I was looking at pictures from the Thunder Bay concert and it looked like Neil Young was on Stage?? Is this true? If so that would have been amazing. I didn't go to the show in Thunder Bay but went to the Gorge and Vancouver, which were both awsome! The Vancouver show was actually better because it was more intimate and the crowed was soo into it. I can't wait to see Pearl Jam again!
Haven't read many of the other posts so it may have been mentioned already . . . but what was it like with only about 4800 people? Must have been fantastically intimate . . .
Great show, I could have sweated it out for a few more songs. Present Tense was a great way to start out a show, even though I could tell I was among a small group singing along. The jam sessions on Even Flow and Porch were especially great, it shows how great of performers Stone, Jeff, Mike and Matt can be without using their voice.
Another Great Show for the Record Books!!
Thanks for the props Mike, CCFA.
Minneapolis 1998
St. Paul 2003
Alpine Valley 2003
Thunder Bay 2005
CARPE DIEM!!
"Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there but there's much more than this. Woh see the world."
"I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine"
"No need to be void, or save up on life. You got to spend it all"
Minneapolis 1998, St. Paul 2003, Alpine Valley 2003, Thunder Bay 2005, St. Paul 2006 I, St. Paul 2006 II, The Gorge I 2006, Hartford 2008, Mansfield I 2008, Mansfield II 2008, Chicago I 2009, EV Solo Minneapolis 2011, PJ 20 Alpine Valley I 2011, PJ 20 Alpine Valley II 2011, Wrigley 2013, Moline 2014, St. Paul 2014
Unless you were there dont complain. Ive had the priviledge of seeing them a pile of times and this was the best yet. They played there ass off in a hot venue and it was amazing. The pictures tell the story. It was great to see them here and they continue to amaze. 23 songs maybe, but the actual show was no shorter. They jammed out alot of them and to see poor girl and I believe in Miracles with the Supersuckers was awesome. It was a fantastic show and Ed was exhausted by the end. They never cease to amaze. The crowd didn't sit for the whole show. I m glad they came here and I hope they will come back. It was an amazing show.
oh. well, ok. still not the best set list i've seen, though.
Everyone here in tbay cant stop takling about that concert! Fucking amazing show i think even with a shorter set. Its amazing they came here. It was cool to meet some people from the states too i met some from chicago and new jersey and all over. PLayed some ball got stoned and drunk with some americans. lol its all about the whole day and night along with the concert when its in your home town. prob wont come bakc ehre but whatver it was fuckiing briiiiiliant
p.s the guy who wrote the article in our paaper is an idiot. lots of people have been writing back to the editor and telling him off.
Everyone here in tbay cant stop takling about that concert! Fucking amazing show i think even with a shorter set. Its amazing they came here. It was cool to meet some people from the states too i met some from chicago and new jersey and all over. PLayed some ball got stoned and drunk with some americans. lol its all about the whole day and night along with the concert when its in your home town. prob wont come bakc ehre but whatver it was fuckiing briiiiiliant
p.s the guy who wrote the article in our paaper is an idiot. lots of people have been writing back to the editor and telling him off.
I was one of the guys back by the basketball court. I was passing the Southern comfort around.
Damn Security must of smelled the booze on me and turned me away at the door. I went and changed my appearance a little and went through a different door.
Kind of strict up there eh? You will have to come down to a Chicago or Alpine Valley show next year hopefully. I will hook you up this time.
"All the money you make will never buy back your soul" Bob Dylan
"I need honesty, I need truth, and I need hope...I need it! That's what music means to me." EV
im just listenin to the thunderbay bootleg and i believe the solo in "alive" contains a lil metallica reference...cant put my finger what song its from but as a big 'Tallica fan aswell its strickingly familiar...how cool i must say!
Sounds like chord progression in Unforgiven II to me. Since that's a crap song, I hope it wasn't intentional.
Just rolled into Chicago back from ThunderBay!
I just want to say "Thanks!" to all the locals that took good care of us last night!
The after-parties at Players, Scuttlebutts, and the Vahalla Inn were sweet! Sing- alongs until 5 AM!
Did anyone else catch that Mike and Jeff were playing War Pigs during Alive?
Listen to the boot- It was hilarious they were face to face laughing during the whole thing! More later... Awesome time!
According to teddyledbetter it was "War Pigs"
He called it while it was going on and I could not here what he was saying. That place was so loud.
"All the money you make will never buy back your soul" Bob Dylan
"I need honesty, I need truth, and I need hope...I need it! That's what music means to me." EV
You know what's dumb? Complaining about a show and calling it sub-par when you were not there. Does anyone really think it impresses anyone (Pearl Jam included) when the show is judged by a list of tunes 5 minutes after it ends by a group of people that were not there? With fans like that.... who needs critics?
