*** London Fanviews Here 6/25/10 ***

Idlewild

All in all it was a very enjoyable day, good support bands too, The Hives were great fun as always.

Obviously enjoyed Pearl Jam, great seeing Ben Harper performing Red Mosquito, a real highlight. Great to hear Of The Earth for the second time.

In my view not as good as Belfast or Dublin but must have been amazing for the people seeing Pearl Jam for the first time.

What really annoyed me was when Ed asked everyone to look after each after especially with Roskilde happening 10 years ago, you then get some drunken idiots starting to boo. That was disgusting

It was great to see 50,000 plus people singing Betterman all at once. Absolutely fantastic

shep

To all you people making a comment about the "time" regulations and shortness of the set: I went to Jazzfest, and they only did one encore, and played 1 hour, 50 minutes, so be happy! 2 hours 10 mintutes is also longer than I got at ACL last year too!

Like your setlist. Even though you got a good bit of greatest hits, still got a few good gems. Plus your poster is fricken' awesome.

At any festival you're just going to have to stomach the morons who decide at the last second they're going to push their way to front row center... that's just how it is unfortunately. Some people decide they are more important than you, and unless you're willing to get in their face about it (which most people aren't, myself included) you're just going to have to deal.

Hope everyone ejoyed the show!

nuffingman

Great day! I thought the setlist was good but like some others on here wasn't sure about 'Arms Aloft' and 'Of the Earth' being so close together. It did seem to slow down the crowd but perhaps that was a good thing as there some brainless dickheads out there. Where we were (3/4 back between stage and mixing desk) everyone was singing along loudly with every song. Sometimes Ed was unnecessary, he could have had a break, sat in a chair and read the paper perhaps. I thought the Backspacer songs were excellent and I heard 'Not for You' for the first time, which had me grinning big time.

We were in place before the first act and we treated the support acts the way we normally do... time for a snooze. Until the Hives came on that is. We thought they were brilliant and it was the first time we've ever seen 19th century sailors playing. Just wish The Hives and Ben Harper had been switched around. I don't understand the appeal for Mr Harper but luckily Ed joined him to brighten up the proceedings.

Ed was concerned about the crowd and I could understand why. Put 50,000 people together and you'll get some A-holes and Oh boy did we have some A-holes in that crowd. I thought we were far enough back to avoid any mayhem but no. As the boys launched into 'Go' off they went in front of us, slamming into each other and behaving like pricks. I'm not sure I want to take my wife to another show like this.

Rossum20

was there a separate fenced off area for the front pit for 10c members...or was it just early entry...or neither?

Im going to Nijmegen tomorrow and im taking my girlfriend who is not a diehard and im worried about her ability to handle this kind of chaos. I have dealt with it at Lolla before and its not very fun. I don't need to be at the front of course, but Festivals just breed that kind of animalistic behavior.

Im hoping to try and upgrade to the front pit in Nijmegen when we get there...I believe there is a fenced off area in the front where the VIP tickets are more expensive. We'll see. Im hoping that enough people will be high as hell so maybe theyll be a little more chilled.


I hope PJ takes notice of this and sticks to their own shows!!!!! Festivals are unnecessary for you guys...you have enough fans to sell out venues by yourself!!


Anyway, Brain Damage? That is something im definitely jealous of. God I hope they play Black one of the next two nights (Nijmegen and Berlin) because ive already dragged my girlfriend to 3 shows (msg1+2 in 08' and Hartford 08') all in a row and she didnt get to hear her favorite song (after I pretty much guaranteed her she would)....help get me out of the doghouse PJ!

Evolution6579

Rossum20 wrote:

Anyway, Brain Damage? That is something im definitely jealous of.

That's what I was thinking. 24 posts and no mention of this? Was it the whole song? Was it as awesome as it seems in my head?

nuffingman

Evolution6579 wrote:

Rossum20 wrote:

Anyway, Brain Damage? That is something im definitely jealous of.

That's what I was thinking. 24 posts and no mention of this? Was it the whole song? Was it as awesome as it seems in my head?

