Two cracked ribs from Wembly.

AmesDownstroke

Great show, but I really hated the crowd at the front. I was there untill about Save You, and I forget at which point but one of the times Mike threw a handful of picks into the crowd there was a huge surge over to the left hand side. At this point there was a little breathing room between me and a large-ish chap standing next to me, I was thrown into him really hard and he had his elbow up and the time getting something out of his pocket and it got me right in the chest.

I wasn't in a lot of pain, but I couldn't stand the front anymore. I'm sorry but Pearl Jam fans really can be some of the most annoying crowd members - I've been to gigs like Slayer, Lamb of God, Mastodon and other really heavy bands and the front was not as intense as last night.

I'm not going to rant about annoying behaviour from individuals, because maybe that was their way to enjoy the show, but all I can say beg is please don't be overly-worried with catching one of Mike's (or any other band members) picks - not only did the surge ruin my show but it detracted from the music completely.

I was also talking to a kid who was about 17 who said he had almost collapsed being at the front because he had only had beer to drink since the morning and was severly dehydrated.

I can be sure that the next gigs I attend will be seated, It's just really not fucking enjoyable being squeezed in next to menapausal women who are just screaming 'EDDIE!! EDDIE!!' and countless European fans (this isn't a racially-based statement, just an obeservation) desperately trying to squeeze their way to the front.

harmless_little_f***

Sorry to hear you had a bad time, really. I agree, Pearl Jam fans can be just freakishly gung ho.

There was a guy behind me (seated) chanting 'Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!' on his own for about fifteen minutes before the gig started. I was trying to chat to my Dad so it pissed me off. Plus the fact that a fully grown man chanting 'Eddie' several times as loud as he can, by himself, is fine the first couple of times, but after the fifteenth time it gets to sound a bit gay. At least wait till there's some noise around you. I dunno, just my opinion.

Sorry if you're 'that guy' and you're reading this

scarlett06

ouch.

i guess that's the price you pay when you're in the pit.

on the flipside, the stalls were just dull. while some bloke chanting 'eddie' repeatedly might be annoying, i'd take than anyday over the dull bastards who were sitting around me. they showed about a much emotion as a bunch of corpses.

AmesDownstroke

scarlett06 wrote:

ouch.

i guess that's the price you pay when you're in the pit.

on the flipside, the stalls were just dull. while some bloke chanting 'eddie' repeatedly might be annoying, i'd take than anyday over the dull bastards who were sitting around me. they showed about a much emotion as a bunch of corpses.

Well fair point, but the floor was just as dull during Idlewild, I mean the guys put on a good show IMO, and I didn't see one person move during their set.

Riot_Rain

That dude was weird.

Sorry to hear about the cricked ribs, AmesDownstroke! I was lucky, where I was standing (to the right of the middle) it wasn't pushy at all. Sounds like they were going pick crazy your end. I donn't think a single pick was thrown on the right! (Unless it happened when I blinked of course )

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

Sorry to hear you had a bad time, really. I agree, Pearl Jam fans can be just freakishly gung ho.

There was a guy behind me (seated) chanting 'Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!' on his own for about fifteen minutes before the gig started. I was trying to chat to my Dad so it pissed me off. Plus the fact that a fully grown man chanting 'Eddie' several times as loud as he can, by himself, is fine the first couple of times, but after the fifteenth time it gets to sound a bit gay. At least wait till there's some noise around you. I dunno, just my opinion.

Sorry if you're 'that guy' and you're reading this

AmesDownstroke

Riot_Rain wrote:

That dude was weird.

Sorry to hear about the cricked ribs, AmesDownstroke! I was lucky, where I was standing (to the right of the middle) it wasn't pushy at all. Sounds like they were going pick crazy your end. I donn't think a single pick was thrown on the right! (Unless it happened when I blinked of course )

I wished I was in the middle, but I had absolutly no control of where I could go. I didn't even want to be that close but by the time Severed Hand came on I was just pushed about 3 people back from Mike.

Byrnzie

Ya buys the ticket yas takes the ride.

