Ed said that they could've been playing the Carnegie Hall the night before and still would've sounded shit. Were they bad in Manchester?!
I think one of the reasons they were so great at the O2 might've been that it was all about the music and the occasion, without the band feeling the need to convey the anti-Bush feeling from recent years.
I thought they sounded fine in Manchester, I can't quite put my finger on it but if anything for me the set list didn't flow as well as it did at the other shows.
Oh and here's some pics a friend took at the O2 gig.
My PJ shows:
London 28/10/96, Las Vegas 11/7/98, London 29/5/00, Nurnburg 11/6/00, Prague 14/6/00, Salzburg 18/6/00, Verona 20/6/00, Milan 22/6/00, Zurich 23/6/00, New York 8-9/7/03, Boston 11/7/03, Reading Festival 27/8/06, Shepards Bush 11/8/09, Berlin 15/8/09, Manchester 17/8/09, London 18/8/09, Dublin 22/6/10, Belfast 23/6/10, London (HRC) 25/6/10, Alpine Valley (PJ20) 3-4/9/11, Manchester 20-21/6/12, Leeds 8/7/14, Milton Keynes 11/7/14 To be continued....
Pearl Jam are in perfect harmony with their fans
By John Aizlewood, Evening Standard 19.08.09 More reviews by John Aizlewood
Mr Chat: the usually sulky frontman Eddie Vedder was in a talkative mood
From the Borderline in '92 to the O2 in '09, it's been a long slog for Pearl Jam.
With Soundgarden and Nirvana long gone, they are the last band standing of the Seattle grunge titans who changed the course of pop music in the early Nineties.
These days, they're standing taller than ever and last night's 28-song jamboree sold out in 14 minutes.
More to the point, having spent much of this century in a water-treading coma, they have re-engaged and for all singer Eddie Vedder's protestations that "we have to pace ourselves these days", last night's nearly three-hour set suggests these fortysomethings are not wilting.
It's taken them a while and although you wouldn't know it from Vedder's unbecoming outfit of shorts, trainers and socks, Pearl Jam have grown up.
Where once they were sulkier than a poutload of supermodels, these days Vedder is Mr Chat and his colleagues Mr Smiles.
Surprising as it seemed, Vedder (now resembling the improbable offspring of Bill Bailey and Mission-period Robert De Niro) actually seemed to enjoy himself.
When covering The Who's Love Reign O'er Me; Holland-Dozier-Holland's Leaving Here or even the ominous Victoria Williams obscurity Crazy Mary, he glowed, a singing child in a musical sweetshop.
To the delight of an audience including actors Josh Brolin, Jonah Hill, Tim Robbins (to whom Vedder dedicated Blood) and Diane Lane, they embraced old and new.
During the elderly Even Flow, Mike McCready's guitar solo lasted so long Vedder had time to smoke a cigarette. They are Pearl Jam; they are above the law.
The new material sizzled too, particularly the fierce Got Some and, on its live debut, Supersonic.
Along the way, they paid homage to O2 no-show Michael Jackson with a burst of Ben before Rats (Ben being a rat in Jackson's song) and snuck in rarities such as I Got ID.
Ultimately though, this was that rarest of exchanges: a band and their audience in perfect harmony, literally during the singalong that was Alive.
"After tonight, we won't be in Europe for some time," explained Vedder. They're welcome back any time.
Considering that John Aizlewood has been second only to Everett True in slagging off the band over the years, this review is tantamount to a miraculous conversion. This is like Saul's conversion to Paul.
Hi I have just joined this awesome club.Should have joined years and years ago,but we all make one big mistake in our lives!! Before "That O2" show I last saw Pearl Jam on the No Code tour at Wembley,even though they were great on that night all those years ago,having seen them at the O2 I must say they have just grown and grown in ability. Eddies voice is as good as ever(and the humour),and the band play as tight as you can get.True professionals. What made this show special for me was the unique atmosphere,it was a very moving experience at times and I cant remember ever going to a show with that vibe. The crowd deserve a special salute - thanks folks and well done!!
Then there was the setlist-and the band got this just right.To start with Release,nearly bought tears to my ageing eyes.Animal,Rats,Life Wasted,Alive the list goes on and on. Has there ever been a band in music history who can play such a wide ranging style in songs,from such a diverse back catalogue,I very much doubt it. What was just as important was the length of time the band were on stage-an energy sapping 2 and a half hours.Pearl Jam certainly give value for money-all this for a mere 45 quid!!!
Finally ,what a venue to host the worlds most premier band in.The sound and acoustics were excellent. It has only been a week since this historic Pearl Jam gig,and not a minute goes by without me thinking of it,utterly unforgattable. Even the wonderful wife enjoyed it,and when my beautiful twins grow up and get into music whats the first thing I will tell them about??
don't suppose anyone has got a you tube clip of got some from the O2 GIG.
