Is Breath still _Breath_ ?

Spiritual_Chaos

From my beginning of listening to Pearl jam and starting to get into the band, I always looked at Breath as being the "holy cow" of all songs. Maybe not the "rarest" in the sense of being played the least but it was a Rare song and a Masterpiece and those two things combined seemed to excel Breath into being the "golden trophy" among all songs.

Perhaps it was partly because of hearing about the Breath-campaign in 1998 and the struggle to get it played again (later done with Leash is 05-06). But I have always looked at is as Breath being a song that at most is played once a tour/leg and that, that show sort of get a "golden star" because of haven been graced by the song. In other words, Breath was sort of above all other songs (even if, as stated, some other songs are more rare etc) and 1-2 lucky shows per year got it. And you were lucky to be at that show.

Maybe it's just me? Have someone else of you also this perception of Breath? And, presuming the above for the sake of discussion is "true", is Breath still "that" song or has some other song taken its place as the Golden trophy/holy cow?

(Edit: I would add, that "Arc" in 2003 took a similar role as Breath by making 9 shows of that tour "Golden star" shows or standouts)

(Edit: i would also say that "Release" as an opener sort of also take son a similar roll, being the number-one opener.)

dimitrispearljam

i have the same feeling,but not for Breath..

for Deep...

DiRtYyELLoWoCeAn

dimitrispearljam wrote:

i have the same feeling,but not for Breath..

for Deep...

I enjoy BOTH these songs and agree/Imagine if they played them back to back? DEEP BREATH! LMAO!!!

YLed2

Hard To Imagine could possibly be thrown in that discussion.

How sick would it be if they came out and opened an encore with Hard To Imagine, followed by Breath and then Deep?

dimitrispearljam

DiRtYyELLoWoCeAn wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

i have the same feeling,but not for Breath..

for Deep...

I enjoy BOTH these songs and agree/Imagine if they played them back to back? DEEP BREATH! LMAO!!!

hehe..thats why the other day had this debate with someone here for Alpine 1 setlist...almost happened,Deep-Help Help -Breath

not easy to find them so close at the set or back to back,

thats another reason,that the original setlist Brian made for Amsrterdam 2 was the best i ever saw in my life..
Breath-In my tree -Other side- Fatal - Hitchhiker was left out,and still is one of the best ever..

same the original set of Wrigley was unreal

dimitrispearljam

YLed2 wrote:

Hard To Imagine could possibly be thrown in that discussion.

How sick would it be if they came out and opened an encore with Hard To Imagine, followed by Breath and then Deep?

i have a 10 songs in the row start set...this could blow my mind

GO
ANIMAL
DEEP
BREATH
SOLAT
BRAIN OF J
LIFE WASTED
MIND YOUR MANNERS
LAST EXIT
ONCE

dougfloyd

I would agree with Breath but I think Crown of Thorns is at the top of that category.

PureandEasy

dimitrispearljam wrote:

i have the same feeling,but not for Breath..

for Deep...

I remember walking out of the venue at Hershey Park in total awe back in '03, going I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY PLAYED DEEP

dimitrispearljam

PureandEasy wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

i have the same feeling,but not for Breath..

for Deep...

I remember walking out of the venue at Hershey Park in total awe back in '03, going I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY PLAYED DEEP

one of the song pass alot of years to be played..95 then 03 then 09..its better the last years..11-12-13 played

2-feign-reluctance

Best non-album track they've done.

Empty Glass

I know what you are saying about Breath. I think it's still special when it's played.

Funny thing about this song, the guy I took to the Philly show in '00 when they broke it out has been to 5 shows with me. They've played Breath at all 5 of his shows :shock:

We talked after Wrigley (he didn't go)... He says "they knew I wasn't there, they didn't play Breath for you".

texasistheSTEVEN

Absolutely. One of my favourite songs that I am yet to hear live.

2-feign-reluctance

texasistheSTEVEN wrote:

Absolutely. One of my favourite songs that I am yet to hear live.

