Please Pearl Jam , dont EVER play NOS Alive in Portugal again.

just_onejust_one Lisbon Posts: 1,905
Never seen a crowd so bad and dead (and for start , im from Portugal).

Let me say we used to be one of the best crowds in Europe (only behind Italy in terms of passion but nº1 in "sing-a-long" see the 2010 , 2006 and 1996 if you have any doubts) 
So when the festival sold out within less than week with just Pearl Jam announced i was really hoping the show would be amazing and the crowd would be its usual self.
Add to this Pearl jam hadnt played Portugal in 8 years(Ed was here solo on 2012 and 2014) so all the right ingredients were right for an amazing show (even if it was a festival ) and the usual amazing portuguese crowd.

What happenned was far from this unfortunally...

I really dont know how it is in other countries in Europe but NOS Alive has become the hit thing to do or be apart of.
People just go because its the cool thing to do. music sadly does not matter. there a dozens of sponsor tents with soveniers that people line up
FOR HOURS just to get a purse or even just a pin. People go there to take selfies and show everyone they are there ... its really sad and pathetic.
When i got there Saturday i was really up front , near the stage and hoping for an energetic crowd for Pearl Jam (after all you dont go there at 3 PM and stay in the same spot until 11.30PM if you want to really see Pearl Jam).

During other bands (The last internationale , Alice in Chains , Franz Ferdinand and jack White) i noticed the crowd were getting more and more fired up as the time went by in anticipacion of pearl jam but to my surprise
when pearl ham started there was no energy , no singing,  no jumping , everyone just took out their smartphones and started taking pictures and making videos and selfies , its like the band or the music didnt matter at all.

The guy standing next to me brought a ticket for 170€ at the black market (normal price was 65€) and during the show didnt move at all at except for Jeremy and Alive.
There was a guy in front of me that spent the show making videos , i couldnt believe what i was seeing and hope to god the band didnt feel that lack of empaphy that was coming from the crowd because they were killing it on stage!
Everyone just stood there with their smartphones recording...really sad this is what it has become...and let me remind you...this is NOT the back of the crowd this was the first lines of the crowd near the stage!

About the show itself Pearl Jam just did an amazing setlist for a festival , perfect mix of hits and a few gems (Low Light opening , Rats , In My Tree , Down) and the band was really trying to get the crowd going but to no avail.

So Pearl jam if you ever play portugal again (which i hope you will in the near future) please DO NOT play at this festival ever again! Play a proper stadium , go back to Pavilhao Atlantico(now called Altice arena)  but please not to NOS Alive!

Thanks

Comments

  • sheri zonasheri zona Makai Side Posts: 356
    Sounds like Coachella 
    in an underwater nation...near chinamans hat
  • Saltzy23Saltzy23 Posts: 1,347
    I was there and at Mad Cool.

    IMO, the band plays there so rarely that A. people wanted to record some of it, just to make sure they could relive it again.  B. They are so inexperienced in the whole PJ routine they were clueless how to correctly act.

    I actually had a blast at Nos Alive.

    Franz Ferdinand in particular was a blast.
    'I know I was born and I know that I'll die, the in between is mine.'
  • just_onejust_one Lisbon Posts: 1,905
    edited July 2018
    Saltzy23 said:
    I was there and at Mad Cool.

    IMO, the band plays there so rarely that A. people wanted to record some of it, just to make sure they could relive it again.  B. They are so inexperienced in the whole PJ routine they were clueless how to correctly act.

    I actually had a blast at Nos Alive.

    Franz Ferdinand in particular was a blast.

    People didnt record some of it, there were people who spent the ENTIRE show with their smartphones on record!

    Yes Franz Ferdinand was actually a nice surprise!
  • Saltzy23Saltzy23 Posts: 1,347
    One thing I was surprised about is how at Mad Cool pretty much everyone stood around for MGMT after the PJ set, but at Nos Alive the place cleared the fuck out.

    I was disappointed by Jack White.  I thought his whole set was very blah, including Seven Nation Army, which I thought was gonna be insane.  
    'I know I was born and I know that I'll die, the in between is mine.'
  • pashapasamanpashapasaman Posts: 497
    Great festival comparing to Mad cool
    but yes the crowd is dead silent
    but what do you expect from a festival most of them are casual listeners
    some of the girls even dress like kardashians lol

    PJ 2014: Leeds, Milton Keynes
    PJ 2018: London 1, Padova, Roma, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, London 2
    EV 2017: Amsterdam 2&3, London 1&2
  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,663
    Sounds like glastonbury here in the Uk 
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    Probably just a lot of people who are familiar with ten. Who knows, maybe from that show a few fans bought a copy of yield or no code. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • cwjacwja Posts: 132
    I enjoyed NOS Alive and thought the crowd was pretty good, for a festival. I’m sure crowds in Portugal are better at headlining shows, but that’s the case everywhere. Barcelona was the best crowd I’ve seen outside of South America and Madrid crowd was average at best, After the abomination that was Mad Cool I found NOS Alive to be a shining example of how a festival should be run.
  • wall232wall232 New York Posts: 1,346
    cwja said:
    I enjoyed NOS Alive and thought the crowd was pretty good, for a festival. I’m sure crowds in Portugal are better at headlining shows, but that’s the case everywhere. Barcelona was the best crowd I’ve seen outside of South America and Madrid crowd was average at best, After the abomination that was Mad Cool I found NOS Alive to be a shining example of how a festival should be run.
    This ^^^^

    The cowd by us for NOS was pretty good, nothing like Barcelona but good for a festival. 