PLEASE PLEASE
Glasgow cathouse-1992-2-23, San diego sports arena-1995-11-06 & 07, Glasgow secc-2000-06-03, Tampa st petes times forum-2003-04-13, London O2 arena-2009-08-18, Belfast odyssey arena-2010-06-23.Leeds 2014 - 07-08
there was not a single empty seat in the place...not 1!
There probably was...
yep..not 1..manchester was empty alot..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Manchester was a great set but O2 was better in all regards, band, crowd, set all phenomenal... truly memorable. It only needs 3 words:
We Were There....
exactly..i feel so lucky be in this concert
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Twas a great, great show, those guys will never disappoint.
exactly..where were u? i lost u in manchester and london too...
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
The best PJ gig i've ever been to. Was totally blown away. The Fixer was awesome. Thought the crowd kicked off from beginning to end, such a great atmosphere
anybody see the review in kerrang, i had a quick read in the shop, they gave the show 4k's and said it sold out in minutes even with the band getting no airplay or anything, but only sold out because they promised to play song off of backspacer, and that only the old classics like even flow, and alive got the crowd reaction, and that the crown was getting bored and restless with the obscure songs, that they may not have recognised, and that the set was not flowing great with too many slower - rare songs to stop the flow.
now the reviwer didn't say it in those excact word, but from my quick read thats the impression that i got he was trying to say.. he did say it was a great show although, but i was left thinking... was he even there... were the crowd getting bored, and only reacting to the known song, maybe at the back, but not where i was standing...
anybody else read this and get a different interpritation than me, i mean maybe i read into it wrong.
Glasgow cathouse-1992-2-23, San diego sports arena-1995-11-06 & 07, Glasgow secc-2000-06-03, Tampa st petes times forum-2003-04-13, London O2 arena-2009-08-18, Belfast odyssey arena-2010-06-23.Leeds 2014 - 07-08
I thought the same as you. seemed like they weren't at the show !!! seemed esp. odd compared to Kerang review from SBE the wk before where they couldn't praise PJ enough!
only good thing was emma in the "is this u" pic
~~~~~~~~~~ PINK FLUFFY LOVE PSYCHO~~~~~~~~~~
Astoria,Dublin,Reading 06,Wembley 07,Sheapards Bush & o2 09 thats multiple Jamgasms!
For anyone not interested: the show of my life. I honestly doubt that anyone (maybe except Pearl Jam themselves) will ever top that. I treasure every little moment of it, and looking through photos, youtube and the bootleg I am getting more and more certain that I will never take back what I just wrote.
I will never forget that evening, and I believe that neither will anyone who has been there.
Thank you, Pearl Jam.
For anyone not interested: the show of my life. I honestly doubt that anyone (maybe except Pearl Jam themselves) will ever top that. I treasure every little moment of it, and looking through photos, youtube and the bootleg I am getting more and more certain that I will never take back what I just wrote.
I will never forget that evening, and I believe that neither will anyone who has been there.
Thank you, Pearl Jam.
Just read your blog. I agree with everything you've said in it. Except, I cried at Light Years.
It's not official!! Come on mate you know an official release would be faaaaar better than that! The audio is nice for an audience recording, better than the first source to surface, but it's obviously not soundboard. The whole thing is an audience 2 + 1 psuedo cam shot (the crowd shots are from the same cam that's up in the seats, just patched over).
It's exciting though, and I hope that when / if the official bootleg is released, they use the audio from that for this bootleg. Fair play to the guy who stood on the floor filming though... his arm must have been hurting Maybe he was at the very bottom of the seating? Wonder if they got the whole show...
It's not official!! Come on mate you know an official release would be faaaaar better than that! The audio is nice for an audience recording, better than the first source to surface, but it's obviously not soundboard. The whole thing is an audience 2 + 1 psuedo cam shot (the crowd shots are from the same cam that's up in the seats, just patched over).
It's exciting though, and I hope that when / if the official bootleg is released, they use the audio from that for this bootleg. Fair play to the guy who stood on the floor filming though... his arm must have been hurting Maybe he was at the very bottom of the seating? Wonder if they got the whole show...
Is that PJTour2008 channel just some guys doing there own thing on youtube and not official PJ? I'm pretty ignorant to that sort of thing...
Glasgow cathouse-1992-2-23, San diego sports arena-1995-11-06 & 07, Glasgow secc-2000-06-03, Tampa st petes times forum-2003-04-13, London O2 arena-2009-08-18, Belfast odyssey arena-2010-06-23.Leeds 2014 - 07-08
Definitely not official but really good ! Especially the crowd cam... I'm wondering if they will be posting more songs from the gig... it will be great if they can post the whole show!
thanks for the link. anyone know why it starts with immortality when the gig started with Release? Release is in at 48 mins. its like the boot starts two thirds of the way through the first set and ends with the first third? !