Same here - that Philly show mentioned earlier is fucking killer. I need to listen to that one today.

Hold up, maybe I did hear it. Did they play it at PJ20?

EDIT - Yes, I did hear it at PJ20, but how the fuck can I remember without any bootlegs!

RhinoJam

Breath has been and still is my favorite Pearl Jam song... I get pulled in other directions, but I just love this song... I wish they played it more regularly, but you're right, it is somewhat rare nowadays... and I really really hope I get to hear it on this upcoming tour.... -- caught it in Philly in '09, can't wait to hear it again!

The song encapsulates so much of what older Pearl Jam represented, optimistic angst... it seems like we could be in for a fresh dose of that on the upcoming album... very psyched to hear what else they have in store for us!

SkeeterB

For the newbies or for even those of us who remember, why not re-live it...

http://fivehorizons.com/tour/98/east_leg/breath.shtml

dimitrispearljam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW88pYq-mbE

Spiritual_Chaos

hmm, I think people talking about Deep have missed the point.

Hard to Imagine touches on the Breath-ness but I would say it is not of the same "significance". In the same way as Wash (Which people scream about and request every tour) has some Release-ness but is not of the same "significance" as the opening song.

Crown of Thorns, yes. It works in the same way as Breath I would say nowadays, and nowadays may even have taken "Breath" place as "the song" so to speak.

And as I mentioned in my first post, Release has the same role when talking about the opening song.

ceska

Great tune but too good to be played only once per tour. No good song should be that rare.

I didn't get the big deal for not having played that song for four years in the 1990s, it just wasn't that meaningful a song to me personally. Hard To Imagine, and Footsteps to a lesser degree, was always the one I thought was the rarity of all epic rarities. And I got HTI at my first show! (8/28/98). Still waiting on my first Wash and Hunger Strike, which are also in that category of being rare AND great.

dougfloyd

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

hmm, I think people talking about Deep have missed the point.

Hard to Imagine touches on the Breath-ness but I would say it is not of the same "significance". In the same way as Wash (Which people scream about and request every tour) has some Release-ness but is not of the same "significance" as the opening song.

Crown of Thorns, yes. It works in the same way as Breath I would say nowadays, and nowadays may even have taken "Breath" place as "the song" so to speak.

And as I mentioned in my first post, Release has the same role when talking about the opening song.

Yep, my thoughts too.

Jammalambo

I only been to two shows, during the italian mini-tour in 06.. One of them was Pistoia, and I vividly remember I had a boner during the outro solo by Mike in Breath .. good times

Spiritual_Chaos

Jammalambo wrote:

I only been to two shows, during the italian mini-tour in 06.. One of them was Pistoia, and I vividly remember I had a boner during the outro solo by Mike in Breath .. good times

hehe, I was at Verona and Milan. Then people were saying "Do pistoia also, just buy a new flight and stuff!" But I went home, and they played Breath. Hehe. Felt that Pistoia that year took the spotlight from Verona which had been before hand hyped to death to be THE show to see that tour. So I missed the Breath-show of that tour.

Next year though, Eddie changed the setlist on the spot and played Breath in Copenhagen. So I got that tours Breath-show. And it was magic. (and the reason people don't talk about that show more is the lack of official bootleg, it's a truly great show)

tremors

For my money it is not the scarcity of the song that makes it sacred, but rather its content, lyrical meaning to people

Breath is sacred due to its lyrical content
Same with deep
Same with Hard to Imagine
Same with Wash

Crown of Thorns is in a different category - that shit is lyrical content AND band history.

None of us own the songs - the songs' authors own the songs, and they will play them when they like

We are the band's followers and are blessed that sacred songs are played IN EVERY SINGLE Pearl Jam show

Peace brothers, and out

dimitrispearljam

tremors wrote:

For my money it is not the scarcity of the song that makes it sacred, but rather its content, lyrical meaning to people

Breath is sacred due to its lyrical content
Same with deep
Same with Hard to Imagine
Same with Wash

Crown of Thorns is in a different category - that shit is lyrical content AND band history.

