What Made Philly Night 3 "The Best"?

SVRDhand13 · May 2010

A lot of people on this forum have been saying that they believe Philly Night 3 is the best show in Pearl Jam's history. I was there that night and I absolutely loved the show, but I'm finding it hard to believe it is #1. The crowd energy was great and the setlist rocked, but what makes it better than the next night (Philly 10/31) Mansfield 3, any of the MSG shows, Atlanta 94, Randall's Island, or any other show?

marcos · May 2010

I think the crowd and the small building (Spectrum) made it seem even louder and the band really feed off of it. Plus it was a friday and the World Series was coming to town, so there were alot of factors that lined up to make it seem great. But I'm not sure it was the best ever.

jamminpearls · May 2010

The insane setlist,a crowd that was msg loud and the world series being right next door didn't hurt.

RedMosquito22 · May 2010

jamminpearls wrote:

The insane setlist,a crowd that was msg loud and the world series being right next door didn't hurt.

Actually the World Series was only playing during Night 4. Sorry to burst your thinking 3 was the best theory

pearljim · May 2010

Me being front row right in front of Mike thanks to my dear friend Dianne winning the lotto. That's what made it the best

gems_and_rhinestones · May 2010

The atmosphere on night 3 was electric.....! And the set list on night 3 rocked!

RGarabed21 · May 2010

they played HOLD ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jamminpearls · May 2010

RedMosquito22 wrote:

jamminpearls wrote:

The insane setlist,a crowd that was msg loud and the world series being right next door didn't hurt.

Actually the World Series was only playing during Night 4. Sorry to burst your thinking 3 was the best theory

I know there wasn't a game that night I said it was right next door not going on at that exact second.

NYCPJ · May 2010

It was the best PJ Ive seen, but i havent seen many. It was one of the best ive heard (now im counting shows I only know by bootlegs). I think its hard to pick one single greatest show or a single live performance of one song. I do think that Philly3 will be considered on of the epic shows in PJ history, but I wouldnt argue if someone were to say that any one of Mansfield 7/11/03, the '03 MSG shows, Seattle 11/6/00, Las Vegas 00, Randalls Island, Fox Theater 94, Melbourne 98, etc were better, more epic, etc. In other words, there is an upper tier of shows and I would include Philly3 in that category. What made it great? the atmosphere was incredible, the set list was incredible (Off he goes, Parting ways, deep, breath, Hold on, Tremor Christ, Untitled/MFC, Habit) and, perhaps most importantly, the band was on fire. And these are the three elements, IMO, that you need for an epic show (also helpful to have a few rare songs). Often people get tied up in focusing on the set list, but that shouldnt be the entire analysis. In the end, It may just be a matter of personal preference. In that regard, there are shows like Santa Barbara 2006 that I love, but others may not (ie., some people may go to the bathroom during the acoustic set, moaning that they arent playing Spin the Black CIrcle, but I would love to hear Man of the Hour).

Was it better than Philly4? I dont know - i wasnt at Philly4. I do know that my preference is towards the Phiily 3 set list. And I know they were on their game that night. Its subjective.

SVRDhand13 · May 2010

NYCPJ wrote:

It was the best PJ Ive seen, but i havent seen many. It was one of the best ive heard (now im counting shows I only know by bootlegs). I think its hard to pick one single greatest show or a single live performance of one song. I do think that Philly3 will be considered on of the epic shows in PJ history, but I wouldnt argue if someone were to say that any one of Mansfield 7/11/03, the '03 MSG shows, Seattle 11/6/00, Las Vegas 00, Randalls Island, Fox Theater 94, Melbourne 98, etc were better, more epic, etc. In other words, there is an upper tier of shows and I would include Philly3 in that category. What made it great? the atmosphere was incredible, the set list was incredible (Off he goes, Parting ways, deep, breath, Hold on, Tremor Christ, Untitled/MFC, Habit) and, perhaps most importantly, the band was on fire. And these are the three elements, IMO, that you need for an epic show (also helpful to have a few rare songs). Often people get tied up in focusing on the set list, but that shouldnt be the entire analysis. In the end, It may just be a matter of personal preference. In that regard, there are shows like Santa Barbara 2006 that I love, but others may not (ie., some people may go to the bathroom during the acoustic set, moaning that they arent playing Spin the Black CIrcle, but I would love to hear Man of the Hour).

Was it better than Philly4? I dont know - i wasnt at Philly4. I do know that my preference is towards the Phiily 3 set list. And I know they were on their game that night. Its subjective.

Nice response. I agree that their is an upper tier that some shows fall into. I also feel like some setlists will be loved by some, while others don't really get them.

PureandEasy · May 2010

There is no such thing as the best ever show. It's too subjective.

I've been to over 40 PJ shows and was at all four Philly shows - and I can say out of the four, Friday was the best. I had NO voice left after that show. I met up with Boom later at the hotel and he was laughing at me because I had no voice.

rival. · May 2010

best show out of the 4 hands down.

but to say the best ever is a stretch.

