its strange. I have been to 5 Eddie shows and nobody anywhere near me has ever yelled anything.
Night 1 was the best behaved I have experienced. Near perfect.
Night 2 was on par with every other show I have been to. Eddie was in such a good mood though it didnt get uncomfortable like it sometimes does.
yeah, it was just the peeps taking pics at the beginning, the flash is annoying!...i was so impressed with the crowd though overall, especially during sleepless nights
Vancouver 1998, Seattle 2000, Seattle 2002, Vancouver 2003, Vancouver 2005, The Gorge 2006, Seattle 2 2009, Vancouver 2009, Ridgefield/Portland 2009, PJ20, Saskatoon 2011, Vancouver 2011, Buffalo 2013, Detroit 2014, Chicago/Wrigley August 2016
These posts are great. Sounds like a beautiful time was had by all. Does anyone remember the whole operatic teenager story?
Operatic Teenager Story
Pearl Jam had played a few shows in Seattle with a group called Seven Year Bitch. They were friends and supported eachothers music. Pearl Jam had just finished up a tour in Europe. They played the last show, partied all night and flew into Seattle unshowered, no sleep and smelling very ripe. Seven Year Bitch and PJ were friends and supported eachothers music. When Ed got home from the Europe tour, the first message he got was that Stefani Sargent (guitarist) had died of a heroin overdose. Ed was obviously upset, so he grabbed a big bottle of wine, "I think they call them "magnums" and headed for Discovery Park? (Correct me if Im wrong here.) He then went to a secret little spot on the cliff overlooking the water and mountains, and it was very beuatiful, him and the wine. Overhead, as people walked the paths and whatnot, you could hear their conversations as they went past. Half way through the bottle, he heard some teenage girls having some very innocent fun (he's sure he will find out about teenage girls behaviour very soon). They were singing rock songs in an operatic fashion. First one was Stairway, Ed did a little impression of what he heard that day in a high pitched opera voice. They continued into a few songs, then they started with another song that "sounded familiar" to Ed. It was black. "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life" Ed sings in the opera voice again. Two of the girls were closer than the other three. The stinking, unshowerd and now, half drunk Ed Vedder, goes up the cliff, appears from the bushes seemingly out of nowhere to the girls and simply states: "Don't sing it like that" and slinks back into the bushes. The girls yell out Eddie! Eddie! But he is back in the safety of his hiding spot. He then hears silence, but after a while, (the other girls ran back to get the other ones) Ed hears them explaining to them "It was right here, we swear he came out, right here". After looking shortly and giving up, the girls yell in unison "BYE EDDIE" and Ed said he felt like Billy Goats Gruff at this point, he took a swig from the magnum and whispered "Bye".
The End
He then dedicated Needle and the Damage done to Stefanie Sargent and our ears were treated to heaven, because it was followed by long road. It was a great story and a great moment. It was by far my favourite story Ed has told. He said that he had never told it publicly before, so once it gets out, he was wondering if the girls will come forward. There you go!
Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
by the way, the end jam with Ed and Glen going crazy on Society was just awesome. The unison guitar strumming blew my mind how fast they could go together and still stay on beat.
Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
Warning: This is a long post. You can skip the top part to get to the Eddie stories below (Stories in bold).
I came down from Canada for the weekend and had planned to go to only Night 1. Had nice seats in Tier1 box and saw Krist Novoselic down below to my left! Before the first show I met a wonderful gal in the lobby named Jenny who transplanted from Virginia to Oregon when I asked her about what was on the cool Night 1 poster that I couldn't see from behind the lineup. She had her own copy already. Turns out she knows a lot about vision through her work and I said I may need my eyes checked since it had been 10 years or so since I couldn't see that far. I ended up missing out on the poster during intermission by about 1 minute as they sold out. Also, I need to PM Jenny as I need her advice on glasses if I get them. If you read this, please message me as I don’t know your board name.
Anyway, I wasn’t planning on going to Night #2. I had plans with someone very very close to me. Saturday afternoon as fate would have it, I managed to get a chance at a Front Row seat. Unbelievable. If I took it, I would have to cancel my original plans and potentially do something to damage my relationship with that person forever. What would you do? More on this later.
I’m a selfish asshole and I broke my plans. Sincerely pained me. Most bittersweet show I’ve been too. After the elating Night 1 experience and with other unfortunate things going on in my life, I felt like this was a once in a lifetime chance to ease my mind further and I would make up the cancelled plans tenfold moving forward.
The songs themselves were unbelievable. I can write fairly well but how do you even begin to explain the songs? You need to hear them yourself. I can't do them justice in words. I selfishly want a bootleg or DVD of this show of both Seattle shows to be released. And unselfishly because I know anyone who wasn’t there would appreciate hearing them.
So what I’m going to do here is write about the stories I recalled in brief. I typed some notes after the show so I could do this. Some stories have been mentioned before I’m sure and maybe even in more detail but I am writing down what I remembered because I want to read this fanview years later when I will have forgotten most of this night.
