I have missed as well.

    I do believe that if it wasn't for the rain delay, most would be saying Wrigley Field in 2013 was the best show ever.
    Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that's a dumb question... skip that.
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    Weston1283Weston1283 Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 4,631
    edited March 2016
    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5
    Post edited by Weston1283 on
    2010: Cleveland
    2012: Atlanta
    2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II
    2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver
    2015: New York City
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco
    2017: Ohana Fest (EV)
    2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II
    2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2
    2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver
    2023: St. Paul II
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    KC138045KC138045 Columbus, OH Posts: 2,715
    Weston1283 said:

    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5

    Tokyo 2003???? Not sure if Ive heard this one but any of the Asia boots I've heard the crowds seemed dead. Sounded like they were playing in a small club to only 15 people.
    Columbus-2000
    Columbus-2003
    Cincinnati-2006
    Columbus-2010
    Wrigley-2013
    Cincinnati-2014
    Lexington-2016
    Wrigley 1 & 2-2018
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    SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 NYC Posts: 25,855
    KP_McMinn said:

    SVRDhand13 said:

    Atlanta 2 1994
    Chicago 1995
    Randall's Island 2 1996
    MSG 2 1998
    Katowice 2 2000
    Tokyo 2003
    Gorge 2005
    Grand Rapids 2006
    Hartford 2008
    Philly 4 2009
    MSG 2 2010
    Buenos Aires 2011
    Charlottesville/Hartford 2013
    Leeds 2014
    Moline/Milwaukee 2014

    wow, didn't see that list coming. good stuff.
    I spent MANY hours thinking about this question haha.

    I've personally been to four of the seventeen shows I posted.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17

    LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

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    foodboyfoodboy Posts: 988
    toronto 09. because lead singer in opening act couldn't perform it made at least for the most memorable show. opening acts were mike, stone, eddie, eddie and the pharmacists . also buffalo 03'. great show. new jersey 2010
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    AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,205
    KP_McMinn said:

    was curious to see if there was exactly that, a consensus of the perfect show...

    and my point was the answer is 'no'.
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    AndySlash said:

    KP_McMinn said:

    was curious to see if there was exactly that, a consensus of the perfect show...

    and my point was the answer is 'no'.
    Its out there, bud.
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    Weston1283 said:

    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5

    I should have been at that MSG 2010. Would have been the best 30th bday present.
    I'm surprized that the Halloween show in 09 or Alpine Valley PJ20 are not the clear cut winners.
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    ZodZod Posts: 10,166
    Best I've seen was Gorge 05, but like other people said, it's subjective, and many people weren't at all those shows to give them a fair comparison. From what I've read Gorge 05, Atlanta 95, Soldier Field 95, Mansfield 03, Spectrum 4 are considered to be some of the best shows played. You'll have fans arguing forever on a "best" but you can probably get some agreement on a top 10 list.
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    Weston1283Weston1283 Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 4,631
    KP_McMinn said:

    Weston1283 said:

    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5

    I should have been at that MSG 2010. Would have been the best 30th bday present.
    I'm surprized that the Halloween show in 09 or Alpine Valley PJ20 are not the clear cut winners.
    Alpine Valley may be, but we don't have the bootlegs, so only the people in attendance can really comment on that show unfortunately. I really hope we get to hear it someday.
    2010: Cleveland
    2012: Atlanta
    2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II
    2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver
    2015: New York City
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco
    2017: Ohana Fest (EV)
    2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II
    2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2
    2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver
    2023: St. Paul II
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    SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 NYC Posts: 25,855
    KP_McMinn said:

    Weston1283 said:

    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5

    I should have been at that MSG 2010. Would have been the best 30th bday present.
    I'm surprized that the Halloween show in 09 or Alpine Valley PJ20 are not the clear cut winners.
    I have Philly 4 in my list. Didn't include PJ20 because it was a different experience that I cant really compare to anything else.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17

    LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

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    coco buttercoco butter Posts: 1,435
    edited March 2016
    Weston1283 said:

    KP_McMinn said:

    Weston1283 said:

    Atlanta 94, Tokyo 2003 and MSG 2 2010 are my favorite boots to listen to

    Atlanta 94 and MSG 2010 would likely fall into a consensus top 5

    I should have been at that MSG 2010. Would have been the best 30th bday present.
    I'm surprized that the Halloween show in 09 or Alpine Valley PJ20 are not the clear cut winners.
    Alpine Valley may be, but we don't have the bootlegs, so only the people in attendance can really comment on that show unfortunately. I really hope we get to hear it someday.
    PJ20 night 1 is still the second best show I've seen and I've seen many of the shows on the lists quoted above. I really think it could have or should have been number one on my personal list if they didn't cut the 3-4 songs on the list that night. And if they would have switched out Arms Aloft for Animal or Corduroy.
    Post edited by coco butter on
    Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that's a dumb question... skip that.
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    jordn6971jordn6971 Posts: 675
    The best that I have seen
    Champaign '03
    Gorge 2 '06
    Yieldwaukee
    Spectrum 4
    "There was a band playing in my head, and I felt like getting high"
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    KP_McMinnKP_McMinn West Philadelphia born and raised Posts: 748
    I've been to 31 shows, (MSG 03 both nights, 09 philly run, and several others listed on here)
    Alpine Valley night 1 would have to take the cake for me.
    on a side note, there is not a bootleg of this?
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    SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 NYC Posts: 25,855
    KP_McMinn said:

    I've been to 31 shows, (MSG 03 both nights, 09 philly run, and several others listed on here)
    Alpine Valley night 1 would have to take the cake for me.
    on a side note, there is not a bootleg of this?

    Just audience recordings and I've never heard one that I'm happy with.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17

    LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

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    SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 NYC Posts: 25,855
    jordn6971 said:


    Gorge 2 '06

    My first show. You never forget your first time :lol:
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17

    LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

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    AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,205
    KP_McMinn said:

    AndySlash said:

    KP_McMinn said:

    was curious to see if there was exactly that, a consensus of the perfect show...

    and my point was the answer is 'no'.
    Its out there, bud.
    image
    this thread alone suggests otherwise. there are many shows fans would consider perfect. but you will never get even a small majority of this fanbase to agree on "the best/perfect show ever played by Pearl Jam." a list, sure. a single show? no way.
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    Abe FromanAbe Froman Posts: 5,061
    Soldier Field 95'

    Still the best concert I've ever seen. It seemed to be the first really long PJ show that had everything. Funny Ed, pissed off Ed, band on FIRE (especially Mike), smashing equipment at end during Blood, coming back out just Ed and Mike to do Yellow Ledbetter, awesome crowd and atmosphere, etc, etc...
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