JL19851 · May 2010

The whole concept of the best show ever is very subjective indeed.

A prior post mentioned that they wouldn't argue with either MSG show from '03, yet I thought both of the '08 shows at the Garden were actually better and more fun than the '03 shows (I've been to all 6 at MSG thus far). I also thought all 4 of those were better than Mansfield '03. However, seems like I may be in the minority despite having experienced those shows because I took a different subjective meaning to each of the shows.

That being said, the show I think is the best I've seen is the Philly 4 show despite not caring at all about the Spectrum (I thought it was a dump of the highest degree...as sad as if they tore down the very similar Nassau Coliseum). It was just an exceptionally fun and on night for the band, for me, and really had them at their best. I can't even imagine it being toppled on my personal list despite having a major personal preference for Madison Square Garden in general.

I also think people's perceptions of shows depend on a number of things. First, I think people value night 3 more than night 4 because night 3 was a surprise great show whereas night 4 was supposed to be the most epic ever, or more generally, expectations matter more than you think. Second, I think the quality of the bootlegs affect people's perceptions, as the MSGs from 08 had terrible recordings despite being such great experiences and the '03 bootlegs are pretty decent. Third, I think people naturally pump the show they were at as compared to others because it is hard to imagine the energy that you get that night being transferred to another setting for someone else so easily (I suffer from this all the time).

behindtheeyes · May 2010

For me, it felt like the perfect storm of the crowd feeding off the band and the band feeding off the crowd and the fever just escalated. I just listened to my boot- Ed even says he doesn't want it to end. And I've been to a couple Philly shows, but when he said 'this is the crowd we've been waiting for', I have never heard a crowd scream so loud for so long!!!

Best ever? Like people have said- that's subjective. It's number 1 for me! The 31st was alot of fun- it just felt like one huge party. But Night 3 was pure emotion!!

NYCPJ · May 2010

JL19851 wrote:

The whole concept of the best show ever is very subjective indeed.

A prior post mentioned that they wouldn't argue with either MSG show from '03, yet I thought both of the '08 shows at the Garden were actually better and more fun than the '03 shows (I've been to all 6 at MSG thus far).

I also think people's perceptions of shows depend on a number of things. First, I think people value night 3 more than night 4 because night 3 was a surprise great show whereas night 4 was supposed to be the most epic ever, or more generally, expectations matter more than you think. Second, I think the quality of the bootlegs affect people's perceptions, as the MSGs from 08 had terrible recordings despite being such great experiences and the '03 bootlegs are pretty decent. Third, I think people naturally pump the show they were at as compared to others because it is hard to imagine the energy that you get that night being transferred to another setting for someone else so easily (I suffer from this all the time).

Im glad you think highly of MSG 08 -- i loved those shows, but didnt use them as an example of an upper tier show because most people mention the '03 shows and, as you said, people pump their own shows and I didnt want to be accused of that!

Another aspect of the "best show" discussion that I never understand -- why do people bash the shows they dont attend? You see a lot of it when comparing Philly3 and 4. People bash MSG shows as overrated. I remember people hammering the 2008 Beacon show before it began (must be a greatest hits show, not as good as the vic, etc). We got Undone, Masters of War, Harvest Moon, Low Light and a killer version of Black. It was a chance to see PJ in an 80 year-old small vaudeville theater and, most importantly, PJ raised a lot of money for charity that night. Why cant the shows stand on their own? no need to denegrate other shows to bolster the shows that you attend!

81 · May 2010

you'll never be able to define best show ever...

however, i think it's fair to put shows into catagories and most shows will fall into the average catagoy.

in that top tier catagoy, you will find philly 3 and philly 4

MayDay10 · May 2010

My shows' power rankings. I consider Philly III my 3rd favorite show out of my measly list.

1. Buffalo 03
2. Philly IV 09
3. Philly III 09
4. NJ II 06
5. Philly I 09
6. Buffalo 10
7. Toronto 09
8. Cleveland 10
9 Boston I 04
10. Boston II 04
11. Philly II 09
12. Camden I 08
13. Camden II 08
14. Hartford 06

PatricSaint III · May 2010

Philly 3 was great because I decided to take that night off, give away my tickets (5th row right in front of Mikey) and take my girl to go see Thievery Corporation instead. :twisted:

BinauralJam · May 2010

pearljim wrote:

Me being front row right in front of Mike thanks to my dear friend Dianne winning the lotto. That's what made it the best

Fn A

SVRDhand13 · May 2010

PatricSaint III wrote:

Philly 3 was great because I decided to take that night off, give away my tickets (5th row right in front of Mikey) and take my girl to go see Thievery Corporation instead. :twisted:

Ouch, sorry to hear. I have to give you props though for treating your girl right.

rolenrock · May 2010

Its all opinion.. PHilly 2 was the best in my opinion... The showgirl and the fact that the Phils were winning ... everyone was checking their phones and having an AMAZING time.. I thought the energy was much higher on Night 2 than the other nights.

