A side by side review of the Chicago Shows

BlackCircle

In my excitement and my haste, I forgot to share this with you all after I wrote it back on 8/21

With the Fenway shows coming up, I thought perhaps we should take a moment to reflect on these two nights in Chicago.  

REVIEW N1 vs. N2 
Drew Taylor
Aug. 21st, 2018

You know... everyone keeps saying how much better Wrigley N2 was and I feel like we need to look into this. 

Comparing the set lists side by side, in three song groupings. 

**Before you start reading....I'm fucking kidding... so don't get your wool bikini all bunched up.***

The first thing we notice is that N1 eases into things. Ed didn't immediately melt our faces like N2. That would have been AWESOME. Personally, I'm a big fan of kicking the door down and going in dry, but for the ladies out there who enjoy foreplay, I'm sure they can relate to a nice soft opening of three mellow warmups to get to know who's about to curb stomp you for three hours. 

Wash>Low Light>EWBTCIAST is clearly less energetic than G. Fly> Y. Go> Go. Then again... those of us at N1 didn't survive what many are describing as their version of Viet Nam. So, a hard opening was necessary to get things moving. 

Next up for N1 we really get into it with Breakerfall > Corduroy > Hail Hail.... at this point... I had my Vitalogy shirt over my head and I was cock slapping my wife's ass. 

The next three songs for N2 keep the momentum rolling with Last Exit> Mind Your Manners>Evolution. It should be pointed out with some sort of concert math that Evolution immediately get's a (Meh) since they played it N1... and we've got our first deduction from the judges from Brazil who are taking away half a point for REPETITION. 

Moving right along through N1 we find ourselves counting along to Animal>Getaway>Leaving Here. Not a shabby grouping. I have come to enjoy Getaway over the years... kinda like a poor mans Breakerfall, but it serves more as a place holder and sets up Leaving Here REALLY nicely, which is our first "deep cut" of the night. I personally enjoyed the look the dumb cunt sorority girl got from the guy standing beside her when she asked in that basic white girl  voice.

"Was that a Beatles song...sooo good..  ah ma gah"

N2 got into the deep stuff earlier with Rain>Throw Your Hatred Down> Even Flow. While I love Rain, and I enjoyed the version with the crowd... the best version of Rain came on Friday during Soundcheck. It's hauntingly beautiful and eerily foreshadowing. TYHD is god damn Neil Young so eat shit if you didn't enjoy that. Even Flow... I'm looking at the judges from Brazil who are shaking their heads. And now the representatives from Croatia are also discussing the matter.

Yes... wow.... what an unfortunate turn of events. Brazil is AGAIN deducting points for repetition, but it's Croatia with a surprise deduction for Ed's literally forgetting the fucking lyrics. Wow.... things are not looking good for N2. 

Where are we??? Let's See.... ah.... 

N1 seems to be running away with it with Present Tense> Even Flow> Missing.... and WOW!!! How unfortunate. Missing fell completely flat on a crowd ready to explode. Like an Olympic ice skater preparing to fuck start the crowd with a triple lindy, instead she beefs it into the ice and knocks all her teeth out. 

Yikes. 

N2 is trying to pick up the pieces with U>In My Tree> Immortality and it's a valiant effort but not nearly enough. The good news is Ed beefed N1 with Missing which should have gone Missing from the setlist. 

Like a veteran, Ed comes back with Garden>Not For You> Can't Deny Me during N1. Obviously, Garden > Not For You are self explanatory, but Let me be the first to say, when I first heard Can't Deny Me, I had issues with it. This version was actually not terrible. 

So... looks like were pretty close here with N1 doing slightly better for a few reasons. Next for N2 Daughter(it's ok) > Unthought Known > Jeremy, and if there ever was a momentum shift this would be it. Clearly N2 has recovered from the EF shart and is looking tough. 

N1 isn't letting go of this lead and strikes back hard with Wishlist>Won't Back Down>Porch. And while the first two are a little slow... I don't think anyone who attended could deny the beauty of WBD or the scene inside Wrigley with the moon above. 

Then N2 simply says we'll fuck your pretty ambiance moon Night one and sucker punches Night one in the asshole. I Am A Patriot > Lukin > Porch..... WWWHHHOOOOAAAA HOLD UP!

The judges are literally shitting themselves. Porch.... Porch?

The representative from Spain has walked out. He's beside himself. The German delegate fell on the floor and farted like a bassoon. Points are flying off the board. THREE repeats... 

It's a shit show at the judges table people. Spain just returned and tossed a plate of piaya across the room. It's chaos. 

Let's take a break....

Ok.... 

Encore 1:

N1 keeps trying to get into my wife's pants with these slow as panty droppers. Just Breathe > Sleeping By Myself > Footsteps 

N2 starts of E2 slow as well with We're Gonna Be Friends & Come Back ... but then says fuck this shit and does Corduroy at which point the Russian judge literally took his pants off and shit on the floor. Four? The Jamacian Judge loves it. He's baked as fuck rockin' out. "It's Corduroy MON.... " 

He has a good point.

It's tight.  

It's real tight. 

We've had some clear stumbles on both sides... but N1 seems poised to make a run and hits it out of the park with State of Love>Breath>Know Your Rights.

WHOA!  What in the... where did THAT come from?  I was just getting finger banged in the back seat and then Ed decides he wants anal.... Jeez man... that was aggressive. 

N2 pulls out Black>L. Bolt>RVM  Not bad except thats about the 5th repeat.  Someone should tell Ed he has a catalogue of like 300 songs ... but what is N2 setting us up for?

N1 is sick and tired of the foreplay and has a raging hardon... Evolution>Alone> RVM.... we are legitimately getting dicked in the vagina hard by Eddie and the Pearl Jam band.   

N2 seems to think that's cute and flips N1 off with Smile>E. Lil Goat>Leash.   Man... haven't played that one in 20 years.   Pulling out the big guns??  Perhaps you'll hope we don't notice all the repeats. 

N1 says, "Kiss my fucking ass you shitstain!"  LET'S PLAY BOWIE!!!!!    Rebel Rebel> Better Man > Alive

N2 tries desperately to pull out a win with a hail mary Baba O'Riley... but it's just not enough. 

N1 is still going strong and wraps up a winning venture with Keep on Rocking> Yellow Ledbetter

Overall....   

In my Opinion... 

We all win. 

Smile Chicago... you saw Pearl Jam with me.

kaseylily

Deleted..wrong thread sorry

hrd2imgn

This was good, like Eddie Murphy RAW good