OK, this is my first post here but I was at the gig last night, been waiting 12 years for this, I had a ticket for the Point in 1996 but got dragged to Liverpool that weekend and had to give it away, had no cash for the 2000 gig so this was it for me
and what a show!
I arrived pretty late, about 8.45, missed all of Paddy casey, seemed a bizarre choice and presumably last minute for an opener, but he has some good songs, just not everyone's cup of tea
also, there seemed to be quite a few people outside without tickets as I arrived so probably a few disappointed fans ended up stuck outside by the looks of things, didn't meet any touts offering, evryone was looking for tickets
Inside Job I thought was an excellent opener, but maybe with all the anticipation they could have played anything and gotten away with it! but for me it sounded really powerful in building up their entrance
overall highlights for me included Given To Fly, Betterman (particularly the crowd on this one, they sang the entire 1st verse and chorus without Eddie), a stunning version of Black, Crazy Mary and the fact that the played The Boys Are Back in Town (also the fact that they messed it up a tiny bit even made it better somehow)
Did anyone mention it was Booms first gig in Europe.
Crazy Mary was excellent.
Leash and Why Go were amazing.
House lights on for Why Do I Keep Fuckin' Up was great, especially for watching the crowd surfers/standers (I was standing back near the sound desk, speaking of which, the sound was the usual point depot pants. I've only heard a handful of bands get the sound right in there.)
I collected 10C tickets fairly late on and no body gave me wrist bands or pit bands or whatever but I was with non 10Cers so I mightn't have gone into the pit anyways. Still, poor.
Personally wasn't an Inside Job fan before last night but I like it now.
The singing was drowning out the band on some songs. Absolutely amazing.
Especially liked when the crowd started the It's Okay tag before being prompted. Also the crowd was dancing/moshing/bouncing nearly the whole way to the back.
RVM is the probably the most perfect rock/pop song of all time so wasn't into the jam in the middle. Why mess with perfection.
Whoever turned on the house lights before they finished playing is a prick.
Don't wait 6 years again guys.
They always put in a big jam into the middle of RVM. That's what makes it special live IMO
They always turn up the houselights for the closing song. I think it's great. Really adds to the atmosphere.
I agree with No. 3
Braighni: I was in the pit and the sound was amazing. Everything was spot on. I've never seen a bad gig in the point soundwise. (Mark Knpfler was kinda shit at the start but they fixed it as the show went on)
RVM is the probably the most perfect rock/pop song of all time so wasn't into the jam in the middle. Why mess with perfection.
Whoever turned on the house lights before they finished playing is a prick.
Don't wait 6 years again guys.
pearl jam always do that for the last song they turn the house lights on the like to see the crowd at the end, i think its a fucking great idea no other band does that
What a gigthey dropped the LEASH in europe awesome,
The sound was perfect. Eddie's vocals were very prominent which was great.
I've totally lost my voice. The only dull moment for me was Marker in the Sand as I really don't like it, but it seemed to go down well with most so that's cool.
Education! Wow, such a funky, cool song. "Hyah!"
He tore through Fuckin Up (what a song).
Black, possibly the longest version I've ever heard......Boom went insane on Crazy Mary.
Corduroy and Rearviewmirror were and always have been pure gold.
It started off emotional and just became more highly charged as the show went on...
Surprisingly they played nothing off No Code, Binaural or Riot Act. It very much a hits based show. I'm surprised they didn't do Last Kiss!
But it worked well and the boys are back in town was a touch of genius (even if he did mess up the lyrics, but it wouldn't be Ed if he didnt!).
I'll never forget it. Thanks guys.
P.S. What was Paddy Casey doing there? In fact, what's he doing in music? I thought he was awful.
Braighni: I was in the pit and the sound was amazing. Everything was spot on. I've never seen a bad gig in the point soundwise. (Mark Knpfler was kinda shit at the start but they fixed it as the show went on)
I've been to quite a few shows at the point with terribly sound but for me last night it was spot on
Education wow never saw that coming even after Dirty Frank and Leash this year. Slightly shorter than we are use to but they always play longer sets towards the end of the legs. Pleased to see Ireland getting there Pearl Jam fix.
I'm just flying around the other side of the world to say I love you
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08
Hmmmmmm third time to see Pearl jam live but first stone cold sober, so I don't recall the jam in RVM last time or light thing. Oh well. Looking forward to bootleg. Must route the old one to check RVM at last Dublin gig.
A Thin Lizzy classic in the heart of Ireland!!!! You have got to be kidding me! Fuckin' Eh! Nice touch by the boys. Play that song or any other Thin Lizzy cover the next time in Toronto.
Looks like a solid set list with a few surprises tossed in. Good on ya!
Mike McCready is one legend person to watch during a show! He seemed so grateful to us all for being there and going mental during every song. He was just really entertaining! And the end of Black was just magical!
That show was fucking awesome! Education, I love it and the first time they played it! yee fuckin haa! Evolution and Given to Fly, alive, better man, awesome! i was speachless after ward. And I cannot believe they played Black!