81 · May 2010

rolenrock wrote:

Its all opinion.. PHilly 2 was the best in my opinion... The showgirl and the fact that the Phils were winning ... everyone was checking their phones and having an AMAZING time.. I thought the energy was much higher on Night 2 than the other nights.

they had a ring girl on sat night.....until the phillies started losing.

over bends · May 2010

I think the lack of a World Series going on made Night 3 better. The next night too many people were looking at their phones for updates, even sad because the Phillies lost... no distractions on Night 3. Pure Pearl Jam, with a killer set list and crowd energy.

"This is the crowd we've been waiting for."

ECM · May 2010

If you want to base it by setlist, debatable....

However, if you ask me, what show was the better experience / event... Philly 4 hands down

BinauralJam · May 2010

NYCPJ wrote:

JL19851 wrote:

The whole concept of the best show ever is very subjective indeed.

A prior post mentioned that they wouldn't argue with either MSG show from '03, yet I thought both of the '08 shows at the Garden were actually better and more fun than the '03 shows (I've been to all 6 at MSG thus far).

I also think people's perceptions of shows depend on a number of things. First, I think people value night 3 more than night 4 because night 3 was a surprise great show whereas night 4 was supposed to be the most epic ever, or more generally, expectations matter more than you think. Second, I think the quality of the bootlegs affect people's perceptions, as the MSGs from 08 had terrible recordings despite being such great experiences and the '03 bootlegs are pretty decent. Third, I think people naturally pump the show they were at as compared to others because it is hard to imagine the energy that you get that night being transferred to another setting for someone else so easily (I suffer from this all the time).

Im glad you think highly of MSG 08 -- i loved those shows, but didnt use them as an example of an upper tier show because most people mention the '03 shows and, as you said, people pump their own shows and I didnt want to be accused of that!

Another aspect of the "best show" discussion that I never understand -- why do people bash the shows they dont attend? You see a lot of it when comparing Philly3 and 4. People bash MSG shows as overrated. I remember people hammering the 2008 Beacon show before it began (must be a greatest hits show, not as good as the vic, etc). We got Undone, Masters of War, Harvest Moon, Low Light and a killer version of Black. It was a chance to see PJ in an 80 year-old small vaudeville theater and, most importantly, PJ raised a lot of money for charity that night. Why cant the shows stand on their own? no need to denegrate other shows to bolster the shows that you attend!

08 did rock, best ever, i don't know , but good enough dammit

firecrotch23 · May 2010

its way too subjective to say that it was the best ever, in the upper ranks of the shows, no doubt. for the shows ive seen, its a toss up between this, wachovia 05, the vic and gorge 1 in 06. all were great for their own reasons, imo

Tone · May 2010

It's totally subjective, but hands-down the best show I've ever seen. Why? A number of reasons I've listed countless times on this site:

- it was my birthday
- I was 3rd row
- First time I heard: Once, Deep, In Hiding, Footsteps, Breath, Hold On, Baba

The energy was amazing, the crowd was so loud and the overall experience in Philly is what made all those shows so very special. There was such camaraderie that whole week and you couldn't help but get swept up with just how special it was to experience those 4 shows with so many like-minded people. I loved all those 4, but Philly 3 was by far my favourite (as others have said, no games distracting people, that drove me nuts Philly 2). Those 4 shows blow MSG 08 out of the water for me... but that's JMO. It would take a hell of a show to knock them out of the top spots for me. Cleveland has come the closest, cause I finally heard WASH and then got IN HIDING again (my 2 favourite songs).

SVRDhand13 · May 2010

firecrotch23 wrote:

its way too subjective to say that it was the best ever, in the upper ranks of the shows, no doubt. for the shows ive seen, its a toss up between this, wachovia 05, the vic and gorge 1 in 06. all were great for their own reasons, imo

I hate Gorge night 1 because I realize it was better than night 2, and I was at night 2

. But that show will always hold a very special place in my heart.

HollisBrown · May 2010

SVRDhand13 wrote:

A lot of people on this forum have been saying that they believe Philly Night 3 is the best show in Pearl Jam's history. I was there that night and I absolutely loved the show, but I'm finding it hard to believe it is #1. The crowd energy was great and the setlist rocked, but what makes it better than the next night (Philly 10/31) Mansfield 3, any of the MSG shows, Atlanta 94, Randall's Island, or any other show?

My wife and I were there. Plain and simple.

PatricSaint III · May 2010

SVRDhand13 wrote:

PatricSaint III wrote:

Philly 3 was great because I decided to take that night off, give away my tickets (5th row right in front of Mikey) and take my girl to go see Thievery Corporation instead. :twisted:

Ouch, sorry to hear. I have to give you props though for treating your girl right.

thanks for the props but it was a no brainer. i had been at the first two shows and was going to the last show and really needed a night off. i'm glad people think show 3 was awesome.

Yellow Bedwetter · May 2010

it was the only one i missed of the four cuz i had to go to a stupid wedding...still regret it now that im no longer w/the gf

What Made Philly Night 3 &quot;The Best&quot;?

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What Made Philly Night 3 "The Best"?