So much hate for camden shows

Twostep2000RVM

its all i usually read on here. usually, camden always sucks according to many.

why do people think this? all the boots ive heard, and the small amount of shows ive seen were fantastic.

pjsteelerfan

Not sure I have read hate about the actual shows- the shows I have seen there have been great.

However, the venue located in maybe the worst place in the world and you take your life into your hands driving in and out of there.

Empty Glass

1) amphitheater - I hate all shows at these places

2) Camden

3) Camden

4) Camden

Not the best place for a show

Twostep2000RVM

the venue is in the college district. lots of young people live in apartments right by it.

like 2 miles away is rough, but that spot isnt that bad.

YieldToNothing

shows are always good but its the shittiest area on the planet. camden makes detroit look like paris.

its also a pain in the ass to get to, a pain in the ass to get out of

and its an amphitheater.
in short, camden blows

on2legs

The atmosphere there is terrible. The shows themselves are great. But its hard to get excited about seeing a show in Camden like you do for other venues. They should drop Camden and use PNC in Holmdel again.

DewieCox

What's the problem with amphitheaters?

The only issue I have with them is if it's windy the sound is spotty.

The best PJ shows I've seen have been outdoors.

YieldToNothing

DewieCox wrote:

What's the problem with amphitheaters?

The only issue I have with them is if it's windy the sound is spotty.

The best PJ shows I've seen have been outdoors.

you must have not seen that many shows


PJ is an arena band. they do their best work indoors.

DewieCox

YieldToNothing wrote:

DewieCox wrote:

What's the problem with amphitheaters?

The only issue I have with them is if it's windy the sound is spotty.

The best PJ shows I've seen have been outdoors.

you must have not seen that many shows


PJ is an arena band. they do their best work indoors.

I've been to my share.

I think it mostly comes down to preferring outdoors, personally.

Each setting has it's fair share of classic shows, so I don't think they do their unquestionably best work indoors.

Something about the atmosphere at an outdoor show seems to fit them more than the arena shows I've seen.

jjtormey

I'm not so sure I would say they do their best work indoors...I've seen them outside throughout the years and two of the best shows were:

Soldier Field in 1995
Berlin - Wuhlheide in 2009

Indifference71

YieldToNothing wrote:

shows are always good but its the shittiest area on the planet. camden makes detroit look like paris.

Note to self- never go to Camden.

Zoso

on2legs wrote:

The atmosphere there is terrible. The shows themselves are great. But its hard to get excited about seeing a show in Camden like you do for other venues. They should drop Camden and use PNC in Holmdel again.

nah play at wells fargo or a few shows at the mann center.

mrluthor9

I have been to some great Camden shows. The sound can get lost if you are in the lower 100 section to the far left or right sides. I recommed first or second row 200's which I is was lucky enough to get (TM) for night two of the Riot Act tour. The only problem with Camden is you cant grill in the parking lot which is cool with me as I always stop at my favorite wing joint in Woodbury NJ.

As for Holmdel...the aliens left their ship there because its a real shit show since the good old NJ Turnpike authority purchased in years ago. They turned the old lawn into uncovered seats...built a huge retaining wall and made a new lawn area twice the size and slope. Of course they didn't add any bathrooms or amenities to deal with the added seats..so if you need to use the facilites...bring a sleeping bag.

dimitrispearljam

Indifference71 wrote:

YieldToNothing wrote:

shows are always good but its the shittiest area on the planet. camden makes detroit look like paris.

Note to self- never go to Camden.

LloydXmas

I think anything that involves sleater Kenny is shitty

Empty Glass

Zoso wrote:

on2legs wrote:

The atmosphere there is terrible. The shows themselves are great. But its hard to get excited about seeing a show in Camden like you do for other venues. They should drop Camden and use PNC in Holmdel again.

nah play at wells fargo or a few shows at the mann center.

No way, play in front of the Art Museum again.

(Wells Fargo would do too)

AF241939

I have seen multiple shows in Camden and the show is always great! the area is rough but I always come from the philly side via the Fairy! no bullshit in or out!

jason

First off, where is this topic coming from right now, its winter time with no shows. Secondly, this guy is from MN and I went to Camden for a show a few years ago. Reading up on it and not sure what to expect, I was a little scared going solo to the show. Once I got there (day time) I loved every second of it. The venue was nothing fancy, but the east coast vibe was AWESOME!! That place was alive for sure. After the show I stood by a cop until I was able to flag a ride back to the hotel. I figured that was the safest place.

As for outdoor stadiums? Not sure what the difference is besides controlled temp. I have been to the Gorge, BEAUTIFUL, except it was 110 degrees. I have been to Alpine several times, Ice Bowl, 20 degrees and PJ 20 average with some rain. I think the shows are great inside or outside, although getting around is much easier inside, concessions, bathrooms, etc......

Better is Eddie Vedder in a venue with 3,000 people or Pearl Jam in Missoula 5,000 seat gymnasium.

SVRDhand13

jason wrote:

First off, where is this topic coming from right now, its winter time with no shows.

