How can you compare any of the first 3 shows against a 42 song and 3 hour and 40 minute setlist? 3 songs that have never been played live before, plus Whip It dressed as Devo? It's the longest show time wise and with the most songs they have ever played in one night in a building with such a tremendous musical history.
Not true. They did do 45 songs on 7/11/03. Granted, it was broken up in between 2 seperate sets, but it was still the same "show"
Not being at the shows, and just looking at setlists, I'd go with 10/30 as well. People are mentioning songs they've never played before, but personally, Sweet Lew and Bugs really do nothing for me. It's cool that they played them, but they're not great songs, IMO. I woud've preferred Brain of J and Sad over those two in a heartbeat.
I'd have to say the only lacking thing on Saturday night was the crowd energy was not as it was previous nights. It was just a hair under. I think this is from all the out-of-towners on the last night.
NOW, before i get crucified on the "best fans," i simply attribute this to the Spectrum not holding a special place for the non-philly attendees. I went to 3 shows and the video they show at the beginning for example really touched me and I'm sure most Philadelphians. All the things Eddie said about the venue and the memories he shared about growing up watching Dr. J, etc.
I'm not saying Philly fans are superior, just the closing of the Spectrum fueled the fire of the crowd on the nights previous.
Either way, it was quite an experience.
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The band AND the fans were on FIRE on 10/30/09. I think 10/30 has the edge in this debate...
i forget which thread i read it in, but someone said 10/31 was a great event while 10/30 was a great concert...i think that sums up why 10/30 edges out 10/31 for me.
by the way...how lucky are we as fans to be having this debate!!!
I'd say very lucky. We're debating roughly 12 1/2 hours of great music.
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Things happen in the game. Nothing you
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i forget which thread i read it in, but someone said 10/31 was a great event while 10/30 was a great concert...
I definitely agree with this. The setlist on 10/30 was fantastic and the band sounded tight. But I'd still say 10/31 was my favorite of the two. There's just something about knowing you were there for something so special that made the energy in the room palpable. It truly felt like a celebration of the building and its history.
"What happens when so many people agree on something? Can we take this beyond the parking lot when we leave tonight?" -EV, Iconoclasts
I was at both and I just had a felling it was 10/30 also because it wasn't trying to be the longest, or rarest sings, or the oddest, it was just natural and had moe energy.
Don't get me wrong, 10/31 was awesome but it was this odd mix of radio hits plus the oddest stuff ever.
Combined they are likely the best back-to-back shows ever.
I was only at 10/28 and 10/30, but 10/30 was probably the best show I have ever seen by any band anywhere. The fact that 10/31 can even be compared to 10/30 tells you how good it must have been.
I am not sure the band even really played better from 10/28 to 10/30, but experiencing the crowd really put it over the edge for me. The energy from the Spectrum that night was off the charts. I don't think you can get any higher then that. The bootleg will never be able to capture that night.
When FASCISM Comes To America
it will be wrapped in the FLAG and
carrying a CROSS.
I had bad personal experiences on 10/31, but the band still rocked it. But more in a celebration kind of way, didn't carry the same intensity of a normal show.
gotta say 10/30 was better but I won the second row lottery that night and Mike threw me a shirt so..... lol. Both shows made my top 10 out of the 28 times I've seen them
Post edited by Comatose Pilate on
1996: Augusta
1998: Montreal, Mansfield I&II
2000: Mansfield I&II, Montreal
2003: Las Vegas, Toronto, Montreal, Mansfield I&III
2005: Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I&II
2007: Lollapalooza
2008: Bonnaroo, Camden I&II, Hartford, Mansfield I&II
2009: Philadelphia III&IV
2010: Hartford, Boston, New York City II
2011: Alpine Valley I&II
2013: Buffalo, Worcester I&II, Hartford, Los Angeles I&II
2014: Tulsa, Lincoln
2016: New York City I&II, Quebec City, Boston I&II, Chicago I&II 2017: New York 2018: Seattle I&II, Boston I&II
I would have to go with the 10/30 show. So much more energy for the Friday show. I feel like 10/31 was so much slower in terms of pace. The really rare/odd songs played on 10/31 were awesome, but it kind of made the flow a little off. With that said, both shows were awesome and I count myself lucky to be in attendance.
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those were the 2 shows i went to and it's a tough question to answer for me. They were very different in a sense, so depends on what turns your crank. I was going crazy at both shows and during both of them said 'best show ever' in my head. The 30th had an awesome chemistry somehow...the audience + setlist + things ed said and the shout out to fan Joni (who i'd recently met) made it very very awesome. The 31st was obviously awesome b/c of the rarities and length and occasion and confetti lol.
gonna give the edge to the 30th. the crowd energy got to me more (the 31st crowd was still awesome) and the set flowed a little better. They're my number 1 and 2 shows though that's for sure!
