Pearl Jam Plaza-my review of Irving
PJammin'
Posts: 1,902
probably should've put my review here in GTF...so i will.
worldwide suicide, life wasted, severed hand, marker in the sand, come back, garden, evenflow, insignificance, given to fly, army reserve, gone, why go, present tense, do the evolution, improv, comatose
man of the hour, smalltown, state of love and trust, porch
alive, yellow ledbetter.
"NO NEED TO PUSH, I'M ALREADY BEING SHOOOOOVED!" There was a buzz in the New York spring air as busy passers-by took a moment of their time to halt their brisk walk to ask, "what's the line for?" Seconds later being bewildered and giving a look as if they just received a punch to the face when they found out Pearl Jam was playing the legendary Irving Plaza. "Pearl Jam is playing here!?!?" "That is going to be a great show." Following up with, "How can I get tickets?"
Tickets were hard to come by and one peek into the venue made everything clearer. If the Showbox in Seattle is a semi, Irving Plaza is a double decker bus, and that double decker bus was taken to the limit Friday night. V.I.P.'s riding up high in the breeze as the raging down below was like an ocean thrashing against the shore. There was enough sweat to fill up a kiddie pool. As crowd surfers glided over my head and enough contact and force to feel like i was playing basketball against Shaq, I wondered, "Is this 2006 or 1992?" The launching of a fan off of the balcony had me convinced I was back in time.
Watching Pearl Jam at Irving Plaza was like watching five animals in a small cage using every bit of space to get out all of their intensity and rage. With World Wide Suicide they exploded out of the gate and never looked back. It was the perfect opener as it whipped us into a frenzy. It was sharp and forceful with Ed and the crowd singing it together as if it's been out for years; and that's the thing, as the next three songs were fired upon us, Pearl Jam played them with a tightness and precision with the crowd singing and embracing the new songs with everything they had. It was easy to get lost in the new songs and before I knew it the room was suddenly quiet and Ed was introducing Come Back, a song they seemed to save for this New York moment with one of the Ramones in the crowd. Come Back was even more powerful live. I watched McCready and his guitar playing tranformed me as he put his whole heart and soul into the song. Ed sang it so beautifully and his falsetto at the end(which reminds me of Oceans)was stunning. I sang along with his "HOOO's" and I can see this being sung by Pearl Jam fans in an arena like the "DO DO DO'S" in Black. The song was a real treat and I can't wait for the rest of you to hear it. Garden was next and it was slowed down and funky but none of it's power is lost one bit. They took this song and put a new twist on it but it is as great as ever. Insignificance and Given To Fly were right on the money. It was great to see all of the guys enjoying themselves on stage, and at one point Mike, Jeff, and Stone all played to each other. Watching them made me realize how much they've improved as musicians. Like a great sports team they work together, raising each others talent to the ultimate level. Mike was himself, jumping up and down, going back and forth like the Energizer Bunny. Even coming down to the lucky ones in front showing off his magical fingers and solos right in their faces. Jeff was focused and really into his bass work. He had his shiney black patent leather sneakers on and he looked out every once in awhile and smiled, but he was really into the songs and at the end he sat down and wiped all of the sweat and hard work off of his face. Stone showed off his duck moves and looked cool in his new Pearl Jam hat with the surfboard logo. He looked happy and you could tell he was enjoying himself. What can i say about Matt? His playing was superb and he hit the drums with passion. I watched him a lot because his playing really caught my eye.
