Thanks Pearl Jam for the best rock shows of my life! I'm a born and bred Philly guy and can't thank Pearl Jam enough for coming to my city and making me proud to be a Pearl Jam fan,a Philadelphian,and a human being.
I honestly can say i will tell my children about these shows and how incredible they were.The fans were awesome and incredibly friendly in my opinion.I just wish people would stop nitpicking and judging others over the little things that don't matter.The vibe was incredible along with music and the feeling of togetherness to celebrate something great that is sadly coming to an end.
I can't say one negative thing it was a privilege an honor and a memory I will never forget ! Thank You Pearl Jam and the Spectrum.
An Incredible show....an incredible epic event.....although I understand some of the fanviews here regarding some of the casual fans....there are 100s of thousands of fans who want to go get loaded and hear jeremy alive even flow etc. Most of my friends are those guys.....
With that being said, I have been in 10 club for years *should be longer but wasnt smart enough to join when i was young and dumb...I have seen the band in excess of 30 times in many different countries and this show was the most memorable 3.5 hours and 40+ songs....
I sold my world series tickets to take my wife to this final show at the spectrum...an arena that I saw my first NHL game, first NBA game, first NHL playoff game, first concert (INXS), smoked my first j, drank my first sip of jack daniels and to see my all time favorite band close it was just mind numbing.
as for the music: whip it, crown of thorns, bugs, rats, sweet lou to just name a few
A bonus would have been a Phillies win but you cant always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need.....thank you Pearl Jam
There are no words to describe how awesome the past few nights have been. It was most definitely Pearl Jam history! I was in shock and awe when Eddie was being strapped up with his accordian...BUGS!!! NO WAY!
The set list was unreal, the fans were unreal, Pearl Jam was unreal, the city of Philadelphia was magical this weekend! When's the next show?!?!?!?!?!?!
This show was awesome !!!!!!!!!! This experence over the 3 shows I went to was one of the best I ever had. So First i would like to thank Eddie,Stone,Jeff,Mike,Matt,Boom for putting together 3 amazing shows. You guys out did your selves.You guys really made closing the spectrum and place were I grew up very special. Next, thanks to all the very nice Fans I met tailgating and @ sound check. You people made this experience so special ,I'm glad that I got to share the wealth with all of you.Last but not least I would like to thank my buddy Joe and his wife for tailgating with me and my wife. It was great that we ended up in the same row on Wed.
grieving dice, what were you wearing last night? I was the row behind you, seat 6 (though closer to seat 8 as the people next to me left), black and red plaid shirt. More noticeably, I was there with my 55 year-old mother, having a most fantastic time :P
what a great show. the Devo costumes and 'Whip It" was so cool. As usual they were on fire. So many great things - could probably list 30-35 of the 40 songs as highlights. Off the top of my head, Smile (1st time in 18 shows) was awesome ("I miss you already" I sang for the Spectrum), Unthought Known, Amongst the Waves, Porch and Rockin in the Free World (amazing with the confetti and balloons, could barely see the stage by the end). Just a great great show overall.
I make no apologies for checking my cell phone for World Series updates. I'm sorry if that conflicts with what some out-of-towners feel might be appropriate but the fact is the World Series if important to us and I don't think checking for a score is in anyway wrong or detrimental to the show. I will say I was acutally glad to see and hear very little in way of Phillies chants during the shows. A few here and there but nothing that was distracting to the shows in my mind. I will say I think it was a delicate situation for the band this week in dealing with the world series and they handled it so well - they managed to give it enough attention without interfering with their show. As usual they were spot on how they handled it in my opinion.
in closing let me say a very large THANK YOU to the guys, ED, Stone, Jeff, Mike, Matt, Boom and the whole Pearl Jam team for their efforts in honoring the Spectrum as they did. You could clearly tell that the band and Ed especially were very honored to be given the chance to close the place down and they did it with such Love and Respect that they must be commended for it. The Philadelphia PJ fans are truly honored to have been treated so well by the guys this past week. They did an unbelievable job and put forth an incredible effort all 4 nights. The physicality and emotion the guys put out each night is breathtaking - amazing as we get older that this band can still rock so darn hard for so long each night - simply amazing. It feels really good to have my favorite band be chosen to close the Spectrum and live up to the greatness of the building. I feel honored to be their fan at this moment, knowing they did it right and so damn well this week. Truly it must be said Thanks Guys!!!!!!! I don't think we could ever repay you for what you gave us this week. You've managed to get even deeper into our hearts. Thank You so much.
Look people, if you really need to worry about the crowds and the fans then I feel sorry for you. As long as I don't have anyone pouring beer on me, and no one is pissing off the band, then who cares what everyone else is doing. I think the show kicked ass and I had a kick ass time...if you are upset because the guy next to you is texting on his phone or sitting down then get up and leave, I'll enjoy seeing the show from your seat!