Night 1 was on par with Night 2. Each was strong in their own ways. Night 1 was like the best meditation experience I’ve ever had. Pure. Night 2 stood out to me as a night of influence and gratitude and many stories. Neil Young songs, Tim Robbins influence, Seattle scene, Pete Townshend, Springsteen, kids, etc. I wanted him to do a Ramones tribute with “I Believe In Miracles” but I don’t think he could have topped the band version in the very same Benaroya Hall back in 2003 anyway. Knowing that 2003 live album was recorded there was also cool. I got a lot of mileage out of those records.
Stories:
Can’t Keep: In the words of Marvin Gaye: “Let’s get it on!”
Eddie mentioned he was happy he was “home” but the day after the last show he would really be home. First of many mentions of being back in Seattle just like Night 1.
Said the tour was like living live in hyperspeed. So many good things and stories over the course of the tour. Said next time he is going to take 4 weeks during the tour to hit the Betty Ford Clinic or something to that extent.
Hey Fahkah: Shoutout to his 2 daughters with this song. Also mentioned something about swearing as they were at the show.
You’re True: Dedicated to an about to be married couple. Later on in the night asked everyone in the crowd who had been married for 15 years or over to raise their hands. Mentioned something about mental toughness and happy times and mental toughness again.
Soon Forget: Said the song he was about to play was like the opposite of Jack Benaroya. Said that this place was the best in Seattle if not the country for sound.
Longing To Belong: He was noticing the flashbulbs from the cameras. Tried to imagine them like fireflies on a nice evening but it wasn’t working. Said something about the pic takers being assholes. Then said that the only one that could take a picture at that point was cello guy Chris Worswick’s wife as he was on stage for a great performance of LTB.
At some point early in the set a couple of people yelled out for songs. Daughter request. Thought he heard a “fuck you” said to him. Mentioned something about 2 year old daughter blocking things out and doing things her own way and that’s what he was going to do too. Said something about 2 year olds running around and having the stamina of a World Cup team....nice reference to the US team making it to the finals.
Needle/Long Road: Eddie mentioned that he just got back from Amsterdam after a show, late night of partying, no showering, hopping on an airplane and heading back to Seattle. First message he gets when he gets off the phone was that Stephanie had died of heroine overdose. Both PJ and 7 Year Bitch used to tour together and watch each other’s shows so it was obviously tough to take. Then he proceeds to mention that he is going to tell a story that he hasn’t told before and it goes something like this: He went out to a hidden spot just off a trail in Discovery Park with beautiful scenery. The spot was hidden in the bushes/trees and he was taking drinks from a big magnum of wine. He could hear that people were walking their dogs nearby and whatnot and then he heard a group of teenage girls (and mentions something about he’ll experience that soon enough – daughter reference again). They were singing songs and the first song he heard was Stairway To Heaven (and does a butcher job of the song while imitating the girls). A couple more songs and they get to a song he recognizes. It’s “Black”. He is unshowered, scruffy and in his own words “the stereotypical me” walks out of the bushes and a couple of the girls are there and the others are up ahead and he says to the two girls in a slightly painful voice: “Don’t sing it like that” before proceeding to disappear back into the bushes.
Long Nights: This story was well documented when I glanced through this thread so I will be brief. Before Glen came out and he mentioned a story he had heard about 2 weeks before. Was on tour and some guy came up to him and wanted to talk. Ed was courteous. Noticed his black Corduroy jacket with Vespa logo. Eddie had a brown one, other one but needed a black one. Turns out he wanted the black one and got it and it happened to be Glen’s jacket. His cousin was the guy Eddie met and he had borrowed it. Eddie still has the jacket.
Into The Wild set: Mentioned Tim Robbins having a very big influence on him kicking off his solo stuff and gave him a big thanks. Also mentioned something about an Adam and Kyle coming up for Hard Sun later in the night. No idea who he was referring to there. Said Tim’s band was going to be in Seattle in a couple of nights at the Triple Door. Probably there right now as I’m writing this. I walked by there after the show and it was rocking. Also said Tim couldn’t fit through one of the doors?!
No Ceiling: Mentioned one of his daughters kept asking about a song he sang called "Reason I'll Be".... after 2 days of going through the catalog of songs, they figured out it was this one. Great story. Can you imagine him singing his kids to sleep? Lucky kids.
Rise: Brought up the guy getting his penis cut off story like he did the night before. Said he woke up from a sleep and went back to sleep and that’s where weird dreams happen. Went on about a nightmare about the penis going into a compactor and Martha Stewart was in his dream talking about how to prepare it and whatnot. Did some Martha imitations. Then played rise.
Lukin: Slower version was fantastic. Gave a nice shoutout to April Cameron saying she was the better half of Matt Cameron and that was impressive because Matt was a really good half. April blew him a kiss and he did the same in return. Some cheers for April and she smiled. The quartet was having fun up there. Just Breathe had an issue when a speaker blew out or something. George came up on the stage and Eddie mentioned him by name. Some people said something and Eddie said “Don’t piss George off, he runs this thing.” He looked at quartet and asked should they carry on from the middle, then asked the crowd “shall we do it from the top?” to a roaring “YES”.
