I liked when Ed passed the bottle to the crowd and they all took sips...I just sat back and kept thinking "wow, that is so unsanitary"...I mean, it's cool when you drink right after Eddie Vedder...but drinking it when you're like 34th down the line...that's pushing it for my tastes.
But that's what life is for. For living.
San Diego was a blast and that's all you can ask for! And I was unaware how good of dancers PJ fans were!
Edit to say Mike MCCready that night was worth the price of the ticket alone.
...
Yeah... what if the dude with big ol' nasty sores on his lips is the one passing it to you... "Uhhhh... that's okay dude, I'm drinkin' beer... don't wanna mix drinks, ya know?"
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
That is hard to say. I have seen about 13 shows since 1994 and this one of the best I have seen in most respects. Most notably:
1) The new material is just awesome and blends with the best material from their earlier stuff brilliantly.
2) Huge omissions of material from their last 2-3 less than noteworthy albums makes this combination of music so pleasant to be a part of.
3) Absolutely amazing mucisianship. McCready is looking very Jimmy Page like up there.
4) Great Local Fans!
However a couple of problems with this show. The suck my COX Arena is one of the worst venues I have ever been to. God awful beer and food lines. Poor planning make it very crowded and a self imposed alcohol cut off 30 minutes after the band went on. That's right a dry venue 30 minutes into the show. The worst part is they blamed the cut off to pearl jam's request. Bull! Even Eddie was drinking at midnight.
All in all this was an awesome show if you did not get caught in the f'n beer lines. We came down from L.A. because we know the boys put a little something extra into an SD show. The last one I went to down here was in 95 and the energy was the same. Great fans. Im dreading going back to L.A. for our local geezer crowd on Monday night. L.A. has the worst fans anywhere!
All in all this was the best California show in some time. The new material just makes everything else pop. I hope the guys keep it up for the rest of Cali. Well see you in L.A. and S.B (which should kick ass)!
B
______________
Irvine 1992, Las Vegas 1993, Mountain View 1994, San Diego 1995, Los Angeles 1996, Los Angeles 1998, Moutain View 1999, San Bernadino 2000, Los Angeles 2000, Irvine 2003, Irvine 2003, Moutain View 2003, Santa Barbara 2003, San Diego 2006, Los Angeles 2006, Santa Barbara 2006
That is hard to say. I have seen about 13 shows since 1994 and this one of the best I have seen in most respects. Most notably:
1) The new material is just awesome and blends with the best material from their earlier stuff brilliantly.
2) Huge omissions of material from their last 2-3 less than noteworthy albums makes this combination of music so pleasant to be a part of.
3) Absolutely amazing mucisianship. McCready is looking very Jimmy Page like up there.
4) Great Local Fans!
However a couple of problems with this show. The suck my COX Arena is one of the worst venues I have ever been to. God awful beer and food lines. Poor planning make it very crowded and a self imposed alcohol cut off 30 minutes after the band went on. That's right a dry venue 30 minutes into the show. The worst part is they blamed the cut off to pearl jam's request. Bull! Even Eddie was drinking at midnight.
All in all this was an awesome show if you did not get caught in the f'n beer lines. We came down from L.A. because we know the boys put a little something extra into an SD show. The last one I went to down here was in 95 and the energy was the same. Great fans. Im dreading going back to L.A. for our local geezer crowd on Monday night. L.A. has the worst fans anywhere!
All in all this was the best California show in some time. The new material just makes everything else pop. I hope the guys keep it up for the rest of Cali. Well see you in L.A. and S.B (which should kick ass)!
B
...
I guess you didn't get the memo... you were supposed to drink in the parking lot before the show so you didn't have to pay 10 bucks for a 12 ounce cup of watered down Bud that was half foam.
Cox Arena is much better than the San Diego Sports Arena... except for the beer thing. And the fact that they shut down the pissers as soon as the show ends.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Did any get any picts of that? It was classic and you could almost feel the love (the love of a family that has been through a lot and never gave up on each other)
yeah i've got one but its from kinda far away on mike's side. pm me and i'll e-mail them to ya.
and yes. ed's intensity was probably due to the amounts of wine...i stuck around afterwards w/ my bro trying to meet any of the band we could. the show ended at around 1140 and we stuck around until around 215 or 230ish when finally ed came out in a van but spotted the devoted fans who had resisted the barrage of doubts and "theyre already gone"s by the security guards and stopped the van. his security guard said no pictures/signatures but he went down the line of the 15ish of us and shook all of our hands & talked for a second. seemed a little wasted but probably just primarily tired. another fan also gave me mike's pick too because she already had one & got the setlist instead of me from a crew member. talk about a way to top off the best pearl jam show ever.
on another note...anyone who was close notice ed seemingly crying when he sat down on the amp when mike was finishing up yellow ledbetter? couldnt tell from where i was but it really looked like it.
"Last time I think we played that song here was like, a long time ago, and there was a bonfire in the back and people were like throwing each other into it...very exciting days but a huge fucking relief that that's not how it is tonight..." Ed Irvine Night 1 2003, after Deep
I went to this show and took a good friend with me. He's a music lover to his bones, no more or less than you or I, but he's just never fallen into PJ which is just fine. But, music lover that he is, he is open to try the new. So told him he was going, I got him a ticket and we headed to what was bound to be a hellacious night of music.