Boston MA 04, Ed Sullivan Theater NY 06, Hartford CT 06, *Hartford CT 08, Philly PA 2009, Hartford CT 10, Boston MA 10, Worcester MA 13, Hartford CT 13, St Paul 14, Quebec City CN 16, Boston MA (5 and 7) 2016
EV: Santa Cruz CA April 08, Montreal August 08,Balt MD 08, Providence RI 11, Hartford CT 11
I posted this in another thread, but I couldn't care less if you sat down and texted on your phone the whole time. But if what you're doing distracts me from having a great time, you can go to hell. If you're telling me to sit down while 90 percent of the rest of the arena is standing or bitching about the quiet songs so I can barely hear Ed, then you need to get the hell out of the concert. Go see Creed.
If your angle had been from the opposite side, I would have thought you were Little Bo Peep sitting next to me, video-taping every single damn song all freaking night. SO ANNOYING! It's one thing to take a photo here and there. I even recorded Whip It and a bit of the balloons falling. But do we really need to take these awful little digital camera videos of the entire damn show? Seriously? Do you have any idea just how distracting a tiny LCD screen in a dark concert venue can actually be to the people around you? And this girl had not one, but TWO cameras! TWO! One for video and one for still. And we were way up in 214, so it's not like our view was so great. Plus she kept checking her phone every 30 seconds. As did her friend. And the girl sitting in front of me!
Again, it's one thing to snap a few shots. Take a video of a rare song (or two). Even check your phone for a message or a game update. (I did this, and made sure to hide the screen from those around me so as not to be obnoxious). But the whole show? Absolutely, hands down, my biggest complaint from the 4 shows. I wish it was like the Ed shows where they just completely banned any and all of it.
Rant over.
Otherwise, I had a great time and am really glad to have been a part of history! I honestly had a better time at night 3, but lottery seats will do that for ya! All shows were solid. Sounded great. Band was ON! Can't imagine a better way to close that (piece of shit) building. I'll miss the acoustical brilliance of it, but sure as hell not the concourses or bathrooms!
Awesome night! Thanks to the best bad in the world, from the luckiest fans in the world! I love you Pearl Jam, you have made my midlife crisis a BLAST!
~*LIVE~LOVE~LAUGH*~
*May the Peace of the Wilderness be with YOU*
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
— Unknown
The show was absolutely amazing!! I was lucky enough to be at Friday night's show as well, and I think these 2 shows really complemented each other. They didn't leave me wanting anything!! Thanks PJ for an awesome and unforgettable weekend in Phili. The set lists were incredible. And I happen to love that they played their "greatest hits". It really bothers me when some fans complain about this. These are some of their best songs, and loved by everyone that gets to see them live. I'll never get tired of hearing daughter, betterman, black, etc being sung at the top of the lungs of 30000+ adoring fans.
This show was amazing, and I had a great time. It was a wonderful way to send off the Spectrum. All the rumors were a bit disappointing, but I came to see Pearl Jam, and that's exactly what I got.
Anyone else think night 3 was the best? I loved them all, of course, but night 3 was incredible. Although, I must say SMILE was an awesome highlight from night 4. I enjoyed all the theatrics at the end too, with all the balloons and confetti, but maybe that's just because I'm a girl.
I loved seeing all the costumes too, although there weren't as many as I expected!
Overall, awesome, awesome week. I feel very lucky, very grateful, and very very pleased.
Band and audience truly were rockin' in the free world. The festival of the Bacchanals reborn. Many lasting memories that a mom and her son will cherish forever. Thank you Pearl Jam for last night and the entire week. WOW,haven't been this high since the 70's, LOL. What a way to end a mind blowing week.
======================================================================
"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." Albert Pine.
Thanks Pearl Jam for the best rock shows of my life! I'm a born and bred Philly guy and can't thank Pearl Jam enough for coming to my city and making me proud to be a Pearl Jam fan,a Philadelphian,and a human being.
I honestly can say i will tell my children about these shows and how incredible they were.The fans were awesome and incredibly friendly in my opinion.I just wish people would stop nitpicking and judging others over the little things that don't matter.The vibe was incredible along with music and the feeling of togetherness to celebrate something great that is sadly coming to an end.
I can't say one negative thing it was a privilege an honor and a memory I will never forget ! Thank You Pearl Jam and the Spectrum.