Unthought Known: As in the night before, he associates this song with getting high. Mentions the laws in the country and the conservative way of thinking of how they want to ban the plant. But if God put it on earth why is it so bad or was that a mistake....something like that. Well said anyway.
Betterman/Save It For Later: My favourite tag to a song next to “It’s Okay”.....fantastic.
I’m One: Mentioned Pete Townshend being a huge influence on him at one point when his immediate peer group couldn’t relate to him as fame and fortune and Roskilde and whatnot probably got to him (I’m guessing). I swear on my life he stretched out and ended 2 songs in the night with the chords of “Pinball Wizard” and also “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.... did anyone else hear this? He would go off at the end of songs (can’t remember specifically and I swear he was doing homages to the Who). Release the fucking bootleg!!
Small Town: Asked who was from Ferry County. Pike County. Did a West Seattle hand signal. Mentioned being born in Chicago, living in California but growing up and settling in Seattle. Said that the band was representing Seattle now (20 years strong) and will live there forever.
Sleepless Nights: Awesome version like that night before. A bootleg couldn’t do this justice. Saw this on youtube yesterday, I think a couple people in my row taped it. Maybe I’ll see it again one day.
Falling Slowly was amazing. Prior to that song Eddie talked about how Hansard and him were going to be a duo and needed a band name. Someone in the crowd yelled out a suggestion “Vespa Jacket” and he laughed. Good one! He mentioned they should call themselves G.E. (as in General Electric but Glen Eddie instead.... “we bring good things to life”). Then went on about how G.E. the company received billions in the past few years to make war machines. Said something along the lines of why wouldn’t the say “great” instead of “good”. Then said if their slogan was “we bring great things to life” people would look into it more and ask about the billions. Good story too, I’m not doing this justice either, release the fucking audio already 10C.
Porch and RITFW were great singalongs with the crowd.
Hard Sun is the moment I knew I could take a non-flash picture with my camera phone as the lights went on. I’ll post if you want but it may be against rules so I am not. Someone from Seattle Times took a similar picture so it’s no big deal anyway.
Eddie mentioned something about how Glen and him had went through some really bad times. But if you just stick it out and get through the bad times, the rewards will be there. And that’s some advice I will take in repairing any damage I caused by cancelling my plans. These things happen for a reason, right?
Shout out to the couple from Texas to my left, the dude who flew in from Kentucky and was watching with his sister down the row and got front row seats that day too (and a guitar pic from Eddie). And another hello also to the couple to my right who were way cool too and got the last high fives of the night from Vedder.
What an amazing night. Next up is the hometown show with the band. See some of you there.
The Black story!! Way too funny. I love that story, but I do have to say and not to rain on any parades or diminish what sounds like a GREAT night for those of you who were there but Ed has spoken about this story way back in 1993 (maybe he forgot, happens to all of us) and yeah shows how old I am and how long I have been a member/fan
Its an awesome article though written by Cameron Crowe so if you've never read it, heres the link, http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/rs668-pearl-jam/
If you want to just read about the story then scroll down about 1/4 of the way and you'll see it.
Again, not trying to ruin anything for anyone, just sharing a cool article about a cool story that is related to all of you COOL cats who got to see an amazing show. If anything I am jealous
What an amazing night. Next up is the hometown show with the band. See some of you there.
thanks for this review, great post....it was an awesome weekend in such an awesome city...see u at the coliseum on the 25th!
Vancouver 1998, Seattle 2000, Seattle 2002, Vancouver 2003, Vancouver 2005, The Gorge 2006, Seattle 2 2009, Vancouver 2009, Ridgefield/Portland 2009, PJ20, Saskatoon 2011, Vancouver 2011, Buffalo 2013, Detroit 2014, Chicago/Wrigley August 2016
BTW - tbigwhoop...
AMAZING review, thank you so much for taking the time to post that...really made me like I was there! I could almost hear Ed speaking
I very rarely post, mostly just read, but four days later and I still can't stop thinking about the show.
What struck me was at the end of a tour that Ed said was grueling and exhausting, he still managed delivered this intimate, yet intense performance. It felt like he was giving his hometown a special treat for nearly 3 hours.
I was also amazed by his musicianship (if that's even a word), playing all those different types of guitars, the uke, the mandolin. This was my first EV solo show and I think his talents as a musician get lost sometimes during a PJ show because Mike, Stone and Jeff are so damn good.
Only downside of the night was not having my wife with me -- had to scrounge for a single from a buddy. I really, really, really hope 10C releases a boot of this so I can share how amazing EV was with her.
Oh, and yeah, first row, Third Tier -- absolutely terrifying especially after have a handful of beers and trying to find my seat in the dark during GH's set.
