The PLAY MINNESOTA Thread!

evenflow82

I'm an elementary licensed educator (Augsburg) who is doing some substitute teaching. I'm looking for a connection to a full time teaching gig. When you said you work with the kids I thought you might be an educator as well.

it's tough to break in to a field out of school. If anyone knows of an elementary openings, let me know. Shameless self promotion is now over.

stonevs

C'mon Pearl Jam! Minnesota!

kdiddy

woo hoooooo for PJ release day! BUMMMMP

vant0037

stonevs wrote:

C'mon Pearl Jam! Minnesota!

Welcome!

evenflow82

I know my replies don't generate too much hoopla, but no one responded to my observation from yesterday...

I just saw this online http://www.alternativenation.net/?p=36731

PJ won't be getting back from Australia until Feb 2014.
Soundgarden performing Lollapalooza in Mid April 2014
I'm guessing PJ Euro tour during Summer 2014.

This is speculative, but that timeline doesn't bode well for additional U.S. dates...

AndySlash

evenflow82 wrote:

I know my replies don't generate too much hoopla, but no one responded to my observation from yesterday...

I just saw this online http://www.alternativenation.net/?p=36731

PJ won't be getting back from Australia until Feb 2014.
Soundgarden performing Lollapalooza in Mid April 2014
I'm guessing PJ Euro tour during Summer 2014.

This is speculative, but that timeline doesn't bode well for additional U.S. dates...

that's only half the year...

evenflow82

Has PJ consistently toured on the strength of an album for over a year in the 2000's or 2010's?

With families and the band's dislike of playing more than 15 shows a year, I can't see additional dates in the fall of 2014 happening.

AndySlash

it may not be the "lightning bolt" tour in late 2014, but i don't see right now what would would prevent them from doing some shows in the second half of the year. hell, we don't even know for sure if they'll be doing anything in europe. all we know is 6 pj shows in australia and some soundgarden shows in spring.

past history may suggest a certain pattern, but it certainly doesn't mean they stick to that. if we get to august 2014 and we haven't heard much of anything for shows on our shores, then i might start worrying about keeping my streak alive (at least one show a year since 2003!).

AndySlash

if anyone here doesn't have it, i saw the tres mts lp at the st. paul cheapo in the clearance bin for $15.

evenflow82

I think I may begin a kick starter campaign to see PJ this fall. :P Please remember MN, PJ!

vant0037

AndySlash wrote:

if anyone here doesn't have it, i saw the tres mts lp at the st. paul cheapo in the clearance bin for $15.

Musically, I thought Tres Mts was alright, but I really didn't like the singer's voice.

Dirty Frank Z

I'm giving Lightning Bolt an A-.

Getaway - Love it. Really dig how Eddie's voice travels with the music. And its a pretty cool first track.
Mind Your Manners - Love it as well. But, I did skip it my first listen...
My Father's Son - I don't get it. I haven't been able to get into the song and dig any aspect of it. Maybe live?
Sirens - This one has really grown on me but, again, I skipped it my first listen.
Lightning Bolt - Oh man, Vant, I was way wrong. Maybe it was because they hadn't polished it live or I just wasn't into feeling new songs at Wrigley. But this song has really grabbed me. Love it. Every verse and build in the song reallly is excellent.
Infallable - I don't understand the PJ community that rails against "Sirens" for sounding too one way and then loves this song. I don't like the synth and machine produced stuff going on throughout it. To me, this song sounds dated and not like PJ. But, maybe live....
Pendulum - Hmmm....this one hasn't gotten me yet either....I was waiting for an explosion of music to happen but it just kept on going. I guess like a pendulum......maybe live?
Swallowed Whole - Sounds like a Who song on the first listen to me. I think its great and will be excellent live. I like the part about playing music loud loud loud loud loud
Let the Records Play - A real roadhouse, bar blues, stomp along jam. I like it. It's unique to them but fits. Plus, I know a majority of us actually do spin records still. So that's a neat bonus.
Sleeping By Myself - Ugh. Why cover an Eddie Vedder solo song? What's next a RNDM song? A Brad tune? An Ament solo? Lame. Pass. Not holding out for a kick ass live version. I've already heard it at the Orpheum in 2011.
Yellow Moon - Pretty stellar slow creeping song. I bet this one will be excellent live.
Future Days - This is a goofy song for me. 1) Disliked it live but didn't understand the outrage from fans. To me it's no different than Just breathe. Which brings me to #2) I don't care for the Just Breathe type songs in general, but there are some sweet lines in this song that I'm sure any of us who have found that special someone can relate to. And its nice to have Eddie sing those lines and not some rando pop star.

