The day Neil took over for Eddie...

fisttothejaw

Just curious if any of you were there... June 24, 1995, the show where Ed got sick and Neil Young finished the show for him -

What was the crowd's overall reaction - or what was your overall reaction? Did Neil do Mirrorball songs, or hits of his own? I remember hearing about it, through Tabitha Soren or Kennedy or somebody on MTV. Maybe it was Adam Curry, who knows... I remember thinking it was not looking good for Pearl Jam. And the whole recent Kings of Leon debacle brought it up in my mind again -

At the time, in '95 (at the age of 20) I think I would have been kind of bummed if I'd been there, but now I'd be at least stoked to get a chance to see Neil, even though I'd be really disappointed to not see Ed do his thing...

OK, were you there?

Crazy Marcus

This was my first show. I was living in Bakersfield, CA. at the time and drove up to San Francisco with a friend/co-worker/crush of mine, her brother and her friend Nikki. It was in this huge stadium that's called the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park. All around the edges were booths selling merch and food and in the middle was the crowd with the stage at one end. They started letting people in around noon if I recall correctly but maybe earlier. We walked in and there was just a sea of people. 53,440 in attendance according to Two Feet Thick. Crash and Brittany were the openers and then Bad Religion came on. I remember thinking "Damn, these guys are badass" I had never listened to their music before and was really impressed with it. They had a really good set. By the middle of which, my friend/co-worker/crush started to feel faint. It was very hot and she started exhibiting signs of heatstroke. So her and her brother went to the Med-Tent and I didn't see them again until the end of the show.

Her friend, Nikki, (blonde, 115lbs, very cute but not my crush) said "I got an idea, put me on your shoulders" I was ok with it. :shock: I'm 6'4" and she was up pretty high then. So with her on my shoulders, we made our way to the front rail. Everyone kept turning around and seeing her up there and just moving out of the way. It was pretty awesome. We got to the rail right before the end of Bad Religion's set. Perfect timing. So we wait and I watched for the first time them set up the stage before Pearl Jam came out. I'm 19 years old and this is someone I've been listening to since my freshman year. I'm pretty excited and I've got a cute blonde with big boobs on my shoulders and am feet from the stage. I still remember vividly as they came on stage, to a member they all did a double take looking at Nikki on my shoulders. I thought that was pretty funny.

So they were touring for Vitalogy and they opened with Last Exit, which is of course is the first song on the album. Very cool way to start and everyone was going nuts. I have a very good idea of why they don’t do GA shows in the US anymore. (besides Roskilde of course) The next song was Spin The Black Circle which is also the 2nd song on the album so of course it felt like I was listening to Vitalogy live. Both very high energy songs and both great ways to start. By this point it became apparent that Ed was not feeling well. He was very pale and I’d have to listen to the boot but I think he mentions for the first time that he wasn’t feeling so hot. I was a bit worried the set would be short but figured we’d see what would happen. Go, Animal, Tremor Christ, Corduroy, and Not for You were played next. At some point towards the end it became apparent that Ed couldn’t continue. He said something about not being able to go on and left.

At this point the crowd was not super happy to say the least. I seem to recall there was a lot of booing and a lot of whispering about drugs and Ed being on them and that’s why he couldn’t play etc. I had no idea if Ed was doing drugs but I could see plainly that he was ill. Some guy came out and said that they had someone to come out and take over and then he introduced Neil Young. This had mixed reactions with the crowd. Some cheered. Some booed. Some left. I know, can you imagine leaving now? I stayed and watched a guy who I thought of as “an old fogey that my parents might’ve listened to” rock the fuck out. It was an amazing continuation of what was my first Pearl Jam experience. It was kind of funny because they only knew so many songs and actually played Rocking In The Free World twice. This is quite possibly because everyone knew it too. Uncle Neil saved the day and for me really made it a special experience. I look back on it now and am amazed at how much this show is still talked about and how “famous” it has become. Didn’t seem like it’d be that big a deal at the time. In the days before everyone owned a cell phone, finding my friend and her brother was quite a challenge by the time things were over. I bought a black Bad Religion t-shirt with the cross with a red circle and slash through it. I don’t think I bought anything Pearl Jam related amazingly enough. Finally found my friend and her brother who both missed the show in the Med-Tent and drove home.

