I was in section 239 and by the time the band came back, most of the people who had sat next to me in the beginning were gone. Saddest moment of the evening: looking down on a MOTIONLESS GA pit during RVM! I actually left soon after that cuz I was so annoyed.
This was my 6th PJ concert and so far, all of them have been great, wonderful experiences. I am really sad and still kinda stunned that Wrigleyfield was such a bummer.
Totally agree about GA. I was all about it in there and it was the most dead of the PJ shows I've been to. I loved the band, but the energy from the fans wasn't what I thought it would be. Yes, I realize it was late. But its a damn rock concert, wake up. Did anyone notice the surge forward in GA when Ed went into the crowd? We moved like 20 feet forward and it still wasn't that packed in there. I keep wondering what the hell was going on before that. I hope that's not the norm. I want some damn energy whether I'm in the pit or not. Definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, I felt bad for the band.[/quote]
In the end, your words most closely matches my sentiments over the too-soon-after-the-show rant I posted earlier. Pistol, if you find post-delay GA crowd pics, there's a lot of emptiness in the pit. It's sad to look at. For me, the crowd response to a badly performed Do The Evolution - a double-whammy deflator where both the band and the crowd sucked ass during this rendition, when the opposite typically would occur - was hugely deflating, and the flat effort of Even Flow unfairly put me over the edge because it was at that moment when I was so overcome by cigarette smoke that I felt very nauseous. We left mid-song. Sadly, the crowd of mostly 35-plus-year-olds was too dazed, dehydrated and tired to find a second wind at midnight in spite of the band's stellar setlist offering (sound quality offering on the night will be debated ad nauseum for or against for years; the hotly rumored reason for why the band didn't release PJ20 boots out of embarrassment of its own performances that weekend are credible indeed).
__________________
1998: East Troy2; East Lansing
2000: Noblesville; Auburn Hills; Chicago
2003: East Troy; Clarkston1
2004: Toledo; Grand Rapids
2006: Grand Rapids; Auburn Hills
2009: Chicago
2010: Columbus
2011: East Troy (PJ20), both
2013: Wrigley Field
2014: Detroit
That said, for me Friday their versions of All Night and Corduroy were outstanding.
__________________
1998: East Troy2; East Lansing
2000: Noblesville; Auburn Hills; Chicago
2003: East Troy; Clarkston1
2004: Toledo; Grand Rapids
2006: Grand Rapids; Auburn Hills
2009: Chicago
2010: Columbus
2011: East Troy (PJ20), both
2013: Wrigley Field
2014: Detroit
1,this is the best band ever...When Eddie said,can you trust me on this,i knew that band,wll play,will find the way to keep us safe,deal with the curfew and makwe it special for all of us..
from the other hand all those 41k fuckers,..they stay there waiting,cos they believe..
they believe that this band is sometghing fuckin different...
so much love and respect to the band and the fans today at Wrigley
2,..Thank You Eddie..Thank YOU for Chloe Dancer & Crown Of Thorns
and after..I was at Amsterdam 2,I can say now
I SAW PEARL JAM AT WRIGLEY......
I SAW PEARL JAM IN THE RAIN......
More importantly, did you get your grass!!!???
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Only this band would wait out the storm like they did. They literally started taking the stage apart (for our safety) but still made this thing happen. Not a lot of bands would do that. Example: Phish was playing nearby and they tweeted out to their fans that the night was over. I got a tweet from Pearl Jam that said, "The show must go on." I don't know anything about Phish or where they were playing. Maybe they were in an area that was worse or maybe they had another show to get to. I'm sure they are a great band and great people. But what I do know is that it was killing PJ to not be able to play. And they made it happen. Although the wait was much longer than we anticipated, Eddie kept his promise and came back on and 'rocked out". Thank you to the crew who took down the stage and then put it back up. Thank you to the Wrigley Field staff who worked much later than anticipated. There was so much more behind PJ coming back on than just the band staying late and deciding to come back on. It truly reminded me why I love this band and their crew so much. They made it happen!! I have seen Eddie play while he was sick multiple times. Now, I have seen the whole band and crew battle Mother Nature! What a great feeling to know they wanted to play for us that bad!!
I travelled from Australia just for this show and I don't regret a second or a cent of it.
Nuff said.
PJ - Sydney 12 Mar 1998 - Sydney 11 & 14 Feb 2003 - Sydney 8 & 18 Nov 2006 - Sydney 22 Nov 2009 - Prague 2 Jul 2012 - Berlin 4 & 5 Jul 2012 - Stockholm 7 Jul 2012 - Copenhagen 10 Jul 2012 - Wrigley 19 Jul 2013 - Gold Coast 19 Jan 2014 - Melbourne 24 Jan 2014 - Sydney 26 Jan 2014 - Adelaide 31 Jan 2014 - Perth 2 Jan 2014 - Amsterdam 16 & 17 Jun 2014 - Milan 20 Jun 2014 - Trieste 22 Jun 2014 - Vienna 25 Jun 2014 - Berlin 26 Jun 2014 - New York City 1 & 2 May 2016 - Seattle 8 & 10 Aug 2018 - Vancouver 4 & 6 May 2024
EV - Canberra 15 Mar 2011 - Sydney 18 Mar 2011 - Perth 7 & 8 Feb 2014 - Sydney 11,12 & 13 Feb 2014 - Melbourne 19 Feb 2014 - Brisbane 22, 23 & 25 Feb 2014 - London 6 Jun 2017 - Dublin 9 Jun 2017 - Seattle 21 Feb 2022
I travelled from Greece just for this show and I don't regret a second or a cent of it.
Nuff said.
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
I was in section 239 and by the time the band came back, most of the people who had sat next to me in the beginning were gone. Saddest moment of the evening: looking down on a MOTIONLESS GA pit during RVM! I actually left soon after that cuz I was so annoyed.
This was my 6th PJ concert and so far, all of them have been great, wonderful experiences. I am really sad and still kinda stunned that Wrigleyfield was such a bummer.
Totally agree about GA. I was all about it in there and it was the most dead of the PJ shows I've been to. I loved the band, but the energy from the fans wasn't what I thought it would be. Yes, I realize it was late. But its a damn rock concert, wake up. Did anyone notice the surge forward in GA when Ed went into the crowd? We moved like 20 feet forward and it still wasn't that packed in there. I keep wondering what the hell was going on before that. I hope that's not the norm. I want some damn energy whether I'm in the pit or not. Definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, I felt bad for the band.
In the end, your words most closely matches my sentiments over the too-soon-after-the-show rant I posted earlier. Pistol, if you find post-delay GA crowd pics, there's a lot of emptiness in the pit. It's sad to look at. For me, the crowd response to a badly performed Do The Evolution - a double-whammy deflator where both the band and the crowd sucked ass during this rendition, when the opposite typically would occur - was hugely deflating, and the flat effort of Even Flow unfairly put me over the edge because it was at that moment when I was so overcome by cigarette smoke that I felt very nauseous. We left mid-song. Sadly, the crowd of mostly 35-plus-year-olds was too dazed, dehydrated and tired to find a second wind at midnight in spite of the band's stellar setlist offering (sound quality offering on the night will be debated ad nauseum for or against for years; the hotly rumored reason for why the band didn't release PJ20 boots out of embarrassment of its own performances that weekend are credible indeed).[/quote]
Sweetandlow, I understand your frustration. I was one who left with the crowd after the very last song. Never in my life have I heard an exiting concert or sporting event crowd that quiet. The streets around Wrigley were lined with people and you would have thought a funeral had just ended. That goes to show you how sluggish everyone was by that point. But I wish you would have stayed for Mike's solo during Evenflow. I would rate it as one of the best I've seen or heard. You are very passionate about your music and concert experiences, I truly hope the next one is better.
There's so much I want to say. If you stay with me to the end, I have a present for you.
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but if there's one thing I've learned having seen dozens of shows is that YOU create the experience you're going to walk away with and remember for the rest of your life. If you didn't love the show, or if it didn't live up to what you imagined it would be in your own mind, or if you had issues with the weather, the 2.5 hour rain delay, the people around you, etc., blame yourself. Whether you want to call the show epic or not, there is one thing that this show was and will always be no matter what experience you chose to have - UNFORGETTABLE!
I used to think I was lucky when it comes to concerts, this show made me realize that we make our own luck.