Rats was immense live, plus the ever amazing Porch. When they played Light Years UI cried the whole way through, takes me back to losing my Grandad. Better than the SBE gig as I could see! Thank you so much PJ xxxxx
Comments
I thought they sounded fine in Manchester, I can't quite put my finger on it but if anything for me the set list didn't flow as well as it did at the other shows.
Oh and here's some pics a friend took at the O2 gig.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41410670@N ... 9876/show/
London 28/10/96, Las Vegas 11/7/98, London 29/5/00, Nurnburg 11/6/00, Prague 14/6/00, Salzburg 18/6/00, Verona 20/6/00, Milan 22/6/00, Zurich 23/6/00, New York 8-9/7/03, Boston 11/7/03, Reading Festival 27/8/06, Shepards Bush 11/8/09, Berlin 15/8/09, Manchester 17/8/09, London 18/8/09, Dublin 22/6/10, Belfast 23/6/10, London (HRC) 25/6/10, Alpine Valley (PJ20) 3-4/9/11, Manchester 20-21/6/12, Leeds 8/7/14, Milton Keynes 11/7/14 To be continued....
Considering that John Aizlewood has been second only to Everett True in slagging off the band over the years, this review is tantamount to a miraculous conversion. This is like Saul's conversion to Paul.
Then there was the setlist-and the band got this just right.To start with Release,nearly bought tears to my ageing eyes.Animal,Rats,Life Wasted,Alive the list goes on and on. Has there ever been a band in music history who can play such a wide ranging style in songs,from such a diverse back catalogue,I very much doubt it. What was just as important was the length of time the band were on stage-an energy sapping 2 and a half hours.Pearl Jam certainly give value for money-all this for a mere 45 quid!!!
Finally ,what a venue to host the worlds most premier band in.The sound and acoustics were excellent. It has only been a week since this historic Pearl Jam gig,and not a minute goes by without me thinking of it,utterly unforgattable. Even the wonderful wife enjoyed it,and when my beautiful twins grow up and get into music whats the first thing I will tell them about??
PLEASE PLEASE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ4vhgZXkNM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mg5BSrt0gs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maEBUkWfeUc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8cs51sg_sc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy_Uf1C6 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy_Uf1C6 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YHQQKT1 ... rofilepage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhuLVp1c5a4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Dre0VbdPY
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
cheers dude. brings back happy memories.
now the reviwer didn't say it in those excact word, but from my quick read thats the impression that i got he was trying to say.. he did say it was a great show although, but i was left thinking... was he even there... were the crowd getting bored, and only reacting to the known song, maybe at the back, but not where i was standing...
anybody else read this and get a different interpritation than me, i mean maybe i read into it wrong.
only good thing was emma in the "is this u" pic
Astoria,Dublin,Reading 06,Wembley 07,Sheapards Bush & o2 09 thats multiple Jamgasms!
Folks these days just don't do nothing simple for the love of it
where?.i have looked on the net and cant find anything?
edit.....thanks wozza
For anyone not interested: the show of my life. I honestly doubt that anyone (maybe except Pearl Jam themselves) will ever top that. I treasure every little moment of it, and looking through photos, youtube and the bootleg I am getting more and more certain that I will never take back what I just wrote.
I will never forget that evening, and I believe that neither will anyone who has been there.
Thank you, Pearl Jam.
that is super cool
Folks these days just don't do nothing simple for the love of it
Just read your blog. I agree with everything you've said in it. Except, I cried at Light Years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuV-JBoIwio
This looks like it is from official Pearl Jam channels. Are we looking at a DVD release of this gig?
The comment says a preview of things to come...
Maybe Pearl Jam could push the boundaries a little and release DVD's of each show... now that is just being greedy!
Here is Supersonic from that same gig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpimqq1CXxk
On the same subject, Im certain that I saw a camera man put another drive on his camera.
It's not official!! Come on mate you know an official release would be faaaaar better than that! The audio is nice for an audience recording, better than the first source to surface, but it's obviously not soundboard. The whole thing is an audience 2 + 1 psuedo cam shot (the crowd shots are from the same cam that's up in the seats, just patched over).
It's exciting though, and I hope that when / if the official bootleg is released, they use the audio from that for this bootleg. Fair play to the guy who stood on the floor filming though... his arm must have been hurting
Is that PJTour2008 channel just some guys doing there own thing on youtube and not official PJ? I'm pretty ignorant to that sort of thing...
anybody got any links to those missing songs let me know.
http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?pi= ... B8A3D3CE30
enjoy
Definitely not official but really good ! Especially the crowd cam... I'm wondering if they will be posting more songs from the gig... it will be great if they can post the whole show!
thanks for the link. anyone know why it starts with immortality when the gig started with Release? Release is in at 48 mins. its like the boot starts two thirds of the way through the first set and ends with the first third? !
still, awesome.
AHHHH THERE HE IS!
WELL ALRIIIIIIGHT