Alright, I was trying to save my energy for writing a lengthy review like I did for Winnipeg, but I just don't have it. Much like I had no energy left for the TB show after the Winnipeg show, and I think that applies to the band as well. I couldn't believe how exhausted I was before the show even began. I didn't have a voice and my body ached all over. I knew that if PJ could match the previous night's show I'd be dead before it was over. As it turned out, it seems the band needed a breather as well. Our tickets this time were in the 7th row dead center. I'm 6'3", and i swear two rows in front of me were 6-7 guys, all of whom were taller than me. Add to this the guy directly in front of me being as tall as me, and this was likely the first time I had to constantly move in order to see. I was glad we had a wide aisle behind us otherwise I would have felt bad for the people behind me.
Eddie surprisingly came out for a preset of YGTHYLA, though considering it was the SS's last night opening and the overly zealous security holding people outside for longer than necessary I think it was a good idea to get as many people inside the arena as possible. He fumbled the lyrics a bit, which took away from the performance, unfortunately. The crowd was quick to forgive, however.
The SSs invited Mike up onstage to trade licks with one of the guitarists. Then, after the song where they toss the bass around, Ed came up again (sans mask and jacket) to sing Poor Girl. Naturally I thought this was going to be the end of the set, but surprisingly Ed said one more and they broke into Miracles. Great song to hear in this situation. Now, for the third show in a row that I've personally seen, Ed brought up a fan to sing. The guy, who was brought up I'm guessing because of his Ramones shirt, seemed oddly uncomfortable, but I guess who can blame him! This was no doubt a dream come true. Ed even jumped on his back. If it was me, I'd have ran all over the stage with him, but the guy just kind of stood there not knowing what to do. At least he was close enough to the mic to sing again. During this time Mike came back out and was taking several polaroids of the moment.
To hear Present Tense as an opener was great. For the 2nd night in a row I was shocked at how they decided to open. The song was definitely a fan club favorite judging by the response in the area. The seeming staple of rockers came next- Corduroy, Save You, GTF- with Animal thrown in as well, all hands upraised for the 1-2-3-4-5... parts and a nice singalong. At this point I sensed the energy from the band just wasn't the same from the night before and knew we were in for a lower-key performance. The appearance of Cropduster seemed to bring what momentum that had been built down significantly. The only guy I could see singing along was two people down from me. Even Flow picked things right back up, though, and I thought Mike's solo was better on this night, if not a bit shorter than what we're used to. We got to sing along to the chorus when he was done, too.
Ed made a brief speech thanking TB for sending a boat all the way from mid-Canada, around Florida and to the gulf, then said we should appreciate and enjoy where we are at in life. A nice little speech, I thought. This led into Small Town and Light Years. I'm not a big fan of either song, so I watched the crowd a bit and you could tell the difference between the interest in both of those songs. People sat down for Light Years.
I think PJ were trying to set the speed record for Lukin this night as I doubt they surpassed 50-55 seconds. Eddie almost couldn't keep up and, really, for all we know he's not even trying! I don't think you could tell. They launched right into SOLAT but Eddie didn't make it to the mike for the first verse so the crowd took over. Dunno how this will be on the boot, but people knew the words. Probably the crowd interaction highlight of the night, IMO. Not a song I'd expecta general audience to know that well, so there were a LOT of fans there that night.
DOWN! I didn't dig this song until hearing it on a couple boots, but I was really glad I got to hear it. This went into the driving beat of Driven To Tears which seemed to puzzle a lot of the crowd but I was going apeshit. They played this in St Paul in '03 and didn't seem comfortable but they nailed it here. The musical highlight of the show for me. Maybe. I'd be surprised once again in a few more miutes. Jeremy once again got the crowd back into the show, but due to size couldn't quite muster the same loud singalong that occured the night before.
Now, to be frank, I haven't listened to Binaural in ages. Not because I don't like it, but just because I tend to listen to boots when I'm listening to PJ, and when I do listen to an album, it's usually not that one. So Breakerfall came completely out of left field for me- I certainly wouldn't have picked it to be played at all. Its one of the highlights of the album, IMO, and one song I hadn't heard live yet, so I was stoked. And it was good as I could have imagined it to be.
I thought Porch should have been played at Winnipeg, so I was glad to hear it here. The jammed out big time during the middle. Stone even got to solo for an extended period of time. If there is one thing that I wish PJ would do more of it's just jam. It's the prog fan in me, I guess. They've started to do a lot more of it these last couple tours, so I hope it's a trend that continues. The crowd got very into the call and response at the end of the song, capping off an awesome performance. I didn't think this was going to be the end of the main set, but it was. I turned to my friend and said "Was this much shorter than yesterday's main set?" and she said "I think so".
During the set break they started bring out stools and the acoustic instruments, so I thought we were going to be treated to a mini-acoustic set, when they came out an sat down I definitely thought this to be the case. However, after playing great versions of Nothingman and I Am Mine, as well as Black with an awesome McCready solo (I could listen to one ANY day, and more often than not they could make me cry), they seemed to give up on that idea and went into Alive.