Been hooked ever since.





Info provided by http://www.twofeetthick.com/

06/24/95 – Golden Gate Park: Polo Fields: San Francisco, CA [140m]
attendance: 53,440
support acts: Crash and Brittany and Bad Religion
set: Last Exit, Spin the Black Circle, Go, Animal, Tremor Christ, Corduroy, Not for You
“NeilJam” set: Big Green Country, Act of Love, Throw Your Hatred Down, Powderfinger, Truth Be Known, Rockin’ in the Free World, The Needle and the Damage Done, Hey Hey My My, I’m the Ocean, Down By the River, Downtown, Cortez the Killer
enc: Peace and Love, Rockin’ in the Free World
notes: Ed leaves the stage ill after seven songs. Neil takes the stage and the audience gets an impressive Mirrorball premier. The crowd behaves poorly.
Show Poster:

Monkeywrench Radio link: http://www.monkeywrenchradio.org/tour/19950624.html

Jeremy's Spokesman

Crazy Marcus wrote:

Concert info [/url]

It's always cool to hear fan impressions, especially those regarding the big, noteworthy shows.

What ever happened to the girl with the big boobs?

dolly rocker

I was there flew in from ny to visit freaks,,I remember it being extremely hot that day, but neil was amazing..then the rumors started about ed turning into another cobain, but it turned out to be a bad tuna fish sandwich.. man what a crazy day..that show if i remember correctly madseason was rumored to be opening up for them that day but obviously it never happened, imagine that,,,,

JMo

I was there. It was a beautiful mess from the beginning.

When PJ started the whole 'we're touring without ticketmaster' it sounded like a great idea. I was a teenager, giving the finger to the man, and now my favorite band was doing the same. Sticking up for the fans, right? I had a paper route and could hardly afford tickets without a hefty service charge, so, why not!

I recieved the fan letter stating the dates and venues. I lived in central California at the time (Lodi, south of Sacramento) and actually chose the 'LAKE TAHOE' show. I thought it would be a great, beautiful place to see Pearl Jam. Well, then the venue changed to the Cal Expo in Sacramento. Yeah, this was closer to home but not where I wanted to apply my money. So, I opted for the SF Polo Field show.

My cousin bought tickets for the Sac show and told me that morning, when I called him, that it was awesome! I was so pumped for SF. My friend's Dad drove us to SF in his Volkswagon Van. An old hippie dude with an old hipped van, going to hippie land. It was going to be great!

We get there at like 8 or 9 am. It was early and there was already a line. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing I had ever been a part of. I saw PJ for the first time during Lollapalooza 92 in Mt View, but I didn't REALLY get to see just them. Then I saw them in 93 at the Greek in Berkeley, which was Halloween and a very special memory after ditching school to buy Vs. the release day and then seeing one of the first shows in support of the album. BUT this SF gig was going to be better than the previous two combined!

I remember the line moving and a merch booth opening OUTSIDE the entry. I had a little cash and bought 2 things; a black shirt with a Space Shuttle on it and a button with Jack Irons face on it that read, 'EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH'. We were almost there!

The flood gates opened and the mad rush for the stage started. Being young, and fast I quickly secured a place up front and against the railing! Crash and Brittany seemed like a pretty cool opener. Bad Religon then came on and rocked the place. But 50,000 people started chanting and puching. It was like I could feel each one of them in my back and kept thinking I would be dead in an instant if this rail guard came down. A little freaked out, at the same time SO pumped!

Finally, they walk out and throw the entire crowd into a frenzy with Last Exit! They bulled through a few songs and I look up, to see Ed in like a button up shirt, sunglasses and GHOST white as could be! It looked like he had just did a bunch of drugs! So, when he left the stag, my heart sank. I was thinking this is not good and then Neil came out. The whole energy shifted. People were pissed and I suddenly didn't have 50,000 people pushing on my back. I liked Neil and the Mirrorball record, but I felt like I just witnessed my dog being hit by a truck.

I left that show with a lot of questions. I was confused. Why is my favorite band, whose music means so much to me during these rough teenage years, letting me down? Yeah, it was selfish, but they were my band.