Highlights:
1. Release, Nothingman, Present Tense to open!?!?!?! Eddie could have spent the rest of the night yodeling after that trifecta and I would have gone home a happy man!
2. While waiting on field for the majority of the masses to exit for the rain delay, Kyle, the awesome dude working section P of the field pointed out Tom Ricketts (owner of the Cubs) behind us shaking hands and taking photos with fans. I went over and asked him if he was going to let PJ go beyond curfew. His words, "I'll let them play till dawn if they want!" He was the nicest guy! No ego at all. Happened to see him after the show. Went up and thanked him for being a man of his word (in that he let PJ play till 2). Still kinda amazed that he was sitting like five rows back in section P. The guy could have sat anywhere!
3. When exiting the field for the rain, I went over to section 31 to look for some friends. I ended up sitting right above the visitor's bullpen for the entirety of the rain delay. After all that heat and humidity, getting soaked in the rain was a blessing. Not to mention, it was fun! Not quite like Woodstock '94, but awesome!
4. The cheers from the crowd when it finally started raining - Priceless!
5. The cheers from the crowd when it finally stopped raining - Priceless!
6. Oh, while standing on line for merchandise for 2.5 hours on Thursday was absolutely ridiculous, I gotta say, it was worth every second! I met some great fans/people. Shared cool stories. The only reason I ended up enduring the heat and wait is because of the people. Will I ever experience that in my life time again? Doubt it! I didn't have a single thing to eat until 5:30pm that day. It was crazy. But worth it. Also, the boos and cheers each time they sold out of posters and got a restock, was great. Luckily they got a restock of 100 Cracker Jack posters when we got to the front of the line. (I will say to the friends I made that if you're gonna dip tobacco while in line, don't keep spitting onto the cement right around everyone's feet. Get a cup!)
7. I was confused by many folks in the pit. A lot of them were reserved. Not all. But a lot. Maybe they were exhausted? Maybe they've gotten too old? I was about 4 people deep from Eddie center stage and other than the two guys next to me who really remembered how to let loose like in the early years, there wasn't too much action. At times I felt guilty for jumping up and down and really getting into the music. That's what the pits all about, isn't it? Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm not.
8. Did anyone happen to notice the MOON during Unthought Known going in and out of the clouds? I know Eddie did. It was pretty spectacular!
9. Eddie's attempt at crowd surfing... I was literally the guy directly under his back, holding him up. For whatever reason, we failed in trying to pass him back. I'm not sure if he wanted us to or not. But he didn't go anywhere. At the end of the day, I just thought of it as old man crowd surfing. Where you don't move. Ha!
10. On Dennis Rodman. He showed up and was noticed by many in the pit once Eddie started the vocals for Future Days. Most people in the vicinity turned their attention towards Rodman. There was noise. Camera's started flashing. It was totally distracting. Eddie even glanced over to see what was happening. He saw Rodman and by the look on his face, he was definitely pissed.
11. BUGS was the greatest surprise of the evening and I loved every second of it!!!
12. Anyone know what the number 37 means on the necklace Eddie wears?
13. You still with me? Here's a clip from Porch when Eddie came to hold our hands at the edge of GA. VIDEO PROOF that GA was sometimes giving it everything they had as well as Eddie and the band. And this was at about 1:45am!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k7iWAGNrNM
Final thoughts: Who else will ever be able to say, in today's day and age, that they witnessed a PJ concert (or any concert on that level) at Wrigley field, that endured a 2.5 hour rain delay and went on until two o'clock in the morning!?! We can! Shit like this DOESN'T HAPPEN anymore. Be grateful that you were there to witness it! Be thankful! This is one to tell the Grandkids, cause I guarantee, you'll never forget it!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! What an amazing experience, maybe not their best show set list wise, or longest show in terms of actual songs played but to me this show is a defining show, if not the most defining show in the bands career. What other band on the planet would come back and play till 2am after the storm and waiting almost 3 hours? What band that would come back after that long would still have the placed packed (damn near 40,000 strong) till 2am? Sure some people left but not many. Not sure if some of you saw the article in the tribune but they actually had to get the lakeview councils approval to extend the curfew. I was shocked they got it as Tunney and some of the Wrigleyville residents are quite vocal against concerts and crowds and late night noise. For my 2 cents as it's Chicago politics I think PJ may have paid some money out of pocket to do this (again no proof but just my thoughts on it). Knowing this band I'm sure it was a no brainer for them.
Highlights of the show for me, Come Back tribute to Hoosiers wife, just a beautiful tribute and another thing that defines how awesome this band is. As a Cubs fan hearing all the way with ed in a cubs jersey and then having Ernie Banks, MR CUB come out was amazing. My fiance shot a video of one of my best friend and I through the whole song just belting it out and having the time of our lives. I don't think I've rocked out harder to PJ songs at a show than I did to All Night/DTE, so much energy in those songs after the delay. Mother, CD/COT, AMAZING! Thanks again PJ for a night I will never EVER forget. Luckily we were able to catch a cab somehow after the show. Some of our group ended up having to walk 4 miles back to where we were staying. Not sure how they made it, cause I was spent after the show. It was all left on the field for me.
I can now say I've survived the coldest show in PJ history (OCT 00 Ice Bowl) and the longest rain delay (Wrigley 13)!!
Alpine Valley 6/26/98, Alpine Valley 10/8/00, Champaign 4/23/03, Chicago 6/18/03, Alpine Valley 6/21/03, Grand Rapids 10/3/04
Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, Grand Rapids 5/19/06
Milwaukee 6/29/06, Milwaukee 6/30/06, Lollapalooza 8/5/07
Eddie Solo Milwaukee 8/19/08, Toronto 8/21/09, Chicago 8/23/09
Chicago 8/24/09, Indianapolis 5/7/10, Ed Chicago 6/29/11, Alpine Valley 9/3/11 and 9/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Moline 10/18/14, Milwaukee 10/20/14
I will never understand why people up in the stands would spend so much time watching the GA crowd, especially if it is upsetting enough to make you leave the show??? WTF??? How about people spend time worrying about their own concert experience.
Wrigley could have been epic...if it wasn't for the weather. It was still a really kick ass show, probably in my top 5 of the 28 I've seen though. The rain delay did take a lot out of people, but how can you blame them?
The fact that the band stuck it out and played a full (yet reduced setlist) show is amazing. I am very thankful they did that for the fans. No one can control the weather, but I felt like the band and most of the fans controlled what they could to make it a special night.
I think there were a couple of things not so great about Wrigley:
1) Selling merch outside the venue - good in theory, terrible in practice. And I do believe that before they decided to sell to scalpers, they should have figured out a pre-sale for fans.
2) Wrigley beer selection - hahaha, I know not the bands fault but for the love of god chicago, you have some amazing breweries in your city or very nearby, stop drinking bull piss.
I had a blast. Had they cancelled and rescheduled, I doubt I would be able to make it. I think what they did was one of the biggest favors they could for their fans in that situation. Not going to work out for everyone, but I think it worked best for the most.
Oh, and Lowlight, Hold, On, Mother, Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, 3 new Pearl Jam songs including 2 premiers, Ernie Banks, and BUGS!?!?!?! That is killer. Sure, would I have switched out some songs (Get rid of Leatherman and black and instead fit in Otherside and Alive)? Yes I would have...but I'm certain Black made someone else's night.
I'm just thankful that they thought enough about the traveling fans to stick it out and deliver. Now, as for Merch - they need to hire an actual business manager to take care of that shit, it was pathetic.
I have been to many shows over the years and this was by far one of the toughest tickets ever. Pretty surprising too since it's a stadium gig with 35,000+ tickets in circulation. I got shut out in the 10C presale and didn't bother with the public onsale. I live in the city but a friend was flying in from Detroit so we definitely had pressure to get in the door. We arrived at Wrigley at 6pm with no tickets and started walking around and were stunned by the prices scalpers were commanding. Hundreds for upper deck and thousands for the field. After making a loop around the stadium we notice that there are two box office windows located all the way at the end that say "closed" but there are about 20 or so people in each line. We split up and one of us gets in each of the the two lines. At this point it's about 7:30 and at least half of the people in line were scalpers. We're told that they have been releasing a pair of tickets every once in a while but not very many. By 8:15 a lot of people had given up and my friend is in the front of the line but we see the box office staff counting out their money and our hope is dwindling. Then we hear from someone in line who works for Chicago PD and knows box office staff that more tickets will be released at 8:30. We decide to hang around for a few more minutes --- by this point the band is coming onstage and we clearly hear "Release" being played and my heart just sinks assuming we aren't getting in to the show. Then suddenly at 8:35 the ticket seller comes back to the window with his money drawer where my friend is first in line and goes "you need 2 tickets, that will be $160." I start going nuts jumping up and down, and as we are running towards the gate to go into the show my friend says we got "Field M, 11 rows behind the GA pit". Needless to say this was an emotional roller coaster but it all worked out in the end. The point here people is that when it comes to tickets, you NEVER give up. Even if the band is onstage, you don't give up!
