*** San Diego Fanviews 7/7 Here ***

Cosmo

Popozao wrote:

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?"

brianjd

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

Cosmo

brianjd wrote:

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.

r1vers

RobynRAZ wrote:

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.

dharma69

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.

Popozao

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!

ScottandPearlJam

One of the best setlist i have seen

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

jpleonard

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.

Can't wait to go back!
- jason

ChrissySistrum

It was the best PJ show I have ever been to and one of the best shows I have ever seen!

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....

merkinball

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.

calebl

Haven't seen it mentioned, but here's the soundcheck info from SD:

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.

vmfury

What I caught of the show was grrreat! What I missed makes me want to vomit. That setlist was INSANE.

I didn't care for Cox Arena at all. The venue they played in 2003 was MUCH better....imo.

hairpants

vmfury wrote:

What I caught of the show was grrreat! What I missed makes me want to vomit. That setlist was INSANE.

I didn't care for Cox Arena at all. The venue they played in 2003 was MUCH better....imo.

what you missed you gained. tenfold.

kirkinsd

Great show.

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

173rdVET

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.

ChrissySistrum

kirkinsd wrote:

Great show.

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!

meistereder

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.

Rhyno

AndySlash wrote:

Amazing. A simply amazing evening with an amazing band with amazing fans.

God I love this band.

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!

CaliBigWave

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.

Simply amazing!

Here are my pics....I'm partial to #26 What a moment!!
http://webpages.charter.net/forestrat/pics/sandiego070706/

sonicfan

Great Pictures!! I should have brought my camera. #26 does pretty much capture the night. Great to be "ALIVE"!!

JayStumpf wrote:

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.

Simply amazing!

Here are my pics....I'm partial to #26 What a moment!!
http://webpages.charter.net/forestrat/pics/sandiego070706/