Wow, I'm still on a high. Last week's shows were the most profoundly incredible shows I have ever seen! I give the edge to the 30th, but I may be biased... I was 3rd row, it was my birthday, Ed smiled at me while he was singing Alive and I got Mike's pick! It was amazing to see Breath, Footsteps and Baba O'Riley. The 31st was absolutely incredible and people have mentioned the crowd energy, which was definitely there but, if like me, you went so hard the night before, it got to Saturday night and everything hurt, lol. I still went hard, jumping around like an idiot, but my voice was gone and I was sore... maybe that's something to do with turning 36 the day before, lol.
Last week was such a gift and I can't thank the band or the amazing people I met, enough. Sappy I know, but hey... I haven't hit the post-show blues yet
Glaciers melting in the dead of night and the superstars sucked into the supermassive.
I think 10/30 was the best, vibe was great w/ the crowd and the band felt it too.
10/31 was very close, come on bugs!
10/28 loved when the "mike guys" got on stage and i was in the 15th row for this one.
(did not go to 10/27) huge regret now.
I was at both shows and liked the Halloween show better, maybe because the length and because I had my son with me and because I heard a lot of songs performed that I never heard before, but the 30th show was tight and the crowd was great and by seats were better. But I will still go with the 31st.
I did the whole Spectrum run. I'd rank them 10/31 > 10/30 > 10/28 > 10/27.
10/30 and 10/31 were pretty close and both probably in my personal top 5 of the 25+ shows I've been to.
For me, all the rarities in the 10/31 set put it over. I think it was a little heavy on the singalongs compared to 10/30 though.
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I've been to 21 shows including the Epic Mansfield III that had 45 songs. I have loved every show (some more than others) That being said the 10/30 show was the greatest single show, any band, any era, that I have seen in my entire life. The band, crowd and set list came together to create 3 hours of pure perfection. No knock on 10/31 also a great show, but to me Friday night was the as good as it will ever get..
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Not true. They did do 45 songs on 7/11/03. Granted, it was broken up in between 2 seperate sets, but it was still the same "show"
Not being at the shows, and just looking at setlists, I'd go with 10/30 as well. People are mentioning songs they've never played before, but personally, Sweet Lew and Bugs really do nothing for me. It's cool that they played them, but they're not great songs, IMO. I woud've preferred Brain of J and Sad over those two in a heartbeat.
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The band AND the fans were on FIRE on 10/30/09. I think 10/30 has the edge in this debate...
i forget which thread i read it in, but someone said 10/31 was a great event while 10/30 was a great concert...i think that sums up why 10/30 edges out 10/31 for me.
I'd say very lucky. We're debating roughly 12 1/2 hours of great music.
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Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
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Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
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"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
I remember the minute Backspacer came out someone on RM said it would be the best show opener they got. That guy is 100% correct
I definitely agree with this. The setlist on 10/30 was fantastic and the band sounded tight. But I'd still say 10/31 was my favorite of the two. There's just something about knowing you were there for something so special that made the energy in the room palpable. It truly felt like a celebration of the building and its history.
Don't get me wrong, 10/31 was awesome but it was this odd mix of radio hits plus the oddest stuff ever.
Combined they are likely the best back-to-back shows ever.
This is a great question.
Is
Buffalo/State College 03 better?
I am not sure the band even really played better from 10/28 to 10/30, but experiencing the crowd really put it over the edge for me. The energy from the Spectrum that night was off the charts. I don't think you can get any higher then that. The bootleg will never be able to capture that night.
it will be wrapped in the FLAG and
carrying a CROSS.
I had bad personal experiences on 10/31, but the band still rocked it. But more in a celebration kind of way, didn't carry the same intensity of a normal show.
1998: Montreal, Mansfield I&II
2000: Mansfield I&II, Montreal
2003: Las Vegas, Toronto, Montreal, Mansfield I&III
2005: Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I&II
2007: Lollapalooza
2008: Bonnaroo, Camden I&II, Hartford, Mansfield I&II
2009: Philadelphia III&IV
2010: Hartford, Boston, New York City II
2011: Alpine Valley I&II
2013: Buffalo, Worcester I&II, Hartford, Los Angeles I&II
2014: Tulsa, Lincoln
2016: New York City I&II, Quebec City, Boston I&II, Chicago I&II
2017: New York
2018: Seattle I&II, Boston I&II
gonna give the edge to the 30th. the crowd energy got to me more (the 31st crowd was still awesome) and the set flowed a little better. They're my number 1 and 2 shows though that's for sure!
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Run away my son. See it all. Oh, See the World!
amen to that! i wish i could go back and be there again!
Last week was such a gift and I can't thank the band or the amazing people I met, enough. Sappy I know, but hey... I haven't hit the post-show blues yet
10/31 was very close, come on bugs!
10/28 loved when the "mike guys" got on stage and i was in the 15th row for this one.
(did not go to 10/27) huge regret now.
10/30 and 10/31 were pretty close and both probably in my personal top 5 of the 25+ shows I've been to.
For me, all the rarities in the 10/31 set put it over. I think it was a little heavy on the singalongs compared to 10/30 though.
I think 10/31 takes it over 10/30
but c'mon..halloween was nuts!