I was also in that line a few back from you. It was frustrating that scalpers were also still in that line. Haven't they gotten enough? F them. There were also a lot of us fans hoping for a miracle last minute ticket release. Then when you got tickets in the front of the line, it got my hopes up. But at about 9:15, they said no more tickets would be released so I left. Just seemed like all day I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not meant to be I guess.
Drove from Birmingham, AL. AC died on the way up. Long hot day. The show was awesome I was in 424 as were several others. The rain didn't get us too bad. I really enjoyed my time and met some cool people around me in my section. Reading these comments, I could predict just about all of them. I think being fans of the best band in the world (my opinion) has many people spoiled. They want 10c tix in front row every time and want only their songs played. I think the whining is funny actually. Having said that, 99% of bands would not have done this, you can really feel the love between the band and us.
Jerry
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
i traveled 30 miles for this show......glad it wasn't 31.
Don't post too much, but just want to say this is one of the most, if not the most, memorable time I've had at my 30+ PJ shows.
Started with getting there at 9:00 am to start lining up. Got on some "list" that made standing in line so much easier. I was a little weary it wouldn't work, but actually it was pretty awesome. Saved a lot of headaches and anxiety. Plus, we ended up lining up and waiting next to some incredible people that we enjoyed the whole show with. The "mid-40s" part of the line was so fun, everybody was looking out for each other, anytime somebody would run for water or food they'd bring a bunch back for everyone to share. Especially thanks to Chris for Denver for bringing his Northwestern tent to save us from the sun.
Once we got into Wrigley, a bunch of the group ended up together in front of Stone. Plus we picked up a few friends from Alaska. We all hung out together during the rain delay and ended up, thanks to Bob, somehow, amazingly in the exact same spot. It was so cool being able to rock out the rest of the night with these guys. Ended up with a tambourine and shaking Eddie's hand a couple times. So glad I wore running clothes, I was drenched with sweat and completely exhausted by the end of the night. I was in the Wrigley area for 19 hours! Somebody said earlier had said that the mind was wanting to rock all night but the body wouldn't let it. I think that was happening with me. I was (and still am) so sore and drained.
As for the show itself, what more can be said, it was amazing. Never in a million years did I think we'd see an almost full set after the rain delay. I don't think any band ever has had such devoted fans and had such a devotion to them. I really liked the little speech during the end of "Faithful" as it really helped explained everything. Mother and Crown of Thorns were absolutely amazing. So cool seeing Ernie Banks and his sign along. The whole Dennis Rodman thing is old and was stupid (probably the only thing I'd complain about). So many awesome memories...
I guess a Pearl Jam concert is really just about the music, it's about the experience between the band and the fans. There's nothing that compares to the community. For me, this was right up there with the second day of PJ20 and the Philly shows.
Sorry, but while the opening songs were phenomenal, Ed's voice sounded like shit. Especially during Nothingman. There's a reason the band rarely plays it, and they were better off not playing it here.
To open after the rain delay with All The Way was very weak, as was Ed's flippant, care-free attitude/mention of the rain delay when the band returned at midnight. All The Way could have been played toward the end. Granted, it was not the band's fault at all, and we heard later he did apologize at the end of the show, but knowing the weather approaching, and then coming out an hour late, playing 6 songs or so, and then nobody from Wrigley or band camp giving the crowd an update through 2 hours and 30 minutes of delay after Ed told the crowd 30 minutes to clear (and another 30 minutes to wait) was horseshit.
Highlights of half the show (we left early): Release as the opener, Present Tense, All Night, Mind Your Manners and Lightning Bolt combo. ... the band sounded mediocre/off for a lot of songs. Left dissatisfied. A lot of that was the rain delay, lack of updates, and chain smokers all around us. Last quarter of that was the band not sounding as good as in the past with a mediocre setlist. A decent amount of people left cuz they figured the show would get canceled. We left cuz it was too freaking late. Outside Wrigley, 3 dudes behind us not at the show were wowed that PJ was still playing. "Dude, bands just don't do that, man. Pearl Jam's playing at 1 a.m." Yeah, jackwagon, cuz they decided to play after a 2 hour and 30 minute rain delay. More sensible decision would've been to reschedule to the next afternoon. ... We left during Even Flow. Apropos, if you ask me. Overplayed live song.
You realize there was another concert at Wrigley the next evening, correct? They went with the only option they had, and made the best of it. Phish didn't come out to finish their show, and Pitchfork sent everyone home early. As far as I'm concerned we still got a great show under the circumstances....and had you even stayed the whole time you may not be so sour on it.
From this experience, I now get it. I so completely get it. There's not one moment I regret experiencing (well maybe the part where 2 thugs tried to run me down to rob me at 6am as I walked to the Addison train station) but other than that, every moment waiting was worth what I got in return and then some. The only thing I'd change was where I sat. My seat was great, my section kinda pissy, I just wanted to be around other fans who were as much into/emotional about the show as I was. That is the only thing I missed. But it didn't tarnish my show experience at all. The guys brought it and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it.
Sorry, but while the opening songs were phenomenal, Ed's voice sounded like shit. Especially during Nothingman. There's a reason the band rarely plays it, and they were better off not playing it here.
To open after the rain delay with All The Way was very weak, as was Ed's flippant, care-free attitude/mention of the rain delay when the band returned at midnight. All The Way could have been played toward the end. Granted, it was not the band's fault at all, and we heard later he did apologize at the end of the show, but knowing the weather approaching, and then coming out an hour late, playing 6 songs or so, and then nobody from Wrigley or band camp giving the crowd an update through 2 hours and 30 minutes of delay after Ed told the crowd 30 minutes to clear (and another 30 minutes to wait) was horseshit.
Highlights of half the show (we left early): Release as the opener, Present Tense, All Night, Mind Your Manners and Lightning Bolt combo. ... the band sounded mediocre/off for a lot of songs. Left dissatisfied. A lot of that was the rain delay, lack of updates, and chain smokers all around us. Last quarter of that was the band not sounding as good as in the past with a mediocre setlist. A decent amount of people left cuz they figured the show would get canceled. We left cuz it was too freaking late. Outside Wrigley, 3 dudes behind us not at the show were wowed that PJ was still playing. "Dude, bands just don't do that, man. Pearl Jam's playing at 1 a.m." Yeah, jackwagon, cuz they decided to play after a 2 hour and 30 minute rain delay. More sensible decision would've been to reschedule to the next afternoon. ... We left during Even Flow. Apropos, if you ask me. Overplayed live song.
You realize there was another concert at Wrigley the next evening, correct? They went with the only option they had, and made the best of it. Phish didn't come out to finish their show, and Pitchfork sent everyone home early. As far as I'm concerned we still got a great show under the circumstances....and had you even stayed the whole time you may not be so sour on it.
I think it's an error to claim the band started "an hour late," as well--it's ultra-rare for any act with no opener to start at the time on the ticket. Springsteen is typically a half-hour later than his printed start time, and when I took my wife to see Bon Jovi earlier this year, they actually had a 30-minute countdown clock on their big screens that started counting at the 7:30 time from the ticket.
And there's a valid, safety-based reason for this: not everyone at the show is as studied on the details of the event as we on the forums are. Not everyone knows that "An Evening With Pearl Jam" definitely means no opener. Not everyone (especially out-of-towners) can predict their commute time to the stadium on a Friday night. For a number of reasons, tons of people still wouldn't be in their seats right at 7:30. If you had thousands of people still in those narrow, crowded concourses at 7:30, with only a couple of access points to field tickets and narrow tunnels to the seating sections, and you started playing "Release?" You could have had a very ugly stampede on your hands. (The incident at the Who concert in Cincinnati in 1979, where there were eleven deaths? Partly a result of the band being late to do their soundcheck, and when fans heard music coming from the building, they thought they were missing the show, so they started pushing to get in, with most of the doors still being closed.)
