How do you rank the shows you attended?

LastExit23

I am sure this thread has been done before so please forgive me. I made a PJ20 resolution to post more and talk about the band with people who love them and this topic is on my mind.

Since I have seen my last show until the next batch of shows in the United States or Canada is announced, I have been trying to put the 72 shows I have been to in some kind of perspective.

It's fucking hard.

My first show was Buffalo 96' so that is special. I was lucky enough to be first row of the balcony at Benaroya in 03. I went to both Garden shows in 03, 06, 10. I went to the destination weekend. I was also at the 10th anniversary show in Vegas. I went to all three shows at Jones Beach in 2000. I didn't originally plan it, but I made the 7 hour drive to Virginia Beach in 2000 to welcome Pearl Jam back to the stage after the Denmark tragedy (it was okay). I was at the first two shows of the Pearl Jam tour in 06. I went to both shows at the Borgada. I went to Bridge School in 99, and 01. I have been to all three shows they have played in my home town- 96, 03, 10. I went to the last two shows in The Spectrum.

This band has fucking spoiled me.

Besides those shows that were special because of the show itself (those I mentioned above). I have been to some shows that just blew out my expectations for the night or have special personal meaning. My baby brother went to his first show in Toronto 2005. Bono was there that night too. I went to two shows on the VFC tour- Toledo featuring Neil Jam and Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids was just one of my favorite shows ever. I got to take my Mom to a show in Toronto in 2009. I bought a spare ticket off a guy in 2000 in Columbus. He is one of my best friends now and we have been to about 40 of these shows together. I met Mike before Detroit in 06 and we compared chrons stories. He was the best. Jessie gave me a setlist from the stage in Detroit in 2003.

How could I ever order these?

I hope this doesn't come off as braggadocios. That isn't my intent. I am humbled by it. I am almost embarrassed.

I am glad I went to all 72. Sure, if you forced me, I would tell you that Detroit in 2000 was the worst of them all. The funny thing though, I LOVED THAT SHOW- They opened with GO, they played Tremor Christ, they played Parting Ways. It was one of the few times that I sat on the side of stage and just got to watch Matt Cameron all night. Sure that was 72 of 72 but it kicked my ass. I loved it.

A top 10- I am not even going to try. It's a pointless exercise. Instead, I am just going to sign off with a smile and go to bed knowing that I am one of the luckiest Pearl Jam fans in the world. I can't wait for show #73 maybe I will finally hear All Those Yesterdays...

conman

awesome...... all of them.

Time_Bomb

I've been to 17 shows so far, best one is still San Diego 2006 for me. Listening to that bootleg just brings me back to that amazing Friday night.

goldrush

conman wrote:

awesome...... all of them.

This! It's way too hard to rank the shows (and I've 'only' been to 12) as they were all cool in their own way.

Supporting Neil Young at Finsbury Park in 93 - probably the only time I'll ever see them as a support act...
Cardiff in 2000 - the only time they've ever played in Wales...
I was lucky enough to see the fan shows at The Astoria in 06, The Vic in 07 and SheBu in 09...
Newcastle in 06 was great because it was such a crazy set list...
Lollapalooza 07 and Reading/Leeds in 06 were great festivals...
London in 09 has one of the best sounding bootlegs I've ever heard...
The atmosphere at the MSG shows in 08 was really fun...

I've been lucky enough to see some really great shows but if I was forced to choose a favourite I would probably go for Newcastle in 06. There was something really special about that show and the atmosphere, fans and band were all so perfect that night. Great set list, great crowd, great atmosphere, I guess the fact that some fans sent a petition to Mark Richards to try to get them there meant that everyone was there to enjoy themselves and you could really tell that PJ were into it too.

snow_board_rider

I like to rank them numerically, its just hard to decide what goes where.

restlesssoul

LastExit23 wrote:

I can't wait for show #73 maybe I will finally hear All Those Yesterdays...

you should have been in LA 4 2009 my friend! Nice list of shows, some beauties in there for sure.

I was going to try to rank mine, but can't.

The "worst" was definitely vancouver 2003 or one of the seattle 2009 shows. They are so many factors that can take their toll on your enjoyment of a show, so it is all very subjective in the end. I have been to some epic shows too, and they are all my babies.