Oh, and yeah, first row, Third Tier -- absolutely terrifying especially after have a handful of beers and trying to find my seat in the dark during GH's set.
yeah, i had 2nd tier and i was a little freaked out too
Vancouver 1998, Seattle 2000, Seattle 2002, Vancouver 2003, Vancouver 2005, The Gorge 2006, Seattle 2 2009, Vancouver 2009, Ridgefield/Portland 2009, PJ20, Saskatoon 2011, Vancouver 2011, Buffalo 2013, Detroit 2014, Chicago/Wrigley August 2016
I agree wholeheartedly that this was an amazing show and that I found my seats rather terrifying. Those symphony people must have nerves of steel. I was sitting in a 3rd tier box on night 2 and was much closer than my night one seats, though we had to lean forward to see past the edge of the box beside us.
I was so happy to hear You're True, it's my current top favourite uke song and it didn't disappoint. I was really hoping to see Satellite, though I haven't noticed it on any setlists I looked at, was it not played live ever?
I thought one of the highlights was definitely the Falling Slowly duet and I really appreciated hearing the personal stories that both Glen and Eddie told, they were very touching and it's amazing to think what these guys have been through in their careers to this point.
My husband and I rented Once last night so we could see some more Glen Hansard, and it's a great movie!
I was really hoping to see Satellite, though I haven't noticed it on any setlists I looked at, was it not played live ever?
He's definitely played it on past tours, I want to say I recall him playing it in Berkeley on the first tour and it's a very special song to him, as in he told a story about why he wrote it and all ... that i recall very little of now.
Did he play it at Kennedy Honors or one of the benefits? Seem to recall he'll play it ever now and then.
I was really hoping to see Satellite, though I haven't noticed it on any setlists I looked at, was it not played live ever?
He's definitely played it on past tours, I want to say I recall him playing it in Berkeley on the first tour and it's a very special song to him, as in he told a story about why he wrote it and all ... that i recall very little of now.
Did he play it at Kennedy Honors or one of the benefits? Seem to recall he'll play it ever now and then.
He played it in honor of Damien Echols at the 2nd NYC show.
Am I the only one who thinks there were more douchebags in the crowd for the 2nd night?!?! I mean the one guy who kept yelling for Daughter & others yelling for songs prompting Ed to stop 3 times- one time saying 'Fuck you? Is that what you're yelling at me?' And then, 'I guess this is what it's like when my kids ignore when we tell them what to do'. And to the Daughter guy finally,'uh, I didn't write that one.' One of his stories was interrupted once by yelling & even after asking people not to, flashes still went off for the entire show. I felt bad for Ed- definitely seemed frustrated with the crowd at times. I loved the show as far as what Ed did, but was embarrassed to be in the crowd of some douchebags. Just my 2 cents.
There were some but not too bad. The one guy was yelling Footsteps though, not F you.
I was up in the first row of the third tier and this one idiot behind me actually yelled "play the song already" during one of his stories!! I felt like smacking her! Douchebag.
Overall people weren't terrible and I thought EV put them in their spot fairly quickly.
Vancouver, GM Place 2005
Vancouver, GM Place 2009
Seattle, EV Solo, Benaroya Hall 2011
Winnipeg, MTS Center, 2011
Manchester, June 2012
Phoenix, EV Solo, Comerica Theatre 2012
"This concert review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Glen Hansard further. Eddie must have balls the size of garbage cans to let that guy open for him. That gypsy can steal your woman and walk off with your crowd by the bridge of the second song. Hansard could do no wrong. In front of that crowd - with that voice, that accent, and that kind of (sometimes) violent approach to acoustic guitar - he was fishing with dynamite. I went out and bought the Once soundtrack – as just a place to start. Hats off."
that kind of (sometimes) violent approach to acoustic guitar - he was fishing with dynamite.
did you see the wear marks on the guitar?
A-may-ZING!
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
"This concert review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Glen Hansard further. Eddie must have balls the size of garbage cans to let that guy open for him. That gypsy can steal your woman and walk off with your crowd by the bridge of the second song. Hansard could do no wrong. In front of that crowd - with that voice, that accent, and that kind of (sometimes) violent approach to acoustic guitar - he was fishing with dynamite. I went out and bought the Once soundtrack – as just a place to start. Hats off."
Glen and Eddie compliment each other very well. They could be a present day Simon and Garfunkel, accept both equally talented songwriters rather than one writing all of the duo's music.
Member Number: 437xxx
Pearl Jam:
Key Arena - Seattle, WA - Sep 21, 2009
Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC - Sep 25, 2011
Key Arena - Seattle, WA - Dec 6, 2013
Eddie Vedder Solo:
Benaroya Hall - Seattle, WA - Jul 15, 2011
that kind of (sometimes) violent approach to acoustic guitar - he was fishing with dynamite.
did you see the wear marks on the guitar?
A-may-ZING!
Those weren't wear marks you were seeing, that was the ribs of the guitar, the front was worn right through! (We rented Once when we got back and he uses the same guitar in the movie.)
I am way too tired to write a review of this, but I'll just say that it was absolutely breathtaking, and even though the crowd messed up the "Oh"s after the first verse of porch, it was full of great performances (Immortality was indeed played, and was incredible). Great storytelling, great performances, great setlist.