Sincerely,
Jim
I must say Philadelphia and its fans are class acts ... the only time I've spent there is to see Pearl Jam really, in 2003 at the Spectrum and in 2005 at the Wachovia, but this week really has me in love with the city and all the cool people I met there, from those in the parking lot to those in the ten club sections where I sat, sections 105, 106 and Saturday night in section 214. I loved the emotion coming from those like Jim who grew up in Philadelphia going to events at the Spectrum .... there was one guy who was there with his mother who had seen Elvis play there, and another guy who went to the first rock concert there ever, with Janis Joplin and Vanilla Fudge. Pearl Jam sent the old place off to history in a fitting and deserving fashion for sure!!
I was alone and far away when I heard the band start playing!
...I was always a DeadHead, but when I first heard Winston Rodney, aka the Burning Spear, sing, I became a SpearHead too!
*My whole life-like a picture on a sunny day*
16 Philly / 14 Memphis / 13 Wrigley & Philly / 12 Atlanta & Philly / 09 Philly Spectrum I II III IV / 08 Camden I & II, MSG II / 07 Chicago Lolla / 06 E. Rutherford & Camden / 05 AC & Philly/ 04 Reading / 03 Philly & Camden / 98 Camden
Without a doubt a great show, though I must admit that personally it didn't live up to the hype (shocker). Long setlist with some obscurities (that Buckeye dude from this site got his Bugs wish!) but I honestly felt a more intense vibe from the crowd on Friday night. And so much for the hype of special guests. Don't get me wrong, it was a great show but I honestly liked Friday's show better. All that show lacked was the confetti and balloons. But a fine ending to a fine venue.
im with you! while sat nights lengthy performance was amazing....i gotta go with fridays performance as the best of the 3 i saw (missed tuesday's). but who else, aside from us lucky bastards in there, can say they saw bugs, out of my mind and whip it at a pearl jam show??? we all know the answer!!!
What a great show. I won the 9th row lottery (THANK YOU 10C) and loved every second. I was actually glad there weren't any special guests - the more PJ the better. Anyway...
HIGHLIGHTS:
- scoring $95 Flyers tix for $25 before the show (sect 122)
- winning the lottery!!!
- Phillies jersey
- the crowd chanting "Eddie! Eddie!" after he said something to the effect of "Why would you want billy joel and bon jovi when you have me?"
- bringing up Charlie, an 80-some year old member of the spectrum staff who worked there since the beginning (and the resulting "Charlie! Charlie!" chant)
- Whip it into Got Some (such irony)
- Out of My Mind/Sweet Lew/Crown of Thorns/Satans Bed, etc.
LOWLIGHTS
- getting in/out of bathrooms and the douche bags that think that shoving people and acting like ass-hats when nobody can move helps the situation
- running out of cash and finding out the ATM was broken. THEN finding out the nearest one is at the Wachovia Center!
All in all a great show. Can't wait for the boot to relive it. Thanks to 10c and the band for a truly memorable run!
Last night was unbelievable, I'm still so floored I don't even know what to say about it.
Had 8th row, section 103 on the inner aisle, THANK YOU so much Ten Club for these incredibly amazing seats!
Not really quite sure how many times I said 'Holy Shit' after we sat down before Bad Religion took the stage.
(((side note:: Bad Religion kick so much ass, it was fantastic to get to see them live after all of these years,)
Got to meet decides2dream who happened to be sitting right next to me, it was a fluke. Such a nice person.
Met up with beautiful, beautiful old friends (10 years now thanks to Synergy) before and after the show,
panthergirl, reallygroovn, greendisease, a*fallsinmay.
I'm sore, tired, have a bruise on my left calf from banging it into my chair constantly from dancing, and moving, and am in a bit of a fog today.
::::bliss::::
I feel so lucky to have been able to witness 2 of these shows this week, Wednesday and last night.
I posted this in another thread, but I couldn't care less if you sat down and texted on your phone the whole time. But if what you're doing distracts me from having a great time, you can go to hell.
Yes, I don't mind people checking scores, but my desire to savor Jeff's vocals on Low Light was spoiled by someone singing really loudly near me, that was kind of a bummer.
I noticed they stopped bringing out the ring girl with the score updates, but it didn't occur to me until after the show that that would mean the Yankees were winning. Sorry Philly, I know it was your night, it would have been nice for the Phillies to win. (Personally as a Yankees fan I was happy.)
Without a doubt a great show, though I must admit that personally it didn't live up to the hype (shocker). Long setlist with some obscurities (that Buckeye dude from this site got his Bugs wish!) but I honestly felt a more intense vibe from the crowd on Friday night. And so much for the hype of special guests. Don't get me wrong, it was a great show but I honestly liked Friday's show better. All that show lacked was the confetti and balloons. But a fine ending to a fine venue.
im with you! while sat nights lengthy performance was amazing....i gotta go with fridays performance as the best of the 3 i saw (missed tuesday's). but who else, aside from us lucky bastards in there, can say they saw bugs, out of my mind and whip it at a pearl jam show??? we all know the answer!!!
