Craziest excursion to see PJ.........
JossBreathe
Posts: 57
Last year, I saw Pearl Jam in San Fransisco, L.A. 3 and 4, and San Diego. Yup, that's right I saw hunger strike live and it was bad ass!!!! We had the most unbelievable time, so much that we couldn't wait to go to another concert again!!! When we heard they were closing down the spectrum in Philly, we immediately started trying to figure out a way to get there. This idea however was formed over a night of drinking in the kitchen and I never thought we'd actually be going... The week before the concert my friend called and said he got us 3 tickets through a connection!!!! Impossible tickets and we got them! We had less then a week to figure out arrangements but my boyfriend had to be back the following day for work with NO EXCEPTIONS. We hopped on a plane anyways on halloween day.... checked into our hotel.... took a cab to the venue and saw an epic show (including a live performance of bugs- it was awesome).... ran the streets of philadelphia for one night.... lost my camera.... got completely wasted... slurred out the words of Animal while waiting for a cab.... finally got one ... had our cab driver take us to get the most delicious philly cheese steak on planet earth.... bought him one too .... fell asleep for two hours.... almost didn't wake up.... we had 20 minutes to catch our flight.... we barely made it... thank god... arrived safely....just in time to get him to work. And breathe. It was the craziest 24 hour excursion of all time. Every time I think about our time in philly it makes me smile. It's so wonderful that the love of my life and best friend both share the love of Pearl Jam. It's really amazing! We talk about how much fun we had and how crazy it was all the time.
I don't write that many posts but i thought that if anyone else had a crazy story to tell this would be a fun topic to post.
I don't write that many posts but i thought that if anyone else had a crazy story to tell this would be a fun topic to post.
"Underneath this smile lies everything,...
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
I'd do it all again
i'll have another vodka drink and think about it some more.
Minneapolis to Philly on 10/30..flight got delayed so I didn't get in until like 4. Cab. Hotel. Preparty. Get face melted by the best PJ show I have ever seen... Drink more. Cheesesteaks. Hotel.
Wake up 10/31. Put on costume (dressed as my username..
Hotel. Don't sleep. Leave at 4am. Pass out in airport. Almost miss flight. Leave Philly at 6am. Back home in Wisconsin by noon. In the library studying for my Immunology final by 1.
PS: The test was the next morning. I got a B+. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
EV: Los Angeles 4.12.2008, Los Angeles 4.13.2008, Nashville 6.17.2009, Nashville 6.18.2009, Memphis 6.20.2009
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
It all began by listening to a radio station in Philadelphia, PA. For a few years I had been listening to the WMMR podcast for the morning show of Preston and Steve and one of the DJ's on the show would always talk about his love for PJ. So I decided on October 17, 2008 to give them a shot. I picked up the greatest hits disc. I knew one of my friends who actually lived in Philly was a big fan, so I gave him a call and he steered me in the right direction on a couple songs.
Needless to say I became hooked very fast and soon had a big library full of live PJ (which BTW the official bootlegs is one of the #1 reasons why they are one of the greatest bands of all time IMO).
I saw my very first Pearl Jam show less than a year later at Gibson for the epic LA night 3 show with Chris Cornell! I would go on to see night 4 as well as San Diego (which I scored 5th row seats day of at the venue!!!!)
But I always knew from the time the tour was announced that I desperately wanted to see the final show at a venue which I knew from my Philly friends had very deep personal relationship with so many people in the city of Philadelphia (I grew up in upstate NY and currently am in Phoenix, AZ). I told myself to be satisfied with seeing them three times in a matter of a month, but the bug never went away. I am just a broke server and really shouldn't be spending my hard earned, but little cash flow on one concert!
Which brings me to the Wednesday before Halloween (about time the point of the story gets here!
