My "Portland" Experience, Partially Ruined

Yes Way

I have been reading all the stuff about how bad the crowds were in Seattle and how great "Portland" was. I had a very opposite experience.

I would write about it here, but it would be too long for this format. If you care about what I encountered, click on http://matthewtrent.blogspot.com/

Just know that I have family who reads my blog, and so I explained a couple things for them. I know you're not stupid. Let me know what you think, if you care. This band means a lot to me, and I can't allow people to act like idiots without at least writing something they'll never read.

My review, briefly. Show was great, Red Mosquito and Golden State were treats, and the new songs are so much better live (and they're already very good on the album). But all you old-timers know, crowd or no, that Seattle 2 was better because of the setlist, if nothing else.

Thoughts?

EquallyWorthless

well, that is unfortunate. I try not to let the people around me ruin the show and just enjoy what is going on up on the stage.

Yes Way

I absolutely agree with you. My real problem was the fact that every time they conspired to come up with some witty fun-poking, they put their heads together and thus obstructed my entire view. This happened many times each and every song, and it was truly impossible not to get sucked in to their crappy drama.

Sorry to sound complain-y, absolutely not what I'm going for.

BE9456

what seat and section were you?

I was 102 row G seat 20, where you talkin about the drunk dudes next to me? They were fans, I was taklin to em, they were just hella drunk. It s a concert it happens.

SolarWorld

This would have really pissed me off. I had the best seats ever in my 30 times of seeing them Saturday (thank you 10C) and if two jerks acted like that in front of me I probably would have said something. It probably would have escalated too. Sorry this great show was ruined for you by these guys.

Yes Way

BE9456 wrote:

what seat and section were you?

I was 102 row G seat 20, where you talkin about the drunk dudes next to me? They were fans, I was taklin to em, they were just hella drunk. It s a concert it happens.

No, they weren't drunk at all. They were the earplug wearing, arms folded type. And I don't mean this as a critique of what kind of fan each person is, simply it is a description. Notice that I haven't even mentioned it to this point.

Frankly, I don't care if someone is drunk if they're having a good time and not consistently bothering me. My main point of this whole thing is that I am deeply bothered by people coming to a Pearl Jam concert and spending their entire time making fun of people and doing it in a way that I can't ignore without trading tickets with someone else. That's all. If anyone thinks that this behavior is consistent with Pearl Jam's apparent values, then I will stop being upset.

All you need is love.

PB11041

"If anyone thinks that this behavior is consistent with Pearl Jam's apparent values, then I will stop being upset."

Unfortunately Pearl Jam's apparent values do not cross streams with the fan base at every juncture. While it sucks you had a bad time the fact is you let yourself be distracted by these two. The ticket you buy for better or worse does not come with a "you will not sit next to a jack-ass" clause. I have been goign to pearl jam shows since 1996 and have been a fan of the band since the release of ten. I have seen it all and then some. Everything to the human version of Butthead literally attempting to sing stone's guitar part on Do the Evolution at Jones Beach in 2000, to a man who threatened to run over everyone with his pick up truck in the camping lot at Barrie Ontario in 1998 (mind you this was at 3am after well after his preshow and post show tirades) Guy wanted to kill people he perceived as "looking" at his girlfriend, which according to him was everyone not blind. Then of course there is always the stoned sixteen year old from Saratoga in 2000 who insisted to me that it was "his right" to climb over me seats to get into the pit. I tolerated his stupidity half heartidly when he attempted to use me as his pummel horse, but when being turned away when he tried to climb over my pregnant wifes back he had to be taught a lesson in humanity.

People are stupid, the sooner you accept that is part of the natural order of things, two morons will bother you much less and you will focus on the task at hand drowning out their useless whimsy. And who knows next time you might sit next to a half dozen really cool people. Life is sort of random that way.

TuckerKatt

You are upset that the people in front of you talked to each other?

AvocadoLady

Yes Way wrote:

No, they weren't drunk at all. They were the earplug wearing, arms folded type.

...what's wrong with wearing earplugs? :?

Yes Way

And apparently I did a bad job of making my point, or else people are commenting on the comments without reading the blog at the beginning first. Either way, this is going nowhere. Sorry.

slightofjeff

So nobody got drunk and puked on you. Nobody tried to pick a fight with you. Nobody did the "excuse me, excuse me, pardon me" thing across you 27 times because they couldn't stop drinking beer and/or pissing.

They just ... swayed back and forth? And talked? And made fun of some other people?

I'm sorry, but they would have to be really obnoxious -- I'm talking "screaming profanity during Ed banter" obnoxious -- to ruin a show for me.

I wasn't there, so I can't judge. But it sounds to me like you might be being a little too sensitive.

PB11041

Yes Way wrote:

And apparently I did a bad job of making my point, or else people are commenting on the comments without reading the blog at the beginning first. Either way, this is going nowhere. Sorry.

I am pretty sure most people got your point. I read your blogpost, you are talking about elitism and simultaneously dropping terms like "real fans". I am not excusing anyones behavior because I was not there, but frankly if they were making fun of people losing their minds over even flow, no harm no foul, I mean in the same breath you said it was a song that "casual fans" get excite about, not "real fans".

I think you can see where I am going with this. You are over philosophizing a quiet random situation, that being a rock n roll concert. It should be fun, it can be really memorable, but it can also be a window into the bizarre nature of humanity.

Yes Way

Not to sound defensive or anything, but I can't find anywhere that I used the term "real fans." And I used "casual fans" to describe people who are typically excited by Evenflow, Alive, Betterman, etc. I truly don't mean it to sound judgmental. It describes some of my best friends.

And I do apologize that this has been interpreted as me complaining about a Pearl Jam show. Not my intent. I was saddened to see some pretty senior Fan Club members dedicate their entire time to clowning "casual fans." I'm idealist, I know.

And thank you PB11041 for reading first. I agree with a lot that you say. And I do tend to think the best of people, and it's naive to think that everyone will act grown-up. But remember, the experience was only partially ruined. I certainly had a great time during all the rest. And something not enough people are talking about is this: Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 kick ass. I wonder how much a part they play in raising PJ's game.