Happy 13th Birthday to the best PJ show EVER!
My first Pearl Jam show and what a way to start!
Happy Birthday old friend!
09/29/96 – Downing Stadium (Randall’s Island): New York, NY [168m]
attendance: 30,000
support act: Ben Harper, The Fastbacks
set: Sometimes, Go, Spin the Black Circle, Hail Hail, Animal, Tremor Christ, Who You Are, Corduroy, Lukin, Better Man, Not for You, Jeremy (new), Once, Rats, Last Exit, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Whipping, I Got Shit, Black, Alive, Porch
enc 1: In My Tree, Even Flow, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(ABitW)/(WMA), Mankind, Long Road, Leaving Here
enc 2: Off He Goes, Present Tense, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: A nearly three-hour show with a raging pit. The band stops playing several times in an effort to get the crowd to settle down. During ‘Porch,’ Ed duct-tapes his *entire* body and jumps into the pit. (Thought we’d never see that again!) Just before the first encore, someone throws an “Eddie Vedder for President” t-shirt up on stage. Ed looks at it and says, “Well I’ll tell you the truth … I smoke pot! I didn’t exhale though!” Stone asks for a chant of “Stone, Stone, Stone!” before singing ‘Mankind.’ During the encore, Mike starts playing ‘Yellow Ledbetter’ after ‘Leaving Here,’ Ed stops him and they go into ‘Off He Goes’ followed by ‘Present Tense!’ Incredible setlist.
Happy Birthday old friend!
09/29/96 – Downing Stadium (Randall’s Island): New York, NY [168m]
attendance: 30,000
support act: Ben Harper, The Fastbacks
set: Sometimes, Go, Spin the Black Circle, Hail Hail, Animal, Tremor Christ, Who You Are, Corduroy, Lukin, Better Man, Not for You, Jeremy (new), Once, Rats, Last Exit, Habit, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Whipping, I Got Shit, Black, Alive, Porch
enc 1: In My Tree, Even Flow, Daughter/(The Real Me)/(ABitW)/(WMA), Mankind, Long Road, Leaving Here
enc 2: Off He Goes, Present Tense, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: A nearly three-hour show with a raging pit. The band stops playing several times in an effort to get the crowd to settle down. During ‘Porch,’ Ed duct-tapes his *entire* body and jumps into the pit. (Thought we’d never see that again!) Just before the first encore, someone throws an “Eddie Vedder for President” t-shirt up on stage. Ed looks at it and says, “Well I’ll tell you the truth … I smoke pot! I didn’t exhale though!” Stone asks for a chant of “Stone, Stone, Stone!” before singing ‘Mankind.’ During the encore, Mike starts playing ‘Yellow Ledbetter’ after ‘Leaving Here,’ Ed stops him and they go into ‘Off He Goes’ followed by ‘Present Tense!’ Incredible setlist.
1996: Randall's Island 2 1998: East Rutherford | MSG 1 & 2 2000: Cincinnati | Columbus | Jones Beach 1, 2, & 3 | Boston 1 | Camden 1 & 2 2003: Philadelphia | Uniondale | MSG 1 & 2 | Holmdel 2005: Atlantic City 1 2006: Camden 1 | East Rutherford 1 & 2 2008: Camden 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Newark (EV) 2009: Philadelphia 1, 2 & 4 2010: Newark | MSG 1 & 2 2011: Toronto 1 2013: Wrigley Field | Brooklyn 2 | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore 2015: Central Park 2016: Philadelphia 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Fenway Park 2 | MSG (TOTD) 2017: Brooklyn (RnR HOF) 2020: MSG | Asbury Park 2021: Asbury Park 2022: MSG | Camden | Nashville 2024: MSG 1 & 2 (#50) | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore 2025: Raleigh
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Thanks for the thread. This was a week that fixed me. Went through a lot of changes that week. Moved. Shaved my head. I was in a bad spot and my usual outlets (Dead shows & Tuesdays @ Wetlands)were no more. On the 20th my friend Dave showed up at my new apartment and says, I just got two tix to PJ @ Maple Leaf Gardens and need someone to go with me but we have to leave now and oh yeah, I have tix to two more shows when we get back. Three shows, 8 days, God knows how many miles.. John Popper night one. Just trying not to get trampled in Toronto on the floor. Hung back on night 2 at this show above and pretty much let the last week sink in.
Good call on2legs.