    I did go to the Maiden show in Lisbon on Friday the 13th, that showed the true Portugal crowd. They were loud and passionate and I felt like I was seeing Maiden in 1986 all over again. 
    NYPJ
  • PJWGIIIPJWGIII Chicago, IL Posts: 806
    Sounds like Coachella 
    Sounds like the current state of Lollapalooza
    "Red Rover, Red Rover, Mike McCready – Take Over!!" - E.V.

    Ten Club "Ambassador" (recap-writer) - DEEP.pearljam.com
    2018
    : Chicago 2 (Wrigley Field) 8/20 | 20(20)22: St Louis 9/18 | 2023: Chicago 2 (United Center) 9/7, Indianapolis (Deer Creek) 9/10

    EV:
    2018: CURE Benefit Show (Chicago - Navy Pier) 10/15

    RIP: Andy, Kurt, Chris
                                       * * * * * * * * *
  • cp3iversoncp3iverson Posts: 8,632
    edited July 2018
    Sounds like Coachella 
    Cochella has possibly the lamest crowd ive ever seen
  • luanisluanis Posts: 159
    Great festival comparing to Mad cool
    but yes the crowd is dead silent
    but what do you expect from a festival most of them are casual listeners
    some of the girls even dress like kardashians lol

    THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one to notice that.

    I was there, way in the back, and all I could see were people on their phones, with their backs to the stage, while the band was playing.
    Selfies galore... ugh, so frustrating.

    I do hope they come back soon, but in a solo act. No more of this summer fest nonsense.
    Pearl Jam:
    Restelo Stadium - May 23rd 2000 ; Pavilhao Atlantico - Sep 4th 2006 ; Passeio Maritimo Alges - Jun 8th 2007 ; Optimus Alive! - Jul 10th 2010 ; NOS Alive - Jul 14th 2018

    Eddie Vedder Solo:
    Sudoeste Festival, Zambujeira do Mar - Aug 3rd 2012 ; Super Bock Super Rock, Meco - Jul 18th 2014
    _____
    Next?
  • evenflow82evenflow82 Posts: 3,836
    Never been to a summer festival for the above reasons however I see the appeal of checking out a lot of bands. I also don't like hip hop and rap, so about 70% of any modern festival line up I probably wouldn't enjoy.
    I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.
    -Christopher Walken

    you're=you are
    your=showing ownership

    The truth has a well known liberal bias.
    -Stephen Colbert
  • anareisanareis Portugal Posts: 1
    just_one said:
    Never seen a crowd so bad and dead (and for start , im from Portugal).

    Let me say we used to be one of the best crowds in Europe (only behind Italy in terms of passion but nº1 in "sing-a-long" see the 2010 , 2006 and 1996 if you have any doubts) 
    So when the festival sold out within less than week with just Pearl Jam announced i was really hoping the show would be amazing and the crowd would be its usual self.
    Add to this Pearl jam hadnt played Portugal in 8 years(Ed was here solo on 2012 and 2014) so all the right ingredients were right for an amazing show (even if it was a festival ) and the usual amazing portuguese crowd.

    What happenned was far from this unfortunally...

    I really dont know how it is in other countries in Europe but NOS Alive has become the hit thing to do or be apart of.
    People just go because its the cool thing to do. music sadly does not matter. there a dozens of sponsor tents with soveniers that people line up
    FOR HOURS just to get a purse or even just a pin. People go there to take selfies and show everyone they are there ... its really sad and pathetic.
    When i got there Saturday i was really up front , near the stage and hoping for an energetic crowd for Pearl Jam (after all you dont go there at 3 PM and stay in the same spot until 11.30PM if you want to really see Pearl Jam).

    During other bands (The last internationale , Alice in Chains , Franz Ferdinand and jack White) i noticed the crowd were getting more and more fired up as the time went by in anticipacion of pearl jam but to my surprise
    when pearl ham started there was no energy , no singing,  no jumping , everyone just took out their smartphones and started taking pictures and making videos and selfies , its like the band or the music didnt matter at all.

    The guy standing next to me brought a ticket for 170€ at the black market (normal price was 65€) and during the show didnt move at all at except for Jeremy and Alive.
    There was a guy in front of me that spent the show making videos , i couldnt believe what i was seeing and hope to god the band didnt feel that lack of empaphy that was coming from the crowd because they were killing it on stage!
    Everyone just stood there with their smartphones recording...really sad this is what it has become...and let me remind you...this is NOT the back of the crowd this was the first lines of the crowd near the stage!

