Want to add just one more person to this list!! C'mon guys, it's been since 2006! We need you back!!!
06.30.1998 Minneapolis / 10.08.2000 East Troy (The Ice Bowl) / 06.16.2003 St. Paul / 06.26.2006 St. Paul / 09.03.2011 East Troy (PJ20) / 09.04.2011 East Troy (PJ20) / 07.19.2013 Chicago (Wrigley) / 10.19.2014 St. Paul / 10.20.2014 Milwaukee (Yieldwaukee!) / 08.20.16 Chicago (Wrigley) / 08.22.16 Chicago (Wrigley) / 08.18.18 Chicago (Wrigley) / 10.01.21 Dana Point (Ohana Encore) / 09.17.22 Louisville (Bourbon & Beyond) / 08.31.23 St. Paul / 09.02.23 St. Paul
...finally back from Europe (we sat on the tarmac for 2 hours in Amsterdam...and I'm 99% sure we were an inch away from getting our flight cancelled, but here we are, back home in MN)...
As you might have guessed, the Amsterdam shows were unbelievable. I'll try to give you an idea of our experience over there, but I'll also try to be fair. I know the tendency when reviewing shows is inherently flawed; you overrate the shows that you were at and out of those shows that you were at, you overrate the shows where your favorite songs were played, or where you had the best seats, or where you were feeling well (vs. feeling sick; see: RATM at Alpine Valley in '07, I was sick and that show sucked!). Suffice it to say, its a flawed process to describe a show you saw, especially a PJ one, and a PJ one overseas.
But with that handicap, I'll do my best to relay what we saw in Amsterdam last week.
Amsterdam is a very walkable city, and my wife and I are walkers on vacation. No matter where we go, we prefer to hoof it (if possible and within reason). Without fail, we've found so many special little nooks or bars or restaurants just by walking around a given place. Amsterdam in particular, where every block or canal or "straat" has an amazing little darkly lit bar with an even better food menu, is a city you can walk; the entire city center area can be walked in about 5 hours.
Still fighting jet lag in our second day, we got up and walked to the Van Gogh Museum. The morning was windy and rainy and very, very fall-like, which we did not expect. Thankfully, Hannah (wife) had us pack a water-resistant windbreaker, so we were prepared. On our way to the museum, we stopped and had great coffee, croissants and "broodjes" (sandwiches), and any concern I had about being cold or jet lagged started to wear away. We get to the museum and it was fantastic; my wife is an art grad, so I think she appreciated it more than I did. As we were walking out, I said to her "I have a feeling we're going to see someone today...", which is kind of our joke, because I said the same thing last year in Winnipeg, and we ended up meeting Jeff and Mark Arm skateboarding.
So we continued our walk past great little canal houses, past antique shops, past the coolest antiquarian "boekenhandels" (book shops). Down cobbled streets (straats!) and through the wind and rain, we plodded along, taking in what was quickly turning into a very cool city. The whole town just as a feel to it: the people are beautiful and extremely friendly. I made more friends trying to speak broken Dutch (and getting playfully laughed at) than I ever have anywhere else.
Eventually, we get to the "leidseplein" area, which is kind of the trendy bar district just south of the city centre. As we turn a corner, I look up the street, and see a guy who looks very familiar. Weirdly familiar, like those circumstances where you see someone's face totally out of context and it throws you for a moment. Like a seeing a school teacher at the grocery store. Except this was a super cool teacher. Haha.
I look at Hannah and say, "remember how I said we were going to see someone? That's Matt Cameron right across the street..." With him was his son Ray, who you might remember from the "fanviews" on the "Given To Fly" forum page as the drummer on "The Fixer" during this tour. Matt eventually came toward us, and I think he knew the look on our faces (happiness? awe? Haha), because he stopped. We told him we were sorry to bother him, but we came from Minnesota to see the band and we were big fans. He said "naw naw its totally cool. That's awesome you guys came, want a picture?" So we snapped some photos (taken by Ray), and shook his hand and Ray's. Ray told us they were going to the Heineken Museum (which may have been what Ed was talking about when he mentioned the bad influences of this city, on all of their kids who were along ), and then he said they were going to the Van Gogh Museum the next day. I've met two of the guys in the band now, and each of them couldn't have been nicer. We make it a point to chat for a very short time, be very polite, and only ask for a photo if its clear they are cool with it. We parted ways there and Hannah and I were stoked at our good fortune.