I can't quantify "why" but I felt the same thing, too. I'll never forget either show, but Friday's crowd seemed to have more energy or something. Glad I'm not the only person that thought this.
Finally got some time to sit down and write a quick review of last nights show.
1. Setlist was AMAZING. I was at 2, 3 and 4 and by far the setlist was the best. Don't get me wrong, 2 and 3 were amazing, but I think Ed and the guys had something to prove last night, they wanted to bury the spectrum with a few special songs that we will probably NEVER hear live again.
2. The crowd on night 4 was no where NEAR the crowd on night 3. I sat in Sections 320 for night 3 and 321 for night 4. I'm a 10c with 186xxx but I was not around to get 10c tix so I had to do the general sale, and actually had to do stubhub for one night. Night 3, the entire crowd stood for the entire show, my section was jumping, dancing, singing, etc etc etc. There was such an energy on night 3. Eddie even said it himself he was waiting for "that crowd."
For night 4 well, most of my section and the section next to us sat for the majority of the show. After the first 5 songs the couple in front of me sat down and sulked. The girl just used her camera to film the video screen. They stood only for Jeremy. Then sat down and talked the whole time. I danced around behind them, singing every song and they kept looking up at me like I was some maniac. If you don't want people to dance and sing around you, don't go to a concert! Yes I'm talking to you, "Dick in a box" costume guy.
Oh and there was a couple behind me, and to the left of me that were SLEEPING!!!!! how the heck are you sleeping?
It's so hard to feed of the energy of the crowd when people are sitting and not singing and when they are sleeping.
Also, I could see the entire floor from my seats and except for a few pockets of fans, it looked like they were just standing there for the majority of songs. Evenflow, jeremy, rockin, etc got cheers and dancers, but no one was swaying to "Crown of thorns" or bobbing to Rats... SAD
During night 3, that crowd was a large moving wave, it never stopped.
3. For those who say it didn't live up to the "Hype" of special guests and playing till 2am, well maybe they were going to but the crowd wasn't what they expected? Who knows, I will say the show was still awesome, and the crowd wasn't horrible, but not the type of crowd you expect for a closing show of a historic venue with the greatest band in the world playing RARE songs that will never be heard live again...
4. That being said, philly needs to figure out a way to solve the parking problems. Took us 45 minutes to get out of there. There were no cops in the parking lot because they were all busy arresting one drunk guy. So people where pounding on car windows, throwing crap and cars were basically all but hitting people and other cars. If you put more parking guys in there and funnel cars certain ways, this doesn't happen. Also I saw like 3-4 red lights that were run, and it wasnt because cops were directing traffic.
All in all, last night was an amazing show, I can't wait to get the boots, and I can't wait for them to come to philly again. I will never forget this show. For those of you who were there with me, dancing, singing, etc. This post is not about you, its about the people sleeping and complaining that I'm singing and dancing.... Don't go to a concert if you don't want to have a good time because you ruin it for others.
"You think I got my eyes closed but I'm starring at you the whole fuckin' time." E.V.
Let me start off by saying... I hit the Lottery! Front row, dead center. My friend got the little rats Eddie had on stage, he got the whip from Whip It, and a pick. We each got set lists, and I got Stone's hat from whip it. Mike gave us a wave during The End, got an up nod from Jeff... oh yea and not to mention Eddie looking at me during Yellow Ledbetter, and seeing my Navy shirt, said "Thank You Man" right to me in the middle of the song. I was floored. Couldnt gauge the crowd based on where we were sitting, but to me they sounded awesome.
The songs they played... INfuckingcredible. I've been praying for some unknown reason to hear Bugs for so long. Never thought I'd hear it. They played it. Couldnt believe it. Rats, Sweet fucking Lew, Crown of Thorns. That show blew my mind. The night to end all nights and I hit the lottery.
I dont know what to say really, usually I see these big long posts after someone hits the lottery. I cant even think straight right now. My throat is sore, I cant speak to save my life. We've got all these goodies i dont even know what to do with. Eddie fucking SPOKE to me... my mind is numb, and I didnt even have any nitrous tonight. I need to sleep or something. Or else I'm gonna go crazy. What a night. Thanks boys.
What the fuck is up with nitrous!!?? :?
"I'm just feeling so tough with my ukelele...my badass mother f'in ukelele" EV 8/7/08 Newark, NJ
OMG....there has been a "frosted mini wheats" commercial, on all day, that has the, "Rocky Theme" in it, and every time I hear it, it brings me back to these shows! I like knowing that I have a jingle, to bring me back to the BEST week ever!