None of us own the songs - the songs' authors own the songs, and they will play them when they like

We are the band's followers and are blessed that sacred songs are played IN EVERY SINGLE Pearl Jam show

Peace brothers, and out

i agree...and if there was another song to add ,i would add footsteps

verceman

Empty Glass wrote:

I know what you are saying about Breath. I think it's still special when it's played.

Funny thing about this song, the guy I took to the Philly show in '00 when they broke it out has been to 5 shows with me. They've played Breath at all 5 of his shows :shock:

We talked after Wrigley (he didn't go)... He says "they knew I wasn't there, they didn't play Breath for you".

Funny, I just checked the song lyrics page... I've been lucky enough to hear it at three shows

Philly 9/30/09
MSG 10/21/10
Alpine Valley 9/3/11

Since 2009 they've played it at 50% of the shows I attended (other 3 shows I saw since '09 were MIA, PJ20 2, Wrigley)

DiRtYyELLoWoCeAn

dimitrispearljam wrote:

tremors wrote:

For my money it is not the scarcity of the song that makes it sacred, but rather its content, lyrical meaning to people

Breath is sacred due to its lyrical content
Same with deep
Same with Hard to Imagine
Same with Wash

Crown of Thorns is in a different category - that shit is lyrical content AND band history.

None of us own the songs - the songs' authors own the songs, and they will play them when they like

We are the band's followers and are blessed that sacred songs are played IN EVERY SINGLE Pearl Jam show

Peace brothers, and out

i agree...and if there was another song to add ,i would add footsteps

Well said D!

BinFrog

there is one song that, in my mind, when played you can almost guarantee the whole show is special:

Immortality

dimitrispearljam

BinFrog wrote:

there is one song that, in my mind, when played you can almost guarantee the whole show is special:

Immortality

i dont think you will find someone thast will disagree with this!

binauralsounds182

Especially in more recent years I would add Sleight of Hand to that list. Absolutely amazing song that is played very rarely recently. It hasn't been played at all since the band messed it up during the Montreal concert in 2011. I hope they aren't afraid of playing it now :? :roll:

Kimmiebyrom

YLed2 wrote:

Hard To Imagine could possibly be thrown in that discussion.

How sick would it be if they came out and opened an encore with Hard To Imagine, followed by Breath and then Deep?

We'd all be completely slayed. I can only imagine how I'd feel after that show!

pbultimate

Will you or him be at Baltimore I hope??

verceman wrote:

Empty Glass wrote:

I know what you are saying about Breath. I think it's still special when it's played.

Funny thing about this song, the guy I took to the Philly show in '00 when they broke it out has been to 5 shows with me. They've played Breath at all 5 of his shows :shock:

We talked after Wrigley (he didn't go)... He says "they knew I wasn't there, they didn't play Breath for you".

Funny, I just checked the song lyrics page... I've been lucky enough to hear it at three shows

Philly 9/30/09
MSG 10/21/10
Alpine Valley 9/3/11

Since 2009 they've played it at 50% of the shows I attended (other 3 shows I saw since '09 were MIA, PJ20 2, Wrigley)

Zod

I only have a list of 3 songs I've never heard PJ play that I really want to hear live (Sonic Reducer, Breath, and Oceans).

The Vancouver/Seattle shows are my usuals (as I live on Vancouver Island which is a pretty similar distance to both those cities), but I spent a few years living in Alberta. That's when the 09 tour happened. When they announced it there was no Vancouver show, so we planned everything out with the Seattle shows. After the hotels were booked and airplane tickets booked, they announced Vancouver. If I put in some serious effort I could of made the show, but I didn't.

They played Breath. The one Vancouver show I miss in 15 years and they played it. It bugged me a lot of have missed that show...... I remember by heart sank when I read the setlist.