I won't bore you with the details of the rest of our trip (we went to Amsterdam, Holland; Brussels, Belgium; Bonn, Germany and Cologne, Germany), but we had an amazing time.
As for the shows...what can I say that hasn't been said already? Night 1 was great, but Night 2 was unreal. Un-fucking-real. I'll try to bolster my credibility here as a reviewer and tell you that Night 2's setlist, while amazing, wouldn't have been my first choice as a setlist. But it was a weird combination of the sound at the Ziggo Dome (fucking great; PJ's shows were the 2nd and 3rd there; that's why Ed christened it a "rock-n-roll arena" officially), the crowd around us (the 2nd night, we had lots of "PJ Magic Bus" fans who were rocking out), and the pacing of the set list. Some nights, the set lists feel like Ed really wants certain songs to fit in certain places. I've noticed that they'll sandwich "Fixer" with "Do the Evolution" and "Spin The Black Circle" or something like, almost as if Ed really wants "Fixer" to be that up-tempo rocker that it really isn't. I think its a great song actually (moreso live than anything), but it just doesn't fit with their up-tempo stuff. And part of what made Night 2 great was the songs seemed grouped together very well. Nothing was forced. The band's energy was reflected well in the setlist and that reverberated back through the crowd.
And maybe that was the difference with these shows. The crowd's energy and the band's energy were very much in sync. Couple that with two very nice setlists, and you have the makings of some very epic shows (in the true meaning of that word, "epic" ). I've seen some great shows in the US too, but the crowd's energy isn't always the same. The town simply buzzed with PJ fans and their energy. A good example of what I'm talking about is what happened after we met Matt. After taking a photo and chatting with him and Ray, we walked up the street and stopped at a fruit market. Inside the store, "Vs" was being played and the counter was being staffed by a curly-haired local kid. There was a line of people, including a bald (presumably) American guy. We were ecstatic after our encounter and once we realized what was playing in the store, we told the worker who we just met. He literally stopped working, slammed his hands on the counter and said "oh my gosssssh! That's incredible! I can't wait for the shows! Are you going? I cannot fucking wait!"...all in front of the line of fruit-buyers. The bald American nodded to us, and said something like "yeah, I've met him before too." Haha...nothing like an American to one up you, right? But that experience kind of encapsulates the Euro PJ tour: the raw excitement of some kid working his day job, just dying for the show at night, and completely prepared to bare his fan-soul to perfect strangers on a chance meeting. It was crazy in the coolest fucking way.
I know I'm gushing a bit here, but I really don't know how to say it. Both shows were amazing and I truly do believe they were some of PJ's best in recent years. I don't think I can speculate as to just how great they were (although others have done that for me), but for me, I think at the end of my show-going days, these 2 shows will be right at the top of my list, in terms of best shows. They were that good.
I will post pictures in a bit, once I get a Photo Bucket account set up.
I would say this though: if you find yourself with the money and time to travel to Europe, do it. You might not get another chance to. AND...if you find yourself with the money and time to travel to Europe and see PJ, don't think twice. It was that good. Its all the more special, and that's the best way I can describe our time in Europe with PJ: special.
Good to be back in the ol' USA, and Happy 4th everyone..
And with that...I'll kindly BUMP this thread along.
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your trip. Meeting band members is so daunting to me, I never know what to say except hi. I hope I am able to travel ove there someday, I have family in London and Germany so I should take advantage of the free lodging sometime. It's awesome when you go to the state over to see your favorite band, can't imagine going to Europe.