Ed strumming and singing the opening lyrics before going into Corduroy. It was nothing to get over excited about.

wozza77

Thought brain damage was cool. Forgot it happened when I originally posted. Like an intro tag to coduroy.
The only rarity all night other than under pressure!
Reading 06 is my fav show but the whole band was definitely more energtic last night than for years

Spags

Ed was on fighting form when he came on for the second encore, shadow boxing away like a champion

Got to say I loved hearing all those Backspacer songs, Just Breathe was cemented as my wedding song, LadySpaggles had a wonderful time...even though she was in the toilet during Black :roll:

Ooooh postman has just arrived with Amongst the Waves green record! That will help with the hangover!

darkcrow

it was a great set. the guys were totally on fire.
wish i could have got close. tried but im way too short so rather than stare at a load of backs for hours i headed to the big screen near the back. sound sucked though.. dunno if they put the volume down or if the speakers fucked up.
totally felt for the guys when eddie talked about roskilde. but luckily it looked like everyone was fine and safe.

Eraserhead

In terms of setlists, it looks average at first glance, but the show itself was superb. Really loved the Brain Damage tease pre-Courdroy (no Interstellar Overdrive, mind...)

Now a plea - Pearl Jam - when doing future European tours, please, please, please, play indoor arenas. Ed was concerned about the crushing, and rightfully so. Thankfully the weather held up - I'd hate to think what might have happened if it was raining.

/rant

Hope everyone made it home safely and had a good time!

mcpaker

Awesome show. I didn't have any sound or idiots in the crowd issues... I guess it depends where you are and who is around you. Black was a difinite highlight, along with the Backspacer tracks. I disagree that PJ should stay away from festival shows. As a diehard fan I think there is a place for both niche and broad appeal shows, especially as it is usually impossible to get tickets for the smaller indoor gigs. COME BACK SOON GUYS! I'm having withdrawl symptoms already...

UKDave

nuffingman wrote:

Evolution6579 wrote:

Rossum20 wrote:

Anyway, Brain Damage? That is something im definitely jealous of.

That's what I was thinking. 24 posts and no mention of this? Was it the whole song? Was it as awesome as it seems in my head?

Ed strumming and singing the opening lyrics before going into Corduroy. It was nothing to get over excited about.

?? I loved it..!!

BALLBOY

CrookedTom wrote:

Good Stuff, not sure about the Arms Aloft / Not For You / Of The Earth combo. Seemed to lose alot of people. . McCready was on fire tonight.

I agree with Arms Aloft, it kind of killed the set a bit but it did lead into Not For You well.

tremors

Yeah,last night's show was all about the Poster! >

Think we got the best deal those of us left here in our armchairs!


(agree tho - would love to hear brain damage - that's so unexpected it's sticking just below the radar!)

icemanap

There were some American guys I was speaking to and they said, Lollapoloza aside, all indoor PJ gigs indoors are all seated, so they found it quite refreshing that people could have a bit of a dance. There were some real cocks in the crowd but you always get a few who are more overexcited than what they should be. Unfortunatley you just have to be able to handle yourself a bit and things are usually ok. Lots of small ladies tried to pass me to 'find their friends' closer to the front. It was quite funny when they couldn't take the moshing and I saw them coming back only minutes later!

I must admit I prefer their normal shows to a festival but being in the UK and hardly ever seeing them (ok, three times in the last 9 months in London but before that, you know what I mean!) it is great to see the boys ripping up a stage. They were very tight and played a great set. I would love to hear Jeremy, RVM and Brian of J but they played a set which would appeal to everyone, not just PJ fans I think.

unsung

I thought the show was great, not the best but I've been to quite a lot. I was VERY happy to hear GO. Lead vocals were difficult to hear at some times.

Now the crowd was about the worst I've been around. I personally was hit by three bottles and I didn't do anything to stand out, there were just that many flying around. I've also never been around so many rude people. These were the people who when navigating through the crowd just intentionally walk into you to move instead of trying to calmly snake their way through. Terrible crowd, very poor behavior, not by all but by quite enough.

chidoone

Good festival show.... A lot of energy and you could definitely see that Eddie was concerned about the crowd's safety.... Sound and crowd was really average were I was, we had from the usual assholes that pushed everyone to move forward when there's no room at all, I was hit by a couple of bottles without doing nothing, I guess that's what you have to handle in this type of festivals ...