Maple Leaf Gardens - Sep 21 - Downing Stadium, Randall's Island - Sep 28,29 1996 Blockbuster Music Entertainment Center - Aug 29 - Continental Arena - Sep 08 - MSG - Sep 10,11 1998 Jones Beach Music Theatre - Aug 24,25 2000 MSG - Jun 25, 2008 United Center - Aug 23,24 - Philly Spectrum - October 28,31 2009 PruCenter - May 18 - MSG - May 20,21 2010
Thanks for bringing this anniversary to my attention. It's starting my day out right and I'm going to listen to the that show all morning. Thanks again.
I wish they would play that Alt version of Jeremy again.
It's 13 for Boys (Bar Mitzvah)
12 for girls (Bat Mitzvah)
either way, LA HEIM!
GREATEST SHOW EVER!
No assigned seating.....people were still "moshing" to PJ back in those dyas,,,,,,i was small, but made my way thru the rowdy crowd, and was 4th row dead center.....AMAZING!
First thing Vedder said was how dissapointed in themselves from their performance the nite before, and that they were going to play the songs the best they ever have.....Had the crowd pumped right there
EDIT: I dont know if many know this but it is 100% true.....
Me, my cousin and my father got there early tht day and were hanging around. There was this clown going up to people, fucking with them, trying to get peoples attention. EVERYBODY was breaking this clowns balls....throwing shit at him, just abusing him
2 years later i read somewhere (might have been the spin edition with PJ on the cover) how Eddie Vedder does whacky type shit, and one of them was that hours before that show Eddie Vedder dressed as a clown and was in the crowd
Either way one for the ages....
it's amazing how many peoples first show this was.
amazing night to say the least. There was just something in the air that night (other than reefer)
odd that we havent already
Anyway, it was $50 but I had a $25 gift card so I went ahead and bought it. It was incredible! For an unofficial, crowd-recorded bootleg it actually had very good sound. A great purchase, I must say.
(And another quick note - although I love the official boots b/c of the quality, I really do miss the days of buying actual bootlegs. You would find these crazy compilations and concert in some local store or back-alley shop. I remember going to the Ocean City boardwalk and the Surf Mall and another store or two would have these shady back rooms where they'd sell all kinds of bootlegs along with posters, concert bills, and drug paraphanelia. You paid too much and you never knew what you were actually getting. Sometimes you got burned but sometimes you scored like with this concert bootleg. There was a romantic element to it.)
I think that stood for a while as the record for the most songs they have every played in a night. I think I still have the 3 CD's in my car. I haven't listened to them in forever, so I think I'll pop it in on the ride home from work today.
The second night, my first night with Fan Club tickets, we stayed back by the sound board and it was just amazing. I've been to other shows but this one will always stand out as the best.
with backstage passes
up front in that mass
first present tense
best pj show ever IMHO
Just going setlist for setlist and crowd enthusiasm - I would have to say 9/11/98 MSG owns this show.
If you recall there were only a smattering of the "Breath" signs on 9/10/98 and the next night it was as if the entire Garden had them. "Well fuck you, we're gonna play it" - I am totally MSG biased. Only arena on earth where the whole place bounces from floor to ceiling.
Out of the few shows I have been to, Toronto/Downing Stadium run 96 is second only to the continental/MSG run in 98 - McGwire breaking the record during the show @ Continental & MSG just being MSG - always legendary.
If you have never been to a MSG show - you must get to one.
Maple Leaf Gardens - Sep 21 - Downing Stadium, Randall's Island - Sep 28,29 1996 Blockbuster Music Entertainment Center - Aug 29 - Continental Arena - Sep 08 - MSG - Sep 10,11 1998 Jones Beach Music Theatre - Aug 24,25 2000 MSG - Jun 25, 2008 United Center - Aug 23,24 - Philly Spectrum - October 28,31 2009 PruCenter - May 18 - MSG - May 20,21 2010
really? the msg show was that good?
Never heard the band that tight since then, honestly...
the place was an absolute zoo....they closed with Alive, and Ed threw the mic around the lighting rig, climbed up the cord and hung there for the end of the song.....
Eddie climbing his mic chord up the lighting rig was amazing. Seeing Ben Harper sing Indifference together for what may have been the first time was amazing. Getting a Breath Sign, which I still have and holding it up after the 1st encore was amazing.
But in the end, after all is said and done you never forget your first. And it was messy and fumbly and awkward...but it was the best show I've ever seen in my life.
I was at both and 9/11/98 was phenomenal, but Randall's Island had unbelievable energy that night. If an outdoor venue could have bounced - it would have been Downing Stadium that night.