Already ordered my bootleg!
Thank you Pearl Jam!
Banner: You're out there somewhere, beer baron! And I'll find you.
Homer: No you won't!
Banner: Yes, I will!
Homer: Won't!
McCready is a God! He spent every single song from start to finish, working the crowd, getting everyone around him jumping!
Highlights were Severed Hand (Matt Cameron owned this), Why Go?, Marker, Leash, and Alive.
The only dissapointment was that they didn't play Ledbetter after Fuckin' Up, it just didn't seem like the show was actually over.
Jeff was jumping around, Matt was awesome, Ed was loving it, as was Boom, who really seemed to be having the time of his life and McCready was on fire. Stone seemed a little like he was bored to me, but i was on Mike's side of the stage so perhaps i just wasn't giving Stone enough attention.
Erm... what else... Jeff is back playing the 12 string bass like the old days on Leash, Why Go etc. and It's OK was fucking phenominal
I was lucky enough to get Ed's empty wine bottle from a crew member after the show, and Mike looked and pointed straight to me - now i know what it feels like!
From start to finish, a great night!
REMEMBER KIDS....
The Bible is full of lies - Stone is the leader of us all!
Mike was indeed amazing, thanks to the 10 club pit-pass I was about 15 ft away from him all night even though I was in the bar until after the support finished. I was impressed when he came out in a Phil Lynott after the first break and stunned when The Boys are Back kicked off. Incredible show, well worth the wait, I'm hoarse, aching and happy. Huge thanks to the 10c for the sectioned off pit, plenty of room and closer to the band than I could have ever have hoped. Next stop Arnhem!
Me and my friends all got in the pit,I was only a few feet away from Mike and he was lookin at me loads of time,it was surreal!Best night of my life by far!
Mike McCready is one legend person to watch during a show! He seemed so grateful to us all for being there and going mental during every song. He was just really entertaining! And the end of Black was just magical!
Could'nt agree more,you just cant take your eyes off him!He really seemed to be enjoying the crowd and the atmosphere as they all did.How many plecs did he fuck away?must've been in the hundreds!!
My first time in Dublin, and my first Pearl Jam show. Couldn't have been better.
Yesterday went so slowly, and it just never seemed to get to show time. When the time did roll around, and they started playing Inside Job, I was just standing there with my mouth open and eyes wide. Unbelievable. :eek:
We had heard about Education and The Boys Are Back In Town being soundchecked, but it was awesome to hear them both. Education is a favourite of mine from lost dogs.
Other highlights were Daughter/It's Ok (especially the fact that loads of us started singing It's OK before Ed did), Indifference, Black...well...pretty much everything!
Safe to say it was the best gig i've been to, and one of the best days of my life. Had an awesome time in Dublin and met some really cool people (you know who you are). Sad it's over, and now I have to go to work.
Bring on the rest of Europe! (especially shows i'm attending! )
~AKA Dave-of-the-dead~
I don't wanna think, I wanna feel
Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06
London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
He threw out lots indeed! The security robbed a few... not impressed with that! But Jeff only fired out two or three (he has a vicious throw on him!) and I managed to find one on the ground after!
So that’s the end of it for me and Pearl Jam for this tour, but I’m certainly not disappointed with the show I saw, short as it was.
Last night I was totally on a high from the show, but I’ve been able to think about it a bit more, and there are a few things that are pretty surprising. Aside from the avocado songs, the most recent were from Yield. There was nothing from Binaural or Riot Act, which is really odd since Riot Act came out since they were here last. And nothing from No Code either. In retrospect, I would’ve gladly traded Animal, Given to Fly and Leash for stuff from those records – let’s say, In My Tree, Green Disease and ½ Full. Also, I was assuming – as this was the start of the first European tour since Roskilde – that Love Boat Captain was a shoo-in, especially since they soundchecked it. But there was no mention of Roskilde at all, except the pretty obscure reference of It’s OK as the Daughter tag.
So here’s how the day went down. Arrived at about 11am to meet Heineken Helen, Buru and newagehippie. Siochán, Jennytree, redrock and the rest turned up later and we settled in for the long haul. The sun came out unexpectedly, for the first time in weeks so we weren’t really prepared for it and at least Helen and I (and probably quite a few others look a little like pickled beetroots now – the combination of pasty Irish skin and no ozone overhead. Won’t bore you with the details of the next seven and a half hours or so, but up until 3 o’clock, we could find out nothing about what was going on with the Ten Club tickets. The Point Security (who were for the most part really friendly and easy-going) knew absolutely nothing about what was supposed to happen until we showed them a print-out of the Ten Club. Even when the Pearl Jam staff arrived, it was a bit of a shambles, but somehow it worked. Got to the front of the Ten Club, and was a bit concerned because my guest was running late and the staff weren’t too forthcoming with what would happen when she arrived, but again, it all worked out just fine.