Army Reserve and Gone were gorgeous. Just the parts in Army Reserve when he sings about "lightening in my child's eye" and being "frantic" will send chills through your whole body. As you know, Ed has a way of putting himself into those situations making you feel the song. Gone with the whole band is amazing. I was in Atlantic City for the premier of Gone and the whole band turned this into a great song on the album, and live it's even better if you can believe it. Why Go is back and it had the crowd bouncing and rocking out in their own sweatiness. Present Tense, Do The Evolution, and Comatose finished off a blistering first set. Comatose is three minutes of reckless abandon and it will be a favorite at shows with the energy rising from the heat it packs and the speed of the band's playing, along with Ed's raw desperate vocals. Man Of The Hour was a touching moment with the room calming down for the subject of the song. We sang along with it, same with Small Town, which always gets loud during, "I just wanna scream HELLOOOOO!" State Of Love And Trust and Porch finished us off for round two. They were amazing back to back and the finale of it all was when Ed jumped up on the rail with all of us holding him up. He almost fell backwards but all of us grabbed him and stabalized him so he could belt out the song in the front. I could see Susan Surandon up top in the corner amazed at what she was witnessing. I'll never forget it. Very cool. The boys blessed us with two more songs, Alive and Yellow Ledbetter. Alive was charged as always with the crowd yelling the "HEY'S" at the end. It's always epic at every show i've been to and it didn't disappoint one bit. After the song, Ed thanked all of us for the response to the new album, and he said something about making him not feel so crazy. When he thanked us, the crowd started chanting "THANK YOU" over and over and you can tell it made the band feel really good. He finished off by saying that the next song was "you're welcome" and they went into YLB. The lights went up and the whole place was singing and having one final moment together. Ed waved and smiled to his wife, friends, in the balcony and gave us a special show that will be remembered for a lifetime. I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to a friend who got me a ticket to this show. I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH! IT WAS BRILLIANT! I OWE YOU BIG TIME! I ALSO WANT TO THANK ED, MIKE, STONE, JEFF, MATT AND BOOM FOR A NIGHT THAT WAS SPECTACULAR! I AM OVERWHELMED AT YOUR TALENT AND WHAT YOU BRING TO US AS FANS. WE ARE BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF. THANKS A TON, WHAT YOU GIVE TO US CAN'T REALLY BE PUT INTO WORDS.
FINALLY, I WANT TO SAY TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE ABOUT TO SEE YOUR FIRST SHOW OF THE TOUR...WATCH OUT...THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY. YOU'LL BE LEFT IN AMAZEMENT. WHAT THEY STARTED IN CANADA WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING. THIS BAND IS THE BEST THEY'VE EVER BEEN. TRUST ME ON THAT. ENJOY THE SHOWS.
p.s. thanks to the guys for the picks, drumsticks, cd's, and even Ed's cigarettes he threw out to us.
worldwide suicide, life wasted, severed hand, marker in the sand, come back, garden, evenflow, insignificance, given to fly, army reserve, gone, why go, present tense, do the evolution, improv, comatose
man of the hour, smalltown, state of love and trust, porch
alive, yellow ledbetter.
"NO NEED TO PUSH, I'M ALREADY BEING SHOOOOOVED!" There was a buzz in the New York spring air as busy passers-by took a moment of their time to halt their brisk walk to ask, "what's the line for?" Seconds later being bewildered and giving a look as if they just received a punch to the face when they found out Pearl Jam was playing the legendary Irving Plaza. "Pearl Jam is playing here!?!?" "That is going to be a great show." Following up with, "How can I get tickets?"
Tickets were hard to come by and one peek into the venue made everything clearer. If the Showbox in Seattle is a semi, Irving Plaza is a double decker bus, and that double decker bus was taken to the limit Friday night. V.I.P.'s riding up high in the breeze as the raging down below was like an ocean thrashing against the shore. There was enough sweat to fill up a kiddie pool. As crowd surfers glided over my head and enough contact and force to feel like i was playing basketball against Shaq, I wondered, "Is this 2006 or 1992?" The launching of a fan off of the balcony had me convinced I was back in time.