I was looking around either the message board or the TM website and I stumbled on a GREAT single floor seat off of TM for that final Spectrum show. I really did not have the money, but I decided heck let me call my parents (who do not like me listening to this kind of music BTW) and see if they could lend me money for the flight to Philly. They were slightly hesitant, but my mother who is awesome
Now came the other issue. I was scheduled to work Halloween night at my local restaurant. Obviously I HAD to get this night off. I bought the concert ticket which I knew I could sell if I had to (oh that would have killed me!) and just waited to arrange the flight details. I knew it was going to be a tough sell, I mean how many 20 somethings do you know that want to work Halloween night when they weren't scheduled! I asked EVERYONE I worked with, but no one would come through, but luckily one of my really good friends finally did.
Everyone still with me?? I hope so, it's gonna get so much more interesting I promise.
So I had everything set. I had two flight options. Both were with US Airways who I HATE, but the were very cheap for a last minute flight into Philly. It was Thursday by this point. I had a decision to make, do I connect in Houston or Newark, I knew that if the flight was delayed out of Houston, I was SCREWED! So I picked Newark knowing that even though the airport sucked, worst case scenario I could rent a car for the final two hour leg of my trip.
So Saturday arrives and I worked Late the night before at the restaurant, but couldn't wait for the day to come. I get up super early and drive to the airport. All goes as planned until I (luckily) land at Newark. Wouldn't you know it, my little tiny flight to Philly is delayed an hour. Now it is scheduled to arrive in Philly at 5PM, still not great, but not bad. Well in a matter of 15 minutes the flight is now scheduled to arrive in Philly at 8 which does NOT work.
So I figure I can just skip that leg and rent a car down to the city. Unfortunately the rentals didn't work and I was just able to get a spot on the NJ transit train which would slowly but surely take me into Philly. While on the train I met a guy who did the same thing, but for the Phils World Series game. He told me that if I didn't get a hold of the airline before the connecting flight eventually left that I would lose my spot on the return flight, which would have A. cost me money I didn't have and B. I had to be at work for football season Sunday at noon!! After talking with the airlines on the phone, they told me I had to physically tell someone at the gate that I was going to miss the flight, but to keep my connection flight in order. I was already on my way to Philly at this point and after a lot of labor they finally bumped me from just the connecting flight.
I FINALLY arrive in Philly and met some great PJ fans on the subway ride to the Spectrum, at this point I knew it was going to be an AWESOME night of music. I still hadn't figured out how I was going to get to the airport after the show, but dang it I was going to try to get a cab (more on that later). I make it to the sports complex and I mean the place was ELECTRIC!! Between the concert and the early afternoon Flyers game and also a World Series game next door, Philly was THE place to be and I was there!!!
I entered the venue and decided the poster was UGLY and I wasn't going to buy that, but I really wanted one of the super cool taking down the Spectrum T-shirts that were for sale since they didn't have the sports themed shirts that I loved from my previous shows. I walk into the seating area and just begin to soak it all in. I start talking to a guy who was wearing a cool sort of Phillies looking shirt underneath his sweatshirt and asked him about it. He said it was one of those sports themed shirts and that they had them just for this night. So I immediately went and waited in line for one for me and also my really good PJ friend. Luckily I scored two of them!! (I am actually wearing it right now I noticed haha.)
Well I was also able to meet up with my DJ friend who introduced me to the band a year prior and thanked him for turning me on to them! He is the one on the left in my profile pic (thanks Nick!) He said this would be like his 27th show and that he still had NEVER heard Release, well I figured since they hadn't played it they must be playing it tonight, well they didn't. Oh well.
We all by now know how awesome the show was, so I won't go into too many details there. I was able to get in some songs I really wanted to hear, Inside Job, Glorified G, Smile and RITFW (which was AWESOME!!). There was one song on the night that I wanted to hear more than any other; and when Eddie came out on stage with a whip I was like OH Yeah! they are going to play Satan's Bed, but they tricked me. I HAD to pee later in the show and since I didn't really know the song Crown of Thorns and no one else was leaving I knew that was my perfect time to take the leak! Just as I was about to re-enter the seating area, and remember I have floor seats, I hear the intro in Satan's Bed and I go CRAZY!! I run down the nearest section as the song plays and I realize that I need to hop a fence to get back to my seat, so I squeeze through people and finally arrive back just after the song, but luckily I was able to hear the whole thing. When I get back the guy next to me asked me if I missed the one song I was waiting for.