The soundcheck was amazing as we were all straining to hear what they were playing, and there was a palpable wave of shock washing over the crowd when we heard the riff of The Boys Are Back in Town. They went and learned an Irish song just for us! (I’d imagined Mike and Jeff didn’t only visit the Spike but probably had their pictures taken with that great n’ gaudy statue of Phil Lynnott outside Bruxelles pub too.) And I barely managed to keep control of my sphincter when we figured out they were soundchecking Education too! I’d just been saying the other day that it’d be nice if they delved into Lost Dogs a bit more. And I’ve had this long-running fantasy of a Daughter tag that goes from “I’m questioning my education” to “We don’t need no....” Anyway....
Poor newagehippie! I thought he’d never last as the early entrance time neared.... and passed, and still no sign of us moving. The rumours of Paddy Casey supporting were unfortunately true, and everything was so delayed that we were all resigned to a short show, particularly since the security guys said they were only working until 11, so the band’s curfew was actually 10:30.
Finally in, we scored our spots at the barrier, just a little to the left of Mike, in front of the recording mikes, and me and my guest (my newly ex-girlfriend, who’s not a PJ fan at all really, but ended up having a blast) took it in turns to save the other’s spot, run to the bar and skull a pint in 3 minutes and then try to fight our way back to the front. Actually, she had to fight, and got back talking about “the looks” she got when she tried to get back in. I had no such problems, Everybody just let me back up front – maybe PJ fans can smell their own!
Paddy Casey played a mercifully short set, just 25 minutes, and I was really glad that he wasn’t treated too badly – even managed a fair smattering of (polite) applause. He approached it all in just the right way too, under no illusions that he was an invader and just laughed it off and was really self-deprecating. Kept saying “This song’s called so-snd-so. It’s your favourite.... and this next one’s your second favourite.” I think that’s what saved him. At least he was spared the vicious abuse the Fastbacks were subjected to ten years ago.
My ex actually picked out that they were playing “I’m Still Here” really quietly over the PA between the bands. I didn’t even notice until she said it. How’s that for a not-a fan!
And then finally, at 9pm (with apparently only 90 minutes to play) the tinkling ending of Inside Job was the entrance music as the band – minus Ed (who, I think, was giving Mike his moment) – took to the stage and started with.... Inside Job. It was absolutely beautiful, and set to really beautiful, dappled lighting too. Straight into a kicking Worldwide Suicide, and onwards to Severed Hand (thankfully without the pre-recorded intro). At this point, I just have to say how fucking cool the crowd was. I had been all prepared for the surge, and it just never came. At least where I was, everyone was bounding around, singing at the top of their lungs, but there was no pressure. Everyone had their own space. It was fantastic. Made it so much more enjoyable than at the Astoria, which had been so hectic near the front it was hard to concentrate on the music sometimes.
Mike was a joy to watch, and just played the crowd masterfully. He’s such a cocky fucker for such a shy guy! Strutting about the place, throwing shapes, doing his little staccato, stop-start poses. And pointing out everyone who he made eye-contact with, often flicking them plectrums. And that’s where my “moments” started. During Animal I pulled on this grotesque rubber Hallowe’en mask I had brought with me, and Mike gave me the biggest grin and flicked a pick at me. Somebody else got it, but hey, I got the look. And it wasn’t going to be all I got either.
Evolution was raging, the Hallelujah chorus was tremendous, but it did seem that the Point’s notoriously bad sound was letting Ed down at this point. It was really hard to hear the vocals for a while. It looked like Ed was going to say hello, raising his bottle, but they went into Given to Fly, with Mike pointing to where he seemed to think the strange spot might be. Then the greetings came and Ed pointed out, with his new-found openness, that since they were last in Dublin, he had fallen in love with a woman with Irish blood in her, as had Mike. And finally, he now had a little girl with Irish blood in her. As you can imagine, the crowd was going pretty nuts at this stage. “So here’s to the fiery blood of the Irish,” he said as they kicked into a fiery (but fairly short) version of Corduroy.
Gone and Marker were both standouts for me, absolutely brilliant, even if Ed sounded a little too sincere with his “I will be what I could be/once I get out of this fuckin’ town”! I think Ed and I made a pretty sustained eye-contact during the final “God, what do you say?”, but then again, everybody around me might be able to say the same. Stone was playing a beautiful new black semi-acoustic for Daughter, which went into an expected It’s OK tag – Ed hadn’t even finished inviting us to sing before lots of people were – he seemed happily bemused by this and it was a really powerful version with Ed pulling on his guitar to finish it off. Better Man was denied a tag by Ed’s breaking a string, which really seemed to piss him off. I had been really hoping for “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” on account of who I was there with – and she loves that song too.
Mike seemed to forget to stop playing for the first chorus of Why Go, and then came the spoiled surprise of Education, with Ed saying that since they played pretty much everything it was rare for them to play a song they’d never played before. He messed up the first verse, not seeming to be able to read the lyric sheet on the floor and sing and play guitar at the same time, but they really made up for it and jammed it out at the end. Matt was the standout on Even Flow, with the whole rest of the band leaving the stage and just letting him at it. He was loving it, and his solo, complete with breakbeats and time signature changes was fucking mesmerising. Huge Matt chant followed. Life Wasted led into a fantastic RVM, with a very melodic breakdown – no EBow – and a thrashing conclusion.