I expected they'd start around 8:00, not closer to 8:30, but it's still more advisable to have people in their seats thinking "Any minute now...come on, band...why so late?" than to have tons of people racing to their seats because they weren't ready for the music. There could be any number of reasons it was as late as it was--equipment problems, watching the weather to be sure it wasn't hitting sooner rather than later, or monitoring how much of the crowd had moved from the concourse to the seats--but I'm willing to bet it was somewhat safety-related.
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F Me In The Brain
this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,667
Great show, glad to have made the trip and been part of it. Was stunned at how many people I ran into on Saturday or Sunday who said they left early. (And these were people at the hotel who obviously traveled in for it!)
Weather was pretty brutal but I would do it again tomorrow and love it.
One of the single most unique PJ concerts of all time. This was a milestone event for many reasons. First, it tested the audience - are you a glass half full person or glass half empty person? Second, it was a milestone show in the sense that it took the rarities side of PJ to a stadium level. I get the sense that the rest of the world has finally caught up to what we all knew for so long. That PJ can pack a stadium like that and play what they played brings them to a new and cool phase of their career. Third, it was the introduction to Lightning Bolt (literally and figuratively). This wasn't some nostalgia show, by busting out some rarities and unveiling new tracks, they made this show a true event, sort of marking the occasion as almost an album launching point. Fourth, the whole event speaks MULTITUDES about the audience. I'll get to the gripers in a second, but no band has this devotion. This show wasn't supposed to happen. I feel like if the crowd even half left (like almost any other acts' fans would), it would have been much easier to make the decision to call the whole thing off during the rain delay. I'm reading online that there was alot of real time consultation between the Cubs and city council or neighborhood council or whatnot. If the stadium was only sparsely full around midnight, I think it would have been pretty easy to just say "let's call it a night". In fact, they specicially said they didn't want to let out 40,000 frustrated fans out on the street. They saw a packed stadium and a fanbase that would not budge and they proceeded, against all odds.
Before I get to the actual show, let me state again, the fact that this show even happened after the rain delay was a FREAK OF NATURE and a true illustration of what this band and it's fans have accomplished. EV said it best, the fans take it to a whole nother level.
Now, that said, anyone griping really needs to re-evaluate their outlook on things. Instead of NO SHOW, we got 3 hours. The entire night was so unpredictable, but also a very accurate depiction of the life story of this band and it's fans. Not only that, we got the most unique evening ever. An evening that tested us, and took us to a new place. We expect that of any PJ show, but this one took us somewhere else. This fact alone make a top notch and historic show. It can never be replicated. At the end of the day, that is what we crave. There's always some song we could want them to play. What we want is to be taken somewhere. We got that in a way that can never be duplicated.
This band is built off of recovering from death (Andy Wood) and finding a way out. A true anti-rock story. Most of the band's music and larger themes of their albums, and hell, defining trait is perservering through insurmountable odds. The band encapsulates the whole idea that, just when you think it's over, it's not, you survive, you perservere, and you come away better for it (I'm still Alive). Sure, you have a right to gripe, but you are missing the point of it all, and maybe this band is not for you at this point. Me personally, I'd love to see some new blood replace the cranky, entitled faction (a minority) of the fanbase.
First world problems people, first world problems. Some people remind me of that SNL skit where they complain about their iphones having an annoying tint, when they overlook the fact that they have a phone that DOES EVERYTHING. Louis CK, google him if you're not familiar.
On to the show:
- The first 45 min set was the right move, you don't want to rile up the crowd with a bunch of fast rockers and then send them to a rain delay. Once they went into NOthingman, it was 'oh this is going to be a different sort of night'. Ed's voice was on point and he was emoting really well and you could tell this meant so much to him. My personal highlight of that portion was Hold On, just took me to another place. "Life could be different if I held on" (a great metaphor for the show itself).
Rain Delay - I was at Lollapalooza last year, and was really angry when they evacuated befor there was any rain. Man, I was griping, but then I saw the rain and knew they made the right call. Here, the rain was strong, but the lightning was scary. We don't want any more concerts accidents. As the delay wore on, there was a big sense of "will this happen", people were antsy, but staying positive. Then, when the rain stopped, people got very optimistic. Then, while everyone was lined up, there was a sense of anticipation and "yes this is gonna happen!". Then, the doozy, it rained again. This really emotionally crushed the crowd I thought. At this opint, we KNEW this was pretty much over. We just wanted official word. I felt horrible for people that traveled many miles and jumped on planes and spent a huge amount of time and effort for this. Just really deflating. As 11:30 passed, everyone was ready getting ready to throw in the towel. When they finally started unpacking the stage and letting the crowd back into the seats there was an overwhelming sense of joy. Then, the question became, how long will they play? We'll only get 30-45 minutes, tops. They can't possibly play much longer than that. What's gonna happen. How will this night turn out?
All the Way - Ernie Banks coming out, and the song and the occasion was beautiful. Then, when they went into "All Night" (everyone please tell me you got the point of why they played this) after saying they'll play til 2, I felt a sense of: everything is gravy, this night is perfect. And it was, other highlights:
- Corduroy - a simple extension of the bridge and slowing it down and building it back up comlpetely revitalized it for me. A signature song became something closer to a setlist closer. Best version I've ever hear, I hope they always do this.
- Lightning Bolt - very cool, lots of dynamics, Backspcaer like hooks and Ed arpeggios. Looking forward to discovering it more (save the grandiose analysis, it's too early for all of that).
- BUGS!
- Nice focus on Yield cuts
- Future Days - when you have a strong melody and Ed doing his deep register, the audience is steamrolled. That's all I can say. This definitely made an impact on the crowd. (Again, let's save the deep analysis for much much later).
- Mother - again, Ed in his deep register always levels a crowd.
- Chloe Dance/CoT - Stunning version
- The simple fact that the stadium was packed through the end. It was an amazing sight. 2 am and a full stadium, rocking out. Tired, but rocking out. Kudos to everyone, a true team effort. The whiners, although loud, are a minority, although I do feel sorry for them because of such a poor attitude (first world problems, people).
How I even got into the show is a whole other story. But that only added to the event that it was for me. A truly one of a kind evening.
This was an awesome show. Even with the delay. My twin sister and I met so many amazing people in the merch lines and all over the city of Chicago that were PJ fans. We really are blessed to have gotten into the building for this epic show. My highlights were Release, Comeback ( My husband and I had lost a good friend this year and when Ed told the crowd it was for Andy and his wife Sarah whom had passed away, I couldn't control my tears. I will always love that song and what it means), Rearview Mirror, All the Way, Bugs, Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, Future Days, and of course Black. This show was really special and my sister and I were glad we were there.
As for the Rain delay. It worried me a bit. The amount of people inside Wrigley were at times difficult to deal with. On top of drunks from Wrigleyville from before the show, they now had 2 1/2 hours to get more drunk. I saw people throwing up in the toilets and people whom could barely stand up. In an emergency, those folks would have been screwed. There seemed like no crowd control inside the venue, off the field. At one point my sister and I were being squeezed between two sets of crowds, it was difficult to breathe and all it would have taken was a few security folks to yell back up. It was loud and there was no information as to when or if the storm had passed. I understand that the ball park is very old and they will be doing renovations (hopefully) so I have a few suggestions. First get amber lights that warn a very loud crowd that important information will be coming over the loud speaker. Usually they go off and then people understand to shut up. 2nd get a PA system that works inside and outside and broadcast info so people aren't left to wonder. I had my phone with weather radar but signals inside the ball park were very difficult to find.
Third Cut off totally wasted people. Finally respect medical personnel I personally watch a medical team be unable to get out onto the field because of people blocking staircases. Pearl Jam has nothing to do with the above paragraph, I am really trying to address the Wrigley folks here.
All in all a fun weekend. I didn't like the heat but what can you do about that. I will have perma-smile for months.