Watching Pearl Jam at Irving Plaza was like watching five animals in a small cage using every bit of space to get out all of their intensity and rage. With World Wide Suicide they exploded out of the gate and never looked back. It was the perfect opener as it whipped us into a frenzy. It was sharp and forceful with Ed and the crowd singing it together as if it's been out for years; and that's the thing, as the next three songs were fired upon us, Pearl Jam played them with a tightness and precision with the crowd singing and embracing the new songs with everything they had. It was easy to get lost in the new songs and before I knew it the room was suddenly quiet and Ed was introducing Come Back, a song they seemed to save for this New York moment with one of the Ramones in the crowd. Come Back was even more powerful live. I watched McCready and his guitar playing tranformed me as he put his whole heart and soul into the song. Ed sang it so beautifully and his falsetto at the end(which reminds me of Oceans)was stunning. I sang along with his "HOOO's" and I can see this being sung by Pearl Jam fans in an arena like the "DO DO DO'S" in Black. The song was a real treat and I can't wait for the rest of you to hear it. Garden was next and it was slowed down and funky but none of it's power is lost one bit. They took this song and put a new twist on it but it is as great as ever. Insignificance and Given To Fly were right on the money. It was great to see all of the guys enjoying themselves on stage, and at one point Mike, Jeff, and Stone all played to each other. Watching them made me realize how much they've improved as musicians. Like a great sports team they work together, raising each others talent to the ultimate level. Mike was himself, jumping up and down, going back and forth like the Energizer Bunny. Even coming down to the lucky ones in front showing off his magical fingers and solos right in their faces. Jeff was focused and really into his bass work. He had his shiney black patent leather sneakers on and he looked out every once in awhile and smiled, but he was really into the songs and at the end he sat down and wiped all of the sweat and hard work off of his face. Stone showed off his duck moves and looked cool in his new Pearl Jam hat with the surfboard logo. He looked happy and you could tell he was enjoying himself. What can i say about Matt? His playing was superb and he hit the drums with passion. I watched him a lot because his playing really caught my eye.
Army Reserve and Gone were gorgeous. Just the parts in Army Reserve when he sings about "lightening in my child's eye" and being "frantic" will send chills through your whole body. As you know, Ed has a way of putting himself into those situations making you feel the song. Gone with the whole band is amazing. I was in Atlantic City for the premier of Gone and the whole band turned this into a great song on the album, and live it's even better if you can believe it. Why Go is back and it had the crowd bouncing and rocking out in their own sweatiness. Present Tense, Do The Evolution, and Comatose finished off a blistering first set. Comatose is three minutes of reckless abandon and it will be a favorite at shows with the energy rising from the heat it packs and the speed of the band's playing, along with Ed's raw desperate vocals. Man Of The Hour was a touching moment with the room calming down for the subject of the song. We sang along with it, same with Small Town, which always gets loud during, "I just wanna scream HELLOOOOO!" State Of Love And Trust and Porch finished us off for round two. They were amazing back to back and the finale of it all was when Ed jumped up on the rail with all of us holding him up. He almost fell backwards but all of us grabbed him and stabalized him so he could belt out the song in the front. I could see Susan Surandon up top in the corner amazed at what she was witnessing. I'll never forget it. Very cool. The boys blessed us with two more songs, Alive and Yellow Ledbetter. Alive was charged as always with the crowd yelling the "HEY'S" at the end. It's always epic at every show i've been to and it didn't disappoint one bit. After the song, Ed thanked all of us for the response to the new album, and he said something about making him not feel so crazy. When he thanked us, the crowd started chanting "THANK YOU" over and over and you can tell it made the band feel really good. He finished off by saying that the next song was "you're welcome" and they went into YLB. The lights went up and the whole place was singing and having one final moment together. Ed waved and smiled to his wife, friends, in the balcony and gave us a special show that will be remembered for a lifetime. I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to a friend who got me a ticket to this show. I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH! IT WAS BRILLIANT! I OWE YOU BIG TIME! I ALSO WANT TO THANK ED, MIKE, STONE, JEFF, MATT AND BOOM FOR A NIGHT THAT WAS SPECTACULAR! I AM OVERWHELMED AT YOUR TALENT AND WHAT YOU BRING TO US AS FANS. WE ARE BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF. THANKS A TON, WHAT YOU GIVE TO US CAN'T REALLY BE PUT INTO WORDS.