The battle for number one however, would go between Vancouver 2009 and Seattle 2000 Night 2. Both had the magic. The energy, the vibe in the building. Sometimes when at concerts of other bands, you feel it for a song or two, but these two PJ shows, it was the whole thing.

Seattle 2000 was the last show of a grueling tour which included Roskilde. They hadn't played Alive in 6 months, then busted it out that night. Ed uttered the words....."well this is it, and we don't ever play again......well for a long time" There was a sense that it could have been their last show at the time. It sounds stupid now, but it was the truth. Would they go on? There was a guitar break by Mike after Go. I have, to this day, never heard a louder audience in my life. If you were near metal, you were banging it. Absolutely crazy loud. Mike plays the stairway to heaven solo snippets in Crazy Mary, i remember looking up to the upper bowl and people partying and swaying for take a bottle drink it down....pass it around parts. Ed played Iron Man on the ukelele (jokingly), We got the man trilogy. Lukin into not for you, parting ways with strings, immortality, kids are alright, baba and YL with little wing tag.

Mike McCready has been quoted as saying it's the best show they've ever played. Although the quote is dated now, hundreds of shows have passed since, so who knows now. But it was pure magic. You could feel in the city on the day of the show. Did I mention the fuckin Red Hot Chili Peppers opened at the height of the Californication era? :shock:


Vancouver 2009 was more recent and many have probably heard my story and the boot. I won the lottery, front row Stone side. it was a friday night, sold out, even behind the stage, vancouver was ready to rock. The WHOLE crowd was into it, i mean everyone. Dancing all night, just amped up. Ed and the guys knew something special was going on. The setlist had parachutes and the end on it and they crossed it off and played I got shit, breath, state of love and trust instead, kept the energy high. I threw Ed a who hankerchief that I had been carrying around to concerts since the Gorge 06. During Love Reig, I held it up for the chorus and he saw it, then during YL he came and rested on the speaker and I just threw it up to him. The second it hit him, he knew what it was, he said thank and looked right in my eyes, tapping his heart with it. He paused, looked around, went and got a pick, came down to the front row and shook my hand at the same time giving me the pick. Even without this interaction and front row win, this show would have been special, but from what happened it was unforgettable. Im so glad it happened at a show that was epic in its own right.

You can view the Yellow Ledbetter interaction here, start the video at 4:00 mark.
My moment with Ed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-aZHbDGTfc

I have this to commemorate the evening. Not bad


Welcome back to the forum, hope to see you around. Thanks, as you can see I like talking about Pearl Jam too. Not about white backspacers, not about fuckin backpacks, about the music and the band. The forum used to be good for that in 05 06 and probably prior, but its gone to hell now, it can get you down man, look out for the negativity, dont let it taint your love.

LastExit23

Awesome post Restless Soul. That 2000 Seattle show has long been one of the shows I have enjoyed most yet not attended. I had a choice to go out west for one show in 2000 and it was between Vegas and Seattle. I love the Betterman tag from that show.

The video was awesome. I have to look up that 2009 Vancouver show.

EDIT: I just looked at the setlist in your photo- HOLY SHIT- How did I miss this show? Purchasing it now. Another bootleg to the collection.

dimitrispearljam

need time for that..good thread!

Kloddz

Even at my modest number of shows attended, it's hard for me to do a ranking...

Bern 2006 was my first show and I was nervous as hell, amazing setlist too, but little crowd interaction from the band (I like it when Ed takls in-between songs and goofs around a little, adds a more personal touch to a show).

Berlin 2009, amazing venue, beautiful night, totally different from the first one because I was way up in the stands and watching the craziness in the moshpit from a distance rather than being in the middle of it - still probably my favourite show so far.