Okay, you go......

AndySlash

i was part of the no leak club this time around. i'd heard mind your manners from the initial release, and lightning bolt/future days at wrigley, and also had heard most of sirens because i couldn't seem to avoid it (with that espn/gleason thing being the main culprit).

i still have yet to receive the album- hell, i just got my vault vinyl today, so i probably won't have a physical copy for a couple more weeks yet- but used the 10c download to listen to at work yesterday and then last night fed the audio line from the computer to my cassette deck to make a tape copy for my car.

anyway, initial thoughts:

-for better or worse lightning bolt seems to be their most commercially accessible record yet. it's all over the place with seemingly something for everyone. unlike backspacer, though, i do feel they somewhat challenged themselves on this one. however, they also sound influenced by (or ripped off, if you prefer) more bands than on any of their other records.
-sirens and future days are atrocious and will no doubt be my piss break/beer run songs going forward.
-i'm not really a lyrics person, so perhaps my opinions aren't the most informed, but there's a lot of cringeworthy stuff throughout the album. ed seems to be choosing the more direct path these days.
-there's a lot of embellishments on this album that just seem out of place on a pearl jam record (~2:40 on lightning bolt, for example, with whatever that woo-ee-wee-oo thing is supposed to be). they were on backspacer, too, so it's not new, but it still sounds lame.
-as with a lot of pearl jam records, this one is front loaded. the opening trio is pretty decent, and then sirens drops a diarrhetic turd on everything.
-jeff ament is the mvp of the album.
-lightning bolt is better as a whole than backspacer, but after several spins i don't see myself putting it above any other record in the near future. lightning bolt has a better chance at being a grower, though, than backspacer ever did.
-top 3 in no order would probably be my father's son, lightning bolt, and pendulum (loooooove the moody stuff. pendulum would fit on binaural/riot act just fine). let the records play and mind your manners might find their way up there.

vant0037

Well said Ryan and Derek.

I tend to agree. There are definitely things I cringe over, mostly, some of Ed's word choices, and there are some effects that do seem out of place ("Lightning Bolt" the song, for instance).

But I agree that there's a lot more to like on this album than Backspacer.

I almost wonder if they hadn't moved the track list around if this might not feel like a totally different album.

For instance:

1. Mind Your Manners
2. Getaway
3. Lightning Bolt
4. Yellow Moon
5. Let The Records Play
6. Swallowed Whole
7. Sirens
8. Infallible
9. My Father's Son
10. Sleeping By Myself
11. Future Days
12. Pendulum

I think the album might flow a little better if they mixed up some of the tracks. I do notice myself finding the end of some songs and the beginnings of others running a little funny.

Overall, I'm happy with it so far. I think the live experience of it will be very telling, so I'll reserve ultimate judgment until then. But there are some very good things to take away, even with some of the warts. Namely, that for every song people might call "Lite FM" there's another song that does the opposite and either rocks or haunts you.

evenflow82

The lyrics of Sirens kind of make me cringe.

Hear the circus so profound.
Let me catch my breath to breathe and reach across the bed. Just to know we're safe; I am a grateful man.

Blah. I love the band and most bands have those moments for me so it isn't the end of the world.

With that said, please come to PJ and play a 84 song set.

evenflow82

Where is the MN delegation?

FlannelGal

PAGE 8!

They missed us on Page 1

evenflow82

The usual gang is MIA.

FlannelGal

Yeah, where is everyone? Actually working?
I've been MIA for a few days, myself, so I shouldn't complain.

Only 28 days until I see PJ - would be great to have them here though!!

FlannelGal

Fall'n fast!

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