FINALLY, I WANT TO SAY TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE ABOUT TO SEE YOUR FIRST SHOW OF THE TOUR...WATCH OUT...THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY. YOU'LL BE LEFT IN AMAZEMENT. WHAT THEY STARTED IN CANADA WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING. THIS BAND IS THE BEST THEY'VE EVER BEEN. TRUST ME ON THAT. ENJOY THE SHOWS.
p.s. thanks to the guys for the picks, drumsticks, cd's, and even Ed's cigarettes he threw out to us.
I died. I died and you just stood there. I died and you watched. I died and you walked by and said no. I'm dead.
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Comments
totally agreed on Comatose....that was absolutley nuts. I think its gonna be a huge live favorite for years to come
*Official Marker in the Sand Fan Club Junkie*
Member # 0003
wont let the light escape from me
wont let the darkness swallow me
It sounds like it was beyond amazing.
(sigh)
As if I wasn't already itching for Vegas, after reading that I feel like it can't come soon enough.
Well-written and concise, my man. Great review. I guess your birthday came a few days early this year...
~peace~
While allowing yourself to be their Option.
‹^›_‹(ô¿ô)›_‹^›
Please visit daily: www.theanimalrescuesite.com
i'm not a great writer, but if i had to say how it made me feel, i'd write a review like this
it was a nite to remember
Chuckie...I am just blown away. #1. That you were there #2. This is honestly one of the greatest reviews I have ever read! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS & BEAUTIFULLY DONE!!!!!!!!! Awww and your descriptions of the songs are just perfect. Thank you so much for elaborating on Come Back like that too.
I listened to this show for the first time today and had non-stop chills the whole way through. That energy is earth shattering!!! You guys were absolutely amazing...as was our band.
A-FUCKIN-MEN! WOOOOO!!!! The 90's and then some!!!!
*Back to the Future theme song suddenly entered my head*
OMG YOU HAVE ME EVEN PUMPED UP FOR THE 24TH!!!
I'M ABOUT TO EXPLODE!!!!!!!!!!
I SAID YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!!!!!!!!
"Lo√e, you know the word
...YOU invented it!" ~ E√
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤
...::STONE--YOU--OWN!::...
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
i got the first pic of the night!! woohooo.
it's going to be a great ride this year. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL ALL OF YOU SEE YOUR SHOWS AND I CAN EXPERIENCE THEM THROUGH YOUR WORDS. this is an exciting time and i love to see the joy in the message pit. OPENING NIGHT TONIGHT! EVERYONE GOING TO TORONTO HAVE A BLAST! ENJOY EACH MOMENT. Come Back and let us in on the magic. what will they open with, what will they open with?!?!?!
yeah, they were great live but I was still irritated. Why on earth is Mary-Kate Olsen there?
and also, why is the band all of a sudden doing videos and giving interviews? they are all over the place! what's next? A Volkswagen car Pearl Jam edition?
Well, they ALWAYS turn on the lights for the last two songs or the last song. Only attended BsAs 1&2, but seen lots of DVDs and they always do it...
About waving? Can't Ed say hi to his wife/girlfriend/S.O after a show?? It does not seem so odd to me at all. About the Olsen twin, maybe she happens to like PJ, or isn't she allowed?
by the way, i always thought the alive chant was "yeah" not "hey."
I have been to 17 PJ shows. it was not like that with the light. it was different as if everybody was supposed to see them. i always liked about PJ that they were so anti-establishment. all I am saying is that seeing this celebrity balcony I was irritated. I saw the Chili Pappers at the same location three days later. Flea did not greet his wife either even though she was on the balcony. And Eddie kept doing it through the whole show, it was not once. People around me were irritated too.
The Irving has always been a great place to see a show.... Pearl Jam just confirmed that!
I'm so excited for this tour!!!!! I'm so excited to meet show friends that I have not seen since Atlantic City....
God.... I cant wait!!!!
WWOOHOOOOO