It was 10:21, and they were either going to play a one song encore (not a hope) or break curfew and play till eleven (obviously)
My mask went back on for the encore break and when they came back out Ed looked straight at me and grinned. Indifference was a total surprise and as beautiful as you’d want it to be, Black was dedicated to someone called Jordan and it was really poignant for me, again because of who was next to me. Ed seemed really cut up for the “we belong together” part and it really mirrored how I was feeling. Mike was absolutely lost in the solo. The crowd really got into the “doo- doo-doo-doo-doodoodoo”s and were perfectly in key and not shouting them but really singing them, and it made the end of the song truly beautiful.
Crazy Mary was really unexpected. I don't remember that Mike had a solo, but I think Boom's was great. I was a little distracted, you see... My ex had said to me at the start of the show, when she saw Ed’s wine bottle, “Jesus, I’d love some wine” (She said she found it really weird to be so sober at a gig!) So I told her that she might now actually get some. Unfortunately, Ed went way off to the far left (appropriately) and handed it in. I was really surprised to see that he gave a whole new bottle to the crowd, and of his own special wine too. What a champ! And then.... as he was walking back, someone tossed him something which he caught, and he was suddenly facing me, so I motioned with the mask and tossed it to him. In one smooth movement he caught it and tossed me the cork from the bottle he’d just passed the crowd. The person behind me knocked it out of my hand (which he apologised for) and the security guard retrieved it for me, and I was happy as a pig in shit. I’d now met Ed in ’96, caught him when he dived in 2000, and now had another “moment”. I’m a lucky sonofabitch. And I’m not done yet.
Ed told a variation of the same joke he told in 2000 – long rambling story, “what’s the point?” a great fucking place to play in Dublin – but everybody saw it coming, and he saw we saw it coming. Nice attempt at an Irish accent though, just not a very good one. Alive was great, the mirrorball was beautiful and Ed got in on a few of the “Yeahs” at the end. Mike was off the hook, coming right out in front firing picks all over the place. Stone and Jeff were going toe-to-toe. And then that was it. A short encore and Ed said goodbye and thanks, which would make it sound like it was over, and they’d never played a second encore in Ireland before. But they had to play The Boys Are Back in Town. And they’d soundchecked the uke so I was expecting that too. No uke but Boys are Back got a huge reception. Ed nearly went straight into the second verse without letting Mike and Stone do the riff, and when he realised his mistake he laughed his ass off. Mike and Stone were great together, the crowd sang back up and they didn’t seem to have any idea how to finish it, so they just... stopped. It was fantastic. Leash was surprisingly tolerable and Fuckin’ Up another big treat, especially at the end when Ed went way out to the right and tossed his broken tambourines out, then got some more, came over to the very far left and tossed another one... and then came right back over, searched the faces, found me, pointed that it was meant for me, and chucked it to me – and this time I caught it. And that was the end of that – I banged my heart out as they finished and then they were gone. It was 11:10, which made it Ireland’s longest show, even if there were only 23 songs (there were a lot of long jams). Short, but soooo fucking sweet, and what a thrill. Still, I was a little embarrassed by everyone congratulating me afterwards, but hey. I was so chuffed I didn’t really care when I went to get my bike only to find someone had stolen my fucking saddle. Can’t argue with karma.
By the way, what was up with the balcony? Even during Fuckin' Up, when the house lights were up, I looked up and most people were sitting down! Tapping their fucking feet!!!! Were they at the same show?????
Anyway, I’m done. But to everyone going to shows on this tour, I wish I could be with you. If this is how they start, you’re in for a treat. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the tour as much as I enjoyed this show.
PS. Was great to see all my fellow Astorians again. Dunk, sorry I missed you, mate.
93: Slane
96: Cork, Dublin
00: Dublin
06: London, Dublin
07: London, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
09: Manchester, London
10: Dublin, Belfast, London & Berlin
11: San José
12: Isle of Wight, Copenhagen, Ed in Manchester & London x2
There are very few words to sum up that gig, it was incredible to say the very least. Completely worth queuing from 11am and not eating anything for 14 hours!
Inside Job really does work as an opener, and does sound much better than the album version. But in fairness they could've come out and opened with Row Row Row Your Boat and I still would've been thrilled! The 10C arrangements were sorta muddled, what with leaving us in the main queue and then telling us to push our way through it (got the filthiest looks of all time from several people queuing!) but it worked out fine and they put us in a separate queue about 4 o'clock. Couldn't believe it when we heard them soundchecking Education and The Boys Are Back In Town! Anyway, god bless the 10C 'cause we ended up front row centre at the barrier, right in front of Eddie! RVM, DTE and Even Flow drum solo were AMAZING, but the highlight for me was Indifference, I stood there with tears running down my face for the entire thing! Closely followed by Black, which was incredible. Daughter was amazing too, especially when the crowd started It's Ok before Ed did. I think they were really happy with the crowd's reaction to them. Fuckin' Up was fantastic, and Ed threw my boyfriend his tambourine at the end. Greatest concert of all time, hands down. Can't wait to see them at Reading on Sunday!