After the show we walked and we talked and he told me just how close he was to walking out on the whole damn thing. This man is a good one; nothing, if not honest. While we walked, I used a particular word to describe PJ's music...Eddie's "style", if you will. The word was "visceral". He nodded and said, "Yeah...visceral. That's a good word."
On a website that we both hang out on (which shall remain nameless, HA!) he posted a little blurb about his evening with Pearl Jam. Here's what he said:
"how cheaply can i be bought? and my PJ experience....
so, to answer that question, all i needed hear, is my fair city's name, come out of the star's mouth! that's how cheap i am!
so, it's 30 minutes into the show, and i'm hating it...boring, head slamming, testosterone filled-wall-of-sound music. nothing for me at all.
and then, eddie say's, 'last night's show in vegas stunk...you guys here in san diego ROCK!'.
and i perked up. my city, doing a good thing, in a small little arena...maybe there is something here for me after all...
and so it went. i was drawn into the show, i started paying attention to the actors on the stage, i started LISTENING...and i liked it. i liked the occasional rolling guitars, i watched eddie get into it, with his head swinging, and hair flinging, i saw the bottles of wine come out in plain view, and it was good.
i paid attention more, to the surging emotions of the crowd, when they'd jump, when they'd pump, when they got to their feet in the stands, and approved. the music moved them, if not me. i was still a bystander. PJ is not MY band. but it was their band, and that was ok.
there was a song that ended the first section, a song that went on, and on, a big guitar jam, a lot of music, and i started slapping my thigh, liking it a lot. and a smile came over my face. it was getting better. and then, eddie climbed the hanging rope thing, right in front of me, and i thought....WOW! the insurance guys ain't gonna like that!
and then the encore, and eddie comes out swinging his head even more, and hoists another bottle of wine, with ciggy in hand, and toast's the crowd, and plays on...pretty cool stuff from a rock star. i like it.
and so, i find myself liking the essence of PJ, if not the music. eddie is...visceral. he is dedicated. he is really INTO his music. he grabbed me. not in a big star way, but in a human way. he liked being in my fair city. it showed, in the songs they played. he liked the crowd he was playing for, in the way he behaved. i could tell. and he was real.
there is something to be said for that kind of realness. it's something that i appreciate above all emotions. 'i'm here, i like you all, and i'm gonna let you know it'. the thing that all city's on a tour want to believe is the deal, and hope the band is telling the truth. i think eddie was telling us the truth. and it doesn't hurt, that he's "from" the area...
will i listen to PJ from now on? i don't know. eddie vedder grabbed me, but i'm not sure the lyrics did, or the music did, but as so many people will say, 'live', is better than studio, and you got to see 'them' live. i saw PJ live, and it was a good thing.
and all because eddie liked my fair city"
Please DO NOT bother pointing out the punctuation and such...that's simply how he writes to expedite things.
I appreciate my friend fo stepping outside of his box in order to enter mine; doing so takes a modicum of courage. So score one more for Pearl Jam because, even though my friend will probably never go to another one of their shows, he went, he saw, he felt, he understood. And now he respects the nature and the power of this band.
that's an awesome review and it's great to hear that someone who isn't necessarily a PJ fan can appreciate a good rock show. Kudos to you and your friend! Hopefully my boyfriend can have the same experience as PJ is not his band either!
I attened a convention this week and almost flipped when i saw PJ was playing where I was.
I have seen them @ all the New Orleans shows and the infamous Dallas (Dennis Rodman) show. They were all great, but this one was easily one of or the best (tied with the 3rd/friday nite new orleans show after Eddie was arrested in the quarter).
Amazing setlist! Good to hear some songs again live. Looking @ a few nites before, I was excited when I saw 'rats' in the setlist.
Opening with 'oceans' was perfect. "Leash,' 'rearviewmirror,' 'corduroy,' and of course the MLB song was perfect.
Great energy, great sound, nice long show. And sonic youth was great too. I've seen them a few times, but was never super impressed. They sounded great this time.
My first trip to cali was great and what a better way to end it. I even made it on the tram system and made it back to the hotel.
....regarding the beer situation....I am glad I was at The Shamrock Shack for the pre-party CCFA benefit and could drink some beer there because those lines were CRAZY!
I did just think of two things: Boom's jam at the end of CRAZY MARY and then when Mike came over and jammed with him....that was SOOO GREAT!!!....and Ed's story about LONG ROAD....I had no idea the song was about that and how the song came together... what a story and experience....so emotional...I loved the song before...but now it's even so much more....
Its all been said, but a great f'n show. Not only was the band on, but the audience was crazy. I've never seen a San Diego crowd that pumped up for a show. It's been a long 3 years since they were here, I can only imagine the response they'll get from the Australia/Euro Crowd. My few notes:
Right as the preset started, Ed came out and (since it was at a college), said he was going to take attendance. Nice version of Soon Forget. Sonic Youth were excellent.
Blown away by Brain of J. Not expecting that or Crown of Thorns at all.
At one point while Mike was soloing, and Ed was on the far side of the stage pointing over at Mike, making sure all eyes were on him.
Long Road. Loved the intro, and the intimacy of the moment.
Mike playing the Evenflow solo behind his head. Then going over to jam next to Stone at one point. Lots of interplay between everyone.
The 'Maybe you think its the wine talking' moment. I'm sure that won't go over well on the boot, but it was damn funny.
"You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.
Well I have been to Toronto (opening night), Chicago (2nd night), Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit, Vegas, and San Diego. I thought Grand Rapids was a great show, which it was, but San Diego was even better. Still got LA Forum (night 2) and Santa Barbara to finish off my PJ Tour. And I won't be surprised if the greatest band in the land continues to step it up.