When they came back out for the second encore, Ed made mention of how there's a small club in the back of the stage and did something I'd never have expected- he went in to the crowd, near the back af the arena, and sang Last Kiss. I saw the one picture where the girl next to him looks like she's deathly afraid and I can assure you it sure seemed that she was. He put his arm on her at some point and she looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else. WTF?
Ed invited the SS's back out for RITFW featuring Eddie Spaghetti's little kid screeching throughout most of the song. Like Ed says, that kid is going to be a rock star some day- he already has more stage presence than some big name acts out there. The bearded guy in the band came out with Ed's ukelele for the song, which I thought was hilarious. I doubt we'll be able to make it out, but the boot should be interesting because of that and the kid's yelling over the song. My hopes of escaping my two show run without hearing YL were squashed when it closed the show. I really like the song, but it's up there with Corduroy as one that needs to be shelved for a while to give it some new freshness.
Well, I said I wasn't going to be long but I guess I changed my mind. TB was a solid, but unspectacular show. I don't think it'll be remembered in a few years, to be honest. Winnipeg was too good, and Kitchener and London seemingly have outdone it as well. You could complain about the shorter set, but I can't blame them as I know that I was tired, so they had to be even moreso than me. The temperature in the arena did us no favors, either. I am very glad I got to hear Breakerfall for the first time, and Present Tense as well. All in all the two-show trip was well worth it for me and I can't wait until the next time.
Before the show I ran into some guys who had shirts that said something along the lines of "Gotta Have More Cowbell" from the SNL skit. Later on in the show they held up a sign that said "Hey Matt! More Cowbell!" When Matt saw that he shook his head and gestured as if to say "I don't have one!". They eventually threw up a Cowbell shirt for him that he put on before the band took their bows.
Every show has it's own uniqueness to it. Something sets it apart from the night before or the night after.
I was 5th row dead center, and had just an amazing experience. I can't wait for the '06 tour.
For fans complaining this was/wasn't a great show, know this. PJ is like a drug. We want more and more, and we want it in bigger quantities. It's like that first high you experience. Nothing can really match it or top it, but it doesn't stop you from craving more and craving a better product. I think PJ is better than ever, and they try to make every show memorable. Sure it was hot and the set list was short. That is what made it an outstanding performance. They gave it everything they had for all 23 songs.
Prior to Nothingman, Ed covered his face with his hands during the entire intro. He was getting into character sort of. He went back to the time the song was written in his mind, and put every emotion he felt 10 years ago or so back into the song for us at Thunder Bay. That is truly amazing to me. He has sang that song a million times, and he continues to put everything he has into it. Wow, another memorable moment for me.
Going into the crowd, us 10C'ers singing SOLAT because Ed was late to the mic, Ed giving us the nod on the clap-along, Ed handing the pic to my new Kentucky friend ; ), Eddie Spagetti's future rock star taking over RITFW, and Ed staring at me for 5 seconds (WOW, IS THAT INTENSE).
Man I can't wait for this new record.
10-08-00 Ice Bowl
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
Great review. You should send it to our newspaper so that that maybe they will print something about the show other than the garbage that they decided to print. Although there are probably only a dozen of us in town who would have any idea what you are talking about when you mention a Breakerfall.
1/12/1879, 4/8/1156, 2/6/1977, who gives a shit, ...
You're one of the tall fuckers I mentioned in my post ain't ya?!
I don't think so. I was seat 21 (technically 2 seats from dead center), and a measley 6'1"...a far cry from 6'7". Danny Masterson was right in front of me apparently, and I didn't notice because I was too focused on the stage, and all I would have seen was the back of his head. Would have been cool to say, 'whats up' though...if that was him.
10-08-00 Ice Bowl
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
You're one of the tall fuckers I mentioned in my post ain't ya?!
Are you thinkin of the dude with the headband and the guy to his right?
10-08-00 Ice Bowl
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
I don't think so. I was seat 21 (technically 2 seats from dead center), and a measley 6'1"...a far cry from 6'7". Danny Masterson was right in front of me apparently, and I didn't notice because I was too focused on the stage, and all I would have seen was the back of his head. Would have been cool to say, 'whats up' though...if that was him.
Danny Masterson from That 70's show was there?!?! What?!!? I would like to have met him. My college nickname is Fez (I bear a stricking resemblence to him). Way to go Danny! I want to see Hyde/Danny Masterson sport a pj shirt on that 70's show. It would make no sense, but you gotta show your loyalty!!!
It was a great show. Present Tense as an opener was beautiful.
I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.
-Christopher Walken
you're=you are
your=showing ownership
The truth has a well known liberal bias.