    About the show itself Pearl Jam just did an amazing setlist for a festival , perfect mix of hits and a few gems (Low Light opening , Rats , In My Tree , Down) and the band was really trying to get the crowd going but to no avail.

    So Pearl jam if you ever play portugal again (which i hope you will in the near future) please DO NOT play at this festival ever again! Play a proper stadium , go back to Pavilhao Atlantico(now called Altice arena)  but please not to NOS Alive!

    Thanks

    just_one said: 
    Never seen a crowd so bad and dead (and for start , im from Portugal).

    Let me say we used to be one of the best crowds in Europe (only behind Italy in terms of passion but nº1 in "sing-a-long" see the 2010 , 2006 and 1996 if you have any doubts) 
    So when the festival sold out within less than week with just Pearl Jam announced i was really hoping the show would be amazing and the crowd would be its usual self.
    Add to this Pearl jam hadnt played Portugal in 8 years(Ed was here solo on 2012 and 2014) so all the right ingredients were right for an amazing show (even if it was a festival ) and the usual amazing portuguese crowd.

    What happenned was far from this unfortunally...

    I really dont know how it is in other countries in Europe but NOS Alive has become the hit thing to do or be apart of.
    People just go because its the cool thing to do. music sadly does not matter. there a dozens of sponsor tents with soveniers that people line up
    FOR HOURS just to get a purse or even just a pin. People go there to take selfies and show everyone they are there ... its really sad and pathetic.
    When i got there Saturday i was really up front , near the stage and hoping for an energetic crowd for Pearl Jam (after all you dont go there at 3 PM and stay in the same spot until 11.30PM if you want to really see Pearl Jam).

    During other bands (The last internationale , Alice in Chains , Franz Ferdinand and jack White) i noticed the crowd were getting more and more fired up as the time went by in anticipacion of pearl jam but to my surprise
    when pearl ham started there was no energy , no singing,  no jumping , everyone just took out their smartphones and started taking pictures and making videos and selfies , its like the band or the music didnt matter at all.

    The guy standing next to me brought a ticket for 170€ at the black market (normal price was 65€) and during the show didnt move at all at except for Jeremy and Alive.
    There was a guy in front of me that spent the show making videos , i couldnt believe what i was seeing and hope to god the band didnt feel that lack of empaphy that was coming from the crowd because they were killing it on stage!
    Everyone just stood there with their smartphones recording...really sad this is what it has become...and let me remind you...this is NOT the back of the crowd this was the first lines of the crowd near the stage!

    About the show itself Pearl Jam just did an amazing setlist for a festival , perfect mix of hits and a few gems (Low Light opening , Rats , In My Tree , Down) and the band was really trying to get the crowd going but to no avail.

    So Pearl jam if you ever play portugal again (which i hope you will in the near future) please DO NOT play at this festival ever again! Play a proper stadium , go back to Pavilhao Atlantico(now called Altice arena)  but please not to NOS Alive!

    Thanks
    totally agree!!
  • BlackCircleBlackCircle Charlotte, NC Posts: 371
    Sounds like Coachella 
    Cochella has possibly the lamest crowd ive ever seen
    I was at the very 1st Bonnaroo and the 2nd Bonnarroo.  Both years, camped all three days.  I have to say the first year was incredible.  Very few vendors, no corporate sponsors, no marketing or in your face adverstising, there was some, but it was limited and the vibe was much more organic. 

    By the 2nd year, you could see a change coming.  

    This was 2002 & 2003. 

    I vowed never to attend another festival after that.  When you commercialize something to that extent, with corporate tents, charging stations, etc. etc. and the audience makes it less about the music and more about just "being there"... being seen or going so you can drop acid or mushrooms or MDMA... it takes away from the overall experience, and gives it a walking through the mall feeling. 

    You can't say you went camping if you drove to a campsite and slept in a Winnebago and watched movies the whole time.  That's called RV'ing and its totally different than building a fire, putting up a tent, sleeping outside, cooking over an open flame.... 

    Festivals these days are corporate sponsored RV'ing...
    Which is convenient, comfortable, easy and fun.
    But it's not camping. 
    I'm like a tab
  • walkunafraidwalkunafraid Posts: 2,557
    Sounds like Coachella 
    Cochella has possibly the lamest crowd ive ever seen
    Considering the fact that the majority of tickets to Coachella are sold about 7 months before the lineup is dropped, this isn't much of a surprise. Coachella was once a very fun festival to attend but became too big for its own good. Now it's a place people go to be seen (regardless of who's playing) and a destination-fest for EDM-heads (to each their own, but the truth is that a majority of EDM-heads have no idea who Pearl Jam is - or a majority of the rock bands that still play Coachella).
    Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ

    “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
  • pashapasamanpashapasaman Posts: 497
    Festivals now becoming Kardashians summer camp
    PJ 2014: Leeds, Milton Keynes
    PJ 2018: London 1, Padova, Roma, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, London 2
    EV 2017: Amsterdam 2&3, London 1&2
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