wow, i got chills while reading your story. good stuff!
i love it when we can share how listening to PJ changed our perspective in some way. i can't explain it to my friends who aren't fans. they don't get it. your experience really touched me. thanks for sharing!
No need to be void, or save up on life...
You got to spend it all
So many people can relate to Lindsay and what this band did for her, and it almost felt like Lindsay was telling Eddie all of that for us, as if she were our spokesperson. And it felt like Eddie was thanking us all too...but thanking Lindsay alittle more.
What a lovely story! Reading this made my day! Thank you so much for sharing this!
“Life is life everywhere. Life is in ourselves and not outside us. There will be men beside me, and the important thing is to be a man among men and to remain a man always, whatever the misfortunes, not to despair and not to fall - that is the aim of life, that is its purpose.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
the one part of your letter sounded incredible........i really wish we could read it all.
ed is one great human being. you're right, you took a chance ....he could've thrown it away. but he READ it, he actually read it. i don't know him personally, but right there is one of the reasons i'm a fan. i wish i could put it into words about that right there when i'm explaining to somebody why i'm a fan. and it's not just ed, all the guys are like that it seems.
"I can't count how many times I've been jealous of other people's stories.."
now i'm jealous of YOU! hehehehe thanks for sharing your story. it shows again not only Ed is wonderful, but so are you!
"Instead of listening to pop music on my ipod, I'm listening to albums like Quadraphenia on vinyl. Instead of watching tasteless reality TV, I'm playing guitar and writing music. Instead of voting for the next American Idol, I'm making sure everyone my age is registered to vote for the next president"
well you're a little young, but I gota crush on you
the one part of your letter sounded incredible........i really wish we could read it all.
ed is one great human being. you're right, you took a chance ....he could've thrown it away. but he READ it, he actually read it. i don't know him personally, but right there is one of the reasons i'm a fan. i wish i could put it into words about that right there when i'm explaining to somebody why i'm a fan. and it's not just ed, all the guys are like that it seems.
"I can't count how many times I've been jealous of other people's stories.."
now i'm jealous of YOU! hehehehe thanks for sharing your story. it shows again not only Ed is wonderful, but so are you!
Thank so much. I thought of you when I was writing this because you were so excited for me in thread where Eddie waved to me in Mansfield. (which now seems so minuscule compared to this )
That's a VERY cool thread. you should absolutely go for it. After last night, I strongly believe that everything is worth a shot, even if the chance seems small. I didn't think for a second that anything would actually happen with my letter.
What a beautiful story Lindsay! I can imagine how you must feel that someone you admire first of all read your letter, but then in front of the whole crowd addressed it. Something you will never forget. I'm so happy for you.
scb, yes i'm the "phone call fan" you referred to in one of the previous posts
I know that almost 13 years later (after speaking to Eddie) that when I think about that conversation, I remember how nice he was, didn't rush to get off the phone, etc.
So Lindsay, your story just reminds us all what a good guy he is and that he does care about what his fans have to say, how they feel etc.
I'm sure that unbelievable feeling you have right now will never go away! Thanx for sharing your amazing story.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
— Lao Tzu
That there is magic!!!! or perhaps it's just the karmic wheel catching up to you!! So glad this has been shared with everyone!!!
In a setting like that, I have no doubt that EV would have read your note. What is so amazing is that it was so meaningful and thoughtful and obviously had deep meaning to him....Surely, you brought tears to his eyes too
Ripple in still water when there is no pebble tossed nor wind to blow...
like alot of people im in the same boat just graduated seen them (only) 8 times and its changed me completely and that was awesome last night relaly cool to hear him talk about it congrats!