Roy Wilkins Arena St.Paul MN Nov 30 1991
Summerfest Milwaukee, WI- Jul 08, 1995,
San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, CA - Nov 06, 1995,
Savage Hall Toledo OH- Sep 22, 1996,
Target Center Mpls, MN - Jun 30, 1998,
Lakewood Amphitheatre ATL, GA - Sep 01, 1998,
Alpine Valley Music Theatre WI - Oct 08, 2000,
Xcel Energy Center St.Paul MN - Jun 16, 2003,
Xcel Energy Center St. Paul MN- Jun 26, 2006,
Xcel Energy Center St. Paul MN - Jun 27, 2006,
E.V. Orpheum Theater MPLS, MN - July 2, 2011,
MTS Center Winnipeg, ON Sept 17th 2011,
Adams Center Missoula,MT September 30th 2012,
Wrigley Field Chicago, IL July 10,2013
iWireless Center Moline,IL October 17 2014,
Xcel Energy Center St.Paul, MN, October 19 2014,
American Airlines Arena Miami, FL April 09 2016
Bon Secours Center Greenville, SC April 16 2016
Canadian Tire Center Ottawa, ON Canada May 8 2016
There was a rain delay? I hadn't noticed [will shrug]
i know some poeple think i may be joking... but hte rain delay was a blast. from the people pissing on the ivy, to sitting and talking with random people on some chairs we snagged from teh chair cart, to chilling with all the wet people in concourse to the right of the stage. that was fun. the show it self...it was ok...but like i have said before, i am pj'd out. don't know how people go to 100 shows. i just don't.
and chole dancer was the biggest turd ever. yeah..i said it.
One of the single most unique PJ concerts of all time. This was a milestone event for many reasons. First, it tested the audience - are you a glass half full person or glass half empty person? Second, it was a milestone show in the sense that it took the rarities side of PJ to a stadium level. I get the sense that the rest of the world has finally caught up to what we all knew for so long. That PJ can pack a stadium like that and play what they played brings them to a new and cool phase of their career. Third, it was the introduction to Lightning Bolt (literally and figuratively). This wasn't some nostalgia show, by busting out some rarities and unveiling new tracks, they made this show a true event, sort of marking the occasion as almost an album launching point. Fourth, the whole event speaks MULTITUDES about the audience. I'll get to the gripers in a second, but no band has this devotion. This show wasn't supposed to happen. I feel like if the crowd even half left (like almost any other acts' fans would), it would have been much easier to make the decision to call the whole thing off during the rain delay. I'm reading online that there was alot of real time consultation between the Cubs and city council or neighborhood council or whatnot. If the stadium was only sparsely full around midnight, I think it would have been pretty easy to just say "let's call it a night". In fact, they specicially said they didn't want to let out 40,000 frustrated fans out on the street. They saw a packed stadium and a fanbase that would not budge and they proceeded, against all odds.
Before I get to the actual show, let me state again, the fact that this show even happened after the rain delay was a FREAK OF NATURE and a true illustration of what this band and it's fans have accomplished. EV said it best, the fans take it to a whole nother level.
Now, that said, anyone griping really needs to re-evaluate their outlook on things. Instead of NO SHOW, we got 3 hours. The entire night was so unpredictable, but also a very accurate depiction of the life story of this band and it's fans. Not only that, we got the most unique evening ever. An evening that tested us, and took us to a new place. We expect that of any PJ show, but this one took us somewhere else. This fact alone make a top notch and historic show. It can never be replicated. At the end of the day, that is what we crave. There's always some song we could want them to play. What we want is to be taken somewhere. We got that in a way that can never be duplicated.
This band is built off of recovering from death (Andy Wood) and finding a way out. A true anti-rock story. Most of the band's music and larger themes of their albums, and hell, defining trait is perservering through insurmountable odds. The band encapsulates the whole idea that, just when you think it's over, it's not, you survive, you perservere, and you come away better for it (I'm still Alive). Sure, you have a right to gripe, but you are missing the point of it all, and maybe this band is not for you at this point. Me personally, I'd love to see some new blood replace the cranky, entitled faction (a minority) of the fanbase.
First world problems people, first world problems. Some people remind me of that SNL skit where they complain about their iphones having an annoying tint, when they overlook the fact that they have a phone that DOES EVERYTHING. Louis CK, google him if you're not familiar.
On to the show:
- The first 45 min set was the right move, you don't want to rile up the crowd with a bunch of fast rockers and then send them to a rain delay. Once they went into NOthingman, it was 'oh this is going to be a different sort of night'. Ed's voice was on point and he was emoting really well and you could tell this meant so much to him. My personal highlight of that portion was Hold On, just took me to another place. "Life could be different if I held on" (a great metaphor for the show itself).
Rain Delay - I was at Lollapalooza last year, and was really angry when they evacuated befor there was any rain. Man, I was griping, but then I saw the rain and knew they made the right call. Here, the rain was strong, but the lightning was scary. We don't want any more concerts accidents. As the delay wore on, there was a big sense of "will this happen", people were antsy, but staying positive. Then, when the rain stopped, people got very optimistic. Then, while everyone was lined up, there was a sense of anticipation and "yes this is gonna happen!". Then, the doozy, it rained again. This really emotionally crushed the crowd I thought. At this opint, we KNEW this was pretty much over. We just wanted official word. I felt horrible for people that traveled many miles and jumped on planes and spent a huge amount of time and effort for this. Just really deflating. As 11:30 passed, everyone was ready getting ready to throw in the towel. When they finally started unpacking the stage and letting the crowd back into the seats there was an overwhelming sense of joy. Then, the question became, how long will they play? We'll only get 30-45 minutes, tops. They can't possibly play much longer than that. What's gonna happen. How will this night turn out?
All the Way - Ernie Banks coming out, and the song and the occasion was beautiful. Then, when they went into "All Night" (everyone please tell me you got the point of why they played this) after saying they'll play til 2, I felt a sense of: everything is gravy, this night is perfect. And it was, other highlights:
- Corduroy - a simple extension of the bridge and slowing it down and building it back up comlpetely revitalized it for me. A signature song became something closer to a setlist closer. Best version I've ever hear, I hope they always do this.
- Lightning Bolt - very cool, lots of dynamics, Backspcaer like hooks and Ed arpeggios. Looking forward to discovering it more (save the grandiose analysis, it's too early for all of that).
- BUGS!
- Nice focus on Yield cuts
- Future Days - when you have a strong melody and Ed doing his deep register, the audience is steamrolled. That's all I can say. This definitely made an impact on the crowd. (Again, let's save the deep analysis for much much later).
- Mother - again, Ed in his deep register always levels a crowd.
- Chloe Dance/CoT - Stunning version
- The simple fact that the stadium was packed through the end. It was an amazing sight. 2 am and a full stadium, rocking out. Tired, but rocking out. Kudos to everyone, a true team effort. The whiners, although loud, are a minority, although I do feel sorry for them because of such a poor attitude (first world problems, people).
How I even got into the show is a whole other story. But that only added to the event that it was for me. A truly one of a kind evening.
Could not have put it any better. All I have to say is you can count on one finger the number of bands today that would have stayed around all night to finish that show. That is why we continue to be the faithful. You might not like a venue, or a set list, or the sound at a specific show, but every time you go see PJ you always get 100% effort from the guys. That was my 33rd show and it one that will never be forgotten. How many people can say they were at the PJ show that lasted for 6 hours? Even the rain delay was cool, got to walk around a bit and meet some new people. Like I told my wife, how was the delay any different than going out to a bar at night. Lots of cool people hanging out, bar was open, food was available and everyone there likes your favorite band. How can that be bad????
Haters can hate but that was special.......
Wrigley was my seventh show and the third time I have gotten Release as an opener. I do feel it is the best of traditional Pearl Jam openers. The singalong fires up the crowd and gives me chills every time.
Member # 146k ended up with section M row 2. Had a few duds around us, in fact, at times I felt like I was out of place dancing. Couldn't have been happier about the seats.
I'll skip to the delay. We shuffled out and hung out inside the stadium, but not under anything. Think right center field where the Gate was on that side. Some dude was hiding IN the ivy from the rain. That was awesome. I think there was a "Dawson"? joke, but I didn't get it.
We spent our time not squished as people were easily dancing in the rain. It was pretty open and the workers let me dunk my water bottle in the ice tanks to get water. Probably not the safest but it worked.
Anyways, the workers were fantastic in my experience. I spoke to quite a few of them and they were either very nice and/or informative. After 2 hours, my wife and I had to eat. I had seen people leaving the venue and thought, can we come back?? I asked 3 different workers if I left could I come back. They all said yes, so I ran to subway. SOOO GOOD.