The Highlights of the week for me:
This was my 45th birthday present, (don't laugh, Ed is the same age. I got him by a month), to myself, and I can't think of a better way to have "gifted" this to myself. WHAT a friggin' week! My body aches, for every pogo bounce, and song belted out! I have danced my ass off, and ''screamed at the top of my lungs" all week long.
I cannot say that last night, was any better or worse, than the other nights. As far as I'm concerned, This was ONE SHOW, that was spaced into four "sets". They were all EPIC. However, by "SET four", we were BEAT! Driving in, and then back home, every night to NJ took a lot out of us, too. Work has a way of doing that to us during the week. To those those that were down on the fans, honestly, I think that the rumors, of the 2AM stop time, may have had something to do with the crowds, energy level for night four. Since we kept hearing, the same thing, about the curfew. Shoot, we have problems handling a NORMAL length show! Ed is my age too, and I do not know where he gets that energy from! He's got the energy of a five year old,,,,hell, they ALL do. Mike, as somebody with an Auto-Immune disease, my hat goes off to you!!!!! You are an inspiration to so MANY others out there! I have Lupus, and it was my GOAL, to make all four shows this week, so, the emotions ran VERY deep this week. I bawled my eyes out, during Unthought known last night! That song,hits my heart heavy!
THANK YOU PEARL JAM,,,,,,,THANK YOU 10CLUB,,,,,,,THANK YOU PHILLY, AND ALL OF THE SPECTRUM EMPLOYEES (who btw, are NOT losing ANY jobs, they circulate between the buildings and events,,,,we were worried that LOTS of folks would be "unemployable", so thankfully, that is not the case here). Thanks also to the fans, that made me and my BFF, feel so safe, and at "Home". It really was an INTIMATE event, believe it or not. EVERY show is special, when I am in the circle of friends, known as 10 clubbers. It was because of YOU folks, that made my 1st to my 29th, shows SO FRIGGIN' SPECIAL!
The Lows:
1.
I have absolutely NO PROBLEMS with ANY of the songs that were played. I have NO PROBLEMS with the crowds, that were at least respectful of others. I did have a huge problem, with the cigarette smoking in the arena, that none of the staff did anything about. We were FORCED out of our section by the smokers, while getting air we missed everything from (ironically), Just Breath to coming in on Bugs, after my inhaler would not give me relief from the smoke. I have no problems with the weed, honestly, it is not as toxic as the regular tobacco. The people that were in section 201, couldn't even share the smokes, they ALL had to light up. I just find, that when you are in THAT large of a crowd, take it EASY on the stuff. I know that is was cold and raining out, but shit, there was a lady that was pregnant behind me, and that had to be really hard for her to deal with as well. The smokes are not allowed for a reason people.
2.
The "herding cattle" shuffle before the shows was truly UNBELIEVABLE. Again, not bitching about the situation, but the guys that took advantage of the crowds by copping feels on the ladies was F**KING DISGUSTING!!! Really? Is this the ONLY way you can cop a feel, is to grab at a lady in a crowd? Your mothers would be so proud, and I say mothers because there were at least 5 different guys that were all touchy feely in that crowd. Now, I walk with a cane,and if these dudes, can only cop a feel, off an "older chick" with a pink cane, then they really have some "life issues".
All in all a memorable week that will go down in infamy as far as shows. The balloons and confetti, put a special final touch, on a venue that I have seen more shows at, than I can remember.
It was worth EVERY second, and now feels that it went by too fast already,,,,,,until next time!
I came to the show solo from Tennessee and am so glad I made the trip! What a fab show! RITFW will always be one of my fav covers and with the balloons made it a perfect night. Maybe we could get some shows down south next year?? Might not have the same crowd vibes as in Philly - but maybe some of y'all could fly down and help these lame folks out!
Those sleeping fans - just get the DVD next time, stay home. Some true fans probably had shittier seats and would have taken yours. Luckily I had great neighbors in sec 204!
Thanks Pearl Jam and Philly for a great weekend trip!
Comments
I honestly can say i will tell my children about these shows and how incredible they were.The fans were awesome and incredibly friendly in my opinion.I just wish people would stop nitpicking and judging others over the little things that don't matter.The vibe was incredible along with music and the feeling of togetherness to celebrate something great that is sadly coming to an end.
I can't say one negative thing it was a privilege an honor and a memory I will never forget ! Thank You Pearl Jam and the Spectrum.
Sincerely,
Jim
and the Devo set was a surprise...definitely cool.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EHOprlYfLs
I can die a happy PJ fan after this week.
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08
With that being said, I have been in 10 club for years *should be longer but wasnt smart enough to join when i was young and dumb...I have seen the band in excess of 30 times in many different countries and this show was the most memorable 3.5 hours and 40+ songs....