Well I just returned from the single greatest night of my life.. here it goes:
Before the second Boston show, I hung out outside the venue hoping to meet Eddie for the first time. There were about 10 other fans also waiting. At around 3:30, his security guard came and told us Eddie was coming and that he would sign one item each, not to take pictures, etc. About 10 or 15 minutes later Eddie came by. He went down the line and signed everybody's things. I was the last person in the line. I told him I didn't need him to sign anything and I just wanted to say hello and thank him. (I figure, I may only get 30 seconds with Eddie in my entire life, I don't want to waste it watching him write his name on a piece of paper. I'd rather let him know how I feel.) I also handed him a note I wrote a couple days ago. He shook my hand, thanked me and told me he liked my shirt (EV pick shirt from wishlist foundation). Even though I heard the compliment I was in such awe that I don't think I responded so he repeated himself and pointed at the shirt smiling.
I was COMPLETELY unsure about giving him the letter. I thought he might think it was weird or just throw it away. Earlier in the day I decided not to do it but while I was waiting for him I read it again and decided I'd go for it anyway. I was just hoping that he would MAYBE read it.
Fast forward a few hours, towards the end of the show, Eddie took a piece of yellow paper out (like mine) and says "I got a note today.." I immediately knew what was going on but I couldn't believe it. He talked about me and my letter for about 30 seconds and even read a couple parts out loud. He said he wanted to dedicate the next song to me. I can't even begin to describe what was going on in my head. Just hearing him say my name gave me shivers. I started crying and my knees were shaking. Just the thought of Eddie knowing that I exist amazes me, but the fact that he was actually moved by something I wrote and dedicated a song to me is absolutely unreal. It feels like a dream.
By the time he started the song, everyone around me could tell by my reaction that the song was for me and told me to stand up. So i spent the entire song standing up, so happy and still crying. I totally apologize to anyone whose view I obstructed. I was going to sit down halfway through, but this really cool couple behind me told me to stay up, so I didn't object:D
The whole rest of the show was a blur, it still is. I can't believe something like this happened to me. I can't count how many times I've been jealous of other people's stories and now this happens. I just can't stop saying it- I can't believe this was real. I'm fully expecting to wake up any minute now. Eddie is an amazing person:)
Everyone has asked me what the note said.. Unfortunately I didn't save a copy for myself because I was not expecting him to even read it. In a nutshell, I explained that I just graduated high school and in general I am disgusted by the amount of materialism and conformity in most other teenagers. I told him that his music saved me from this. I wrote that at the end of middle school I was headed down the same path- listening to pop music and obsessing over brand name clothes. I told him about the first time I ever heard Pearl Jam and how I stayed up all night listening, completely blown away. Then I used the phrase (which he read out loud) "4 years and 11 pearl jam concerts later.. I am a completely different person" I explained a couple other ways he changed my life that he read out loud. It was something like "Instead of listening to pop music on my ipod, I'm listening to albums like Quadraphenia on vinyl. Instead of watching tasteless reality TV, I'm playing guitar and writing music. Instead of voting for the next American Idol, I'm making sure everyone my age is registered to vote for the next president" (the wording on that last one might be a little off, but you get the idea)
This post is already the longest one I've ever written. To wrap it up, I have a quick plea. If anyone was there and remembers any of the exact wording Eddie used when he was talking about me, I would LOVE to know. So much was going through my head that I can't remember it exactly. And if anybody has a recording of this, I would love you even more.
anyway, I thought I'd share:D:D Thanks Eddie for the greatest night of my life.
That is such a great story! I'm really happy for you to see how PJ has affected your life, I'm 20 and sort of went through the same thing you did. It's great to see how Eddie treats the fans too. Congrats!!
I joined the message pit so I could write this. I have been a 'fan' for about 15 years, and I have seen pearl jam play almost 40 times, for the first time in 1996, Augusta, ME (I don't know why it has taken me this long to join the message pit, but... Hello, my name is ed. And sorry for the long post)
That show last night was something else, and I still cannot find all the words to describe it. It was something incredibly special and meaningful. As BlackCorduroy (hereafter referred to as BC) and her friend said after the show as we were talking, 'It was Spiritual.' And it truly was.