The best part, though, was briefly getting to meet Eddie after the show, around 1:40 AM. Was anyone else there?
I was there! Eddie was so kind and gracious. It was profound for me to be able to thank him. When someone creates something that changes the entire course of your life, you want to tell them and thank them. There exists this major disconnect when you aren't able to do that. I finally got that chance and it makes me feel at peace with so many things in my life. I'll never forget it.
It was also so awesome that the little crowd we were in was so respectful and had such a good vibe. I wish my friend and I had hung out with you all near the door. We got there pretty late and waited on the corner across the street. It seemed like a great group of people. Thanks for sharing the moment!
Most Sincerely,
Tawnya
My friend & I were there too! I'm still buzzing from last week, Eddie was so sweet! It was so worth the trip from Vancouver! It was a dream come true! Did anyone get any great pics or video from the meet? Would love to see them!
After we found our nose bleed seats, a man came and asked us if we wanted to "trade" tickets with him. My wife was going into her WHA??? look and I showed her his backstage Staff Pass and said "yes, yes we would." The seats were front row # 3 and 4. The people in 1 & 2 had the same story and we were all HUGE smiles.
We did have a camera and took a few (no flash.. come on with the flash, it doesn't help. Turn them OFF). I've posted them here on Flickr http://tinyurl.com/3cmgkb5 quality isn't great and I didn't want to upset anyone.
A word about Glen. I was really surprised that no one I talked to even knew who he was. The folks next to us were planning on going out to the Merch table during his set. I told them to give him 1 song first, then go if they still wanted. They stayed.. We have seen Swell Season twice. The first time being right after ONCE came out. If you haven't seen ONCE and are looking for date night flick, GET IT. Our 1st SS concert was one of those shows you never forget. It was concert magic. Where you know you were just part of something BIG. So we are huge fans of Glen and loved his set. I really feel so bad for him and the members of SS who had to witness that tragedy. Hearing the story of Eddie reaching out to Glen really drove home what a simple phone call can do. Really has made me think.
Thanks Eddie, Glen /Crew /10C and the person (wish I knew your name) who traded us tickets..
Comments
Night 1 was the best behaved I have experienced. Near perfect.
Night 2 was on par with every other show I have been to. Eddie was in such a good mood though it didnt get uncomfortable like it sometimes does.
yeah, it was just the peeps taking pics at the beginning, the flash is annoying!...i was so impressed with the crowd though overall, especially during sleepless nights
Ed: Seattle 1 & 2 2011, Bridge School 2011
Operatic Teenager Story
Pearl Jam had played a few shows in Seattle with a group called Seven Year Bitch. They were friends and supported eachothers music. Pearl Jam had just finished up a tour in Europe. They played the last show, partied all night and flew into Seattle unshowered, no sleep and smelling very ripe. Seven Year Bitch and PJ were friends and supported eachothers music. When Ed got home from the Europe tour, the first message he got was that Stefani Sargent (guitarist) had died of a heroin overdose. Ed was obviously upset, so he grabbed a big bottle of wine, "I think they call them "magnums" and headed for Discovery Park? (Correct me if Im wrong here.) He then went to a secret little spot on the cliff overlooking the water and mountains, and it was very beuatiful, him and the wine. Overhead, as people walked the paths and whatnot, you could hear their conversations as they went past. Half way through the bottle, he heard some teenage girls having some very innocent fun (he's sure he will find out about teenage girls behaviour very soon). They were singing rock songs in an operatic fashion. First one was Stairway, Ed did a little impression of what he heard that day in a high pitched opera voice. They continued into a few songs, then they started with another song that "sounded familiar" to Ed. It was black. "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life" Ed sings in the opera voice again. Two of the girls were closer than the other three. The stinking, unshowerd and now, half drunk Ed Vedder, goes up the cliff, appears from the bushes seemingly out of nowhere to the girls and simply states: "Don't sing it like that" and slinks back into the bushes. The girls yell out Eddie! Eddie! But he is back in the safety of his hiding spot. He then hears silence, but after a while, (the other girls ran back to get the other ones) Ed hears them explaining to them "It was right here, we swear he came out, right here". After looking shortly and giving up, the girls yell in unison "BYE EDDIE" and Ed said he felt like Billy Goats Gruff at this point, he took a swig from the magnum and whispered "Bye".
The End
He then dedicated Needle and the Damage done to Stefanie Sargent and our ears were treated to heaven, because it was followed by long road. It was a great story and a great moment. It was by far my favourite story Ed has told. He said that he had never told it publicly before, so once it gets out, he was wondering if the girls will come forward. There you go!
I came down from Canada for the weekend and had planned to go to only Night 1. Had nice seats in Tier1 box and saw Krist Novoselic down below to my left! Before the first show I met a wonderful gal in the lobby named Jenny who transplanted from Virginia to Oregon when I asked her about what was on the cool Night 1 poster that I couldn't see from behind the lineup. She had her own copy already. Turns out she knows a lot about vision through her work and I said I may need my eyes checked since it had been 10 years or so since I couldn't see that far. I ended up missing out on the poster during intermission by about 1 minute as they sold out. Also, I need to PM Jenny as I need her advice on glasses if I get them. If you read this, please message me as I don’t know your board name.