Fast forward a few months and they totally redemed themselves with the San Jose make up show. I still have an unused ticket, because my friend, who gave up on the band, didn't want to go to the show with me.

It was part of PJ history, but didn't know it at the time. I look back and think I was pretty lucky to be there.

fisttothejaw

Wow - this is EXACTLY the kind of info/recap stuff I was looking for - I've always heard about this show, and I remember the news of it kind of lodging in my brain, so cool to hear the specific details -

After all that murmuring going on (I remember tons of talk about drugs and the band breaking up, etc), it's amazing to see that these guys have kept going strong for another 16 years. Hell yeah. Makes me all the more stoked for the PJ20 movie, and wishing all the more I could be at the festival...

Crazy Marcus

From Red Mosquito Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Mosquito

The lyrics for "Red Mosquito" were inspired by the events surrounding Pearl Jam's June 24, 1995 concert in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park.[1] When introducing the song at Pearl Jam's July 18, 2006 concert in San Francisco, California at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Vedder stated, "This next song is a connection to San Francisco ‘cause it was written in a hotel room here, in the midst of having a really, really bad day."[1] Vedder was forced to stay at a San Francisco hospital after suffering from the effects of food poisoning, the same day the band was scheduled to play at Golden Gate Park in front of 50,000 people.[2] Vedder left the hospital to play the show, but only managed to make it through seven songs. Neil Young filled in for Vedder for the rest of the show that day. Because of Vedder's health the band was forced to cancel the remaining dates of the short tour that they were on.[3] When introducing the song at Pearl Jam's June 16, 2008 concert in Columbia, South Carolina at the Colonial Center, Vedder stated, "Alright, this one goes back aways. It’s all about…uh…being trapped in a hotel room with an insect."[4]

Regarding the situation, Vedder stated:

That whole [Golden Gate Park] thing was a blur based on some bad food. It was really, really bad. Looking back at it, it doesn't seem as intense as it was, but it was horrible. I just felt not human and looking back I should have got through that show somehow, and I think the fact that Neil [Young] was there made me feel like I could get off the hook in some way and I did go out for a few songs. I just didn't feel good about the whole thing, I felt swallowed up by the whole deal. It was just a situation where you couldn't go to work. But I think now I'd probably get through that show.[5]

morello

There are boots of the show out there & Ed sounds really bad(I mean he sounds sick, not that he sounds bad if you get what I mean) then people seriously boo when he goes off & are slow to welcome Uncle Neil on. I mean, I get it, you're amped to see PJ, but Uncle Neil ffs!!?!??!?

Crazy Marcus

morello wrote:

There are boots of the show out there & Ed sounds really bad(I mean he sounds sick, not that he sounds bad if you get what I mean) then people seriously boo when he goes off & are slow to welcome Uncle Neil on. I mean, I get it, you're amped to see PJ, but Uncle Neil ffs!!?!??!?

I didn't boo but you do have to take into account that there wasn't the history between the band and Neil Young at this point. This was at the beginning of the history. People who were booing probably had no idea what the next 2+ hours was going to be like. Some left. I feel bad for those people because they missed a helluva show.

morello

Crazy Marcus wrote:

morello wrote:

There are boots of the show out there & Ed sounds really bad(I mean he sounds sick, not that he sounds bad if you get what I mean) then people seriously boo when he goes off & are slow to welcome Uncle Neil on. I mean, I get it, you're amped to see PJ, but Uncle Neil ffs!!?!??!?

I didn't boo but you do have to take into account that there wasn't the history between the band and Neil Young at this point. This was at the beginning of the history. People who were booing probably had no idea what the next 2+ hours was going to be like. Some left. I feel bad for those people because they missed a helluva show.

It's funny how Ed has said if it was now he'd probably have kept going with the show. He did sound really crook.

You're right about the history, Neil/PJ relationship. I guess I'm coming from it as well that seeing Neil play was on my bucket list up until I saw him at the Big Day Out here a couple of years ago. He said he was never coming back to NZ after someone threw some coins onstage the time before last when he was here(in the 80s or something I think), one hit his guitar & he swore he'd never come back. So I'd always had a 'someday I'll travel to see Neil' thing before I even knew about the Neil/PJ thing, you know, seeing Neil live was my holy grail type thing.