Both our stories and experience from last night may be a little 'biased,' but for anyone who has grown up with this band, or has felt that same type of inspiration and meaning from what this band has put out, these upcoming shows that Eddie is doing, offer something so intimate and beautiful, that if you can, please please please go and be apart of it. If you don't have a ticket, go down anyways. Things sometimes have a way of working themselves out. And if you have tickets to both nights, consider giving one night to someone without. Maybe someone who is like BC or me...
I stood next to 'BlackCorduroy' and her friend in line before the show as we were waiting for Eddie to arrive. When he did arrive, our chance to talk to him was conditional on no one in the front of the line doing something 'stupid' so much thanks to the people who came before us. He got to me before he got to BC. I handed him both a cd, with songs that I had written, and a 'childrens' story that I had written.
I began playing the guitar only recently, and only play and write stories when things don’t work out in the lab. I am working towards a Ph.D. in Soft Matter Physics. The songs are mostly about war, and the story is really about ____, disguised as a cute children's story called Sally and the Dolphins (I don't want to give away the ending in case you read it).
For someone who began as a suburban teenager who found himself vs. the world, and a junior high school student taking his first class in vitalogy,..., the idea that I would be able to someday hand Eddie Vedder a cd of songs that I had written is something that is still utterly incomprehensible. I told him that if that cd sat on a shelf never listened to, it could not take away how much it meant for me to be able to give it to him. And it can't.
I, in so many ways, am not in the same place I began. However, over these past 16 years, no matter what I have found myself engaging in, there has always been something about this music that has resonated with me. And that message has continued to change and reflect in many ways my present state of being, my awareness, and my understanding of my place in it all. And that continues today. What BC did by giving him that letter, was to put down on paper how many of us have felt and continue to feel.
I am not trying to tell a story about how amazing this evening was for me, or even BC. We had a chance to speak with and be recognized by someone who has in many ways, meant such a great deal to our lives. I sat 4 rows from the stage (thanks tenclub). And after the show, I, a soft matter physicist, got to hand to one of the world's leading historians, Howard Zinn, my attempt to tell history through a children's story.
What I am really trying to say is, BC told me she didn't know if she should give out her letter or keep it in her pocket. I didn't know if my recording was worthy of passing along. At any point of us standing in line, with our knees weak, overwhelmed with this sense of awe and respect, we could have each come up with fifteen different reasons to just pull our hand out of our pocket empty, shake hands, smile, say hello and thanks. But we didn't.
And BC got to have one of the more beautiful songs ever written sung to her by Eddie Vedder. And he got some tangible representation of what his and the band's music and message has meant for a whole hell of alot of people. You didn't have to be four rows away to recognize that that letter meant a great deal to him. So for many of us, who have felt and continue to feel that is an incredible privilege to have inspiration at the push of a play button, or the drop of a needle, thank you BC.
And maybe to reiterate some of the sentiments that were written on a yellow piece of paper, this idea of finding yourself engaged in things that are largely different from a seemingly complacent norm is something that is special. It is meaningful and so very important to be more concerned with votes cast for a congressional representative, or a senator, or even a president, than the next american idol. There is so much going on in the world right now that our children or our children's children will someday look down upon.
There is so very much that we can do, and the time to act is now. And I think that if we were to act, and bring about some tangible change, that might be a good argument for Eddie Vedder to come play a show for us. I mean I certainly can't speak for him, but from the 30 seconds I got to talk to him, I think he would. Maybe if BC would be so gracious, she could write the letter for us.
Anyways, if you want a copy of the story ‘Sally and the Dolphins’ (in case you get bored, its a quick easy read) you can get it at
Too tired to read the whole thread but I was planning to post a huge THANKS to Lindsay because Forever Young was incredible.
I'm a huge Dylan fan and I've seen this song covered a million times and this was the best version I've heard in my 25 odd years of seeing live music.
Thanks for sharing, all of us benefited.