I sold my world series tickets to take my wife to this final show at the spectrum...an arena that I saw my first NHL game, first NBA game, first NHL playoff game, first concert (INXS), smoked my first j, drank my first sip of jack daniels and to see my all time favorite band close it was just mind numbing.
as for the music: whip it, crown of thorns, bugs, rats, sweet lou to just name a few
A bonus would have been a Phillies win but you cant always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need.....thank you Pearl Jam
Cam 1 2 00 Phi 03 St Col 03 Cam 1 2 03
AC 1 2 05 Phi 05
Cam 1 2 06 Cont 1 2 06
Dussel 07 Hurr 07 Copen 07
Nij 07 Werchter 07 Lolla 07,
Bonnaroo 08 CAM 1 2 08 MSG 2 08
Spectrum 09 1,3,4
Pru ctr 10
Wrigley 13
The set list was unreal, the fans were unreal, Pearl Jam was unreal, the city of Philadelphia was magical this weekend! When's the next show?!?!?!?!?!?!
I make no apologies for checking my cell phone for World Series updates. I'm sorry if that conflicts with what some out-of-towners feel might be appropriate but the fact is the World Series if important to us and I don't think checking for a score is in anyway wrong or detrimental to the show. I will say I was acutally glad to see and hear very little in way of Phillies chants during the shows. A few here and there but nothing that was distracting to the shows in my mind. I will say I think it was a delicate situation for the band this week in dealing with the world series and they handled it so well - they managed to give it enough attention without interfering with their show. As usual they were spot on how they handled it in my opinion.
in closing let me say a very large THANK YOU to the guys, ED, Stone, Jeff, Mike, Matt, Boom and the whole Pearl Jam team for their efforts in honoring the Spectrum as they did. You could clearly tell that the band and Ed especially were very honored to be given the chance to close the place down and they did it with such Love and Respect that they must be commended for it. The Philadelphia PJ fans are truly honored to have been treated so well by the guys this past week. They did an unbelievable job and put forth an incredible effort all 4 nights. The physicality and emotion the guys put out each night is breathtaking - amazing as we get older that this band can still rock so darn hard for so long each night - simply amazing. It feels really good to have my favorite band be chosen to close the Spectrum and live up to the greatness of the building. I feel honored to be their fan at this moment, knowing they did it right and so damn well this week. Truly it must be said Thanks Guys!!!!!!! I don't think we could ever repay you for what you gave us this week. You've managed to get even deeper into our hearts. Thank You so much.
Again, it's one thing to snap a few shots. Take a video of a rare song (or two). Even check your phone for a message or a game update. (I did this, and made sure to hide the screen from those around me so as not to be obnoxious). But the whole show? Absolutely, hands down, my biggest complaint from the 4 shows. I wish it was like the Ed shows where they just completely banned any and all of it.
Rant over.
Otherwise, I had a great time and am really glad to have been a part of history! I honestly had a better time at night 3, but lottery seats will do that for ya! All shows were solid. Sounded great. Band was ON! Can't imagine a better way to close that (piece of shit) building. I'll miss the acoustical brilliance of it, but sure as hell not the concourses or bathrooms!
*May the Peace of the Wilderness be with YOU*
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
— Unknown
Anyone else think night 3 was the best? I loved them all, of course, but night 3 was incredible. Although, I must say SMILE was an awesome highlight from night 4. I enjoyed all the theatrics at the end too, with all the balloons and confetti, but maybe that's just because I'm a girl.
I loved seeing all the costumes too, although there weren't as many as I expected!
Overall, awesome, awesome week. I feel very lucky, very grateful, and very very pleased.
Thanks again boys!
"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." Albert Pine.
I must say Philadelphia and its fans are class acts ... the only time I've spent there is to see Pearl Jam really, in 2003 at the Spectrum and in 2005 at the Wachovia, but this week really has me in love with the city and all the cool people I met there, from those in the parking lot to those in the ten club sections where I sat, sections 105, 106 and Saturday night in section 214. I loved the emotion coming from those like Jim who grew up in Philadelphia going to events at the Spectrum .... there was one guy who was there with his mother who had seen Elvis play there, and another guy who went to the first rock concert there ever, with Janis Joplin and Vanilla Fudge. Pearl Jam sent the old place off to history in a fitting and deserving fashion for sure!!