Anyway, I wasn’t planning on going to Night #2. I had plans with someone very very close to me. Saturday afternoon as fate would have it, I managed to get a chance at a Front Row seat. Unbelievable. If I took it, I would have to cancel my original plans and potentially do something to damage my relationship with that person forever. What would you do? More on this later.
I’m a selfish asshole and I broke my plans. Sincerely pained me. Most bittersweet show I’ve been too. After the elating Night 1 experience and with other unfortunate things going on in my life, I felt like this was a once in a lifetime chance to ease my mind further and I would make up the cancelled plans tenfold moving forward.
The songs themselves were unbelievable. I can write fairly well but how do you even begin to explain the songs? You need to hear them yourself. I can't do them justice in words. I selfishly want a bootleg or DVD of this show of both Seattle shows to be released. And unselfishly because I know anyone who wasn’t there would appreciate hearing them.
So what I’m going to do here is write about the stories I recalled in brief. I typed some notes after the show so I could do this. Some stories have been mentioned before I’m sure and maybe even in more detail but I am writing down what I remembered because I want to read this fanview years later when I will have forgotten most of this night.
Night 1 was on par with Night 2. Each was strong in their own ways. Night 1 was like the best meditation experience I’ve ever had. Pure. Night 2 stood out to me as a night of influence and gratitude and many stories. Neil Young songs, Tim Robbins influence, Seattle scene, Pete Townshend, Springsteen, kids, etc. I wanted him to do a Ramones tribute with “I Believe In Miracles” but I don’t think he could have topped the band version in the very same Benaroya Hall back in 2003 anyway. Knowing that 2003 live album was recorded there was also cool. I got a lot of mileage out of those records.
Stories:
Can’t Keep: In the words of Marvin Gaye: “Let’s get it on!”
Eddie mentioned he was happy he was “home” but the day after the last show he would really be home. First of many mentions of being back in Seattle just like Night 1.
Said the tour was like living live in hyperspeed. So many good things and stories over the course of the tour. Said next time he is going to take 4 weeks during the tour to hit the Betty Ford Clinic or something to that extent.
Hey Fahkah: Shoutout to his 2 daughters with this song. Also mentioned something about swearing as they were at the show.
You’re True: Dedicated to an about to be married couple. Later on in the night asked everyone in the crowd who had been married for 15 years or over to raise their hands. Mentioned something about mental toughness and happy times and mental toughness again.
Soon Forget: Said the song he was about to play was like the opposite of Jack Benaroya. Said that this place was the best in Seattle if not the country for sound.
Longing To Belong: He was noticing the flashbulbs from the cameras. Tried to imagine them like fireflies on a nice evening but it wasn’t working. Said something about the pic takers being assholes. Then said that the only one that could take a picture at that point was cello guy Chris Worswick’s wife as he was on stage for a great performance of LTB.
At some point early in the set a couple of people yelled out for songs. Daughter request. Thought he heard a “fuck you” said to him. Mentioned something about 2 year old daughter blocking things out and doing things her own way and that’s what he was going to do too. Said something about 2 year olds running around and having the stamina of a World Cup team....nice reference to the US team making it to the finals.
Needle/Long Road: Eddie mentioned that he just got back from Amsterdam after a show, late night of partying, no showering, hopping on an airplane and heading back to Seattle. First message he gets when he gets off the phone was that Stephanie had died of heroine overdose. Both PJ and 7 Year Bitch used to tour together and watch each other’s shows so it was obviously tough to take. Then he proceeds to mention that he is going to tell a story that he hasn’t told before and it goes something like this: He went out to a hidden spot just off a trail in Discovery Park with beautiful scenery. The spot was hidden in the bushes/trees and he was taking drinks from a big magnum of wine. He could hear that people were walking their dogs nearby and whatnot and then he heard a group of teenage girls (and mentions something about he’ll experience that soon enough – daughter reference again). They were singing songs and the first song he heard was Stairway To Heaven (and does a butcher job of the song while imitating the girls). A couple more songs and they get to a song he recognizes. It’s “Black”. He is unshowered, scruffy and in his own words “the stereotypical me” walks out of the bushes and a couple of the girls are there and the others are up ahead and he says to the two girls in a slightly painful voice: “Don’t sing it like that” before proceeding to disappear back into the bushes.
Long Nights: This story was well documented when I glanced through this thread so I will be brief. Before Glen came out and he mentioned a story he had heard about 2 weeks before. Was on tour and some guy came up to him and wanted to talk. Ed was courteous. Noticed his black Corduroy jacket with Vespa logo. Eddie had a brown one, other one but needed a black one. Turns out he wanted the black one and got it and it happened to be Glen’s jacket. His cousin was the guy Eddie met and he had borrowed it. Eddie still has the jacket.