One thing I have to say is the security were really good, they were really sound about everything and had a sense of humour about it all. Speaking of having a sense of humour, it's the only time I've ever felt positive towards Paddy Casey, who rushed through his set, DIDN'T play that abysmal Saints & Sinners song, and was at least ripping the piss out of himself (let's just say he probably got the feeling he wasn't all that welcome...)
Comments
...but my hands are on fire.
and what a show!
I arrived pretty late, about 8.45, missed all of Paddy casey, seemed a bizarre choice and presumably last minute for an opener, but he has some good songs, just not everyone's cup of tea
also, there seemed to be quite a few people outside without tickets as I arrived so probably a few disappointed fans ended up stuck outside by the looks of things, didn't meet any touts offering, evryone was looking for tickets
Inside Job I thought was an excellent opener, but maybe with all the anticipation they could have played anything and gotten away with it! but for me it sounded really powerful in building up their entrance
overall highlights for me included Given To Fly, Betterman (particularly the crowd on this one, they sang the entire 1st verse and chorus without Eddie), a stunning version of Black, Crazy Mary and the fact that the played The Boys Are Back in Town (also the fact that they messed it up a tiny bit even made it better somehow)
definitely worth waiting for
Did anyone mention it was Booms first gig in Europe.
Crazy Mary was excellent.
Leash and Why Go were amazing.
House lights on for Why Do I Keep Fuckin' Up was great, especially for watching the crowd surfers/standers (I was standing back near the sound desk, speaking of which, the sound was the usual point depot pants. I've only heard a handful of bands get the sound right in there.)
I collected 10C tickets fairly late on and no body gave me wrist bands or pit bands or whatever but I was with non 10Cers so I mightn't have gone into the pit anyways. Still, poor.
Personally wasn't an Inside Job fan before last night but I like it now.
The singing was drowning out the band on some songs. Absolutely amazing.
Especially liked when the crowd started the It's Okay tag before being prompted. Also the crowd was dancing/moshing/bouncing nearly the whole way to the back.
An impressive showing from the Jamily.
Can't wait till I hop on the ETB in Prague.
RVM is the probably the most perfect rock/pop song of all time so wasn't into the jam in the middle. Why mess with perfection.
Whoever turned on the house lights before they finished playing is a prick.
Don't wait 6 years again guys.
They always turn up the houselights for the closing song. I think it's great. Really adds to the atmosphere.
I agree with No. 3
Braighni: I was in the pit and the sound was amazing. Everything was spot on. I've never seen a bad gig in the point soundwise. (Mark Knpfler was kinda shit at the start but they fixed it as the show went on)
pearl jam always do that for the last song they turn the house lights on the like to see the crowd at the end, i think its a fucking great idea no other band does that
What a gigthey dropped the LEASH in europe awesome,
The sound was perfect. Eddie's vocals were very prominent which was great.
I've totally lost my voice. The only dull moment for me was Marker in the Sand as I really don't like it, but it seemed to go down well with most so that's cool.
Education! Wow, such a funky, cool song. "Hyah!"
He tore through Fuckin Up (what a song).
Black, possibly the longest version I've ever heard......Boom went insane on Crazy Mary.
Corduroy and Rearviewmirror were and always have been pure gold.
It started off emotional and just became more highly charged as the show went on...
Surprisingly they played nothing off No Code, Binaural or Riot Act. It very much a hits based show. I'm surprised they didn't do Last Kiss!
But it worked well and the boys are back in town was a touch of genius (even if he did mess up the lyrics, but it wouldn't be Ed if he didnt!).
I'll never forget it. Thanks guys.
P.S. What was Paddy Casey doing there? In fact, what's he doing in music? I thought he was awful.
I've been to quite a few shows at the point with terribly sound but for me last night it was spot on
Sha la la la i'm in love with a jersey girl
I love you forever and forever
Adel 03 Melb 1 03 LA 2 06 Santa Barbara 06 Gorge 1 06 Gorge 2 06 Adel 1 06 Adel 2 06 Camden 1 08 Camden 2 08 Washington DC 08 Hartford 08
great pics
http://www.facebook.com/jennytree
SMELL YER MA!
EDUCATION is "mediocre at best." was left off regular CDs for a reason, i guess (not that LOST DOGS don't have sum great stuff tho)
Looks like a solid set list with a few surprises tossed in. Good on ya!
Awesome pictures! Guys look nice and relaxed. Lots of smiles! Thanks for sharing!
Eddie: "There is a girl in the front and her shirt says 'F*CK ME EDDY'... well you'd have to spell my name right first."
Summerfest '95, Summerfest '06, BSB (1 & 2) '06, Wembley '07, Lollapalooza '07
http://www.facebook.com/jennytree
SMELL YER MA!
Already ordered my bootleg!