It's been mostly said, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents:
Best crowd I have ever been part of. EVERYONE was singing and I didn't see anyone sitting or being down. Ed made it very clear that this was a very inspiring crowd for the band and they were having a great time playing off of it (us). The show was as close to perfect as I can imagine. I only hope LA comes close to it, but even if not, I will be happy because that was just awesome.
San Diego 10/25/00, Mountain View 6/1/03, Santa Barbara 10/28/03, Northwest School 3/18/05, San Diego 7/7/06, Los Angeles 7/9/06, 7/10/06, Honolulu (U2) 12/9/06, Santa Barbara (EV) 4/10/08, Los Angeles (EV) 4/12/08, Hartford 6/27/08, Mansfield 6/28/08, VH1 Rock Honors The Who 7/12/08, Seattle 9/21/09, Universal City 9/30/09, 10/1/09, 10/6/09, 10/7/09, San Diego 10/9/09, Los Angeles (EV) 7/8/11, Santa Barbara (EV) 7/9/11, Chicago 7/19/13, San Diego 11/21/13, Los Angeles 11/23/13, 11/24/13, Oakland 11/26/13, Chicago 8/22/16, Missoula 8/13/18, Boston 9/2/18, Los Angeles 2/25/22 (EV), San Diego 5/3/22, Los Angeles 5/6/22, 5/7/22, Imola 6/25/22, [Los Angeles 5/21/24], [London 6/29/24], [Boston 9/15/24]
This was my 15th time seeing the band, the 3rd time in SD.
The night before while I was waiting in line to get in to the Vegas show, I met a guy named John (THANKS!) who stood in line next to me with an extra ticket at the very end of row 3 on Stone's side. I snatched it up, having never been closer than 20-30 rows on the floor or 5-10 rows up on the side. That show was ridiculous for me, so for San Diego to top it with worse seats (side section on Mike's side, 21 rows up) is saying something. Not only did it top it, it blew it away IMO. From start to finish the band hit their mark on everything, and added in all the little extra's from tags to audience interaction that had me sitting in my seat for 15 mins after the show trying not to wake up from the dream I just witnessed.
This was my 15th time seeing the band, the 3rd time in SD.
The night before while I was waiting in line to get in to the Vegas show, I met a guy named John (THANKS!) who stood in line next to me with an extra ticket at the very end of row 3 on Stone's side. I snatched it up, having never been closer than 20-30 rows on the floor or 5-10 rows up on the side. That show was ridiculous for me, so for San Diego to top it with worse seats (side section on Mike's side, 21 rows up) is saying something. Not only did it top it, it blew it away IMO. From start to finish the band hit their mark on everything, and added in all the little extra's from tags to audience interaction that had me sitting in my seat for 15 mins after the show trying not to wake up from the dream I just witnessed.
Did any get any picts of that? It was classic and you could almost feel the love (the love of a family that has been through a lot and never gave up on each other)
The SD show wasn't my favorite by a long shot. For one thing, we barely made in from Vegas in time to get there. Balls to the wall driving and a big gigantic traffic jam on the way. The "four and a half hour" drive took 6 and a half. Not the bands fault, but it made the experience more tiring and frantic to begin with. My poor husband was beat. But here's the biggest issue...
The people around me sucked. Tried to say "hi" to several people around me and got these weird "I'm too good/cool to associate with you" looks. In fact, overall, the people in San Diego just in general seemed too pretentious for my taste. Mr. and Mrs. "Congeniality" to my left skipped out early (after Alive), thank god, and I utilized their space and I was finally able to see a little bit. It's a buzzkiller to not be able to see at all and naturally the tallest people in the world sat right in my line of sight. The guy to my right looked like he would have had more fun at a funeral. I just don't get it. These are supposed to be fans? With decent fan club numbers? Weird.
It was cool to be on Mike's side for the first time. He looked healthy to me, but you never know. He botched up the Star Spangled Banner a little bit, but hey it happens. He rocked everything else and well, I just love the guy. Alive is being touted already as "the best ever." That's a stretch, but if it's the "best" to you, then more power to you. Nothing in SD stood out as being "the best I've ever seen." The giddiness of the band was what was so great about SD.
The band was obviously thrilled to be there; they obviously put forth a very special show for SD, which is one reason I wanted to catch this one. The crowd (except for almost everyone around me) overall was very pumped. A big crowd to my left up in the side seats was totally rocking. Chanting, making racket, having a great time. High-five to you guys!!! A lady two rows up from me seriously head-banged the whole night. I kept thinking "You go, sistuh," but man I bet her neck is sore today. It is so awesome to look around the arena and see the crowd into it. PJ didn't put forth the "love" for LV like they did SD. But...
Las Vegas the night before was a much better experience for me. Our LV seats were EXCELLENT (thanks 10c) and we were surrounded by genuinely cool, friendly, happy and majorly pumped PJ fans. An older couple (mid to upper 50's I'd say) was in front of us with big smiles on their faces the whole night. How cool is THAT?! A shout-out to the guy behind me with the Motorhead shirt and the girl too. You guys rock! The LV show was too short, though. It also didn't have the intimacy, looseness and "specialness" that SD had, but regardless, LV still was better in my book. The sound was better in LV, but wasn't bad at either venue. (Luckily, I've never been to a poor sounding PJ concert.)