Lisbon 2010, very emotional from start (Release) to finish, they played my 2 favourite songs (In Hiding and Smile), the crowd up front was extremely fired up; but then again, it was a festival show (which obviously means shorter than usual) and a few rows back where I was standing (no way my old body could have gone through standing in the same spot in that heat for several hours to guarantee a place at the rail), the crowd was not that into it - maybe I was just in the wrong area though. Chick in front of me actually texted all through the show, and I don't even think she was relaying the setlist. :roll:

In the end though, they were all PJ shows - and as everyone knows, there is no such thing as a bad PJ show.

stuckinline

1. Cleveland 2006: The show begins with the crowd singing Betterman!!!

2. Ottawa 2011: Fantastic seats! Highlight, The Real Me!

3. Cleveland 2010: Highlights: Leash, The Real Me and the Mother's Day dedication. Indifference as the closer.

4. Columbus 2010: Highlight: Come Back.

5. Pittsburg 2006: The acoustics were pretty bad at Mellon Arena. Highlights: My Own Two Hands, daughter tag. It's OK, black tag.

Kloddz

stuckinline wrote:

1. Cleveland 2006: The show begins with the crowd singing Betterman!!!

I love the boot from that show, particularly the beginning! Must have been an awesome show! Wasn't it also the one where Ed told the crowd about his dream where the moon disintegrated and turned out to be a metaphor for democracy?

LukinFan

1. Kissimmee, FL 2004
2. Bonnaroo 2008
3. Ft Lauderdale, FL 1996
4. MSG 2 - 2010
5. Atlanta, GA - 2003
6. Columbia, SC - 2008
7. Birmingham, AL - 1998
8. Tampa, FL - 2003
9. Tampa, FL - 2000
10. Phoniex, AZ - 2003
11. West Palm Beach, FL - 2008
12. Charlotte, NC - 2000

YoxallManchester

Tough to say. Sometimes my favourite can end up bottom of the list and vice versa depending on mood. It's much easier having only been to two shows though :?

LloydXmas

1. Mansfield 7/3/2003
2. Hartford 98
3. Boston 9/28/2004
4. Hartford 08
5. Hartford 2010/Hartford 06 are tied.

dimitrispearljam

wasnt easy....


1.Athens 06
2.Berlin 10
3.Berlin 09
4.Alpine 2
5.Toronto 1
6.London 09
7.Lisbon 10
8.Venice 10
9.Belfast 10
10.London 10
11.Alpine 1
12.MSG 08 2
13.Dublin 10
14.Rotterdam 09
15.Toronto 2
16.MSG 08 1
17.Nijmegen 10
18.Bilbao 10
10.Werchter 10
20.Manchester 09
21.Arras 10


the best experience had with the band,wasnt a concert but was the jimmy fallon show..
the first 2 shows are there cos they gave me the most powerful feeling so far in pj concerts,for different reasons..
and its so hard to me to rank the usa-candian show with europe,cos seating with only 1 friend at the show with the seated system,is something i dont like,cos i prefer to rock at the concerts with the group of friend i wanna be..

Hinn

I don't.

SVRDhand13

The best I could do is make tiers, with 1 being the best and 3 being not as wonderful :

Tier 1: Philly 3 '09, Philly 4 '09, Newark '10, MSG 2 '10, East Troy 2 '11
Tier 2: Hartford '08, East Troy 1 '11
Tier 3: Gorge 2 '06, Beacon NYC '08, MSG 1 '10

So half of my shows are tied for the best I've ever seen .

stuckinline

Kloddz wrote:

stuckinline wrote:

1. Cleveland 2006: The show begins with the crowd singing Betterman!!!

I love the boot from that show, particularly the beginning! Must have been an awesome show! Wasn't it also the one where Ed told the crowd about his dream where the moon disintegrated and turned out to be a metaphor for democracy?

yes

i_lov_it

Been to 4 Shows...ALL here in Perth!...Number 1 would have to be in 2006...But having said that ALL are unique in there own "Special" way...

Loulou

2009- Adelaide (this was my favourite because I was right up the front and I took my little bro to this, his first concert ever).
2009- Melbourne (this concert was a favourite too, so many people and it had such a great vibe!)
2009- Christchurch New Zealand (being there when Neil Finn sang Better Be Home Soon and I Got You with Eddie was amazing.
2011- PJ20 Night 2
2011- PJ20 Night 1
1998- Adelaide
2006- Adelaide Night 1
2003- Adelaide
2006- Adelaide Night 2

spnoone

top 10: ithaca 91, philly 3 09, buffalo 03, toronto (concert hall, not lolla) 92, kitchener 05, barrie 98, rochester 94, buffalo 96, toronto 05, saratoga 00. hartford 08 would have made it if it weren't 140 degrees that day. rochester 91, toronto 2 06, and hamilton 11 were the other toughest cuts.