Into The Wild set: Mentioned Tim Robbins having a very big influence on him kicking off his solo stuff and gave him a big thanks. Also mentioned something about an Adam and Kyle coming up for Hard Sun later in the night. No idea who he was referring to there. Said Tim’s band was going to be in Seattle in a couple of nights at the Triple Door. Probably there right now as I’m writing this. I walked by there after the show and it was rocking. Also said Tim couldn’t fit through one of the doors?!
No Ceiling: Mentioned one of his daughters kept asking about a song he sang called "Reason I'll Be".... after 2 days of going through the catalog of songs, they figured out it was this one. Great story. Can you imagine him singing his kids to sleep? Lucky kids.
Rise: Brought up the guy getting his penis cut off story like he did the night before. Said he woke up from a sleep and went back to sleep and that’s where weird dreams happen. Went on about a nightmare about the penis going into a compactor and Martha Stewart was in his dream talking about how to prepare it and whatnot. Did some Martha imitations. Then played rise.
Lukin: Slower version was fantastic. Gave a nice shoutout to April Cameron saying she was the better half of Matt Cameron and that was impressive because Matt was a really good half. April blew him a kiss and he did the same in return. Some cheers for April and she smiled. The quartet was having fun up there. Just Breathe had an issue when a speaker blew out or something. George came up on the stage and Eddie mentioned him by name. Some people said something and Eddie said “Don’t piss George off, he runs this thing.” He looked at quartet and asked should they carry on from the middle, then asked the crowd “shall we do it from the top?” to a roaring “YES”.
Unthought Known: As in the night before, he associates this song with getting high. Mentions the laws in the country and the conservative way of thinking of how they want to ban the plant. But if God put it on earth why is it so bad or was that a mistake....something like that. Well said anyway.
Betterman/Save It For Later: My favourite tag to a song next to “It’s Okay”.....fantastic.
I’m One: Mentioned Pete Townshend being a huge influence on him at one point when his immediate peer group couldn’t relate to him as fame and fortune and Roskilde and whatnot probably got to him (I’m guessing). I swear on my life he stretched out and ended 2 songs in the night with the chords of “Pinball Wizard” and also “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.... did anyone else hear this? He would go off at the end of songs (can’t remember specifically and I swear he was doing homages to the Who). Release the fucking bootleg!!
Small Town: Asked who was from Ferry County. Pike County. Did a West Seattle hand signal. Mentioned being born in Chicago, living in California but growing up and settling in Seattle. Said that the band was representing Seattle now (20 years strong) and will live there forever.
Sleepless Nights: Awesome version like that night before. A bootleg couldn’t do this justice. Saw this on youtube yesterday, I think a couple people in my row taped it. Maybe I’ll see it again one day.
Falling Slowly was amazing. Prior to that song Eddie talked about how Hansard and him were going to be a duo and needed a band name. Someone in the crowd yelled out a suggestion “Vespa Jacket” and he laughed. Good one! He mentioned they should call themselves G.E. (as in General Electric but Glen Eddie instead.... “we bring good things to life”). Then went on about how G.E. the company received billions in the past few years to make war machines. Said something along the lines of why wouldn’t the say “great” instead of “good”. Then said if their slogan was “we bring great things to life” people would look into it more and ask about the billions. Good story too, I’m not doing this justice either, release the fucking audio already 10C.
Porch and RITFW were great singalongs with the crowd.
Hard Sun is the moment I knew I could take a non-flash picture with my camera phone as the lights went on. I’ll post if you want but it may be against rules so I am not. Someone from Seattle Times took a similar picture so it’s no big deal anyway.
Eddie mentioned something about how Glen and him had went through some really bad times. But if you just stick it out and get through the bad times, the rewards will be there. And that’s some advice I will take in repairing any damage I caused by cancelling my plans. These things happen for a reason, right?
Shout out to the couple from Texas to my left, the dude who flew in from Kentucky and was watching with his sister down the row and got front row seats that day too (and a guitar pic from Eddie). And another hello also to the couple to my right who were way cool too and got the last high fives of the night from Vedder.
What an amazing night. Next up is the hometown show with the band. See some of you there.
Its an awesome article though written by Cameron Crowe so if you've never read it, heres the link, http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/rs668-pearl-jam/
If you want to just read about the story then scroll down about 1/4 of the way and you'll see it.
Again, not trying to ruin anything for anyone, just sharing a cool article about a cool story that is related to all of you COOL cats who got to see an amazing show. If anything I am jealous
thanks for this review, great post....it was an awesome weekend in such an awesome city...see u at the coliseum on the 25th!
Ed: Seattle 1 & 2 2011, Bridge School 2011
AMAZING review, thank you so much for taking the time to post that...really made me like I was there! I could almost hear Ed speaking
What struck me was at the end of a tour that Ed said was grueling and exhausting, he still managed delivered this intimate, yet intense performance. It felt like he was giving his hometown a special treat for nearly 3 hours.
I was also amazed by his musicianship (if that's even a word), playing all those different types of guitars, the uke, the mandolin. This was my first EV solo show and I think his talents as a musician get lost sometimes during a PJ show because Mike, Stone and Jeff are so damn good.