JMo

Yeah, it was 1995 but PJ fans weren't strangers to Neil Young and the relationship with the band.

PJ had already opened shows for Neil, brought him out on the World televised MTV music awards, played Bridge School twice and confirmed rumors of a studio record with him.

I love Neil Young, and I did not boo. But 50,000 people showed up for Pearl Jam. Kudos to NY for even waking on stage at that point.

Grandma

Great stories -- thanks for sharing. I've always wondered what that would have been like - I've loved Neil since I was 10 and would have loved to have seen him rock out with the guys.

PJammer4life

I was 18 in 1995 and waited through all the Ticketmaster/ Ticketweb BS to finally see my favorite band play live. I had seen them in 1994 at the Bridge Benefit..but acoustic is not real Pearl Jam. With a few friends I made the trek up to San Fransisco. I was a blistering hot day..around 100 degrees. The line around the entrance of the park was a collection of young fans who were so phyched to see Pearl Jam for the first time. We made it in and survived a crazy performance by Bad Religion that was harder and more rocking than I had ever experienced.

Somehow as Pearl Jam was about to hit the stage we were in front..only feet from the railing in the middle. As Pearl Jam took the stage Eddie looked happy in sunglasses and a bluish collared shirt. Then a crush of 25,000 fans on the floor came forward. The first drum notes of Last Exit began to beat in and the crowd began to jump up and down and take hold. I was RIGHT there in front!!! It was incredible!!! But the force of all the people behind was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was hard to breathe. I looked over and there was a guy who was lierally blue. We grabbed him and helped him up so he could surf over the railing. There we lots of girls who we had to help get out over the railing in the front.

They then let into a succession of Spin the Black Circle, Go and Animal. By the time they played Tremor Christ and we got a breather, my friends were no longer to be found..lost in sea of people. I was exhausted by the crush of people. They played Courduroy and Eddie started to look sick..in fact he threw up a little. Not For You was next and it was clear Eddie didn't have any energy. Either did I. Though it pained me I had to drop back and get some air. I moved back and realized I would never get back up to the front again. When Not For You ended..the band left the stage. A promotor came out and said Eddie was sick but Neil Young would come out till Eddie felt better. This act alone prevented a riot I'm sure. Neil was great and most watched, but it wasn't Pearl Jam. I actually found my friends later near a booth far away from the stage...miraculous with all those people. It was so hot all of us had blisters on our heads from the sun. I gave away my tickets to my sister to the make up show in San Jose, but saw them 2 times in Novemebr of 1995 in San Diego.

fisttothejaw

PJammer4life wrote:

I was 18 in 1995 and waited through all the Ticketmaster/ Ticketweb BS to finally see my favorite band play live. I had seen them in 1994 at the Bridge Benefit..but acoustic is not real Pearl Jam. With a few friends I made the trek up to San Fransisco. I was a blistering hot day..around 100 degrees. The line around the entrance of the park was a collection of young fans who were so phyched to see Pearl Jam for the first time. We made it in and survived a crazy performance by Bad Religion that was harder and more rocking than I had ever experienced.

Somehow as Pearl Jam was about to hit the stage we were in front..only feet from the railing in the middle. As Pearl Jam took the stage Eddie looked happy in sunglasses and a bluish collared shirt. Then a crush of 25,000 fans on the floor came forward. The first drum notes of Last Exit began to beat in and the crowd began to jump up and down and take hold. I was RIGHT there in front!!! It was incredible!!! But the force of all the people behind was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was hard to breathe. I looked over and there was a guy who was lierally blue. We grabbed him and helped him up so he could surf over the railing. There we lots of girls who we had to help get out over the railing in the front.

They then let into a succession of Spin the Black Circle, Go and Animal. By the time they played Tremor Christ and we got a breather, my friends were no longer to be found..lost in sea of people. I was exhausted by the crush of people. They played Courduroy and Eddie started to look sick..in fact he threw up a little. Not For You was next and it was clear Eddie didn't have any energy. Either did I. Though it pained me I had to drop back and get some air. I moved back and realized I would never get back up to the front again. When Not For You ended..the band left the stage. A promotor came out and said Eddie was sick but Neil Young would come out till Eddie felt better. This act alone prevented a riot I'm sure. Neil was great and most watched, but it wasn't Pearl Jam. I actually found my friends later near a booth far away from the stage...miraculous with all those people. It was so hot all of us had blisters on our heads from the sun. I gave away my tickets to my sister to the make up show in San Jose, but saw them 2 times in Novemebr of 1995 in San Diego.