-Stephen Colbert
[size=+1] The ELK LODGE Pre-Show Review and Concert Notes [/size]
I still can’t believe coming into Canada they asked if I had any Alcohol or Tobacco to declare. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” was what I was thinking “No” is what I answered…with a little smile. Then I thought “I sure hope the U.S. guards don’t ask to check my trunk upon reentry next week.” (5-6%Cuban)
We first met up on Thursday night at the Fox and the Hedgehoge bar as everyone was getting into town. LeaderOfMen (Klint) and his Thunder Bay crew was our host. SmallTown (Corey) and his Wisconsin crew drove up, Dave and John from Toronto and Lust from Kentucky (I hope we helped ease her pain) flew in. We ate (not enough), drank pitchers of Keith’s and some watched the NFL football game. We were old friends within an hour’s time. And Keith’s wasn’t lite beer! Wasn’t even close!! Everyone professed a hangover on Friday morning!!!
Klint was adamant that the Elk Lodge would be the best spot for drinks before and after the show on Friday. And I followed his advice……from Chicago.
Friday afternoon Dave, John and I ate a big fat lunch (Everyone needed to get an early start the following morning and so we couldn’t afford another hangover)! About 3:00 PM we found the Elk Lodge. The Elk members were already kickn’ it drinking and watching golf on the big screen when we arrived. The Lodge is a corner brick building one block from the concert venue and their bar was located downstairs. The bar/hall was a big room with a stage and dance floor in the middle (across was the actual bar) with seating on each side. We ordered our pints (Special on tap) (“cheapest drinks in town” they said”) and we found a table close by the lodge members.
The Elk Lodge brothers all got a big kick out of the fact people these days’s travel to see rock bands perform. By 4:00 PM the Elk members were asking “and where are you from?’ to the latest arrivals. I talked to the lady (at the post-party) who runs the place for the Elk Brotherhood and she said “they had only just recently opened the bar / hall to the general public (declining membership-business survival).” We quadrupled sales for them. This was their biggest sales ($) night ever!! They’ll be talking about this one for a long time.
A big fat thank you LeaderOfMen!
Pearl Jam thank you for the bait! Canada thank you for the catch!! The Ten Club Rules!!!
So many new friends, so many new memories now that I’ll treasure!!!!
The Supersuckers set with Mike and Ed was just incredible. First the Suckers turned up the thermostat on their own. Then the master came out and nudged things up big time, he led a three guitar assault on Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song” that did not suck! The last song in the Supersuckers set was IBIM with Ed and Mike…I believe. Boy, it was already sweat city in this venue. No ice under us even! I swear they forgot to turn off the heat after winter ended.
The Supersuckers were in top form and IBIM sounded great. This night fellow board members I Believe in Miracles was JUST RIPPED APART! The Suckers, their guests and that kid Ed called up really rocked this song. This kid, once he finally got up on stage, just jumped right into the song, trading lyrics with King Eddie. At one point during the song Ed tripped backwards over a stage monitor. After landing on his butt, he jumped to his feet and then onto that kids back for a piggy back ride to finish singing the song.
So very cool!
For me this version of IBIM and the entire opening set for this concert will go down as one of my all time favorites.
Man, Ed was soaked to the bone with sweat by the second PJ song performed this amazingly melting evening. Sweat waterfalls ran off Ed’s elbows as he sang into the microphone. He just collapsed at the end of Peal Jam’s set. On his knees, at the base of his microphone stand, holding his mike, collapsing with exhaustion, he sang the evening final couple songs (the set list seen after the show had a couple more songs listed that were not played).
I sure hope someone turned off the furnace after we left.
All this and I was still to meet my new friends from Florida, South Carolina and Ireland!
I’m now back home and I just heard about the new HOB concert.
House of Fucking Blues! $1000.00!! What to do? What can I sell??
Shit, I have to secure bail first!!!!!
_________________________
November 1, 1992 Mountain View
October 28, 1993 San Francisco
October 2, 1994 Mountain View
November 4, 1995 San Jose
October 20, 1996 Mountain View
November 12, 1997 Santa Cruz
August 17, 1998 Indianapolis
October 31, 1999 Mountain View
October 11, 2000 St. Louis
October 21, 2001 Mountain View
December 9, 2002 Seattle
June 18, 2003 Chicago
October 6, 2004 Asheville
September 9, 2005 Thunder Bay
The Netherlands 2006?????
Pearl Jam thank you for the bait! Canada thank you for the catch!! The Ten Club Rules!!!
So many new friends, so many new memories now that I’ll treasure!!!!
Amen brother!
10-08-00 Ice Bowl
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
. The appearance of Cropduster seemed to bring what momentum that had been built down significantly. The only guy I could see singing along was two people down from me.
That was probably me, I was 7th row mostly center. Although I don't remember there being a break behind our seats.
On *Small town* ed's voice is quivering a lot , sounds like he's gonna break down and cry following that speach he gave.. just what i got from the recording anyways.. amazing version.. truely beautiful ..how was it live?