"Hey, listen asshole, one more fucker throws a fuckin' quarter up here and we're outta here, I'm tellin' ya, FUCKER! What the fuck, you're blowin' it for fuckin' everybody. Hit me with a fuckin' quarter again and, fuck it, I'm outta here. We're all outta here. Fuck you, and if anyone sees someone throw fuckin' change right next to them, you have my permission to beat the fuckin' holy shit outta them."
What a great post Ampersand Drive. Hearing about the experiences you & Lindsay had yesterday really rounded out a perfect weekend.
I look forward to checking out Sally and the Dolphins.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Boston1 2004
Ottowa 2005
Boston 1&2 2006
Mansfield 1&2 2008
Vedder Leg2-Boston 1&2 2008
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
I'll ride the wave where it takes me
Well I just returned from the single greatest night of my life.. here it goes:
Before the second Boston show, I hung out outside the venue hoping to meet Eddie for the first time. There were about 10 other fans also waiting. At around 3:30, his security guard came and told us Eddie was coming and that he would sign one item each, not to take pictures, etc. About 10 or 15 minutes later Eddie came by. He went down the line and signed everybody's things. I was the last person in the line. I told him I didn't need him to sign anything and I just wanted to say hello and thank him. (I figure, I may only get 30 seconds with Eddie in my entire life, I don't want to waste it watching him write his name on a piece of paper. I'd rather let him know how I feel.) I also handed him a note I wrote a couple days ago. He shook my hand, thanked me and told me he liked my shirt (EV pick shirt from wishlist foundation). Even though I heard the compliment I was in such awe that I don't think I responded so he repeated himself and pointed at the shirt smiling.
I was COMPLETELY unsure about giving him the letter. I thought he might think it was weird or just throw it away. Earlier in the day I decided not to do it but while I was waiting for him I read it again and decided I'd go for it anyway. I was just hoping that he would MAYBE read it.
Fast forward a few hours, towards the end of the show, Eddie took a piece of yellow paper out (like mine) and says "I got a note today.." I immediately knew what was going on but I couldn't believe it. He talked about me and my letter for about 30 seconds and even read a couple parts out loud. He said he wanted to dedicate the next song to me. I can't even begin to describe what was going on in my head. Just hearing him say my name gave me shivers. I started crying and my knees were shaking. Just the thought of Eddie knowing that I exist amazes me, but the fact that he was actually moved by something I wrote and dedicated a song to me is absolutely unreal. It feels like a dream.
By the time he started the song, everyone around me could tell by my reaction that the song was for me and told me to stand up. So i spent the entire song standing up, so happy and still crying. I totally apologize to anyone whose view I obstructed. I was going to sit down halfway through, but this really cool couple behind me told me to stay up, so I didn't object:D
The whole rest of the show was a blur, it still is. I can't believe something like this happened to me. I can't count how many times I've been jealous of other people's stories and now this happens. I just can't stop saying it- I can't believe this was real. I'm fully expecting to wake up any minute now. Eddie is an amazing person:)
Everyone has asked me what the note said.. Unfortunately I didn't save a copy for myself because I was not expecting him to even read it. In a nutshell, I explained that I just graduated high school and in general I am disgusted by the amount of materialism and conformity in most other teenagers. I told him that his music saved me from this. I wrote that at the end of middle school I was headed down the same path- listening to pop music and obsessing over brand name clothes. I told him about the first time I ever heard Pearl Jam and how I stayed up all night listening, completely blown away. Then I used the phrase (which he read out loud) "4 years and 11 pearl jam concerts later.. I am a completely different person" I explained a couple other ways he changed my life that he read out loud. It was something like "Instead of listening to pop music on my ipod, I'm listening to albums like Quadraphenia on vinyl. Instead of watching tasteless reality TV, I'm playing guitar and writing music. Instead of voting for the next American Idol, I'm making sure everyone my age is registered to vote for the next president" (the wording on that last one might be a little off, but you get the idea)
This post is already the longest one I've ever written. To wrap it up, I have a quick plea. If anyone was there and remembers any of the exact wording Eddie used when he was talking about me, I would LOVE to know. So much was going through my head that I can't remember it exactly. And if anybody has a recording of this, I would love you even more.
anyway, I thought I'd share:D:D Thanks Eddie for the greatest night of my life.