Interesting point that Neil coming out "prevented a riot." Remembering the way things went down at some shows around that same time period, and reading about how aggressive the crowd was at this PJ show, it sounds like a violent scene could have truly happened... Maybe Neil really did save the day...

darthvedder

I have a question for the attendees of this show. I have listened to this boot many times. I have heard the part where Jerry Pompili (who works for BGP and is the emcee at the Bridge School Benefits) comes on the mic and lambasts the crowd for booing. Does anybody remember if that helped the situation? I cringe every time I hear it because I can just picture in my mind that it might have made things even worse as far as the crowd reaction went. I don't quite know what he was thinking there.

JMo

darthvedder wrote:

I have a question for the attendees of this show. I have listened to this boot many times. I have heard the part where Jerry Pompili (who works for BGP and is the emcee at the Bridge School Benefits) comes on the mic and lambasts the crowd for booing. Does anybody remember if that helped the situation? I cringe every time I hear it because I can just picture in my mind that it might have made things even worse as far as the crowd reaction went. I don't quite know what he was thinking there.

Again, I was only 15 at the time, but I remember people being really upset. I mean, this was arguably the biggest band at the time with over 50,000 attendees. It was hot, in a completly open field. Jerry is also pretty well known in the Bay Area and maybe thought he could help calm the crowd. But once it was known Ed wasn't coming back on stage, many people just left.

I need to get a copy of this boot. I haven't heard the show since that day.

darthvedder

JMo wrote:

darthvedder wrote:

I have a question for the attendees of this show. I have listened to this boot many times. I have heard the part where Jerry Pompili (who works for BGP and is the emcee at the Bridge School Benefits) comes on the mic and lambasts the crowd for booing. Does anybody remember if that helped the situation? I cringe every time I hear it because I can just picture in my mind that it might have made things even worse as far as the crowd reaction went. I don't quite know what he was thinking there.

Again, I was only 15 at the time, but I remember people being really upset. I mean, this was arguably the biggest band at the time with over 50,000 attendees. It was hot, in a completly open field. Jerry is also pretty well known in the Bay Area and maybe thought he could help calm the crowd. But once it was known Ed wasn't coming back on stage, many people just left.

I need to get a copy of this boot. I haven't heard the show since that day.

I don't know if you do the torrent thing and have a dimeadozen account, but you can get the show here if you do:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=260767

fisttothejaw

was listening to the PJ station on satellite radio last night, and I heard a clip from a recent show where Eddie referenced this '95 show, saying he was having memories of "a night 15 years ago," and he wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank Neil Young for stepping "into harm's way" that night for the sake of rock and roll. Very cool.

Thief of Silence

I didn't know that they were playing Mirrorball songs at that point in time. I always thought that that collaboration came about because of this show. Was Mirrorball originally a NY/crazy horse (or some band) that the guys in PJ might have previewed or was the PJ/NY thing planned way in advance?

darthvedder

Thief of Silence wrote:

I didn't know that they were playing Mirrorball songs at that point in time. I always thought that that collaboration came about because of this show. Was Mirrorball originally a NY/crazy horse (or some band) that the guys in PJ might have previewed or was the PJ/NY thing planned way in advance?