Bic lighter = $1.79
Cigarettes = $6.00
Pearl Jam tickets = $60
12 beers for you and your buddy = $60
gut punched and ejected from a Pearl Jam concert by Rent-a-Cop security for smoking = priceless!"
--"Shit , i said fuck" - Eddie Vedder 2005
- CanCon rips everyone off look out
about eddie spagetti's kid.... some people said it was his SON but by the pictures he sure looks like a girl! maybe it was hard to tell from the crowd? the kid was funny as hell though during RITFW
My favorite Pearl Jam song: "Corporate Greed Boat Asshole Behind a Counter in the Oval Office"
about eddie spagetti's kid.... some people said it was his SON but by the pictures he sure looks like a girl! maybe it was hard to tell from the crowd? the kid was funny as hell though during RITFW
at first i thought it was a girl as well!
but listening to the boot ed definately references the kid as a HIM
I waited 14 years for Pearl Jam to come to Thunder Bay, and believe me, if you live in Thunder Bay, and love Pearl Jam you would have never thought they would play here.I'm still confused why they did, who hooked that one up? beacause that person is my new best friend. It was so Frecken hot in there....wow....and yes it was a shorter set list...but over all it was the most amazing night for many people, especially the locals, who unfourtunatley don't get to many mind blowing preformences like that.
I am so greatful for that night,(thank you universes:)
Our paper started off with a good article (Chronicle Journal, September 11th)but at the end,grrrr, it really pissed me off some of the shit they wrote.....they will be gettin a letter, and will post a retraction for some of what they wrote.
I here there was a few people who came from out of town for the show, who didn't like Thunder Bay, to those people, you should have made friends with us locals, cause trust me we were partying till the sun came up. For all those "bigger city" people who come to smaller towns, just hook up with the locals and we'll show you where the parties are;)
When Eddie jumped into the crowd at the back, I was in awe, I mean,,,,when was the las time he did that? anyone? I'd like to know. I bought a ticket for my 13 year old brother last minute, and thats where he was sitting, right there, Eddie put his hand out to shake my brothers hand, and for in that moment changed my brothers life, seriously, he can't stop talking about it, he is so pumped, and now more of a Pearl Jam fan than ever.
Thank you
~in my tree~
~I've got a feeling~
-St.Paul '03
-Montreal '03
-THUNDER BAY 2005
-Sydney Australia October 07
Comments
Great show, I could have sweated it out for a few more songs. Present Tense was a great way to start out a show, even though I could tell I was among a small group singing along. The jam sessions on Even Flow and Porch were especially great, it shows how great of performers Stone, Jeff, Mike and Matt can be without using their voice.
Another Great Show for the Record Books!!
Thanks for the props Mike, CCFA.
Minneapolis 1998
St. Paul 2003
Alpine Valley 2003
Thunder Bay 2005
"Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there but there's much more than this. Woh see the world."
"I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine"
"No need to be void, or save up on life. You got to spend it all"
Minneapolis 1998, St. Paul 2003, Alpine Valley 2003, Thunder Bay 2005, St. Paul 2006 I, St. Paul 2006 II, The Gorge I 2006, Hartford 2008, Mansfield I 2008, Mansfield II 2008, Chicago I 2009, EV Solo Minneapolis 2011, PJ 20 Alpine Valley I 2011, PJ 20 Alpine Valley II 2011, Wrigley 2013, Moline 2014, St. Paul 2014
I prefer the term "least good", but yeah, exactly.
oh. well, ok. still not the best set list i've seen, though.
however, there's no doubt that pearl jam rules.
But Ed sang Last Kiss from the crowd. That has to count for something.
p.s the guy who wrote the article in our paaper is an idiot. lots of people have been writing back to the editor and telling him off.
I was one of the guys back by the basketball court. I was passing the Southern comfort around.
Damn Security must of smelled the booze on me and turned me away at the door. I went and changed my appearance a little and went through a different door.
Kind of strict up there eh? You will have to come down to a Chicago or Alpine Valley show next year hopefully. I will hook you up this time.
"I need honesty, I need truth, and I need hope...I need it! That's what music means to me." EV
Sounds like chord progression in Unforgiven II to me. Since that's a crap song, I hope it wasn't intentional.
According to teddyledbetter it was "War Pigs"
He called it while it was going on and I could not here what he was saying. That place was so loud.
"I need honesty, I need truth, and I need hope...I need it! That's what music means to me." EV
NICELY SAID.
yea its war pigs, mccready has done it many many many many times before
Eddie surprisingly came out for a preset of YGTHYLA, though considering it was the SS's last night opening and the overly zealous security holding people outside for longer than necessary I think it was a good idea to get as many people inside the arena as possible. He fumbled the lyrics a bit, which took away from the performance, unfortunately. The crowd was quick to forgive, however.