Now how much of a dork am I for having blurry vision and a goofy smile on my face while reading this?
This is definitely the sweetest "fan moment" between any artist and fan that I've read in a long time. And not just because Vedder was so kind; that's a part but a small one.
More so because you found something in you. Something damned intangible but more real and concrete than some ever find....4 years and 11 Pearl Jam concerts later. And a song.
I joined the message pit so I could write this. I have been a 'fan' for about 15 years, and I have seen pearl jam play almost 40 times, for the first time in 1996, Augusta, ME (I don't know why it has taken me this long to join the message pit, but... Hello, my name is ed. And sorry for the long post)
That show last night was something else, and I still cannot find all the words to describe it. It was something incredibly special and meaningful. As BlackCorduroy (hereafter referred to as BC) and her friend said after the show as we were talking, 'It was Spiritual.' And it truly was.
Both our stories and experience from last night may be a little 'biased,' but for anyone who has grown up with this band, or has felt that same type of inspiration and meaning from what this band has put out, these upcoming shows that Eddie is doing, offer something so intimate and beautiful, that if you can, please please please go and be apart of it. If you don't have a ticket, go down anyways. Things sometimes have a way of working themselves out. And if you have tickets to both nights, consider giving one night to someone without. Maybe someone who is like BC or me...
I stood next to 'BlackCorduroy' and her friend in line before the show as we were waiting for Eddie to arrive. When he did arrive, our chance to talk to him was conditional on no one in the front of the line doing something 'stupid' so much thanks to the people who came before us. He got to me before he got to BC. I handed him both a cd, with songs that I had written, and a 'childrens' story that I had written.
I began playing the guitar only recently, and only play and write stories when things don’t work out in the lab. I am working towards a Ph.D. in Soft Matter Physics. The songs are mostly about war, and the story is really about ____, disguised as a cute children's story called Sally and the Dolphins (I don't want to give away the ending in case you read it).
For someone who began as a suburban teenager who found himself vs. the world, and a junior high school student taking his first class in vitalogy,..., the idea that I would be able to someday hand Eddie Vedder a cd of songs that I had written is something that is still utterly incomprehensible. I told him that if that cd sat on a shelf never listened to, it could not take away how much it meant for me to be able to give it to him. And it can't.
I, in so many ways, am not in the same place I began. However, over these past 16 years, no matter what I have found myself engaging in, there has always been something about this music that has resonated with me. And that message has continued to change and reflect in many ways my present state of being, my awareness, and my understanding of my place in it all. And that continues today. What BC did by giving him that letter, was to put down on paper how many of us have felt and continue to feel.
I am not trying to tell a story about how amazing this evening was for me, or even BC. We had a chance to speak with and be recognized by someone who has in many ways, meant such a great deal to our lives. I sat 4 rows from the stage (thanks tenclub). And after the show, I, a soft matter physicist, got to hand to one of the world's leading historians, Howard Zinn, my attempt to tell history through a children's story.
What I am really trying to say is, BC told me she didn't know if she should give out her letter or keep it in her pocket. I didn't know if my recording was worthy of passing along. At any point of us standing in line, with our knees weak, overwhelmed with this sense of awe and respect, we could have each come up with fifteen different reasons to just pull our hand out of our pocket empty, shake hands, smile, say hello and thanks. But we didn't.
And BC got to have one of the more beautiful songs ever written sung to her by Eddie Vedder. And he got some tangible representation of what his and the band's music and message has meant for a whole hell of alot of people. You didn't have to be four rows away to recognize that that letter meant a great deal to him. So for many of us, who have felt and continue to feel that is an incredible privilege to have inspiration at the push of a play button, or the drop of a needle, thank you BC.