I don't know the complete history of how Mirrorball came about, but I do know that Act of Love was played first at the Rock For Choice shows in Washington D.C. in January 1995. This was just a few days after Eddie presented Neil for induction into the R&R Hall of Fame. Of course, this was also only a few months after PJ's second appearance at the Bridge School Benefit in 1994. So, the genesis might have gone back that far.

heartdesire

Great thread. Fantastic stories! Thanks! The beautiful epic journey of being a fan to the most incredible band! Here's to the upcoming epic PJ20 weekend!

bjmjpl

fisttothejaw wrote:

was listening to the PJ station on satellite radio last night, and I heard a clip from a recent show where Eddie referenced this '95 show, saying he was having memories of "a night 15 years ago," and he wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank Neil Young for stepping "into harm's way" that night for the sake of rock and roll. Very cool.

so wierd - just read this and an hour later i hear this exact thing on PJ Internet radio....

wierd!

fisttothejaw

bjmjpl wrote:

fisttothejaw wrote:

was listening to the PJ station on satellite radio last night, and I heard a clip from a recent show where Eddie referenced this '95 show, saying he was having memories of "a night 15 years ago," and he wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank Neil Young for stepping "into harm's way" that night for the sake of rock and roll. Very cool.

so wierd - just read this and an hour later i hear this exact thing on PJ Internet radio....

wierd!

I'm a prophet! Seriously, I'm in love with the PJ station. When I bought a used car, it came with a few months of xm - don't know when it's going to run out, but I'm loving it while I got it...

Listening to Boston 5/17/10 right now... killer...

bjmjpl

nice!

WMAmorican

So does anyone know what the rest of the setlist was supposed to be for this show? Has it ever been posted or come out? Couldn't find it anywhere (five horizons, etc...)

(And sorry for posting on a two-year old thread, but I googled to see if I could find the setlist and this is where it took me!)

MANKIND

why was neil there? was he there watching the show?

JMo

MANKIND wrote:

why was neil there? was he there watching the show?

Rumor has it that they called in a favor. He may or may not planned on attending the show, but they did ask him to come on for Ed. But it was Neil that told Ed he needs to at least get his ass out on stage for a few songs.

And I guess I never thought about the setlist. I don't think they constructed a full list, being that he wasn't planning on staying up there for more than what they played.

WMAmorican

JMo wrote:

MANKIND wrote:

why was neil there? was he there watching the show?

Rumor has it that they called in a favor. He may or may not planned on attending the show, but they did ask him to come on for Ed. But it was Neil that told Ed he needs to at least get his ass out on stage for a few songs.

And I guess I never thought about the setlist. I don't think they constructed a full list, being that he wasn't planning on staying up there for more than what they played.

The plan was for Neil to play with them all along...the Mirrorball record had just come out (a Neil album with PJ as the backing band), so they were going to do a couple songs from it. So Neil was there already, and when Eddie crapped out - no pun intended - Neil came out for what they hoped was just a few songs, but Ed just kept getting worse and worse.

Reading other accounts of the day, the other guys in the band (Jeff, Stone) said that, despite Ed's troubles, they were as surprised as anyone when he walked off...so there had to be a full setlist. Damn, I wish I'd been close enough to get one! Someone must have...I'd pay money to know what was on it...

MANKIND

very interesting. thanks for all the info.

nitin

I was pretty close but don't remember seeing a set list. It was still one of the best shows of my life. A cherry on top was getting a check in the mail for the price of the ticket because of Eddie's early exit.

KH656807

I was living in San Francisco at the time. In my early 20's and I lived walking distance to Golden Gate Park. It was an unusually hot day in San Francisco and I was so excited to see them. I had seen them at Lollapalooza at Shoreline a couple years prior but do not recall ANY of it! I came to Golden Gate Park completely sober and psyched to hear Eddy. I was so bummed when Eddy told us he had been in the ER all night "pukin and shittin" ( I do remember him saying that). I had never really listened to Neil Young before . Of course he and Pearl Jam rocked but I was still pretty disappointed about Eddy. However, 16 years later on April 16, 2016 I finally saw them again here in Greenville,SC and got GA 2nd row from the rail. They were absolutely amazing. Played Vs start to finish . A young teenage girl named Emily was there with her dad and she was in front of me on the rail and cried the whole way through the show. Listening to PJ and Jeff Ament had inspired her to become a bass player and she was in heaven!!! Eddy and Mike gave her a guitar pic. She got a tambourine from Eddy and the kick ass set list. Matt Cameron walked over at the end of the show and gave her his sweat band. A night she will never forget and neither will I.
My point being, this made up for me blacking out at Lollapalooza and Eddy getting sick at Golden Gate Park in 95.
"Keep on Rockin in the free world"