I got back to my wife sharing 7/11 beers with some people. Don't sneak in Corona's, sneak in what is being sold fools! I then spoke to a few more workers and they all said "in their experience, this thing is over". I felt like agreeing but there's no way they come out for 30-45 mins then say good night. No way!
We were back in our seats quickly as soon as the crew started uncovering the stage gear. The walkway between GA and seats was packed but security cleared that out quickly. I didn't see anyone hop a fence into GA and didn't see any issues with people sneaking anywhere.
From my perspective, 100% kudos to the band, their crew and the Wrigley crew/workers. They got home to their families just as late as us. I'm not sure this event could have gone any smoother, considering the circumstances. Again, my perspective. (I refuse to discuss the merchandise lines in hopes 10C does it right and sells some items online!!!)
Comments
Totally agree about GA. I was all about it in there and it was the most dead of the PJ shows I've been to. I loved the band, but the energy from the fans wasn't what I thought it would be. Yes, I realize it was late. But its a damn rock concert, wake up. Did anyone notice the surge forward in GA when Ed went into the crowd? We moved like 20 feet forward and it still wasn't that packed in there. I keep wondering what the hell was going on before that. I hope that's not the norm. I want some damn energy whether I'm in the pit or not. Definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, I felt bad for the band.[/quote]
In the end, your words most closely matches my sentiments over the too-soon-after-the-show rant I posted earlier. Pistol, if you find post-delay GA crowd pics, there's a lot of emptiness in the pit. It's sad to look at. For me, the crowd response to a badly performed Do The Evolution - a double-whammy deflator where both the band and the crowd sucked ass during this rendition, when the opposite typically would occur - was hugely deflating, and the flat effort of Even Flow unfairly put me over the edge because it was at that moment when I was so overcome by cigarette smoke that I felt very nauseous. We left mid-song. Sadly, the crowd of mostly 35-plus-year-olds was too dazed, dehydrated and tired to find a second wind at midnight in spite of the band's stellar setlist offering (sound quality offering on the night will be debated ad nauseum for or against for years; the hotly rumored reason for why the band didn't release PJ20 boots out of embarrassment of its own performances that weekend are credible indeed).
1998: East Troy2; East Lansing
2000: Noblesville; Auburn Hills; Chicago
2003: East Troy; Clarkston1
2004: Toledo; Grand Rapids
2006: Grand Rapids; Auburn Hills
2009: Chicago
2010: Columbus
2011: East Troy (PJ20), both
2013: Wrigley Field
2014: Detroit
1998: East Troy2; East Lansing
2000: Noblesville; Auburn Hills; Chicago
2003: East Troy; Clarkston1
2004: Toledo; Grand Rapids
2006: Grand Rapids; Auburn Hills
2009: Chicago
2010: Columbus
2011: East Troy (PJ20), both
2013: Wrigley Field
2014: Detroit
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Nuff said.
EV - Canberra 15 Mar 2011 - Sydney 18 Mar 2011 - Perth 7 & 8 Feb 2014 - Sydney 11,12 & 13 Feb 2014 - Melbourne 19 Feb 2014 - Brisbane 22, 23 & 25 Feb 2014 - London 6 Jun 2017 - Dublin 9 Jun 2017 - Seattle 21 Feb 2022
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
In the end, your words most closely matches my sentiments over the too-soon-after-the-show rant I posted earlier. Pistol, if you find post-delay GA crowd pics, there's a lot of emptiness in the pit. It's sad to look at. For me, the crowd response to a badly performed Do The Evolution - a double-whammy deflator where both the band and the crowd sucked ass during this rendition, when the opposite typically would occur - was hugely deflating, and the flat effort of Even Flow unfairly put me over the edge because it was at that moment when I was so overcome by cigarette smoke that I felt very nauseous. We left mid-song. Sadly, the crowd of mostly 35-plus-year-olds was too dazed, dehydrated and tired to find a second wind at midnight in spite of the band's stellar setlist offering (sound quality offering on the night will be debated ad nauseum for or against for years; the hotly rumored reason for why the band didn't release PJ20 boots out of embarrassment of its own performances that weekend are credible indeed).[/quote]
Sweetandlow, I understand your frustration. I was one who left with the crowd after the very last song. Never in my life have I heard an exiting concert or sporting event crowd that quiet. The streets around Wrigley were lined with people and you would have thought a funeral had just ended. That goes to show you how sluggish everyone was by that point. But I wish you would have stayed for Mike's solo during Evenflow. I would rate it as one of the best I've seen or heard. You are very passionate about your music and concert experiences, I truly hope the next one is better.
Greatings from the Netherlands! :
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but if there's one thing I've learned having seen dozens of shows is that YOU create the experience you're going to walk away with and remember for the rest of your life. If you didn't love the show, or if it didn't live up to what you imagined it would be in your own mind, or if you had issues with the weather, the 2.5 hour rain delay, the people around you, etc., blame yourself. Whether you want to call the show epic or not, there is one thing that this show was and will always be no matter what experience you chose to have - UNFORGETTABLE!
I used to think I was lucky when it comes to concerts, this show made me realize that we make our own luck.
Highlights:
1. Release, Nothingman, Present Tense to open!?!?!?! Eddie could have spent the rest of the night yodeling after that trifecta and I would have gone home a happy man!
2. While waiting on field for the majority of the masses to exit for the rain delay, Kyle, the awesome dude working section P of the field pointed out Tom Ricketts (owner of the Cubs) behind us shaking hands and taking photos with fans. I went over and asked him if he was going to let PJ go beyond curfew. His words, "I'll let them play till dawn if they want!" He was the nicest guy! No ego at all. Happened to see him after the show. Went up and thanked him for being a man of his word (in that he let PJ play till 2). Still kinda amazed that he was sitting like five rows back in section P. The guy could have sat anywhere!
3. When exiting the field for the rain, I went over to section 31 to look for some friends. I ended up sitting right above the visitor's bullpen for the entirety of the rain delay. After all that heat and humidity, getting soaked in the rain was a blessing. Not to mention, it was fun! Not quite like Woodstock '94, but awesome!
4. The cheers from the crowd when it finally started raining - Priceless!
5. The cheers from the crowd when it finally stopped raining - Priceless!
6. Oh, while standing on line for merchandise for 2.5 hours on Thursday was absolutely ridiculous, I gotta say, it was worth every second! I met some great fans/people. Shared cool stories. The only reason I ended up enduring the heat and wait is because of the people. Will I ever experience that in my life time again? Doubt it! I didn't have a single thing to eat until 5:30pm that day. It was crazy. But worth it. Also, the boos and cheers each time they sold out of posters and got a restock, was great. Luckily they got a restock of 100 Cracker Jack posters when we got to the front of the line. (I will say to the friends I made that if you're gonna dip tobacco while in line, don't keep spitting onto the cement right around everyone's feet. Get a cup!)
7. I was confused by many folks in the pit. A lot of them were reserved. Not all. But a lot. Maybe they were exhausted? Maybe they've gotten too old? I was about 4 people deep from Eddie center stage and other than the two guys next to me who really remembered how to let loose like in the early years, there wasn't too much action. At times I felt guilty for jumping up and down and really getting into the music. That's what the pits all about, isn't it? Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm not.
8. Did anyone happen to notice the MOON during Unthought Known going in and out of the clouds? I know Eddie did. It was pretty spectacular!
9. Eddie's attempt at crowd surfing... I was literally the guy directly under his back, holding him up. For whatever reason, we failed in trying to pass him back. I'm not sure if he wanted us to or not. But he didn't go anywhere. At the end of the day, I just thought of it as old man crowd surfing. Where you don't move. Ha!
10. On Dennis Rodman. He showed up and was noticed by many in the pit once Eddie started the vocals for Future Days. Most people in the vicinity turned their attention towards Rodman. There was noise. Camera's started flashing. It was totally distracting. Eddie even glanced over to see what was happening. He saw Rodman and by the look on his face, he was definitely pissed.