And maybe to reiterate some of the sentiments that were written on a yellow piece of paper, this idea of finding yourself engaged in things that are largely different from a seemingly complacent norm is something that is special. It is meaningful and so very important to be more concerned with votes cast for a congressional representative, or a senator, or even a president, than the next american idol. There is so much going on in the world right now that our children or our children's children will someday look down upon.
There is so very much that we can do, and the time to act is now. And I think that if we were to act, and bring about some tangible change, that might be a good argument for Eddie Vedder to come play a show for us. I mean I certainly can't speak for him, but from the 30 seconds I got to talk to him, I think he would. Maybe if BC would be so gracious, she could write the letter for us.
Anyways, if you want a copy of the story ‘Sally and the Dolphins’ (in case you get bored, its a quick easy read) you can get it at
Ampersand Drive, what a great first post. It was awesome meeting you, it sounds like you had a VERY special night as well. I will definitely be reading "Sally and the Dolphins" when I get a chance. I can tell by your post and by meeting you that you are a good writer and a very intelligent person.
Seriously, thank you to everybody for these replies. I've read and smiled at each and every one of them and it means a TON to me. I've actually welled up again a few times reading them.
Aw! You thought of me when you wrote about your experience…. That is so sweet!
Just think if Ed could put two and two together and figure the note girl and Mansfield girl were one in the same!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry my mind seems to get very imaginative when it comes to pj. Hehehe
I’m still 80% sure Ed mentioned to Mike during Alive to cross the stage and toss me a pick.
That surfing thing in next Saturday. I’m all signed up. It better not rain! Thanks for your support Lindsay.
You my dear have a connection with Ed in my opinion. It maybe tiny, but it’s there.
He made eye connect AND smiled. THEN he reads your note and it touches him. I mean what are the chances of those two things happening?
I wished I had kept a copy of the letter I wrote too. Lol! the letter to Ten Club when they offered to send me a limo in 94. Because I wonder what my little ol 14 year old self had to say to spark THAT that much interest.
_______________________
Ampersand……
Now that’s a great first post! Glad you’re in ‘the pit’ now.
*~Pearl Jam will be blasted from speakers until morale improves~*
I meant to include.. I'm putting together a little frame of what happened last night. I'll probably include my concert ticket, a program, lyrics to Forever Young, maybe what Eddie said (once I can listen to it again:p), and I'm going to print out some of the comments in this thread because they made the whole experience even more special to me. I'll post a picture once it is complete.
I meant to include.. I'm putting together a little frame of what happened last night. I'll probably include my concert ticket, a program, lyrics to Forever Young, maybe what Eddie said (once I can listen to it again:p), and I'm going to print out some of the comments in this thread because they made the whole experience even more special to me. I'll post a picture once it is complete.
Comments
i love it when we can share how listening to PJ changed our perspective in some way. i can't explain it to my friends who aren't fans. they don't get it. your experience really touched me. thanks for sharing!
You got to spend it all
for the least they could possibly do
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Great story.
This sunday is better after reading it.
It's growing up just like me.
the one part of your letter sounded incredible........i really wish we could read it all.
ed is one great human being. you're right, you took a chance ....he could've thrown it away. but he READ it, he actually read it. i don't know him personally, but right there is one of the reasons i'm a fan. i wish i could put it into words about that right there when i'm explaining to somebody why i'm a fan. and it's not just ed, all the guys are like that it seems.
"I can't count how many times I've been jealous of other people's stories.."
now i'm jealous of YOU! hehehehe thanks for sharing your story. it shows again not only Ed is wonderful, but so are you!
hey, i didn't want to post this on the porch. i started this thread last week. read it.