The SD setlist was a bit too similar to LV, but getting to hear Comotose both nights doesn't hurt my feelings one bit. Satan's Bed was a highlight. I KNEW they'd play Big Wave in SD and it rocked pretty good. I LOVED whatever the song was that I had never heard before. The more "in the know" PJ fans knew all the words to it and it was cool. I feel kind of stupid not having heard it before, but oh well. I'll have to look up the setlist and investigate that song further; it was really good. I don't own many boots or side projects so am wondering where that "old" song came from. Need me some educating.
Plane landed back in Texas as 5:20 this morning. Slept a few hours today and that post-PJ high hasn't yet waned. Was an exhausting and exhilerating time. Now they need to COME TO THE SOUTH!!! because I'm ready for the next one.
I have seen Pearl Jam play around 12-15 times and this was by far the best show I have ever seen them play!!!! I can't believe they played for almost 3 hours eventhough they had played a show the night before in Vegas!! This was the first of 5 shows I'll be going to this tour and I hope the upcoming shows are just as good, I am sure they will be!!! See you tonight at the Forum!!!
Great pics JayStumpf and everyone else who's posted them for this show. It's always great to be able to view the different angles and moments from other's vantage points.
I took and few and have posted them on flickr. Here are a few of my favorites. My seats weren't the greatest (section HHH...towards the back on the floor), but I can't complain. This was such a great show!
"overall, the people in San Diego just in general seemed too pretentious for my taste."
Being a native, the people you are referring to are most likely some of the MANY transplants here from somewhere else. From my perspective (sec. R, row 26), I saw nothing but very enthusiastic, in some cases hard-core, fans.
As for the show, I admit I may not be as much of a fanatic as some of the other people here. I've only seen the band 4 times, all in S.D. First show I saw was at the old Sports Arena with Ramones opening ('95?), then '98, then at Cox 6/03 and Friday. But I do know from talking to other people that the band without question steps it up a few notches whenever they play here. And this was far and away the best performance I've ever seen from PJ. Plenty of surprises (opening with Oceans, the cool intro to Long Road, the song from Singles) AND playing so much of the new album & playing it so well. It's clear the band feeds off the energy of the crowd here. Best birthday I've ever had (46, yeesh!). The finale with Ledbetter was fun, as that is what they finished with the first time I saw them. They did, understandably, appear to be running out of gas at that point. Hell, I was exhausted & all I did was watch.
I did take a look at some of the other set lists over the last couple of weeks and it does look like the band was a little more inspired here. The only one that looked close to being as good was the second Vegas show, yet Eddie said that crowd wasn't too great. I definitely feel foolish for passing on seeing them so many times, because they are always good, even after so many years. In fact they may be better than ever. Blistering versions of Evenflow & Rearview. I realize it may be blasphemous but Alive was never one of my favorite songs. The way they played it Friday knocked me on my ass. Incredible. Can't wait for the d/l.
I could go on and on but I will make sure never to miss another show here, and will probably make it a point to start taking in stops in other cities.
Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is THE BEST . . .
- Frank Zappa
First off, there WAS a preset- Ed played Soon Forget then announced Sonic Youth.
Secondly, this was my 11th time seeing this band. Of the 30 or so songs played tonight (including the preset), SIX were songs I had never heard live. SIX! And only one of those was from the new album. Four of the rest were songs I'd heard only once. To put this in perspective, seeing the Petty/PJ shows in St. Paul, in two nights of hearing Petty, I only heard three songs on the second night that I didn't hear on the first night. Yet another reason why this band is fan-fucking-tastic.
And I- just right now- realized they played 10 songs from the new record. It certainly didn't feel like they played 10 songs from Avocado- everything meshed incredibly well.
Oceans was great to hear for the first time. I had hoped that being at this show would yield me some interesting set choices, and hearing this right off the bat got me stoked instantly. I had said from the moment I bought my tickets that this show was going to be something special- I just felt it. And hearing Oceans as the opener gave me hope...
Severed Hand is in a tght battle with Inside Job as my favorite track on Pearl Jam, so I was more than excited to hear this next. There was no pre-recorded intro, either.
I hadn't seen Brain of J since my very first show back in 1998 and I was dying to hear it again. Thank you PJ for making that happen tonight.
LBC featured the 'Let the show begin' lyric, and Boom got a deservedly nice ovation.
If there was a "low" point to this show for me, it was the Gone/EFlow/Unemployable trilogy. The drum solo in EFlow was longer than I'd yet heard and Matt was going crazy. Good stuff, there.
Wasted Reprise into Betterman was a nice segue. The crowd singalong here was the first sign for me that this crowd was something unique. Save It For Later was great.
Satan's Bed! I had been telling my neighbor that in the next three shows I needed to hear this and Rats. He turned to me and gave me a high five at the start. It's always great at shows to share these kind of moments with complete strangers, bonded by appreciation for this band.
After that we were right into an awesome Not For You. The Modern Girl tag was really appreciated by my companion, who is a big S-K fan.
I had figured we were going to get You Are after hearing the guitar tech test the pedals during the break between SY and PJ. And I loved it- one of my favorite songs on Riot Act.
I wouldn't put the improv after Life Wasted- it was more an intro to RVM than a conclusion to LW, Ed repeating "I'll never go back again" over the first notes of RVM before going into the riff. Ed also sang during the first part of the mid-section jam, but I couldn't make out anything he was sayng from where I was. Speaking of, that jam was sick. Just plain sick.