The pit is the pit is the pit.

nuff said!

AmesDownstroke

Thanks for the helpful comments Byrnzie, but I bought standing tickets, not 'I-have-to-be-as-close-to-the-front-as-possible' tickets. My point was that I was pushed into a situation that I didn't want to be in and I was illustrating how reckless and annoying the crowd was at times.

vedder_soup

the crowd was fine for long road, then as severed hand started, it then pushed, and i was squashed for the rest of the show, came out absolutely soaking in sweat

scarlett06

i guess nobody's really keen on the opening guest act though that's the thing, everyone is so excited about pearl jam that everything before it just seems like filler, and isn't interesting. i did think idlewild were ok though, felt a bit sorry for them, seeing as about a million people obviously chose to stay outside and drink beer rather than come in to watch them.

i'm also starting to feel less bitter about my stalls experience, seeing how much people have suffered in the pit. and i'm 5'3 and quite slender, i would have got shmushed bit time, i know that. still, the grass is always greener on the other side...

Byrnzie

AmesDownstroke wrote:

Thanks for the helpful comments Byrnzie, but I bought standing tickets, not 'I-have-to-be-as-close-to-the-front-as-possible' tickets. My point was that I was pushed into a situation that I didn't want to be in and I was illustrating how reckless and annoying the crowd was at times.

Ah, o.k, well, you neglected to mention that before. So you say you were pushed into the front? How far back was the ten club barrier??

evervedder

...nothing left to subtract!"

I was in N9 and Isure as hell didn't make it dull, I screamed my lungs out to ever song (at least nearly all as my lyrics are rusty)...

Got a bit of a creak in my neck but loaned some binoculars so even though I was the strangest looking fan I got to see some of eddies more amusing expressions, leaps, and of course his balancing act on some speakers to the left of the stage... so well worth looking stupid for (i.e. no bruised ribs!)... and the fans around me appreciated borrowing them to get a closer look!

A great gig, was sad to see the end and now wish I had got tickets for Europe! :-(

It's been years since I went to a gig like that... forgot how great it was, thanks to Eddie and the gangs great performance last night I really do feel 'Alive' again.... rock on lads (they've still got it over the fresh blood!)



Evervedder.

duggro

i was at the front about 3 or 4 folk back and it was not mental at all!! some guy tried to start a pit and everyone just looked at him like "wtf are you doing?"

i was bouncing merrilly around and everyone had plenty room

GARDENer

scarlett06 wrote:

i guess that's the price you pay when you're in the pit

i love it. the energy is amazing.

you are so helpless, yet feel so ALIVE.

i wish every show in the u.s was general admission.

being that im 6'3" and 255 lbs. i guess im almost fearless of being sucked under. i can see how it would be intimating to someone smaller.

keeponrockin

I'm about 5'10, but I would KILL for just one GA Pearl Jam show.

Glorified Irish Guy

At dublin last yeas the pit wasnt all 10c members and i was right at the front with so much room to move, At wembley it was crazy at times, Almost compared to a metallica show at times, Pearl jam fans are crazy and a lot of them are big guys who hurt! Still fun though, just need more water, dehydration sucks

zenith

AmesDownstroke wrote:

I can be sure that the next gigs I attend will be seated, It's just really not fucking enjoyable being squeezed in next to menapausal women who are just screaming 'EDDIE!! EDDIE!!'

hehe pearl jam obviously have a different fan base over in the UK.

Lizard

AmesDownstroke wrote:

I wished I was in the middle, but I had absolutly no control of where I could go. I didn't even want to be that close but by the time Severed Hand came on I was just pushed about 3 people back from Mike.

are you a guy or a girl? not that it matters but I was just curious.

Pegasus

it was very hot at Wembley but it was mild..I´d expected FAR more crushing.
not sure how you managed to crack ribs (hope tey´re really just sore rather than really cracked)

ask anyone who was at Katowice last week (!) or most Italian shows or Reading last year and they´ll laugh at you for saying Wembley was rough.

yes PJ shows are rough in comparaison to many, but for a PJ show, Wembley was quite comfy, we even had a padded barrier and excellent security and most of the people around (some exceptions including one behind me) were polite and attentionate (its still a GA show, you WILL get bumped around)

vital5

scarlett06 wrote:

i guess that's the price you pay when you're in the pit.