'Vedder would appreciate this (surfing related)'
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=296545
Member since day 1 here in August 2003
I HOPE there is a boot of it somewhere someday because it really was just a great time. Ed had a lot of fun up there .
Oh yeah, thanks 10C!
ETA...wow this went into the wrong thread...my bad Lindsay.
Thank so much. I thought of you when I was writing this because you were so excited for me in thread where Eddie waved to me in Mansfield. (which now seems so minuscule compared to this
That's a VERY cool thread. you should absolutely go for it. After last night, I strongly believe that everything is worth a shot, even if the chance seems small. I didn't think for a second that anything would actually happen with my letter.
:eek: hahah I would not expect a comment like this at all, but I'm super flattered.
Once I get out of this town
9/29/04;6/27/08;6/30/08;8/23/09;08/24/09;5/17/10
scb, yes i'm the "phone call fan" you referred to in one of the previous posts
I know that almost 13 years later (after speaking to Eddie) that when I think about that conversation, I remember how nice he was, didn't rush to get off the phone, etc.
So Lindsay, your story just reminds us all what a good guy he is and that he does care about what his fans have to say, how they feel etc.
I'm sure that unbelievable feeling you have right now will never go away! Thanx for sharing your amazing story.
— Lao Tzu
In a setting like that, I have no doubt that EV would have read your note. What is so amazing is that it was so meaningful and thoughtful and obviously had deep meaning to him....Surely, you brought tears to his eyes too
10/30/09.10/31/09.5/17/10.9/7/11
EV:boston 1+2.albnay 1.boston 2010
That is such a great story! I'm really happy for you to see how PJ has affected your life, I'm 20 and sort of went through the same thing you did. It's great to see how Eddie treats the fans too. Congrats!!
Mansfield II '08
EV Solo Shows:
NYC I
NJPAC
I. LOVE. YIELD.
That show last night was something else, and I still cannot find all the words to describe it. It was something incredibly special and meaningful. As BlackCorduroy (hereafter referred to as BC) and her friend said after the show as we were talking, 'It was Spiritual.' And it truly was.
Both our stories and experience from last night may be a little 'biased,' but for anyone who has grown up with this band, or has felt that same type of inspiration and meaning from what this band has put out, these upcoming shows that Eddie is doing, offer something so intimate and beautiful, that if you can, please please please go and be apart of it. If you don't have a ticket, go down anyways. Things sometimes have a way of working themselves out. And if you have tickets to both nights, consider giving one night to someone without. Maybe someone who is like BC or me...
I stood next to 'BlackCorduroy' and her friend in line before the show as we were waiting for Eddie to arrive. When he did arrive, our chance to talk to him was conditional on no one in the front of the line doing something 'stupid' so much thanks to the people who came before us. He got to me before he got to BC. I handed him both a cd, with songs that I had written, and a 'childrens' story that I had written.
I began playing the guitar only recently, and only play and write stories when things don’t work out in the lab. I am working towards a Ph.D. in Soft Matter Physics. The songs are mostly about war, and the story is really about ____, disguised as a cute children's story called Sally and the Dolphins (I don't want to give away the ending in case you read it).
For someone who began as a suburban teenager who found himself vs. the world, and a junior high school student taking his first class in vitalogy,..., the idea that I would be able to someday hand Eddie Vedder a cd of songs that I had written is something that is still utterly incomprehensible. I told him that if that cd sat on a shelf never listened to, it could not take away how much it meant for me to be able to give it to him. And it can't.
I, in so many ways, am not in the same place I began. However, over these past 16 years, no matter what I have found myself engaging in, there has always been something about this music that has resonated with me. And that message has continued to change and reflect in many ways my present state of being, my awareness, and my understanding of my place in it all. And that continues today. What BC did by giving him that letter, was to put down on paper how many of us have felt and continue to feel.