The SSs invited Mike up onstage to trade licks with one of the guitarists. Then, after the song where they toss the bass around, Ed came up again (sans mask and jacket) to sing Poor Girl. Naturally I thought this was going to be the end of the set, but surprisingly Ed said one more and they broke into Miracles. Great song to hear in this situation. Now, for the third show in a row that I've personally seen, Ed brought up a fan to sing. The guy, who was brought up I'm guessing because of his Ramones shirt, seemed oddly uncomfortable, but I guess who can blame him! This was no doubt a dream come true. Ed even jumped on his back. If it was me, I'd have ran all over the stage with him, but the guy just kind of stood there not knowing what to do. At least he was close enough to the mic to sing again. During this time Mike came back out and was taking several polaroids of the moment.
To hear Present Tense as an opener was great. For the 2nd night in a row I was shocked at how they decided to open. The song was definitely a fan club favorite judging by the response in the area. The seeming staple of rockers came next- Corduroy, Save You, GTF- with Animal thrown in as well, all hands upraised for the 1-2-3-4-5... parts and a nice singalong. At this point I sensed the energy from the band just wasn't the same from the night before and knew we were in for a lower-key performance. The appearance of Cropduster seemed to bring what momentum that had been built down significantly. The only guy I could see singing along was two people down from me. Even Flow picked things right back up, though, and I thought Mike's solo was better on this night, if not a bit shorter than what we're used to. We got to sing along to the chorus when he was done, too.
Ed made a brief speech thanking TB for sending a boat all the way from mid-Canada, around Florida and to the gulf, then said we should appreciate and enjoy where we are at in life. A nice little speech, I thought. This led into Small Town and Light Years. I'm not a big fan of either song, so I watched the crowd a bit and you could tell the difference between the interest in both of those songs. People sat down for Light Years.
I think PJ were trying to set the speed record for Lukin this night as I doubt they surpassed 50-55 seconds. Eddie almost couldn't keep up and, really, for all we know he's not even trying! I don't think you could tell. They launched right into SOLAT but Eddie didn't make it to the mike for the first verse so the crowd took over. Dunno how this will be on the boot, but people knew the words. Probably the crowd interaction highlight of the night, IMO. Not a song I'd expecta general audience to know that well, so there were a LOT of fans there that night.
DOWN! I didn't dig this song until hearing it on a couple boots, but I was really glad I got to hear it. This went into the driving beat of Driven To Tears which seemed to puzzle a lot of the crowd but I was going apeshit. They played this in St Paul in '03 and didn't seem comfortable but they nailed it here. The musical highlight of the show for me. Maybe. I'd be surprised once again in a few more miutes. Jeremy once again got the crowd back into the show, but due to size couldn't quite muster the same loud singalong that occured the night before.
Now, to be frank, I haven't listened to Binaural in ages. Not because I don't like it, but just because I tend to listen to boots when I'm listening to PJ, and when I do listen to an album, it's usually not that one. So Breakerfall came completely out of left field for me- I certainly wouldn't have picked it to be played at all. Its one of the highlights of the album, IMO, and one song I hadn't heard live yet, so I was stoked. And it was good as I could have imagined it to be.
I thought Porch should have been played at Winnipeg, so I was glad to hear it here. The jammed out big time during the middle. Stone even got to solo for an extended period of time. If there is one thing that I wish PJ would do more of it's just jam. It's the prog fan in me, I guess. They've started to do a lot more of it these last couple tours, so I hope it's a trend that continues. The crowd got very into the call and response at the end of the song, capping off an awesome performance. I didn't think this was going to be the end of the main set, but it was. I turned to my friend and said "Was this much shorter than yesterday's main set?" and she said "I think so".
During the set break they started bring out stools and the acoustic instruments, so I thought we were going to be treated to a mini-acoustic set, when they came out an sat down I definitely thought this to be the case. However, after playing great versions of Nothingman and I Am Mine, as well as Black with an awesome McCready solo (I could listen to one ANY day, and more often than not they could make me cry), they seemed to give up on that idea and went into Alive.
When they came back out for the second encore, Ed made mention of how there's a small club in the back of the stage and did something I'd never have expected- he went in to the crowd, near the back af the arena, and sang Last Kiss. I saw the one picture where the girl next to him looks like she's deathly afraid and I can assure you it sure seemed that she was. He put his arm on her at some point and she looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else. WTF?
Ed invited the SS's back out for RITFW featuring Eddie Spaghetti's little kid screeching throughout most of the song. Like Ed says, that kid is going to be a rock star some day- he already has more stage presence than some big name acts out there. The bearded guy in the band came out with Ed's ukelele for the song, which I thought was hilarious. I doubt we'll be able to make it out, but the boot should be interesting because of that and the kid's yelling over the song. My hopes of escaping my two show run without hearing YL were squashed when it closed the show. I really like the song, but it's up there with Corduroy as one that needs to be shelved for a while to give it some new freshness.