11. BUGS was the greatest surprise of the evening and I loved every second of it!!!
12. Anyone know what the number 37 means on the necklace Eddie wears?
13. You still with me? Here's a clip from Porch when Eddie came to hold our hands at the edge of GA. VIDEO PROOF that GA was sometimes giving it everything they had as well as Eddie and the band. And this was at about 1:45am!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k7iWAGNrNM
Final thoughts: Who else will ever be able to say, in today's day and age, that they witnessed a PJ concert (or any concert on that level) at Wrigley field, that endured a 2.5 hour rain delay and went on until two o'clock in the morning!?! We can! Shit like this DOESN'T HAPPEN anymore. Be grateful that you were there to witness it! Be thankful! This is one to tell the Grandkids, cause I guarantee, you'll never forget it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Pearl Jam!!!
Highlights of the show for me, Come Back tribute to Hoosiers wife, just a beautiful tribute and another thing that defines how awesome this band is. As a Cubs fan hearing all the way with ed in a cubs jersey and then having Ernie Banks, MR CUB come out was amazing. My fiance shot a video of one of my best friend and I through the whole song just belting it out and having the time of our lives. I don't think I've rocked out harder to PJ songs at a show than I did to All Night/DTE, so much energy in those songs after the delay. Mother, CD/COT, AMAZING! Thanks again PJ for a night I will never EVER forget. Luckily we were able to catch a cab somehow after the show. Some of our group ended up having to walk 4 miles back to where we were staying. Not sure how they made it, cause I was spent after the show. It was all left on the field for me.
I can now say I've survived the coldest show in PJ history (OCT 00 Ice Bowl) and the longest rain delay (Wrigley 13)!!
Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, Grand Rapids 5/19/06
Milwaukee 6/29/06, Milwaukee 6/30/06, Lollapalooza 8/5/07
Eddie Solo Milwaukee 8/19/08, Toronto 8/21/09, Chicago 8/23/09
Chicago 8/24/09, Indianapolis 5/7/10, Ed Chicago 6/29/11, Alpine Valley 9/3/11 and 9/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Moline 10/18/14, Milwaukee 10/20/14
Wrigley could have been epic...if it wasn't for the weather. It was still a really kick ass show, probably in my top 5 of the 28 I've seen though. The rain delay did take a lot out of people, but how can you blame them?
The fact that the band stuck it out and played a full (yet reduced setlist) show is amazing. I am very thankful they did that for the fans. No one can control the weather, but I felt like the band and most of the fans controlled what they could to make it a special night.
I think there were a couple of things not so great about Wrigley:
1) Selling merch outside the venue - good in theory, terrible in practice. And I do believe that before they decided to sell to scalpers, they should have figured out a pre-sale for fans.
2) Wrigley beer selection - hahaha, I know not the bands fault but for the love of god chicago, you have some amazing breweries in your city or very nearby, stop drinking bull piss.
I had a blast. Had they cancelled and rescheduled, I doubt I would be able to make it. I think what they did was one of the biggest favors they could for their fans in that situation. Not going to work out for everyone, but I think it worked best for the most.
Oh, and Lowlight, Hold, On, Mother, Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, 3 new Pearl Jam songs including 2 premiers, Ernie Banks, and BUGS!?!?!?! That is killer. Sure, would I have switched out some songs (Get rid of Leatherman and black and instead fit in Otherside and Alive)? Yes I would have...but I'm certain Black made someone else's night.
I'm just thankful that they thought enough about the traveling fans to stick it out and deliver. Now, as for Merch - they need to hire an actual business manager to take care of that shit, it was pathetic.
Jerry
Started with getting there at 9:00 am to start lining up. Got on some "list" that made standing in line so much easier. I was a little weary it wouldn't work, but actually it was pretty awesome. Saved a lot of headaches and anxiety. Plus, we ended up lining up and waiting next to some incredible people that we enjoyed the whole show with. The "mid-40s" part of the line was so fun, everybody was looking out for each other, anytime somebody would run for water or food they'd bring a bunch back for everyone to share. Especially thanks to Chris for Denver for bringing his Northwestern tent to save us from the sun.
Once we got into Wrigley, a bunch of the group ended up together in front of Stone. Plus we picked up a few friends from Alaska. We all hung out together during the rain delay and ended up, thanks to Bob, somehow, amazingly in the exact same spot. It was so cool being able to rock out the rest of the night with these guys. Ended up with a tambourine and shaking Eddie's hand a couple times. So glad I wore running clothes, I was drenched with sweat and completely exhausted by the end of the night. I was in the Wrigley area for 19 hours! Somebody said earlier had said that the mind was wanting to rock all night but the body wouldn't let it. I think that was happening with me. I was (and still am) so sore and drained.
As for the show itself, what more can be said, it was amazing. Never in a million years did I think we'd see an almost full set after the rain delay. I don't think any band ever has had such devoted fans and had such a devotion to them. I really liked the little speech during the end of "Faithful" as it really helped explained everything. Mother and Crown of Thorns were absolutely amazing. So cool seeing Ernie Banks and his sign along. The whole Dennis Rodman thing is old and was stupid (probably the only thing I'd complain about). So many awesome memories...
I guess a Pearl Jam concert is really just about the music, it's about the experience between the band and the fans. There's nothing that compares to the community. For me, this was right up there with the second day of PJ20 and the Philly shows.
You realize there was another concert at Wrigley the next evening, correct? They went with the only option they had, and made the best of it. Phish didn't come out to finish their show, and Pitchfork sent everyone home early. As far as I'm concerned we still got a great show under the circumstances....and had you even stayed the whole time you may not be so sour on it.
'00: 8/23 8/24 8/25
'03: 4/30 7/2 7/3 7/8 7/9 7/11
'04: 10/1
'06: 5/13 5/27 5/28 6/1 6/3
'08: 6/24 6/25 6/27 6/28 7/1
'09: 10/30 10/31
'10: 5/15 5/18 5/20 5/21 6/25
'11: 9/3 9/4
'12: 9/2 9/22
'13: 7/19 10/18 10/19 10/21 10/22 11/23 11/24
'14: 10/19
'15: 9/26
'16: 4/8 4/9 4/11 4/28 4/29 5/1 5/2 8/5 8/7
'17: RNRHOF 4/17
'18: 9/2 9/4
'21: 9/18
2013 Wrigley
2013 Dallas
2013 Oklahoma City
2013 Seattle
How I choose to feel is how I am.
There's just one word I still believe...and it's LOVE.
"Take care of one another..." -EV
And there's a valid, safety-based reason for this: not everyone at the show is as studied on the details of the event as we on the forums are. Not everyone knows that "An Evening With Pearl Jam" definitely means no opener. Not everyone (especially out-of-towners) can predict their commute time to the stadium on a Friday night. For a number of reasons, tons of people still wouldn't be in their seats right at 7:30. If you had thousands of people still in those narrow, crowded concourses at 7:30, with only a couple of access points to field tickets and narrow tunnels to the seating sections, and you started playing "Release?" You could have had a very ugly stampede on your hands. (The incident at the Who concert in Cincinnati in 1979, where there were eleven deaths? Partly a result of the band being late to do their soundcheck, and when fans heard music coming from the building, they thought they were missing the show, so they started pushing to get in, with most of the doors still being closed.)
I expected they'd start around 8:00, not closer to 8:30, but it's still more advisable to have people in their seats thinking "Any minute now...come on, band...why so late?" than to have tons of people racing to their seats because they weren't ready for the music. There could be any number of reasons it was as late as it was--equipment problems, watching the weather to be sure it wasn't hitting sooner rather than later, or monitoring how much of the crowd had moved from the concourse to the seats--but I'm willing to bet it was somewhat safety-related.
Weather was pretty brutal but I would do it again tomorrow and love it.
Before I get to the actual show, let me state again, the fact that this show even happened after the rain delay was a FREAK OF NATURE and a true illustration of what this band and it's fans have accomplished. EV said it best, the fans take it to a whole nother level.
Now, that said, anyone griping really needs to re-evaluate their outlook on things. Instead of NO SHOW, we got 3 hours. The entire night was so unpredictable, but also a very accurate depiction of the life story of this band and it's fans. Not only that, we got the most unique evening ever. An evening that tested us, and took us to a new place. We expect that of any PJ show, but this one took us somewhere else. This fact alone make a top notch and historic show. It can never be replicated. At the end of the day, that is what we crave. There's always some song we could want them to play. What we want is to be taken somewhere. We got that in a way that can never be duplicated.