I still can't believe they played over 40 songs and also for 3 and a half hours!! What a great concert it was, though by the end of the show everyone was so wiped out!
Well the show was over and as I walked out of the venue I just didn't want to leave! Well I met up with my friend still not having a ride to the airport and didn't realize how hard it was going to be trying to find a cab after a sold out concert and WS game!! He said he didn't have room in his truck so I was kinda mad, but whatever I'll manage. the flight doesn't leave for 5 hours. Well I finally just couldn't find a cab, so I called him and luckily he hadn't left to go back to Jersey and was still trying to get out. At this point I was starving and TIRED and had to run to his truck to avoid holding up traffic. I get to his truck and come to find out the middle seat was open. Needless to say I was relieved! We actually ended up going to Geno's for an amazing cheesesteak!! I was able to get to the airport and made it all the way back to Phoenix by 11:30 AM local time and got into my car and drove the 45 minutes to work to work an 8 hour shift.
Needless to say I was wiped out, but it was worth every dollar I spent!! I will seriously never forget how amazing that night was and the amount of cool people I met along the way. I also want to thank PJ for putting on such an amazing and different concert every night as to make me want to come all the way and spend all that money for one night of entertainment. It was a blast. I am glad that I was one of the couple thousand who will always be able to say I was there on that, the final night of one the greatest venues in history and watch THE best band in the world close it out in style.
That is all for me, thanks to all who have read this entire thread that I just spent over an hour writing!! Here's to another of tour and some new memories I will be making at five venues I have yet to see as I wrap another tour at another history venue, Madison Square Garden! I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
So crazy!!!!!!! lol. we were in all the same places! Including Geno's. hahahahaha. What a nuts experience! Thanks for sharing! You are so savage for riding solo on your mission to greatness! I know first hand it was well worth it. It's funny because the whole time the main focus is making it to the concert on time so you don't miss a single string, a lyric, a speach, a nothing! Who cares about keeping your job, your money, your anything.... lol.
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
BEST STORY SO FAR ........
He approached us and handed one ticket to me and one to the little girl. ANd her mother and I BOTH tried to give him what we'd brought to buy tickets with; he refused citing his GF would kill him. Soon the mom and I were talking , waiting for them to start letting peeps into the concert area, and we really hit it off. two months later we were dating, then two years later she was killed in a car wreck on her way to my sister's B-day party. This trip and going to Bonnaroo with $66, and a tent, I took a Greyhound from KC to Tn. That was truely an experience so many people kept me drunk, fed and high..I recycled trash for food vouchers and gifts foir my family, by myself knew not a single soul, so much fucking funnnnnn!!
Sleeping on a bench in public was pretty crazy, but I had an awesome time.
A bench sounds pretty ruff.... ahhh the things we do for PJ! Sounds pretty crazy to me....
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
I love the "who does that."
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
Last year, tried luck for seattle 1 thru presale and God was on my side that day. Got LA 1 as well the other day. Called some friends. Two tagged along. Some tickets they bought on ticketmaster. Thru this message board got them good tickets that were still needed, some even better than mine! They both did not have US visas, at the time, but were fortunate enough to have them approved. Made flight & hotel reservations and everything turned out swell. 4 shows that changed the way I knew pearl jam. Got back home to Guatemala safely.
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."
Yeah a beer ball is like a pony keg prolly a little smaller and its a brown plastic ball in a box...we never even tapped it cuz we couldnt get a tap. I wanted to stab the thing so bad!!!
if you get prompted for a password, it is bigern
http://matthewaberdeen.wordpress.com/ca ... -happened/
Hey Dustin...you're a talented writer man. You remind me alot of Bill Simmons...an espn.com writer. Great stuff..."The Bobcat" lol.
1994 - St. Louis
1998 - St. Louis
2000 - St. Louis
2003 - St. Louis
2007 - Lollapalooza - Chicago
2008 - Eddie Vedder Solo - Chicago
2010 - St. Louis
2011 - Eddie Vedder Solo - St. Louis
2014 - St. Louis
2016 - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
All my hopes, anger, pride, and shame,..."