...I was always a DeadHead, but when I first heard Winston Rodney, aka the Burning Spear, sing, I became a SpearHead too!
http://chrissy.smugmug.com/Music/Pearl- ... 9872_kGcnX
Pictures from Night 4 sitting in sec 213
16 Philly / 14 Memphis / 13 Wrigley & Philly / 12 Atlanta & Philly / 09 Philly Spectrum I II III IV / 08 Camden I & II, MSG II / 07 Chicago Lolla / 06 E. Rutherford & Camden / 05 AC & Philly/ 04 Reading / 03 Philly & Camden / 98 Camden
awesome pics.. ty
im with you! while sat nights lengthy performance was amazing....i gotta go with fridays performance as the best of the 3 i saw (missed tuesday's). but who else, aside from us lucky bastards in there, can say they saw bugs, out of my mind and whip it at a pearl jam show??? we all know the answer!!!
HIGHLIGHTS:
- scoring $95 Flyers tix for $25 before the show (sect 122)
- winning the lottery!!!
- Phillies jersey
- the crowd chanting "Eddie! Eddie!" after he said something to the effect of "Why would you want billy joel and bon jovi when you have me?"
- bringing up Charlie, an 80-some year old member of the spectrum staff who worked there since the beginning (and the resulting "Charlie! Charlie!" chant)
- Whip it into Got Some (such irony)
- Out of My Mind/Sweet Lew/Crown of Thorns/Satans Bed, etc.
LOWLIGHTS
- getting in/out of bathrooms and the douche bags that think that shoving people and acting like ass-hats when nobody can move helps the situation
- running out of cash and finding out the ATM was broken. THEN finding out the nearest one is at the Wachovia Center!
All in all a great show. Can't wait for the boot to relive it. Thanks to 10c and the band for a truly memorable run!
Had 8th row, section 103 on the inner aisle, THANK YOU so much Ten Club for these incredibly amazing seats!
Not really quite sure how many times I said 'Holy Shit' after we sat down before Bad Religion took the stage.
(((side note:: Bad Religion kick so much ass, it was fantastic to get to see them live after all of these years,)
Got to meet decides2dream who happened to be sitting right next to me, it was a fluke.
Met up with beautiful, beautiful old friends (10 years now thanks to Synergy) before and after the show,
panthergirl, reallygroovn, greendisease, a*fallsinmay.
I'm sore, tired, have a bruise on my left calf from banging it into my chair constantly from dancing, and moving, and am in a bit of a fog today.
::::bliss::::
I feel so lucky to have been able to witness 2 of these shows this week, Wednesday and last night.
Thank you, thank you!
and again I say,
::::::bliss::::::
Yes, I don't mind people checking scores, but my desire to savor Jeff's vocals on Low Light was spoiled by someone singing really loudly near me, that was kind of a bummer.
I noticed they stopped bringing out the ring girl with the score updates, but it didn't occur to me until after the show that that would mean the Yankees were winning. Sorry Philly, I know it was your night, it would have been nice for the Phillies to win. (Personally as a Yankees fan I was happy.)
Melissa
I can't quantify "why" but I felt the same thing, too. I'll never forget either show, but Friday's crowd seemed to have more energy or something. Glad I'm not the only person that thought this.
1. Setlist was AMAZING. I was at 2, 3 and 4 and by far the setlist was the best. Don't get me wrong, 2 and 3 were amazing, but I think Ed and the guys had something to prove last night, they wanted to bury the spectrum with a few special songs that we will probably NEVER hear live again.
2. The crowd on night 4 was no where NEAR the crowd on night 3. I sat in Sections 320 for night 3 and 321 for night 4. I'm a 10c with 186xxx but I was not around to get 10c tix so I had to do the general sale, and actually had to do stubhub for one night. Night 3, the entire crowd stood for the entire show, my section was jumping, dancing, singing, etc etc etc. There was such an energy on night 3. Eddie even said it himself he was waiting for "that crowd."
For night 4 well, most of my section and the section next to us sat for the majority of the show. After the first 5 songs the couple in front of me sat down and sulked. The girl just used her camera to film the video screen. They stood only for Jeremy. Then sat down and talked the whole time. I danced around behind them, singing every song and they kept looking up at me like I was some maniac. If you don't want people to dance and sing around you, don't go to a concert! Yes I'm talking to you, "Dick in a box" costume guy.
Oh and there was a couple behind me, and to the left of me that were SLEEPING!!!!! how the heck are you sleeping?
It's so hard to feed of the energy of the crowd when people are sitting and not singing and when they are sleeping.
Also, I could see the entire floor from my seats and except for a few pockets of fans, it looked like they were just standing there for the majority of songs. Evenflow, jeremy, rockin, etc got cheers and dancers, but no one was swaying to "Crown of thorns" or bobbing to Rats... SAD
During night 3, that crowd was a large moving wave, it never stopped.