Several people have mentioned Camden shows in this thread

ComeToTX

Went to the two '06 shows. Venue was fine. Getting there and back to Philly was a pain. Ghetto town.

nostackedvinyl

[quote\]PJ is an arena band. they do their best work indoors.[/quote]

i couldn't disagree more. i've seen shows in Mansfield, MA that were some of the best PJ shows i've been to. the two nights in 08 were outstanding!! not to mention, to quote mr. vedder, "that time we tried to play every song we know." three nights in Mansfield. that place has a great atmosphere and it seems that the boys enjoy playing more there than they do at the TD Banknorth Garden or whatever the hell it's called now.

Bathgate66

I've been in first row twice out of my 30 something shows,
and both were in Camden.
So therefore I cant help but like the place- for PJ concerts.
Not to sightsee, but PJ shows.

Twostep2000RVM

i just dont get where the hate comes from.

im pretty new here, but ive been a pearl jam fan since probably 00ish. i havent seen them nearly enough times which i regret. i spent most of my high school-college years chasing DMB around the country. but most threads when discussing disappointing shows, and stuff like that, camden always surfaces. just wondering why that is considering the following in this area has always been top notch.

pjhawks

couple of reasons.
1) the Philly proper shows have been so darn good (spectrum 2003, wachovia 2005, spectrum 2009) that it's hard to compare any shows to those.
2) because camden is such a large venue (25,000) it tends to bring out a portion of the crowd there just to tailgate, party and act like idiots. this is for every show there, not just pj
3) as someone mentioned prior the sound on the sides of the venue suck. i was all the way to the side by the wall for one show and the sounds was terribly muffled. 4) camden nj is a hell hole...with apologies to hell
5) getting out of the parking lots can be hellacious. i remember one show not moving for over an hour in the lot.

hopefully PJ plays the Wells Fargo center in Philly instead of going back to Camden. Not confident they will since Camden can get them about 7,000 more paying customers per show. Although i do recall Jeff saying he hated the venue as well.

bootlegger10

Twostep2000RVM wrote:

its all i usually read on here. usually, camden always sucks according to many.

why do people think this? all the boots ive heard, and the small amount of shows ive seen were fantastic.

I thought the 2006 shows were great at Camden. I thought the first 2003 show was good, but the second show was a downer for me due to the greatest hits encore (yep, been to too many shows).

I don't mind the venue as I stay in Philly when I visit and take the subway to Camden. Easy 10 minute walk with lots of people around to get back on the subway. I don't feel the safest, but I am not scared by any means. One night I got off on the wrong stop in Philly by myself after the show and people were yelling they were going to shoot the guy I was walking a few feet from on the street. Kept my head down and walked briskly.

I like outdoor shows and wished there were a couple non-festival shows during the Euro tour last year.

PJ shines anywhere, but I would prefer arena shows consistently over outdoor shows.

my2hands

Ahhhhhh... My wheel house.... The good ol urine soaked shit hole in Camden...

The shows are always great... Because it is PJ in the Philly area... I love outdoor shows...

BUT... The venue sucks... The sound sucks... The city sucks... The pisser situation sucks... The abusive Camden cops suck... The traffic leaving sucks... Pretty much everything except the band on stage sucks lol...

But they will continue to play there because they can sell 20,000 lawn seats and cash in...

I just wish it were a nicer venue in a better location

wma11

yeah I've been to like 30+ shows here and every PJ show at Camden (except the July 2003 pair, as I hit the Spectrum that year)...but even in the beginning (1998), they'd play amazing sets, Ed's comments were always Philly related (always a Dobbs reference) and they always brought their A-game those nights...even the 2008 shows were great, but the crime of Camden always pollutes the lot scene and its always dodgy leaving there (nitrous crowds, driving over broken bottles on your way out, getting jumped). If they keep playing great sets inside the cesspool of Camden, I'm sure I'd still go as much as it scares me until I go in!

eeriepadave

i hate mainly cause of the parking. It sucks there! $25 for parking?????? Next time i'll probably take the ferry over. Also getting out is a pain in the ass.

The venue itself is ok and all i just hate everything around it

marcos

Camden is one of the many cities New Jersey just doesn't care about. It was hoped that this venue would help revitalize the area but they put no money back into the city despite all the income. In fact they just eliminated their police department I think. But as we all know ticketmaster doesn't care about poor people. So maybe it's just a depressing area despite how great the shows are. Kinda like going to Jamaica, resort is good, but the poverty is depressing if you bother to look outside your cab window coming in from the airport.

MG79478

LloydXmas wrote:

I think anything that involves sleater Kenny is shitty

Well played!

I've been to every Camden show since 2000. They all suck. The number one reason is the setlist are terrible. Always a greatest hits show, and you always find out that the only rare song on the setlist was scratched because of a request for last kiss. Second, the venue is terrible. It's too hot in the seats, the few screens they have suck if you are on the field, the sound is awful. Third, you are surrounded by Philly meat-heads chanting E-A-G-L-E-S. Fourth, it's Camden.

Yet for some reason, every show in Philly proper... pure gold since 2005.

ckravitz

Indifference71 wrote:

YieldToNothing wrote:

shows are always good but its the shittiest area on the planet. camden makes detroit look like paris.

Note to self- never go to Camden.

It's hard to express just how true this is. Pick a bad area of a bad city anywhere else in the country..... the criminals in those areas would be afraid to go to Camden.