Welcome back, stay cool, I got sun poisoning. :oops:
Welcome Home !! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
From everything I've read and from following the show that night it sounds like it was an epic show for sure!!
It was a lot of fun following along in the forums. People were going insane after each song was posted :shock:
I cant even imagine how you guys felt. Wow!!
...finally back from Europe (we sat on the tarmac for 2 hours in Amsterdam...and I'm 99% sure we were an inch away from getting our flight cancelled, but here we are, back home in MN)...
Welcome back! Glad you had an amazing time - although how could you not! I was there in the spring and defintely liked Amsterdam the best out of the places we went. Very walkable, and not so big that you feel like you would get lost, but big enough that you didn't feel like you stood out like a sore thum! Everyplace we went I would comment about PJ was going to be playing or had played there (I was in London, Belgium and Amsterdam) - I think my friends were a little sick of it, but I didn't care -they wanted to go in the spring and not summer when we could actually see PJ, so that is the consequence!
I must say I was super jealous following the setlist! I agree that night 2 the songs may have not been everyone's choice, but how they were arranged and the general flow of the show - how could you not get excited! I think at the start fo the encore when Release was played I commented - maybe they are starting the show over - then they played Hail, Hail!?!? Definately started the show over. So you definately got somethng special.
Well now back to the real world and the 100 degree heat! Can't wait to see the pics!
07-09-95 Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest) - 10-08-00 Alpine Valley Music -06-16-03 St. Paul, MN - 09-03-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre -09-04-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre - 09-30-12 Missoula, MT - 07-19-13 Wrigley Field - 11-15-13 Dallas, TX - 10-3-14 St Louis, MO - 10-19-14 St Paul, MN
Put in INK that Minnesota will be played next year...
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Put in INK that Minnesota will be played next year...
Yes, let's get the deal signed for a MN show! :-)
1991-11-30 St. Paul, MN
1992-08-28 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis, MN
2000-10-08 East Troy, WI
2003-06-16 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-26 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-27 St. Paul, MN
2006-07-07 San Diego, CA
2007-08-05 Chicago, IL
2008-06-24 New York, NY
2009-08-23 Chicago, IL
2009-08-24 Chicago, IL
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis, MN
2011-09-03 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2011-09-04 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2013-07-19 Wrigley Chicago, IL
2014-10-19 St. Paul, MN
Thank goodness the heat broke. Whew! Windows open!
Oh yeah...and play Minnesota PJ!
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Thank goodness the heat broke. Whew! Windows open!
Oh yeah...and play Minnesota PJ!
sorry to crash the MN party, but damn, I am feeling the post-trip letdown!
Haha...tell me about it!
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
1991-11-30 St. Paul, MN
1992-08-28 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis, MN
2000-10-08 East Troy, WI
2003-06-16 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-26 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-27 St. Paul, MN
2006-07-07 San Diego, CA
2007-08-05 Chicago, IL
2008-06-24 New York, NY
2009-08-23 Chicago, IL
2009-08-24 Chicago, IL
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis, MN
2011-09-03 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2011-09-04 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2013-07-19 Wrigley Chicago, IL
2014-10-19 St. Paul, MN
6/26/98 E. Troy WI, 6/27/98 E. Troy WI,6/30/98 Minneapolis MN, 7/3/98 Bonner Springs KS,10/8/00 E. Troy WI (THE ICEBOWL),6/13/03 Council Bluffs IA,06/15/03 Fargo ND,06/16/03 St.Paul MN,9/9/05 Thunder Bay ON,5/17/06 Chicago,6/26/06 St. Paul, 6/27/06 St. Paul, 8/23/09 Chicago IL, 8/24/09 Chicago IL, 5/3/10 Kansas City, MO, Chicago IL (Wrigley Field) 7/19/13
Anybody catch Imagine Dragons on Friday night? It was awesome!
Awesome...welcome to the thread!
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Please play in Minnesota Pearl Jam! Please, please, please!!!!