3. For those who say it didn't live up to the "Hype" of special guests and playing till 2am, well maybe they were going to but the crowd wasn't what they expected? Who knows, I will say the show was still awesome, and the crowd wasn't horrible, but not the type of crowd you expect for a closing show of a historic venue with the greatest band in the world playing RARE songs that will never be heard live again...
4. That being said, philly needs to figure out a way to solve the parking problems. Took us 45 minutes to get out of there. There were no cops in the parking lot because they were all busy arresting one drunk guy. So people where pounding on car windows, throwing crap and cars were basically all but hitting people and other cars. If you put more parking guys in there and funnel cars certain ways, this doesn't happen. Also I saw like 3-4 red lights that were run, and it wasnt because cops were directing traffic.
All in all, last night was an amazing show, I can't wait to get the boots, and I can't wait for them to come to philly again. I will never forget this show. For those of you who were there with me, dancing, singing, etc. This post is not about you, its about the people sleeping and complaining that I'm singing and dancing.... Don't go to a concert if you don't want to have a good time because you ruin it for others.
What the fuck is up with nitrous!!?? :?
The Highlights of the week for me:
This was my 45th birthday present, (don't laugh, Ed is the same age. I got him by a month), to myself, and I can't think of a better way to have "gifted" this to myself. WHAT a friggin' week! My body aches, for every pogo bounce, and song belted out! I have danced my ass off, and ''screamed at the top of my lungs" all week long.
I cannot say that last night, was any better or worse, than the other nights. As far as I'm concerned, This was ONE SHOW, that was spaced into four "sets". They were all EPIC. However, by "SET four", we were BEAT! Driving in, and then back home, every night to NJ took a lot out of us, too. Work has a way of doing that to us during the week. To those those that were down on the fans, honestly, I think that the rumors, of the 2AM stop time, may have had something to do with the crowds, energy level for night four. Since we kept hearing, the same thing, about the curfew. Shoot, we have problems handling a NORMAL length show! Ed is my age too, and I do not know where he gets that energy from! He's got the energy of a five year old,,,,hell, they ALL do. Mike, as somebody with an Auto-Immune disease, my hat goes off to you!!!!! You are an inspiration to so MANY others out there! I have Lupus, and it was my GOAL, to make all four shows this week, so, the emotions ran VERY deep this week. I bawled my eyes out, during Unthought known last night! That song,hits my heart heavy!
THANK YOU PEARL JAM,,,,,,,THANK YOU 10CLUB,,,,,,,THANK YOU PHILLY, AND ALL OF THE SPECTRUM EMPLOYEES (who btw, are NOT losing ANY jobs, they circulate between the buildings and events,,,,we were worried that LOTS of folks would be "unemployable", so thankfully, that is not the case here). Thanks also to the fans, that made me and my BFF, feel so safe, and at "Home". It really was an INTIMATE event, believe it or not. EVERY show is special, when I am in the circle of friends, known as 10 clubbers. It was because of YOU folks, that made my 1st to my 29th, shows SO FRIGGIN' SPECIAL!
The Lows:
1.
I have absolutely NO PROBLEMS with ANY of the songs that were played. I have NO PROBLEMS with the crowds, that were at least respectful of others. I did have a huge problem, with the cigarette smoking in the arena, that none of the staff did anything about. We were FORCED out of our section by the smokers, while getting air we missed everything from (ironically), Just Breath to coming in on Bugs, after my inhaler would not give me relief from the smoke. I have no problems with the weed, honestly, it is not as toxic as the regular tobacco. The people that were in section 201, couldn't even share the smokes, they ALL had to light up. I just find, that when you are in THAT large of a crowd, take it EASY on the stuff. I know that is was cold and raining out, but shit, there was a lady that was pregnant behind me, and that had to be really hard for her to deal with as well. The smokes are not allowed for a reason people.
2.
The "herding cattle" shuffle before the shows was truly UNBELIEVABLE. Again, not bitching about the situation, but the guys that took advantage of the crowds by copping feels on the ladies was F**KING DISGUSTING!!! Really? Is this the ONLY way you can cop a feel, is to grab at a lady in a crowd? Your mothers would be so proud, and I say mothers because there were at least 5 different guys that were all touchy feely in that crowd. Now, I walk with a cane,and if these dudes, can only cop a feel, off an "older chick" with a pink cane, then they really have some "life issues".
All in all a memorable week that will go down in infamy as far as shows. The balloons and confetti, put a special final touch, on a venue that I have seen more shows at, than I can remember.
It was worth EVERY second, and now feels that it went by too fast already,,,,,,until next time!
the "chicks with the tootsie pops"
Those sleeping fans - just get the DVD next time, stay home. Some true fans probably had shittier seats and would have taken yours. Luckily I had great neighbors in sec 204!
Thanks Pearl Jam and Philly for a great weekend trip!