Now, I cannot possibly put into words how moving the introduction to Long Road was. By the time they were starting the song I was choked up. When they came back out for the first encore, they all sat down and Ed said that he'd like to tell us a story. He asked for a show of hands of how many people have had a teacher who has had a large influence on their life. He then said that he too had one and that this was the story he wanted to share. The band and Neil were working on Mirrorball when Ed got the call that this teacher had passed away. He said that even though the band and Neil were in the room, he had to go in another room and sort out his thoughts. He said he needed to have a conversation though, and he was having it through his guitar. He started strumming the first note, stating that hey, it sunds like a school bell. He just kept doing that over and over... At this point Matt quietly started the drum part to the song. Ed continued and said that after a while, eventually the band and Neil came in to check on him, and without any of them saying a word, they all sat down, picked up their instruments, and in that moment....
"We all walk the long road..."
Absolutely. Fucking. Amazing. This was a moment. It wasn't manufactured. It was real. Real emotion. Real love. Simply beautiful.
Come Back was a fitting follow up, and I think they're finding the right groove with it.
Crazy Mary was, well, crazy. Boom got more time to solo and the band stayed around him for the majority of his spotlight moment. Mike's solo wasn't the greatest I've heard from him on this song, but the band built the song up to a magnificent crescendo during it.
Crown of Thorns! What can you say... you know it's a special show when you hear this song. I've been lucky enough to hear it twice now this year- in Chicago and tonight.
Speaking of Chicago- those of you who think the Alive from Chicago II was fantastic- you NEED to hear this one. That's all I'll say. Stage antics saw Ed atop one speaker stack stage left, with Stone soloing right below him, and Mike opposite stage atop his own speaker stack. Visually incredible.
Last Kiss featured Ed climbing a rope ladder at the back of the stage, getting a good 15-10 feet above the ground while singing to the club in the back. Jeff, ever the mother hen, sent a stagehand over to hold the ladder to keep it sturdy.
It was great to hear Leash after all the hype. Ed finished the song on his nees, arms outstretched, flipping everyone off with a big smile on his face.
Speaking of, all of the folks I went to the show with agreed that this is the most fun any of us have ever seen Ed have at a show. He was smiling all night, jumping all around, genuinely seeming to enjoy himself. Even Stone and Jeff were more animated tonight that I've ever seen them.
Up next was the moment I'd been waiting for- you knew it had to happen, and Ed specifically said they were saving it for the west coast- Big Wave! And it was glorious.
After all this, RITFW and YL were almost an afterthought. I say almost because the jamming in RITFW was intense (even with Kelly Slater, whom I think Ed oversold to the crowd), and Mike's Star Spangled Banner tag was inspired, but you knew this was the end. Ed noted what everyone else in the arena had to be thnking by altering the "I don't want to stay" line in YL to "I don't want to leave..."
This WAS a special show. I'll be at the next LA shows, and if they even come anywhere near to this show, those will be considered great shows. This show was twenty kinds of awesomeness, plain and simple. I really think this might be the best Pearl Jam show I've ever seen. When the aftershow hype dies down, I'll reassess, but in the very least, it's top 3, no doubt.
Amazing. A simply amazing evening with an amazing band with amazing fans.
God I love this band.
Your review is spectacular! This was show #8 so far,on this tour and I journeyed to Las Vegas for a few days to see that show and I am glad I decided to go to SD! It was a last minute thing, I was side stage, but behind it, still had a great vantage point!! The thing that will stick out in my mind the most(there were plenty of great moments tonight) was Ed climbing that metal ladder and when he did, he was nearly crawling toward me! I was in RRow N, sec 22 I think, and when he started climbing, I was indicating for him to come over here with us! LOL....
I have seen PJ since almost the start, 1992, it is something like in the low 40's the number of shows(mostly Boston area) but I think this show COULD have been the best show I have ever seen from them!! I got crown of thorns again, (CHICAG0 2), and was leaning toward Toronto 2 as the best I have seen on this tour, but I think the energy, and Ed just being plain old VERY HAPPY the whole show.
Great venue and I like the way the rest rooms etc were outside the place.
Kelly Slater was awesome, and I got misty eyed during that favorite teachers talk. Also, lose it a little every time Ed plays the save it for later, don't let me down tag!!
What a great bunch of human beings PJ!!
Shouts out to Frank, Jeremy, and T.J. whom I met during the CCFA pre part at the Shamrock Shack. Got my Stone and Mike guitar pick tee shirts finally and would have got a Jeff t-shirt, but none in my size.....
This was my 15th time seeing the band, the 3rd time in SD.
The night before while I was waiting in line to get in to the Vegas show, I met a guy named John (THANKS!) who stood in line next to me with an extra ticket at the very end of row 3 on Stone's side. I snatched it up, having never been closer than 20-30 rows on the floor or 5-10 rows up on the side. That show was ridiculous for me, so for San Diego to top it with worse seats (side section on Mike's side, 21 rows up) is saying something. Not only did it top it, it blew it away IMO. From start to finish the band hit their mark on everything, and added in all the little extra's from tags to audience interaction that had me sitting in my seat for 15 mins after the show trying not to wake up from the dream I just witnessed.
Comments
Yeah... what if the dude with big ol' nasty sores on his lips is the one passing it to you... "Uhhhh... that's okay dude, I'm drinkin' beer... don't wanna mix drinks, ya know?"
Hail, Hail!!!