Karley

real life

#1 Berlin2009
#2 Berlin2010
#3 London2010
#4 Venice/Mestre 2010


boots

#1 London2010
#2 Berlin2010
#3 Venice/Mestre2010
#4 Berlin2009

pretty hard...all amazing shows! I want to give another shout out to the London10 boot! Buy that thing!!

SVRDhand13

spnoone wrote:

top 10: ithaca 91, philly 3 09, buffalo 03, toronto (concert hall, not lolla) 92, kitchener 05, barrie 98, rochester 94, buffalo 96, toronto 05, saratoga 00. hartford 08 would have made it if it weren't 140 degrees that day. rochester 91, toronto 2 06, and hamilton 11 were the other toughest cuts.

Hartford 08 was very hot. But it was my second show and my first show was sooooo much hotter- the Gorge is insane!

Mcam55

1. 2009: Philadelphia 3
2. 2011: Toronto 1
3. 2009: Philadelphia 4
4. 2011: East Troy 2
5. 2005: Ottawa
6. 2010: NYC 2
7. 2010: Boston
8. 2008: Hartford
9. 2011: Toronto 2
10. 2005: Montreal
11. 2011: East Troy 1
12. 2009: Toronto
13. 2006: Boston 2
14. 2008: Mansfield 2
15. 2007: Lollapalooza
16. 2010: NYC 1
17. 2010: Hartford
18. 2004: Boston 2
19. 2008: Mansfield 1
20. 2006: Boston 1
21. 2011: Ottawa
22. 2004: Boston 1
23. 2006: Camden 1
24. 2006: Hartford

blueandwhite

1. Kitchener, 2005
2. Barrie, 1998
3. Toronto I, 2011
4. Hamilton, 2011
Toronto 2005
Toronto 2003
Toronto II, 2011
Toronto II, 2006
Toronto 2000
Toronto I, 2006

The first four shows really stand out for me. The other six shows are fairly close so the order could easily change depending on my mood. I really need to travel to see more shows but budget issues always seem to get in the way.

Eraserhead

1. Toronto 1, 2011 - A solid setlist from start to finish, great crowd, great vibe and Uncle Neil!
2. Shepherd's Bush, 2009 - Tiny venue, incredible feeling just to be there. Good, good times.
3. MSG 2, 2010 - The setlist of all setlists IMO. Loved being at The Garden for night 1, but night 2 knocked it up a notch.
4. Adelaide, 2009 - First of 4 shows I did in Oz and the first and only time (to date) I heard Release.

Really hard to rate the rest. Def. no "worst" show.

Roeghmann

Berlin 2010 - amazing trilogy Black-Come Back-Alive.
London 2009 - so many of my favorite songs: hail hail, immortality, I Got ID, release....
Copenhagen2007 - my hometown. Breath! Hard To Imagine! The most amazing Long Road = pure emotions
Berlin

titchinello

Only been to 7 shows, so probably easier for me.

1) glasgow cathouse 1992 - simply beacuse it was my first show, and was right at barrier.
2) London 2009
3) Belfast 2010
4) San diego 2 1995
5) San diego 1 1995
6) Glasgow secc 2000
7) Tampa bay 2003

TunnelThroughDenial

Location Date
AroSpace 05/07/98
Moore Theatre 02/06/95
Boston 05/25/06
Los Angeles 10/06/09
The Gorge 07/22/06
The Gorge 07/23/06
The Gorge 09/05/93
Memorial Stadium 07/22/98
Phoenix 10/21/00
Memorial Stadium 07/21/98
Phoenix 06/07/03
Key Arena 11/05/00
Las Vegas MGM 06/06/03
Key Arena 11/06/00
Key Arena 09/21/09
Key Arena 9/22/09

qdog

04.28.03 philly
09.10.30 spectrum

easily

after this... maybe 10.03.05 FU Center

qdog

Sorry...drunk

03.04.28 Philly
09.10.30 Spectrum