07-09-95 Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest) - 10-08-00 Alpine Valley Music -06-16-03 St. Paul, MN - 09-03-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre -09-04-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre - 09-30-12 Missoula, MT - 07-19-13 Wrigley Field - 11-15-13 Dallas, TX - 10-3-14 St Louis, MO - 10-19-14 St Paul, MN
Nice work everyone! Let's keep this going until we see the fruits of our labor.
1991-11-30 St. Paul, MN
1992-08-28 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis, MN
2000-10-08 East Troy, WI
2003-06-16 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-26 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-27 St. Paul, MN
2006-07-07 San Diego, CA
2007-08-05 Chicago, IL
2008-06-24 New York, NY
2009-08-23 Chicago, IL
2009-08-24 Chicago, IL
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis, MN
2011-09-03 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2011-09-04 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2013-07-19 Wrigley Chicago, IL
2014-10-19 St. Paul, MN
Nice work everyone! Let's keep this going until we see the fruits of our labor.
07-09-95 Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest) - 10-08-00 Alpine Valley Music -06-16-03 St. Paul, MN - 09-03-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre -09-04-11 Alpine Valley Music Theatre - 09-30-12 Missoula, MT - 07-19-13 Wrigley Field - 11-15-13 Dallas, TX - 10-3-14 St Louis, MO - 10-19-14 St Paul, MN
Man, I keep reading all the fanview threads and it gets me so pumped. I can't wait to see PJ again, I regret not getting Montana tickets... Hopefully they'll swing by here (within a 500 mile radius) sooner than later.
This is what Target Field's first concert setup looked like on 7/9/12 - looks like a nice place for PJ22
Seattle 8/91, MPLS 3/92, St Paul 8/92, Denver 6/95, Missoula 6/98, MPLS 6/98, Albuquerque 10/00, Seattle 12/02, St Paul 6/03, Thunder Bay 9/05, DC 5/06, St Paul x2 6/06, Vancouver (EV) 4/08, DC 6/08, Chicago x2 8/09, KC 5/10, MPLS (EV) 7/11, Chicago 7/13, St Paul 10/14, Santiago 11/15, Missoula 8/18, Denver 9/22, Saint Paul 8/23, Saint Paul 9/23
This is what Target Field's first concert setup looked like on 7/9/12 - looks like a nice place for PJ22
Good call. PJ at Target Field would be awesome...
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
This is what Target Field's first concert setup looked like on 7/9/12 - looks like a nice place for PJ22
Good call. PJ at Target Field would be awesome...
Yes, this would be awesome!
1991-11-30 St. Paul, MN
1992-08-28 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis, MN
2000-10-08 East Troy, WI
2003-06-16 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-26 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-27 St. Paul, MN
2006-07-07 San Diego, CA
2007-08-05 Chicago, IL
2008-06-24 New York, NY
2009-08-23 Chicago, IL
2009-08-24 Chicago, IL
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis, MN
2011-09-03 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2011-09-04 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2013-07-19 Wrigley Chicago, IL
2014-10-19 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2 2018-06-18 London 1 2018-08-18 Wrigley 1 2018-08-20 Wrigley 2 2022-09-16 Nashville 2023-08-31 St. Paul 2023-09-02 St. Paul 2023-09-05 Chicago 1 2024-08-31 Wrigley 2 2024-09-15 Fenway 1 2024-09-27 Ohana 1 2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Comments
...finally back from Europe (we sat on the tarmac for 2 hours in Amsterdam...and I'm 99% sure we were an inch away from getting our flight cancelled, but here we are, back home in MN)...
As you might have guessed, the Amsterdam shows were unbelievable. I'll try to give you an idea of our experience over there, but I'll also try to be fair. I know the tendency when reviewing shows is inherently flawed; you overrate the shows that you were at and out of those shows that you were at, you overrate the shows where your favorite songs were played, or where you had the best seats, or where you were feeling well (vs. feeling sick; see: RATM at Alpine Valley in '07, I was sick and that show sucked!). Suffice it to say, its a flawed process to describe a show you saw, especially a PJ one, and a PJ one overseas.