1) The new material is just awesome and blends with the best material from their earlier stuff brilliantly.
2) Huge omissions of material from their last 2-3 less than noteworthy albums makes this combination of music so pleasant to be a part of.
3) Absolutely amazing mucisianship. McCready is looking very Jimmy Page like up there.
4) Great Local Fans!
However a couple of problems with this show. The suck my COX Arena is one of the worst venues I have ever been to. God awful beer and food lines. Poor planning make it very crowded and a self imposed alcohol cut off 30 minutes after the band went on. That's right a dry venue 30 minutes into the show. The worst part is they blamed the cut off to pearl jam's request. Bull! Even Eddie was drinking at midnight.
All in all this was an awesome show if you did not get caught in the f'n beer lines. We came down from L.A. because we know the boys put a little something extra into an SD show. The last one I went to down here was in 95 and the energy was the same. Great fans. Im dreading going back to L.A. for our local geezer crowd on Monday night. L.A. has the worst fans anywhere!
All in all this was the best California show in some time. The new material just makes everything else pop. I hope the guys keep it up for the rest of Cali. Well see you in L.A. and S.B (which should kick ass)!
B
Irvine 1992, Las Vegas 1993, Mountain View 1994, San Diego 1995, Los Angeles 1996, Los Angeles 1998, Moutain View 1999, San Bernadino 2000, Los Angeles 2000, Irvine 2003, Irvine 2003, Moutain View 2003, Santa Barbara 2003, San Diego 2006, Los Angeles 2006, Santa Barbara 2006
I guess you didn't get the memo... you were supposed to drink in the parking lot before the show so you didn't have to pay 10 bucks for a 12 ounce cup of watered down Bud that was half foam.
Cox Arena is much better than the San Diego Sports Arena... except for the beer thing. And the fact that they shut down the pissers as soon as the show ends.
Hail, Hail!!!
yeah i've got one but its from kinda far away on mike's side. pm me and i'll e-mail them to ya.
and yes. ed's intensity was probably due to the amounts of wine...i stuck around afterwards w/ my bro trying to meet any of the band we could. the show ended at around 1140 and we stuck around until around 215 or 230ish when finally ed came out in a van but spotted the devoted fans who had resisted the barrage of doubts and "theyre already gone"s by the security guards and stopped the van. his security guard said no pictures/signatures but he went down the line of the 15ish of us and shook all of our hands & talked for a second. seemed a little wasted but probably just primarily tired. another fan also gave me mike's pick too because she already had one & got the setlist instead of me from a crew member. talk about a way to top off the best pearl jam show ever.
on another note...anyone who was close notice ed seemingly crying when he sat down on the amp when mike was finishing up yellow ledbetter? couldnt tell from where i was but it really looked like it.
After the show we walked and we talked and he told me just how close he was to walking out on the whole damn thing. This man is a good one; nothing, if not honest. While we walked, I used a particular word to describe PJ's music...Eddie's "style", if you will. The word was "visceral". He nodded and said, "Yeah...visceral. That's a good word."
On a website that we both hang out on (which shall remain nameless, HA!) he posted a little blurb about his evening with Pearl Jam. Here's what he said:
"how cheaply can i be bought? and my PJ experience....
so, to answer that question, all i needed hear, is my fair city's name, come out of the star's mouth! that's how cheap i am!
so, it's 30 minutes into the show, and i'm hating it...boring, head slamming, testosterone filled-wall-of-sound music. nothing for me at all.
and then, eddie say's, 'last night's show in vegas stunk...you guys here in san diego ROCK!'.
and i perked up. my city, doing a good thing, in a small little arena...maybe there is something here for me after all...
and so it went. i was drawn into the show, i started paying attention to the actors on the stage, i started LISTENING...and i liked it. i liked the occasional rolling guitars, i watched eddie get into it, with his head swinging, and hair flinging, i saw the bottles of wine come out in plain view, and it was good.
i paid attention more, to the surging emotions of the crowd, when they'd jump, when they'd pump, when they got to their feet in the stands, and approved. the music moved them, if not me. i was still a bystander. PJ is not MY band. but it was their band, and that was ok.
there was a song that ended the first section, a song that went on, and on, a big guitar jam, a lot of music, and i started slapping my thigh, liking it a lot. and a smile came over my face. it was getting better. and then, eddie climbed the hanging rope thing, right in front of me, and i thought....WOW! the insurance guys ain't gonna like that!
and then the encore, and eddie comes out swinging his head even more, and hoists another bottle of wine, with ciggy in hand, and toast's the crowd, and plays on...pretty cool stuff from a rock star. i like it.
and so, i find myself liking the essence of PJ, if not the music. eddie is...visceral. he is dedicated. he is really INTO his music. he grabbed me. not in a big star way, but in a human way. he liked being in my fair city. it showed, in the songs they played. he liked the crowd he was playing for, in the way he behaved. i could tell. and he was real.
there is something to be said for that kind of realness. it's something that i appreciate above all emotions. 'i'm here, i like you all, and i'm gonna let you know it'. the thing that all city's on a tour want to believe is the deal, and hope the band is telling the truth. i think eddie was telling us the truth. and it doesn't hurt, that he's "from" the area...
will i listen to PJ from now on? i don't know. eddie vedder grabbed me, but i'm not sure the lyrics did, or the music did, but as so many people will say, 'live', is better than studio, and you got to see 'them' live. i saw PJ live, and it was a good thing.
and all because eddie liked my fair city"
Please DO NOT bother pointing out the punctuation and such...that's simply how he writes to expedite things.