Only downside of the night was not having my wife with me -- had to scrounge for a single from a buddy. I really, really, really hope 10C releases a boot of this so I can share how amazing EV was with her.
Oh, and yeah, first row, Third Tier -- absolutely terrifying especially after have a handful of beers and trying to find my seat in the dark during GH's set.
10/31/2000 - Shoreline Amp
6/12/2008 - Tampa
9/21/2009 - Seattle 1
9/22/2009 - Seattle 2
9/30/2012 - Missoula
11/30/2013 - Spokane
12/6/2013 - Seattle
10/17/2014 - Moline
5/1/2016 - MSG 1
5/2/2016 - MSG 2
8/22/2016 - Wrigley 2
8/8/2018 - Safeco 1
8/10/2018 - Safeco 2
8/13/2018 - Missoula
5/3/2022 - San Diego
5/4/2024 - Vancouver 1
EV
7/16/2011 - Benaroya
2/21/2022 - Benaroya
10/24/2023 - Benaroya
Ed: Seattle 1 & 2 2011, Bridge School 2011
Thanks for the details and great posts...made me feel like I was there.
Peace
I was so happy to hear You're True, it's my current top favourite uke song and it didn't disappoint. I was really hoping to see Satellite, though I haven't noticed it on any setlists I looked at, was it not played live ever?
I thought one of the highlights was definitely the Falling Slowly duet and I really appreciated hearing the personal stories that both Glen and Eddie told, they were very touching and it's amazing to think what these guys have been through in their careers to this point.
My husband and I rented Once last night so we could see some more Glen Hansard, and it's a great movie!
I'm so excited to see PJ in September now!
He's definitely played it on past tours, I want to say I recall him playing it in Berkeley on the first tour and it's a very special song to him, as in he told a story about why he wrote it and all ... that i recall very little of now.
Did he play it at Kennedy Honors or one of the benefits? Seem to recall he'll play it ever now and then.
the story about glens jacket . Great setlist .
I was up in the first row of the third tier and this one idiot behind me actually yelled "play the song already" during one of his stories!! I felt like smacking her! Douchebag.
Overall people weren't terrible and I thought EV put them in their spot fairly quickly.
Vancouver, GM Place 2009
Seattle, EV Solo, Benaroya Hall 2011
Winnipeg, MTS Center, 2011
Manchester, June 2012
Phoenix, EV Solo, Comerica Theatre 2012
"This concert review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Glen Hansard further. Eddie must have balls the size of garbage cans to let that guy open for him. That gypsy can steal your woman and walk off with your crowd by the bridge of the second song. Hansard could do no wrong. In front of that crowd - with that voice, that accent, and that kind of (sometimes) violent approach to acoustic guitar - he was fishing with dynamite. I went out and bought the Once soundtrack – as just a place to start. Hats off."
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.a ... ryID=50746
did you see the wear marks on the guitar?
A-may-ZING!
- Christopher McCandless
I rushed out to buy The Frames, Swell Season, & Once.....Glen is going to cost me a fortune......but it will all be worth it
Too right he can
www.theframes.ie
wwworderinthesound.com
for all things frames related
Glen and Eddie compliment each other very well. They could be a present day Simon and Garfunkel, accept both equally talented songwriters rather than one writing all of the duo's music.
Pearl Jam:
Key Arena - Seattle, WA - Sep 21, 2009
Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC - Sep 25, 2011
Key Arena - Seattle, WA - Dec 6, 2013
Eddie Vedder Solo:
Benaroya Hall - Seattle, WA - Jul 15, 2011
Those weren't wear marks you were seeing, that was the ribs of the guitar, the front was worn right through! (We rented Once when we got back and he uses the same guitar in the movie.)
takamine in japan presented him with a new one of the same model as they were embarrassed about the hole I'm his which is of their hand.
he politely accepted it but couldn't give his up. don't blame him. it's a great guitar.
My friend & I were there too! I'm still buzzing from last week, Eddie was so sweet! It was so worth the trip from Vancouver! It was a dream come true! Did anyone get any great pics or video from the meet? Would love to see them!
Thanks,
Sheila
We did have a camera and took a few (no flash.. come on with the flash, it doesn't help. Turn them OFF). I've posted them here on Flickr http://tinyurl.com/3cmgkb5 quality isn't great and I didn't want to upset anyone.
A word about Glen. I was really surprised that no one I talked to even knew who he was. The folks next to us were planning on going out to the Merch table during his set. I told them to give him 1 song first, then go if they still wanted. They stayed.. We have seen Swell Season twice. The first time being right after ONCE came out. If you haven't seen ONCE and are looking for date night flick, GET IT. Our 1st SS concert was one of those shows you never forget. It was concert magic. Where you know you were just part of something BIG. So we are huge fans of Glen and loved his set. I really feel so bad for him and the members of SS who had to witness that tragedy. Hearing the story of Eddie reaching out to Glen really drove home what a simple phone call can do. Really has made me think.
Thanks Eddie, Glen /Crew /10C and the person (wish I knew your name) who traded us tickets..