Thank you Pearl Jam!
Homer: No you won't!
Banner: Yes, I will!
Homer: Won't!
Highlights were Severed Hand (Matt Cameron owned this), Why Go?, Marker, Leash, and Alive.
The only dissapointment was that they didn't play Ledbetter after Fuckin' Up, it just didn't seem like the show was actually over.
Jeff was jumping around, Matt was awesome, Ed was loving it, as was Boom, who really seemed to be having the time of his life and McCready was on fire. Stone seemed a little like he was bored to me, but i was on Mike's side of the stage so perhaps i just wasn't giving Stone enough attention.
Erm... what else... Jeff is back playing the 12 string bass like the old days on Leash, Why Go etc. and It's OK was fucking phenominal
I was lucky enough to get Ed's empty wine bottle from a crew member after the show, and Mike looked and pointed straight to me - now i know what it feels like!
From start to finish, a great night!
The Bible is full of lies - Stone is the leader of us all!
It was the full band playing - looked like they were having a discussion amongst themselves before playing it
Great gig, with superb atmosphere from the front of the hall to the back. Everyone was getting involved.
The audience were SO loud in some of the songs (Better Man and Alive especially) we couldn't even hear Ed's vocals.
Here's my vid of Education from it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nGMfV15ZE
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
www.bebo.com/pearljam06
Could'nt agree more,you just cant take your eyes off him!He really seemed to be enjoying the crowd and the atmosphere as they all did.How many plecs did he fuck away?must've been in the hundreds!!
18/6/07.
22/6/10.
23/6/10.
20/6/12
21/6/12
Yesterday went so slowly, and it just never seemed to get to show time. When the time did roll around, and they started playing Inside Job, I was just standing there with my mouth open and eyes wide. Unbelievable. :eek:
We had heard about Education and The Boys Are Back In Town being soundchecked, but it was awesome to hear them both. Education is a favourite of mine from lost dogs.
Other highlights were Daughter/It's Ok (especially the fact that loads of us started singing It's OK before Ed did), Indifference, Black...well...pretty much everything!
Safe to say it was the best gig i've been to, and one of the best days of my life. Had an awesome time in Dublin and met some really cool people (you know who you are). Sad it's over, and now I have to go to work.
Bring on the rest of Europe! (especially shows i'm attending!
I don't wanna think, I wanna feel
Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06
London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
http://www.facebook.com/jennytree
SMELL YER MA!
Wow. I love it. A totally different unpredictable last set. Sounds like agreat show. Thanks to those who were there keeping us in the loop!
Last night I was totally on a high from the show, but I’ve been able to think about it a bit more, and there are a few things that are pretty surprising. Aside from the avocado songs, the most recent were from Yield. There was nothing from Binaural or Riot Act, which is really odd since Riot Act came out since they were here last. And nothing from No Code either. In retrospect, I would’ve gladly traded Animal, Given to Fly and Leash for stuff from those records – let’s say, In My Tree, Green Disease and ½ Full. Also, I was assuming – as this was the start of the first European tour since Roskilde – that Love Boat Captain was a shoo-in, especially since they soundchecked it. But there was no mention of Roskilde at all, except the pretty obscure reference of It’s OK as the Daughter tag.
So here’s how the day went down. Arrived at about 11am to meet Heineken Helen, Buru and newagehippie. Siochán, Jennytree, redrock and the rest turned up later and we settled in for the long haul. The sun came out unexpectedly, for the first time in weeks so we weren’t really prepared for it and at least Helen and I (and probably quite a few others look a little like pickled beetroots now – the combination of pasty Irish skin and no ozone overhead. Won’t bore you with the details of the next seven and a half hours or so, but up until 3 o’clock, we could find out nothing about what was going on with the Ten Club tickets. The Point Security (who were for the most part really friendly and easy-going) knew absolutely nothing about what was supposed to happen until we showed them a print-out of the Ten Club. Even when the Pearl Jam staff arrived, it was a bit of a shambles, but somehow it worked. Got to the front of the Ten Club, and was a bit concerned because my guest was running late and the staff weren’t too forthcoming with what would happen when she arrived, but again, it all worked out just fine.
The soundcheck was amazing as we were all straining to hear what they were playing, and there was a palpable wave of shock washing over the crowd when we heard the riff of The Boys Are Back in Town. They went and learned an Irish song just for us! (I’d imagined Mike and Jeff didn’t only visit the Spike but probably had their pictures taken with that great n’ gaudy statue of Phil Lynnott outside Bruxelles pub too.) And I barely managed to keep control of my sphincter when we figured out they were soundchecking Education too! I’d just been saying the other day that it’d be nice if they delved into Lost Dogs a bit more. And I’ve had this long-running fantasy of a Daughter tag that goes from “I’m questioning my education” to “We don’t need no....” Anyway....
Poor newagehippie! I thought he’d never last as the early entrance time neared.... and passed, and still no sign of us moving. The rumours of Paddy Casey supporting were unfortunately true, and everything was so delayed that we were all resigned to a short show, particularly since the security guys said they were only working until 11, so the band’s curfew was actually 10:30.