Well, I said I wasn't going to be long but I guess I changed my mind. TB was a solid, but unspectacular show. I don't think it'll be remembered in a few years, to be honest. Winnipeg was too good, and Kitchener and London seemingly have outdone it as well. You could complain about the shorter set, but I can't blame them as I know that I was tired, so they had to be even moreso than me. The temperature in the arena did us no favors, either. I am very glad I got to hear Breakerfall for the first time, and Present Tense as well. All in all the two-show trip was well worth it for me and I can't wait until the next time.
Before the show I ran into some guys who had shirts that said something along the lines of "Gotta Have More Cowbell" from the SNL skit. Later on in the show they held up a sign that said "Hey Matt! More Cowbell!" When Matt saw that he shook his head and gestured as if to say "I don't have one!". They eventually threw up a Cowbell shirt for him that he put on before the band took their bows.
I was 5th row dead center, and had just an amazing experience. I can't wait for the '06 tour.
For fans complaining this was/wasn't a great show, know this. PJ is like a drug. We want more and more, and we want it in bigger quantities. It's like that first high you experience. Nothing can really match it or top it, but it doesn't stop you from craving more and craving a better product. I think PJ is better than ever, and they try to make every show memorable. Sure it was hot and the set list was short. That is what made it an outstanding performance. They gave it everything they had for all 23 songs.
Prior to Nothingman, Ed covered his face with his hands during the entire intro. He was getting into character sort of. He went back to the time the song was written in his mind, and put every emotion he felt 10 years ago or so back into the song for us at Thunder Bay. That is truly amazing to me. He has sang that song a million times, and he continues to put everything he has into it. Wow, another memorable moment for me.
Going into the crowd, us 10C'ers singing SOLAT because Ed was late to the mic, Ed giving us the nod on the clap-along, Ed handing the pic to my new Kentucky friend ; ), Eddie Spagetti's future rock star taking over RITFW, and Ed staring at me for 5 seconds (WOW, IS THAT INTENSE).
Man I can't wait for this new record.
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
You're one of the tall fuckers I mentioned in my post ain't ya?!
Great review. You should send it to our newspaper so that that maybe they will print something about the show other than the garbage that they decided to print. Although there are probably only a dozen of us in town who would have any idea what you are talking about when you mention a Breakerfall.
I don't think so. I was seat 21 (technically 2 seats from dead center), and a measley 6'1"...a far cry from 6'7". Danny Masterson was right in front of me apparently, and I didn't notice because I was too focused on the stage, and all I would have seen was the back of his head. Would have been cool to say, 'whats up' though...if that was him.
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
Are you thinkin of the dude with the headband and the guy to his right?
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
Danny Masterson from That 70's show was there?!?! What?!!? I would like to have met him. My college nickname is Fez (I bear a stricking resemblence to him). Way to go Danny! I want to see Hyde/Danny Masterson sport a pj shirt on that 70's show. It would make no sense, but you gotta show your loyalty!!!
It was a great show. Present Tense as an opener was beautiful.
-Christopher Walken
you're=you are
your=showing ownership
The truth has a well known liberal bias.
-Stephen Colbert
I still can’t believe coming into Canada they asked if I had any Alcohol or Tobacco to declare. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” was what I was thinking “No” is what I answered…with a little smile. Then I thought “I sure hope the U.S. guards don’t ask to check my trunk upon reentry next week.” (5-6%Cuban)
We first met up on Thursday night at the Fox and the Hedgehoge bar as everyone was getting into town. LeaderOfMen (Klint) and his Thunder Bay crew was our host. SmallTown (Corey) and his Wisconsin crew drove up, Dave and John from Toronto and Lust from Kentucky (I hope we helped ease her pain) flew in. We ate (not enough), drank pitchers of Keith’s and some watched the NFL football game. We were old friends within an hour’s time. And Keith’s wasn’t lite beer! Wasn’t even close!! Everyone professed a hangover on Friday morning!!!
Klint was adamant that the Elk Lodge would be the best spot for drinks before and after the show on Friday. And I followed his advice……from Chicago.
Friday afternoon Dave, John and I ate a big fat lunch (Everyone needed to get an early start the following morning and so we couldn’t afford another hangover)! About 3:00 PM we found the Elk Lodge. The Elk members were already kickn’ it drinking and watching golf on the big screen when we arrived. The Lodge is a corner brick building one block from the concert venue and their bar was located downstairs. The bar/hall was a big room with a stage and dance floor in the middle (across was the actual bar) with seating on each side. We ordered our pints (Special on tap) (“cheapest drinks in town” they said”) and we found a table close by the lodge members.