I don't get cracked ribs typing on this board... wtf?! :eek:

Housing Jim

AmesDownstroke wrote:

Well fair point, but the floor was just as dull during Idlewild, I mean the guys put on a good show IMO, and I didn't see one person move during their set.

HEY! I sung along to every single word of Idlewild!

I made a similar error in judgment last year in Dublin at just how rough the crowd was going to be and my girl ended up coming out quite hurt. We didn't make the same mistake at Wembley and enjoyed it immensely

danleri

Byrnzie wrote:

Ya buys the ticket yas takes the ride.

The pit is the pit is the pit.

nuff said!

well said! Sorry to hear about the broken ribs anyway, it shouldn't happen!

dunkman

we werent that far back on Mike's side and i never even got bumped or anything.. did some pogoing around and stoof but we all had our own 'space'

Ames, i cant work out how you got pushed into a situation you didnt want... its easy to get out of the pit if you just turn around and push your way out.. dont ask or anything, just push.... people will be grateful that you're leaving a wee hole for them to get closer

hope the ribs are ok!

ScotInAmsterdam

On the subject of dehydration, did anyone else notice that the toilets only had hot water, so that if you did need liquids you were forced to pay 1.90 for a bottle of water.... That has to be illegal!!

jeremy_spoke_in

Byrnzie wrote:

Ya buys the ticket yas takes the ride.

The pit is the pit is the pit.

nuff said!

It was a PJ show not a Trivium show. The point is there shouldn't be people pushing and starting pits. I'm 6'5" and i was seriously tempted to start throwing elbows at people pushing me, but it wasn't them it must have been people near the middle pushing forward, as i was 5 rows from the front centre.

Hotter

jeremy_spoke_in wrote:

I'm 6'5" and i was seriously tempted to start throwing elbows at people pushing me, as i was 5 rows from the front centre.

You should've been in the back so that the "little" people could've seen the show.....but noooo you absolutely had to be in front. So don't whine about consideration for other people.....and the elbow throwing thought.......really!! :rolleyes:

Mirella

I was a bit weak after Idlewild so I decided to go to the left side before the lights went out for Pearl Jam. It was great there: lots of space, still a good view, and hardcore fans all around thoroughly enjoying themselves. Personally I hate Eddie chants (shout Pearl Jam instead) but the only one I heard was before or after No More, so I guess that's okay since that was him alone . Also, when a guitar pick was thrown in my direction during Down it landed right in front of me. So, 4 or 5 boys fell over each other trying to grab it, and I enjoyed a great view onto the stage without anyone in front of me during most of the song .
Too bad to hear about your ribs, but I don't understand why you could not get out. If it's too difficult you can always ask people, one by one, to let you get out. That always works for me... And in case of an emergency, just let security take you out.
Did they not hand out water? That's bad! In Düsseldorf they handed out water at the front, fortunately. And the bar did not close right after the show. I ordered two drinks at once to replace the lost sweat. It was wild there, but not in a dangerous way.

groetjes,
Mirella

vedder_soup

it was not rough up front, just very squashy, and a little bit pushy.
compared to katowice at was very tame.

pajo

AmesDownstroke wrote:

I can be sure that the next gigs I attend will be seated, It's just really not fucking enjoyable being squeezed in next to menapausal women who are just screaming 'EDDIE!! EDDIE!!' and countless European fans (this isn't a racially-based statement, just an obeservation) desperately trying to squeeze their way to the front.

Iva: I'm sorry about the ribs and yes, I agree it was a bit rougher than I had expected for a pit full of 10c, but you could have just done what we did - moved a bit further to the left/right/back and things would have been ok.
I hate the Eddie screams (I'm with Mirella on that one, it's not just him on the stage) but you really could have kept the comment above to yourself, IMO.