I appreciate my friend fo stepping outside of his box in order to enter mine; doing so takes a modicum of courage. So score one more for Pearl Jam because, even though my friend will probably never go to another one of their shows, he went, he saw, he felt, he understood. And now he respects the nature and the power of this band.
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
OCEANS, SATANS BED, BIG WAVE, LEASH, COMATOSE, YOU ARE
THE ONLY SONGS MISSING FROM THIS TO MAKE IT COMPLETE IS BLACK, BABA, AND DTE
WOW
SCOTT
8/25/00 8/27/00 8/29/00 8/30/00 9/01/00 9/02/00
4/28/03 4/29/03 4/30/03 5/02/03 7/05/03 7/06/03
7/08/03 7/09/03 7/14/03 <---front row shook hands with ed.
10/3/05 5/13/06 5/27/06 5/28/06 6/01/06 6/3/06
6/24/06 6/19/08 6/20/08 6/24/08 6/25/08 10/27/09
10/28/09 10/30/09 10/31/09 5/15/10 5/18/10 5/20/10
5/21/10 9/7/11
I have seen them @ all the New Orleans shows and the infamous Dallas (Dennis Rodman) show. They were all great, but this one was easily one of or the best (tied with the 3rd/friday nite new orleans show after Eddie was arrested in the quarter).
Amazing setlist! Good to hear some songs again live. Looking @ a few nites before, I was excited when I saw 'rats' in the setlist.
Opening with 'oceans' was perfect. "Leash,' 'rearviewmirror,' 'corduroy,' and of course the MLB song was perfect.
Great energy, great sound, nice long show. And sonic youth was great too. I've seen them a few times, but was never super impressed. They sounded great this time.
My first trip to cali was great and what a better way to end it. I even made it on the tram system and made it back to the hotel.
Can't wait to go back!
- jason
Everyone has mentioned so much.....It was GREAT, my head is still a bit of a blur.....
I will add my pictures since I really can't seem to put a review into words:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pearljameraz/album?.dir=9448re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pearljameraz/my_photos
....regarding the beer situation....I am glad I was at The Shamrock Shack for the pre-party CCFA benefit and could drink some beer there because those lines were CRAZY!
I did just think of two things: Boom's jam at the end of CRAZY MARY and then when Mike came over and jammed with him....that was SOOO GREAT!!!....and Ed's story about LONG ROAD....I had no idea the song was about that and how the song came together... what a story and experience....so emotional...I loved the song before...but now it's even so much more....
It's nice in the desert....please play here PJ!
Right as the preset started, Ed came out and (since it was at a college), said he was going to take attendance. Nice version of Soon Forget. Sonic Youth were excellent.
Blown away by Brain of J. Not expecting that or Crown of Thorns at all.
At one point while Mike was soloing, and Ed was on the far side of the stage pointing over at Mike, making sure all eyes were on him.
Long Road. Loved the intro, and the intimacy of the moment.
Mike playing the Evenflow solo behind his head. Then going over to jam next to Stone at one point. Lots of interplay between everyone.
The 'Maybe you think its the wine talking' moment. I'm sure that won't go over well on the boot, but it was damn funny.
http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
spotify:user:merkinball
Started ~4:45 PM, and I may have missed some stuff, but here's what I caught:
Big Wave, Satan's Bed, You Are, Crown of Thorns
And yes, SD was one SERIOUSLY bad-ass show.
I didn't care for Cox Arena at all. The venue they played in 2003 was MUCH better....imo.
~ Ice Queen
what you missed you gained. tenfold.
I've posted some pics I took from section R.
I think I can see some of you guys down on the floor.
http://216.9.34.93/PJSD/Page.htm
Kirk
GREAT pics!!! I love to see pictures from different points of view! THANKS!
It's nice in the desert....please play here PJ!
Best crowd I have ever been part of. EVERYONE was singing and I didn't see anyone sitting or being down. Ed made it very clear that this was a very inspiring crowd for the band and they were having a great time playing off of it (us). The show was as close to perfect as I can imagine. I only hope LA comes close to it, but even if not, I will be happy because that was just awesome.
Great review Andy. Couldn't have said it better myself. What an amazing night. I am so glad I made the trip out west for this one!
Rhyno
11/30/1991 ~ 3/25/92 ~ 8/28/92 ~ 6/30/98 ~ 10/8/2000 ~ 6/18/2003 ~ 6/21/2003 ~ 6/26/2006 ~ 6/27/2006 ~ 7/7/2006 ~ 8/5/2007 ~ 6/24/2008 ~ ALPINE VALLEY in '09 ;-)
The night before while I was waiting in line to get in to the Vegas show, I met a guy named John (THANKS!) who stood in line next to me with an extra ticket at the very end of row 3 on Stone's side. I snatched it up, having never been closer than 20-30 rows on the floor or 5-10 rows up on the side. That show was ridiculous for me, so for San Diego to top it with worse seats (side section on Mike's side, 21 rows up) is saying something. Not only did it top it, it blew it away IMO. From start to finish the band hit their mark on everything, and added in all the little extra's from tags to audience interaction that had me sitting in my seat for 15 mins after the show trying not to wake up from the dream I just witnessed.
Simply amazing!
Here are my pics....I'm partial to #26
http://webpages.charter.net/forestrat/pics/sandiego070706/
It's nice in the desert....please play here PJ!