I am not trying to tell a story about how amazing this evening was for me, or even BC. We had a chance to speak with and be recognized by someone who has in many ways, meant such a great deal to our lives. I sat 4 rows from the stage (thanks tenclub). And after the show, I, a soft matter physicist, got to hand to one of the world's leading historians, Howard Zinn, my attempt to tell history through a children's story.
What I am really trying to say is, BC told me she didn't know if she should give out her letter or keep it in her pocket. I didn't know if my recording was worthy of passing along. At any point of us standing in line, with our knees weak, overwhelmed with this sense of awe and respect, we could have each come up with fifteen different reasons to just pull our hand out of our pocket empty, shake hands, smile, say hello and thanks. But we didn't.
And BC got to have one of the more beautiful songs ever written sung to her by Eddie Vedder. And he got some tangible representation of what his and the band's music and message has meant for a whole hell of alot of people. You didn't have to be four rows away to recognize that that letter meant a great deal to him. So for many of us, who have felt and continue to feel that is an incredible privilege to have inspiration at the push of a play button, or the drop of a needle, thank you BC.
And maybe to reiterate some of the sentiments that were written on a yellow piece of paper, this idea of finding yourself engaged in things that are largely different from a seemingly complacent norm is something that is special. It is meaningful and so very important to be more concerned with votes cast for a congressional representative, or a senator, or even a president, than the next american idol. There is so much going on in the world right now that our children or our children's children will someday look down upon.
There is so very much that we can do, and the time to act is now. And I think that if we were to act, and bring about some tangible change, that might be a good argument for Eddie Vedder to come play a show for us. I mean I certainly can't speak for him, but from the 30 seconds I got to talk to him, I think he would. Maybe if BC would be so gracious, she could write the letter for us.
Anyways, if you want a copy of the story ‘Sally and the Dolphins’ (in case you get bored, its a quick easy read) you can get it at
http://www.sundancecity.com
or
http://www.myspace.com/ampersanddrive
I'm a huge Dylan fan and I've seen this song covered a million times and this was the best version I've heard in my 25 odd years of seeing live music.
Thanks for sharing, all of us benefited.
I look forward to checking out Sally and the Dolphins.
Boston1 2004
Ottowa 2005
Boston 1&2 2006
Mansfield 1&2 2008
Vedder Leg2-Boston 1&2 2008
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
I'll ride the wave where it takes me
This is definitely the sweetest "fan moment" between any artist and fan that I've read in a long time. And not just because Vedder was so kind; that's a part but a small one.
More so because you found something in you. Something damned intangible but more real and concrete than some ever find....4 years and 11 Pearl Jam concerts later. And a song.
That's gifted.
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
Great post. I'm still expecting that email by the way
Seriously, thank you to everybody for these replies. I've read and smiled at each and every one of them and it means a TON to me. I've actually welled up again a few times reading them.
Aw! You thought of me when you wrote about your experience…. That is so sweet!
Just think if Ed could put two and two together and figure the note girl and Mansfield girl were one in the same!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry my mind seems to get very imaginative when it comes to pj. Hehehe
I’m still 80% sure Ed mentioned to Mike during Alive to cross the stage and toss me a pick.
That surfing thing in next Saturday. I’m all signed up. It better not rain! Thanks for your support Lindsay.
You my dear have a connection with Ed in my opinion. It maybe tiny, but it’s there.
He made eye connect AND smiled. THEN he reads your note and it touches him. I mean what are the chances of those two things happening?
I wished I had kept a copy of the letter I wrote too. Lol! the letter to Ten Club when they offered to send me a limo in 94. Because I wonder what my little ol 14 year old self had to say to spark THAT that much interest.
_______________________
Ampersand……
Now that’s a great first post! Glad you’re in ‘the pit’ now.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
good! because i was going to ask you to.
i've thought about doing that and i need ideas.
i've got:
frontrow armbands
two picks mike&ed
an news article review of the show
the keychains i made
tix stubs of course
putting snipits of this thread in, is a great idea too.
is there a way to save the whole thing? like in notepad.