But with that handicap, I'll do my best to relay what we saw in Amsterdam last week.
Amsterdam is a very walkable city, and my wife and I are walkers on vacation. No matter where we go, we prefer to hoof it (if possible and within reason). Without fail, we've found so many special little nooks or bars or restaurants just by walking around a given place. Amsterdam in particular, where every block or canal or "straat" has an amazing little darkly lit bar with an even better food menu, is a city you can walk; the entire city center area can be walked in about 5 hours.
Still fighting jet lag in our second day, we got up and walked to the Van Gogh Museum. The morning was windy and rainy and very, very fall-like, which we did not expect. Thankfully, Hannah (wife) had us pack a water-resistant windbreaker, so we were prepared. On our way to the museum, we stopped and had great coffee, croissants and "broodjes" (sandwiches), and any concern I had about being cold or jet lagged started to wear away. We get to the museum and it was fantastic; my wife is an art grad, so I think she appreciated it more than I did. As we were walking out, I said to her "I have a feeling we're going to see someone today...", which is kind of our joke, because I said the same thing last year in Winnipeg, and we ended up meeting Jeff and Mark Arm skateboarding.
So we continued our walk past great little canal houses, past antique shops, past the coolest antiquarian "boekenhandels" (book shops). Down cobbled streets (straats!) and through the wind and rain, we plodded along, taking in what was quickly turning into a very cool city. The whole town just as a feel to it: the people are beautiful and extremely friendly. I made more friends trying to speak broken Dutch (and getting playfully laughed at) than I ever have anywhere else.
Eventually, we get to the "leidseplein" area, which is kind of the trendy bar district just south of the city centre. As we turn a corner, I look up the street, and see a guy who looks very familiar. Weirdly familiar, like those circumstances where you see someone's face totally out of context and it throws you for a moment. Like a seeing a school teacher at the grocery store. Except this was a super cool teacher. Haha.
I look at Hannah and say, "remember how I said we were going to see someone? That's Matt Cameron right across the street..." With him was his son Ray, who you might remember from the "fanviews" on the "Given To Fly" forum page as the drummer on "The Fixer" during this tour. Matt eventually came toward us, and I think he knew the look on our faces (happiness? awe? Haha), because he stopped. We told him we were sorry to bother him, but we came from Minnesota to see the band and we were big fans. He said "naw naw its totally cool. That's awesome you guys came, want a picture?" So we snapped some photos (taken by Ray), and shook his hand and Ray's. Ray told us they were going to the Heineken Museum (which may have been what Ed was talking about when he mentioned the bad influences of this city, on all of their kids who were along
I won't bore you with the details of the rest of our trip (we went to Amsterdam, Holland; Brussels, Belgium; Bonn, Germany and Cologne, Germany), but we had an amazing time.
As for the shows...what can I say that hasn't been said already? Night 1 was great, but Night 2 was unreal. Un-fucking-real. I'll try to bolster my credibility here as a reviewer and tell you that Night 2's setlist, while amazing, wouldn't have been my first choice as a setlist. But it was a weird combination of the sound at the Ziggo Dome (fucking great; PJ's shows were the 2nd and 3rd there; that's why Ed christened it a "rock-n-roll arena" officially), the crowd around us (the 2nd night, we had lots of "PJ Magic Bus" fans who were rocking out), and the pacing of the set list. Some nights, the set lists feel like Ed really wants certain songs to fit in certain places. I've noticed that they'll sandwich "Fixer" with "Do the Evolution" and "Spin The Black Circle" or something like, almost as if Ed really wants "Fixer" to be that up-tempo rocker that it really isn't. I think its a great song actually (moreso live than anything), but it just doesn't fit with their up-tempo stuff. And part of what made Night 2 great was the songs seemed grouped together very well. Nothing was forced. The band's energy was reflected well in the setlist and that reverberated back through the crowd.