Finally in, we scored our spots at the barrier, just a little to the left of Mike, in front of the recording mikes, and me and my guest (my newly ex-girlfriend, who’s not a PJ fan at all really, but ended up having a blast) took it in turns to save the other’s spot, run to the bar and skull a pint in 3 minutes and then try to fight our way back to the front. Actually, she had to fight, and got back talking about “the looks” she got when she tried to get back in. I had no such problems, Everybody just let me back up front – maybe PJ fans can smell their own!
Paddy Casey played a mercifully short set, just 25 minutes, and I was really glad that he wasn’t treated too badly – even managed a fair smattering of (polite) applause. He approached it all in just the right way too, under no illusions that he was an invader and just laughed it off and was really self-deprecating. Kept saying “This song’s called so-snd-so. It’s your favourite.... and this next one’s your second favourite.” I think that’s what saved him. At least he was spared the vicious abuse the Fastbacks were subjected to ten years ago.
My ex actually picked out that they were playing “I’m Still Here” really quietly over the PA between the bands. I didn’t even notice until she said it. How’s that for a not-a fan!
And then finally, at 9pm (with apparently only 90 minutes to play) the tinkling ending of Inside Job was the entrance music as the band – minus Ed (who, I think, was giving Mike his moment) – took to the stage and started with.... Inside Job. It was absolutely beautiful, and set to really beautiful, dappled lighting too. Straight into a kicking Worldwide Suicide, and onwards to Severed Hand (thankfully without the pre-recorded intro). At this point, I just have to say how fucking cool the crowd was. I had been all prepared for the surge, and it just never came. At least where I was, everyone was bounding around, singing at the top of their lungs, but there was no pressure. Everyone had their own space. It was fantastic. Made it so much more enjoyable than at the Astoria, which had been so hectic near the front it was hard to concentrate on the music sometimes.
Mike was a joy to watch, and just played the crowd masterfully. He’s such a cocky fucker for such a shy guy! Strutting about the place, throwing shapes, doing his little staccato, stop-start poses. And pointing out everyone who he made eye-contact with, often flicking them plectrums. And that’s where my “moments” started. During Animal I pulled on this grotesque rubber Hallowe’en mask I had brought with me, and Mike gave me the biggest grin and flicked a pick at me. Somebody else got it, but hey, I got the look. And it wasn’t going to be all I got either.
Evolution was raging, the Hallelujah chorus was tremendous, but it did seem that the Point’s notoriously bad sound was letting Ed down at this point. It was really hard to hear the vocals for a while. It looked like Ed was going to say hello, raising his bottle, but they went into Given to Fly, with Mike pointing to where he seemed to think the strange spot might be. Then the greetings came and Ed pointed out, with his new-found openness, that since they were last in Dublin, he had fallen in love with a woman with Irish blood in her, as had Mike. And finally, he now had a little girl with Irish blood in her. As you can imagine, the crowd was going pretty nuts at this stage. “So here’s to the fiery blood of the Irish,” he said as they kicked into a fiery (but fairly short) version of Corduroy.
Gone and Marker were both standouts for me, absolutely brilliant, even if Ed sounded a little too sincere with his “I will be what I could be/once I get out of this fuckin’ town”! I think Ed and I made a pretty sustained eye-contact during the final “God, what do you say?”, but then again, everybody around me might be able to say the same. Stone was playing a beautiful new black semi-acoustic for Daughter, which went into an expected It’s OK tag – Ed hadn’t even finished inviting us to sing before lots of people were – he seemed happily bemused by this and it was a really powerful version with Ed pulling on his guitar to finish it off. Better Man was denied a tag by Ed’s breaking a string, which really seemed to piss him off. I had been really hoping for “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” on account of who I was there with – and she loves that song too.
Mike seemed to forget to stop playing for the first chorus of Why Go, and then came the spoiled surprise of Education, with Ed saying that since they played pretty much everything it was rare for them to play a song they’d never played before. He messed up the first verse, not seeming to be able to read the lyric sheet on the floor and sing and play guitar at the same time, but they really made up for it and jammed it out at the end. Matt was the standout on Even Flow, with the whole rest of the band leaving the stage and just letting him at it. He was loving it, and his solo, complete with breakbeats and time signature changes was fucking mesmerising. Huge Matt chant followed. Life Wasted led into a fantastic RVM, with a very melodic breakdown – no EBow – and a thrashing conclusion.
It was 10:21, and they were either going to play a one song encore (not a hope) or break curfew and play till eleven (obviously)
My mask went back on for the encore break and when they came back out Ed looked straight at me and grinned. Indifference was a total surprise and as beautiful as you’d want it to be, Black was dedicated to someone called Jordan and it was really poignant for me, again because of who was next to me. Ed seemed really cut up for the “we belong together” part and it really mirrored how I was feeling. Mike was absolutely lost in the solo. The crowd really got into the “doo- doo-doo-doo-doodoodoo”s and were perfectly in key and not shouting them but really singing them, and it made the end of the song truly beautiful.