The openers
I missed Robert Francis the Gaslight Anthem, I was at the Volvo Garden eating a burger and drinking a couple of pints and just checking out the Pepsi stage and the other stands
The Hives were real fun and I agreed they should have been just before PJ, I like Ben Harper but let's be honest is better to listen to their albums on your sofa smoking a joint and drinking a beer than live... it just don't make me jump sing and have fun !! However Eddie singing "Under pressure" with him and Ben playing Red Mosquito were definitely highlights !! (First time I saw Red Mosquito live )

My Pearl Jam review.
Main set
Given to Fly as opener is really good, Brain Damage intro/Corduroy was really good, Once was brilliant,Unthought Know is my favourite from Backspacer and sounds great live,Nothingman was great and was my first time live, I disagreed with the guys that thinks that Arms Aloft/Not for you/Of the Earth kills the pace of the setlist, I totally loved it and was probably my favourite bit of the setlist (no "hits" there ), SOLT is always great and Wasted Reprise/Betterman/Save it for Later was a great combo to close the first set (singalong was really good during Betterman)
Encore 1
Just breathe is a beautiful song, Red mosquito with Ben is fantastic, Black and Porch are always good
Encore 2
Go has a great energy live, The Fixer is fine but I don't think it belongs to the encores (I was expecting something special here... Footsteps, Hard to Imagine, Crown of Thorns, Breathe,probably Baba or another Who song, Love Reign Or Me etc ) Alive is an anthem and we need to hear it every single time that we see the band live !!!! and then Ledbetter was dissapointing again I was expecting something different (even Indifference with Ben, but specially Baba or Rocking in the Free World )

Anyway another great night and after Belfast this was my last gig of this European Tour....hope is not going to take too long for the band to comeback !!!!

avlys

Not for you, SOLAT, Do the evolution and Go.

It was Amazing!

see_the_world

The pressure at the front on the left hand side was ridiculous after Pearl Jam came on. It was a real shame to see so many people who had waited patiently since 2.30 in the afternoon have to be hauled out to make way for those pushing from behind. Don't get me wrong, I expect a bit of action near the front at a show of this size, but people were in real distress. I started four or five rows back, and got security to haul me out from on the barrier during Worldwide Suicide when I decided it was never going to settle down. I was on the barrier by this point because literally every person who started the gig in front of me had had to be dragged out for their own safety, and pressure from behind then drove me forward into the gap created. Security were pretty good, to be fair, and their actions along with the good weather prevented anyone coming to any real harm (as far as I'm aware).

Anyway, once I'd got myself a bottle of water and wandered off towards the back the whole evening took a turn for the better. The Backspacer songs sounded great (especially Amongst The Waves and Unthought Known), Black was immense, and I was utterly impressed with PJ's ability to hold such a huge crowd in the palm of their hands. The people around me were completely into the show, singing along and dancing rather than chatting to their mates, which is not often the case further towards the back of a festival crowd. It was much better fun than being at the front, and I'm so glad I made the decision to get out.

So thanks Pearl Jam for another great show, but the lack of respect shown to the band by certain sections of the audience was an undoubted shame.

tremors

The ignorant crowd stuff is little surprise to many of us Brits I fear.

I used to have a Bon Jovi T-Shirt (!:?) which said "We came, We Saw, We Kicked Your Ass!"

Sounds like PJ did just that, and they once again proved they can stand up with the unwashed masses. However, roll on the day when we can hear them with a 'pin-drop' audience again, or at least in a calmer festival - there are more and more alternatives these days.

Personally I'm gonna leave the macho types to fester in their own juices if I can - I've met people that could drop idiots like those to the floor with one single word, and most of those guys are quiet and peaceful genial and gentle.

I like to take a walk out in the midday
Checking life out in the park
I like to take a walk out in the midday
Ah, but I avoid the city after dark

YUSUF


Dancing is good tho!!