I did! I did ...and a pretty decent one
http://myspace-459.vo.llnwd.net/00912/95/43/912513459_l.jpg
Uh, no.....I really didn't. Loss was the theme of the night. Lesson learned.
~ Ice Queen
The people around me sucked. Tried to say "hi" to several people around me and got these weird "I'm too good/cool to associate with you" looks. In fact, overall, the people in San Diego just in general seemed too pretentious for my taste. Mr. and Mrs. "Congeniality" to my left skipped out early (after Alive), thank god, and I utilized their space and I was finally able to see a little bit. It's a buzzkiller to not be able to see at all and naturally the tallest people in the world sat right in my line of sight. The guy to my right looked like he would have had more fun at a funeral. I just don't get it. These are supposed to be fans? With decent fan club numbers? Weird.
It was cool to be on Mike's side for the first time. He looked healthy to me, but you never know. He botched up the Star Spangled Banner a little bit, but hey it happens. He rocked everything else and well, I just love the guy. Alive is being touted already as "the best ever." That's a stretch, but if it's the "best" to you, then more power to you. Nothing in SD stood out as being "the best I've ever seen." The giddiness of the band was what was so great about SD.
The band was obviously thrilled to be there; they obviously put forth a very special show for SD, which is one reason I wanted to catch this one. The crowd (except for almost everyone around me) overall was very pumped. A big crowd to my left up in the side seats was totally rocking. Chanting, making racket, having a great time. High-five to you guys!!! A lady two rows up from me seriously head-banged the whole night. I kept thinking "You go, sistuh," but man I bet her neck is sore today. It is so awesome to look around the arena and see the crowd into it. PJ didn't put forth the "love" for LV like they did SD. But...
Las Vegas the night before was a much better experience for me. Our LV seats were EXCELLENT (thanks 10c) and we were surrounded by genuinely cool, friendly, happy and majorly pumped PJ fans. An older couple (mid to upper 50's I'd say) was in front of us with big smiles on their faces the whole night. How cool is THAT?! A shout-out to the guy behind me with the Motorhead shirt and the girl too. You guys rock! The LV show was too short, though. It also didn't have the intimacy, looseness and "specialness" that SD had, but regardless, LV still was better in my book. The sound was better in LV, but wasn't bad at either venue. (Luckily, I've never been to a poor sounding PJ concert.)
The SD setlist was a bit too similar to LV, but getting to hear Comotose both nights doesn't hurt my feelings one bit. Satan's Bed was a highlight. I KNEW they'd play Big Wave in SD and it rocked pretty good. I LOVED whatever the song was that I had never heard before. The more "in the know" PJ fans knew all the words to it and it was cool. I feel kind of stupid not having heard it before, but oh well. I'll have to look up the setlist and investigate that song further; it was really good. I don't own many boots or side projects so am wondering where that "old" song came from. Need me some educating.
Plane landed back in Texas as 5:20 this morning. Slept a few hours today and that post-PJ high hasn't yet waned. Was an exhausting and exhilerating time. Now they need to COME TO THE SOUTH!!! because I'm ready for the next one.
I took and few and have posted them on flickr. Here are a few of my favorites. My seats weren't the greatest (section HHH...towards the back on the floor), but I can't complain. This was such a great show!
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185814886&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185813883&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185813881&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185813876&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185812182&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185812181&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185811040&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185810092&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185809264&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185806552&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185805275&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185804170&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185803014&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=185803011&size=o
If you wanna check out the rest here's a link...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanbickett/tags/pearljamsandiegojuly72006/
I am anxiously awaiting the boot to be available for download so I can re-live the show!
Rhyno
11/30/1991 ~ 3/25/92 ~ 8/28/92 ~ 6/30/98 ~ 10/8/2000 ~ 6/18/2003 ~ 6/21/2003 ~ 6/26/2006 ~ 6/27/2006 ~ 7/7/2006 ~ 8/5/2007 ~ 6/24/2008 ~ ALPINE VALLEY in '09 ;-)
well....you're still my favorite.
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is THE BEST . . .
- Frank Zappa
Your review is spectacular! This was show #8 so far,on this tour and I journeyed to Las Vegas for a few days to see that show and I am glad I decided to go to SD! It was a last minute thing, I was side stage, but behind it, still had a great vantage point!! The thing that will stick out in my mind the most(there were plenty of great moments tonight) was Ed climbing that metal ladder and when he did, he was nearly crawling toward me! I was in RRow N, sec 22 I think, and when he started climbing, I was indicating for him to come over here with us! LOL....
I have seen PJ since almost the start, 1992, it is something like in the low 40's the number of shows(mostly Boston area) but I think this show COULD have been the best show I have ever seen from them!! I got crown of thorns again, (CHICAG0 2), and was leaning toward Toronto 2 as the best I have seen on this tour, but I think the energy, and Ed just being plain old VERY HAPPY the whole show.
Great venue and I like the way the rest rooms etc were outside the place.
Kelly Slater was awesome, and I got misty eyed during that favorite teachers talk. Also, lose it a little every time Ed plays the save it for later, don't let me down tag!!
What a great bunch of human beings PJ!!
Shouts out to Frank, Jeremy, and T.J. whom I met during the CCFA pre part at the Shamrock Shack. Got my Stone and Mike guitar pick tee shirts finally and would have got a Jeff t-shirt, but none in my size.....
Glad you got to experience the great seats we had! Nothing can top that!