The Elk Lodge brothers all got a big kick out of the fact people these days’s travel to see rock bands perform. By 4:00 PM the Elk members were asking “and where are you from?’ to the latest arrivals. I talked to the lady (at the post-party) who runs the place for the Elk Brotherhood and she said “they had only just recently opened the bar / hall to the general public (declining membership-business survival).” We quadrupled sales for them. This was their biggest sales ($) night ever!! They’ll be talking about this one for a long time.
A big fat thank you LeaderOfMen!
Pearl Jam thank you for the bait! Canada thank you for the catch!! The Ten Club Rules!!!
So many new friends, so many new memories now that I’ll treasure!!!!
The Supersuckers set with Mike and Ed was just incredible. First the Suckers turned up the thermostat on their own. Then the master came out and nudged things up big time, he led a three guitar assault on Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song” that did not suck! The last song in the Supersuckers set was IBIM with Ed and Mike…I believe. Boy, it was already sweat city in this venue. No ice under us even! I swear they forgot to turn off the heat after winter ended.
The Supersuckers were in top form and IBIM sounded great. This night fellow board members I Believe in Miracles was JUST RIPPED APART! The Suckers, their guests and that kid Ed called up really rocked this song. This kid, once he finally got up on stage, just jumped right into the song, trading lyrics with King Eddie. At one point during the song Ed tripped backwards over a stage monitor. After landing on his butt, he jumped to his feet and then onto that kids back for a piggy back ride to finish singing the song.
So very cool!
For me this version of IBIM and the entire opening set for this concert will go down as one of my all time favorites.
Man, Ed was soaked to the bone with sweat by the second PJ song performed this amazingly melting evening. Sweat waterfalls ran off Ed’s elbows as he sang into the microphone. He just collapsed at the end of Peal Jam’s set. On his knees, at the base of his microphone stand, holding his mike, collapsing with exhaustion, he sang the evening final couple songs (the set list seen after the show had a couple more songs listed that were not played).
I sure hope someone turned off the furnace after we left.
All this and I was still to meet my new friends from Florida, South Carolina and Ireland!
I’m now back home and I just heard about the new HOB concert.
House of Fucking Blues! $1000.00!! What to do? What can I sell??
Shit, I have to secure bail first!!!!!
_________________________
November 1, 1992 Mountain View
October 28, 1993 San Francisco
October 2, 1994 Mountain View
November 4, 1995 San Jose
October 20, 1996 Mountain View
November 12, 1997 Santa Cruz
August 17, 1998 Indianapolis
October 31, 1999 Mountain View
October 11, 2000 St. Louis
October 21, 2001 Mountain View
December 9, 2002 Seattle
June 18, 2003 Chicago
October 6, 2004 Asheville
September 9, 2005 Thunder Bay
The Netherlands 2006?????
Three Fish
July 1996 San Francisco
June 1999 Chicago
Wish I would of checked it out. Sounds like you guys had a blast.
"I need honesty, I need truth, and I need hope...I need it! That's what music means to me." EV
My friend brought it home for me to laugh at.
xox Alternagirl
"You never know where you're going to meet a jammer"
Amen brother!
06-21-03 Alpine
09-09-05 Thunder Bay
05-17-06 Chicago
06-26-06 St. Paul
07-22-06 The Gorge
07-23-06 The Gorge
05-07-10 Noblesville
09-03-11 PJ20
09-04-11 PJ20
09-21-12 Pensicola
09-22-12 Atlanta
That was probably me, I was 7th row mostly center. Although I don't remember there being a break behind our seats.
Cigarettes = $6.00
Pearl Jam tickets = $60
12 beers for you and your buddy = $60
gut punched and ejected from a Pearl Jam concert by Rent-a-Cop security for smoking = priceless!"
--"Shit , i said fuck" - Eddie Vedder 2005
- CanCon rips everyone off look out
at first i thought it was a girl as well!
but listening to the boot ed definately references the kid as a HIM
I am so greatful for that night,(thank you universes:)
Our paper started off with a good article (Chronicle Journal, September 11th)but at the end,grrrr, it really pissed me off some of the shit they wrote.....they will be gettin a letter, and will post a retraction for some of what they wrote.
I here there was a few people who came from out of town for the show, who didn't like Thunder Bay, to those people, you should have made friends with us locals, cause trust me we were partying till the sun came up. For all those "bigger city" people who come to smaller towns, just hook up with the locals and we'll show you where the parties are;)
When Eddie jumped into the crowd at the back, I was in awe, I mean,,,,when was the las time he did that? anyone? I'd like to know. I bought a ticket for my 13 year old brother last minute, and thats where he was sitting, right there, Eddie put his hand out to shake my brothers hand, and for in that moment changed my brothers life, seriously, he can't stop talking about it, he is so pumped, and now more of a Pearl Jam fan than ever.
Thank you
~I've got a feeling~
-St.Paul '03
-Montreal '03
-THUNDER BAY 2005
-Sydney Australia October 07
Well, was there a really short girl between us? If so, then yeah, it was you.