And maybe that was the difference with these shows. The crowd's energy and the band's energy were very much in sync. Couple that with two very nice setlists, and you have the makings of some very epic shows (in the true meaning of that word, "epic"
I know I'm gushing a bit here, but I really don't know how to say it. Both shows were amazing and I truly do believe they were some of PJ's best in recent years. I don't think I can speculate as to just how great they were (although others have done that for me), but for me, I think at the end of my show-going days, these 2 shows will be right at the top of my list, in terms of best shows. They were that good.
I will post pictures in a bit, once I get a Photo Bucket account set up.
I would say this though: if you find yourself with the money and time to travel to Europe, do it. You might not get another chance to. AND...if you find yourself with the money and time to travel to Europe and see PJ, don't think twice. It was that good. Its all the more special, and that's the best way I can describe our time in Europe with PJ: special.
Good to be back in the ol' USA, and Happy 4th everyone..
And with that...I'll kindly BUMP this thread along.
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your trip. Meeting band members is so daunting to me, I never know what to say except hi. I hope I am able to travel ove there someday, I have family in London and Germany so I should take advantage of the free lodging sometime. It's awesome when you go to the state over to see your favorite band, can't imagine going to Europe.
Welcome back, stay cool, I got sun poisoning. :oops:
From everything I've read and from following the show that night it sounds like it was an epic show for sure!!
It was a lot of fun following along in the forums. People were going insane after each song was posted :shock:
I cant even imagine how you guys felt.
Sun poisoning?? Geez that sounds terrible
Welcome back! Glad you had an amazing time - although how could you not! I was there in the spring and defintely liked Amsterdam the best out of the places we went. Very walkable, and not so big that you feel like you would get lost, but big enough that you didn't feel like you stood out like a sore thum! Everyplace we went I would comment about PJ was going to be playing or had played there (I was in London, Belgium and Amsterdam) - I think my friends were a little sick of it, but I didn't care -they wanted to go in the spring and not summer when we could actually see PJ, so that is the consequence!
I must say I was super jealous following the setlist! I agree that night 2 the songs may have not been everyone's choice, but how they were arranged and the general flow of the show - how could you not get excited! I think at the start fo the encore when Release was played I commented - maybe they are starting the show over - then they played Hail, Hail!?!? Definately started the show over. So you definately got somethng special.
Well now back to the real world and the 100 degree heat! Can't wait to see the pics!
Put in INK that Minnesota will be played next year...
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Yes, let's get the deal signed for a MN show! :-)
Oh yeah...and play Minnesota PJ!
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
sorry to crash the MN party, but damn, I am feeling the post-trip letdown!
Haha...tell me about it!
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Awesome...welcome to the thread!
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Nice work everyone! Let's keep this going until we see the fruits of our labor.
PJ MINNESOTA
JR
Hot in Grand Forks today? Wasn't too bad out here in WI
Good call. PJ at Target Field would be awesome...
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2
Yes, this would be awesome!
2003-06-16 St. Paul
2006-06-26 St. Paul
2007-08-05 Chicago
2009-08-23 Chicago
2009-08-28 San Francisco
2010-05-01 NOLA (Jazz Fest)
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis
2011-09-03 PJ20
2011-09-04 PJ20
2011-09-17 Winnipeg
2012-06-26 Amsterdam
2012-06-27 Amsterdam
2013-07-19 Wrigley
2013-11-21 San Diego
2013-11-23 Los Angeles
2013-11-24 Los Angeles
2014-07-08 Leeds, UK
2014-07-11 Milton Keynes, UK
2014-10-09 Lincoln
2014-10-19 St. Paul
2014-10-20 Milwaukee
2016-08-20 Wrigley 1
2016-08-22 Wrigley 2
2018-06-18 London 1
2018-08-18 Wrigley 1
2018-08-20 Wrigley 2
2022-09-16 Nashville
2023-08-31 St. Paul
2023-09-02 St. Paul
2023-09-05 Chicago 1
2024-08-31 Wrigley 2
2024-09-15 Fenway 1
2024-09-27 Ohana 1
2024-09-29 Ohana 2