Crazy Mary was really unexpected. I don't remember that Mike had a solo, but I think Boom's was great. I was a little distracted, you see... My ex had said to me at the start of the show, when she saw Ed’s wine bottle, “Jesus, I’d love some wine” (She said she found it really weird to be so sober at a gig!) So I told her that she might now actually get some. Unfortunately, Ed went way off to the far left (appropriately) and handed it in. I was really surprised to see that he gave a whole new bottle to the crowd, and of his own special wine too. What a champ! And then.... as he was walking back, someone tossed him something which he caught, and he was suddenly facing me, so I motioned with the mask and tossed it to him. In one smooth movement he caught it and tossed me the cork from the bottle he’d just passed the crowd. The person behind me knocked it out of my hand (which he apologised for) and the security guard retrieved it for me, and I was happy as a pig in shit. I’d now met Ed in ’96, caught him when he dived in 2000, and now had another “moment”. I’m a lucky sonofabitch. And I’m not done yet.
Ed told a variation of the same joke he told in 2000 – long rambling story, “what’s the point?” a great fucking place to play in Dublin – but everybody saw it coming, and he saw we saw it coming. Nice attempt at an Irish accent though, just not a very good one. Alive was great, the mirrorball was beautiful and Ed got in on a few of the “Yeahs” at the end. Mike was off the hook, coming right out in front firing picks all over the place. Stone and Jeff were going toe-to-toe. And then that was it. A short encore and Ed said goodbye and thanks, which would make it sound like it was over, and they’d never played a second encore in Ireland before. But they had to play The Boys Are Back in Town. And they’d soundchecked the uke so I was expecting that too. No uke but Boys are Back got a huge reception. Ed nearly went straight into the second verse without letting Mike and Stone do the riff, and when he realised his mistake he laughed his ass off. Mike and Stone were great together, the crowd sang back up and they didn’t seem to have any idea how to finish it, so they just... stopped. It was fantastic. Leash was surprisingly tolerable and Fuckin’ Up another big treat, especially at the end when Ed went way out to the right and tossed his broken tambourines out, then got some more, came over to the very far left and tossed another one... and then came right back over, searched the faces, found me, pointed that it was meant for me, and chucked it to me – and this time I caught it. And that was the end of that – I banged my heart out as they finished and then they were gone. It was 11:10, which made it Ireland’s longest show, even if there were only 23 songs (there were a lot of long jams). Short, but soooo fucking sweet, and what a thrill. Still, I was a little embarrassed by everyone congratulating me afterwards, but hey. I was so chuffed I didn’t really care when I went to get my bike only to find someone had stolen my fucking saddle. Can’t argue with karma.
By the way, what was up with the balcony? Even during Fuckin' Up, when the house lights were up, I looked up and most people were sitting down! Tapping their fucking feet!!!! Were they at the same show?????
Anyway, I’m done. But to everyone going to shows on this tour, I wish I could be with you. If this is how they start, you’re in for a treat. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the tour as much as I enjoyed this show.
PS. Was great to see all my fellow Astorians again. Dunk, sorry I missed you, mate.
96: Cork, Dublin
00: Dublin
06: London, Dublin
07: London, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
09: Manchester, London
10: Dublin, Belfast, London & Berlin
11: San José
12: Isle of Wight, Copenhagen, Ed in Manchester & London x2
yet better than most of the songs that actually made Binaural.
http://www.evillittlegoat.info/eddie.jpg
Eddie just about to throw the cork, congrats!
Inside Job really does work as an opener, and does sound much better than the album version. But in fairness they could've come out and opened with Row Row Row Your Boat and I still would've been thrilled! The 10C arrangements were sorta muddled, what with leaving us in the main queue and then telling us to push our way through it (got the filthiest looks of all time from several people queuing!) but it worked out fine and they put us in a separate queue about 4 o'clock. Couldn't believe it when we heard them soundchecking Education and The Boys Are Back In Town! Anyway, god bless the 10C 'cause we ended up front row centre at the barrier, right in front of Eddie! RVM, DTE and Even Flow drum solo were AMAZING, but the highlight for me was Indifference, I stood there with tears running down my face for the entire thing! Closely followed by Black, which was incredible. Daughter was amazing too, especially when the crowd started It's Ok before Ed did. I think they were really happy with the crowd's reaction to them. Fuckin' Up was fantastic, and Ed threw my boyfriend his tambourine at the end. Greatest concert of all time, hands down. Can't wait to see them at Reading on Sunday!
One thing I have to say is the security were really good, they were really sound about everything and had a sense of humour about it all. Speaking of having a sense of humour, it's the only time I've ever felt positive towards Paddy Casey, who rushed through his set, DIDN'T play that abysmal Saints & Sinners song, and was at least ripping the piss out of himself (let's just say he probably got the feeling he wasn't all that welcome...)
Amazing night.
Reading 27-08-06
London 18-06-07
Dusseldorf 21-06-07
Copenhagen 26-06-07
:-)