This band is built off of recovering from death (Andy Wood) and finding a way out. A true anti-rock story. Most of the band's music and larger themes of their albums, and hell, defining trait is perservering through insurmountable odds. The band encapsulates the whole idea that, just when you think it's over, it's not, you survive, you perservere, and you come away better for it (I'm still Alive). Sure, you have a right to gripe, but you are missing the point of it all, and maybe this band is not for you at this point. Me personally, I'd love to see some new blood replace the cranky, entitled faction (a minority) of the fanbase.
First world problems people, first world problems. Some people remind me of that SNL skit where they complain about their iphones having an annoying tint, when they overlook the fact that they have a phone that DOES EVERYTHING. Louis CK, google him if you're not familiar.
On to the show:
- The first 45 min set was the right move, you don't want to rile up the crowd with a bunch of fast rockers and then send them to a rain delay. Once they went into NOthingman, it was 'oh this is going to be a different sort of night'. Ed's voice was on point and he was emoting really well and you could tell this meant so much to him. My personal highlight of that portion was Hold On, just took me to another place. "Life could be different if I held on" (a great metaphor for the show itself).
Rain Delay - I was at Lollapalooza last year, and was really angry when they evacuated befor there was any rain. Man, I was griping, but then I saw the rain and knew they made the right call. Here, the rain was strong, but the lightning was scary. We don't want any more concerts accidents. As the delay wore on, there was a big sense of "will this happen", people were antsy, but staying positive. Then, when the rain stopped, people got very optimistic. Then, while everyone was lined up, there was a sense of anticipation and "yes this is gonna happen!". Then, the doozy, it rained again. This really emotionally crushed the crowd I thought. At this opint, we KNEW this was pretty much over. We just wanted official word. I felt horrible for people that traveled many miles and jumped on planes and spent a huge amount of time and effort for this. Just really deflating. As 11:30 passed, everyone was ready getting ready to throw in the towel. When they finally started unpacking the stage and letting the crowd back into the seats there was an overwhelming sense of joy. Then, the question became, how long will they play? We'll only get 30-45 minutes, tops. They can't possibly play much longer than that. What's gonna happen. How will this night turn out?
All the Way - Ernie Banks coming out, and the song and the occasion was beautiful. Then, when they went into "All Night" (everyone please tell me you got the point of why they played this) after saying they'll play til 2, I felt a sense of: everything is gravy, this night is perfect. And it was, other highlights:
- Corduroy - a simple extension of the bridge and slowing it down and building it back up comlpetely revitalized it for me. A signature song became something closer to a setlist closer. Best version I've ever hear, I hope they always do this.
- Lightning Bolt - very cool, lots of dynamics, Backspcaer like hooks and Ed arpeggios. Looking forward to discovering it more (save the grandiose analysis, it's too early for all of that).
- BUGS!
- Nice focus on Yield cuts
- Future Days - when you have a strong melody and Ed doing his deep register, the audience is steamrolled. That's all I can say. This definitely made an impact on the crowd. (Again, let's save the deep analysis for much much later).
- Mother - again, Ed in his deep register always levels a crowd.
- Chloe Dance/CoT - Stunning version
- The simple fact that the stadium was packed through the end. It was an amazing sight. 2 am and a full stadium, rocking out. Tired, but rocking out. Kudos to everyone, a true team effort. The whiners, although loud, are a minority, although I do feel sorry for them because of such a poor attitude (first world problems, people).
How I even got into the show is a whole other story. But that only added to the event that it was for me. A truly one of a kind evening.
"I need your strength for me to be strong...I need your love to feel loved"
As for the Rain delay. It worried me a bit. The amount of people inside Wrigley were at times difficult to deal with. On top of drunks from Wrigleyville from before the show, they now had 2 1/2 hours to get more drunk. I saw people throwing up in the toilets and people whom could barely stand up. In an emergency, those folks would have been screwed. There seemed like no crowd control inside the venue, off the field. At one point my sister and I were being squeezed between two sets of crowds, it was difficult to breathe and all it would have taken was a few security folks to yell back up. It was loud and there was no information as to when or if the storm had passed. I understand that the ball park is very old and they will be doing renovations (hopefully) so I have a few suggestions. First get amber lights that warn a very loud crowd that important information will be coming over the loud speaker. Usually they go off and then people understand to shut up. 2nd get a PA system that works inside and outside and broadcast info so people aren't left to wonder. I had my phone with weather radar but signals inside the ball park were very difficult to find.
Third Cut off totally wasted people. Finally respect medical personnel I personally watch a medical team be unable to get out onto the field because of people blocking staircases. Pearl Jam has nothing to do with the above paragraph, I am really trying to address the Wrigley folks here.
All in all a fun weekend. I didn't like the heat but what can you do about that. I will have perma-smile for months.
Summerfest Milwaukee, WI- Jul 08, 1995,
San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, CA - Nov 06, 1995,
Savage Hall Toledo OH- Sep 22, 1996,
Target Center Mpls, MN - Jun 30, 1998,
Lakewood Amphitheatre ATL, GA - Sep 01, 1998,
Alpine Valley Music Theatre WI - Oct 08, 2000,
Xcel Energy Center St.Paul MN - Jun 16, 2003,
Xcel Energy Center St. Paul MN- Jun 26, 2006,
Xcel Energy Center St. Paul MN - Jun 27, 2006,
E.V. Orpheum Theater MPLS, MN - July 2, 2011,
MTS Center Winnipeg, ON Sept 17th 2011,
Adams Center Missoula,MT September 30th 2012,
Wrigley Field Chicago, IL July 10,2013
iWireless Center Moline,IL October 17 2014,
Xcel Energy Center St.Paul, MN, October 19 2014,
American Airlines Arena Miami, FL April 09 2016
Bon Secours Center Greenville, SC April 16 2016
Canadian Tire Center Ottawa, ON Canada May 8 2016
"I need your strength for me to be strong...I need your love to feel loved"
i know some poeple think i may be joking... but hte rain delay was a blast. from the people pissing on the ivy, to sitting and talking with random people on some chairs we snagged from teh chair cart, to chilling with all the wet people in concourse to the right of the stage. that was fun. the show it self...it was ok...but like i have said before, i am pj'd out. don't know how people go to 100 shows. i just don't.
and chole dancer was the biggest turd ever. yeah..i said it.
Could not have put it any better. All I have to say is you can count on one finger the number of bands today that would have stayed around all night to finish that show. That is why we continue to be the faithful. You might not like a venue, or a set list, or the sound at a specific show, but every time you go see PJ you always get 100% effort from the guys. That was my 33rd show and it one that will never be forgotten. How many people can say they were at the PJ show that lasted for 6 hours? Even the rain delay was cool, got to walk around a bit and meet some new people. Like I told my wife, how was the delay any different than going out to a bar at night. Lots of cool people hanging out, bar was open, food was available and everyone there likes your favorite band. How can that be bad????
Haters can hate but that was special.......
Ok. I challenge you. Wrigley was better.....and the metric is my opinion. I win.
*rolling my eyes*
i just wanted to say cool name with the avatar.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
I'll skip to the delay. We shuffled out and hung out inside the stadium, but not under anything. Think right center field where the Gate was on that side. Some dude was hiding IN the ivy from the rain. That was awesome. I think there was a "Dawson"? joke, but I didn't get it.
We spent our time not squished as people were easily dancing in the rain. It was pretty open and the workers let me dunk my water bottle in the ice tanks to get water. Probably not the safest but it worked.
Anyways, the workers were fantastic in my experience. I spoke to quite a few of them and they were either very nice and/or informative. After 2 hours, my wife and I had to eat. I had seen people leaving the venue and thought, can we come back?? I asked 3 different workers if I left could I come back. They all said yes, so I ran to subway. SOOO GOOD.
I got back to my wife sharing 7/11 beers with some people. Don't sneak in Corona's, sneak in what is being sold fools! I then spoke to a few more workers and they all said "in their experience, this thing is over". I felt like agreeing but there's no way they come out for 30-45 mins then say good night. No way!
We were back in our seats quickly as soon as the crew started uncovering the stage gear. The walkway between GA and seats was packed but security cleared that out quickly. I didn't see anyone hop a fence into GA and didn't see any issues with people sneaking anywhere.
From my perspective, 100% kudos to the band, their crew and the Wrigley crew/workers. They got home to their families just as late as us. I'm not sure this event could have gone any smoother, considering the circumstances. Again, my perspective. (I refuse to discuss the merchandise lines in hopes 10C does it right and sells some items online!!!)