Washington Post Review - DC show

obiwon76obiwon76 Posts: 568
edited June 2008 in Given To Fly (live)
Live Last Night: Pearl Jam, Song-By-Song

Eddie Vedder (shown here at Bonnaroo) led Pearl Jam through a nearly three-hour, 31-song show.I won't waste time with pleasantries because Pearl Jam played a whopping 31 songs last night and it's my job to say something about all of them. It was a very good show, with definite highlights and only a few missteps. Pearl Jam's appeal is that they play solid rock-and-roll very well, so expecting a truly revelatory performance is unfair. The band's appeal is in its lack of frills. Hardcore fans, "Ten" devotees and casual fans all had plenty to like on Sunday night. Were you there? Let us know what you thought of the show in the comments.

1. Hard to Imagine: This was my fourth "proper" Pearl Jam show (Tibetan Freedom Concert being the other) and the first time "Release" wasn't the opener. Like that "Ten" classic, this one sort of eases you into the set, with some fine Vedder bellowing to start things off.

2. Severed Hand: A by-the-numbers, charging rocker by a band that manages to make by-the-numbers, charging rockers sound particularly vibrant. This one was no exception.

3. Hail Hail: This "No Code" single was the first one to really get the crowd hyped, and with good reason. The first two songs were a bit relaxed; there was more urgency to this one. I even like the bridge in this song, if only because of the "Are you woman enough to be my man?" lyric, which is so silly but delivered with such sincerity that it works.

4. Do the Evolution: Set list arrangement is such an important aspect to a show and this is a good example of how to do it right. Each previous song brought a little more energy to the table and we got the first peak of the evening here. Stone Gossard gets a rare spotlight solo but it's Vedder's howl that is the highlight, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that his voice remains the band's best instrument.

5. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: "This one's for Mt. Pleasant," Vedder said before starting into the folky sing-along from "Vs." It was the closest he got to making an Ian MacKaye reference all night. This is one of those songs I heard a thousand times 15 years ago and have heard only a handful of times since then. But the lyrics stayed with me and it was hard to keep my reporter's cap on and not sing along with the rest of the 15,000 or so. When everyone put their arms in the air and the house lights went on at the "I just want to scream ... hello!" line, it was a give-you-chills moment.

6. Evacuation: If Robert Christgau were writing this review, all you'd see here would be: The band tried to fight through the first batch of guitar problems but after they resurfaced, they didn't try again.

7. Corduory: My favorite Pearl Jam song and clearly a crowd favorite, too, as evidenced by the enthusiastic (read: too fast and offbeat) clapping during the intro. It serves as a prototype for a great PJ tune, with a slow-build beginning, some serious riffage and singing and screaming by Vedder. Mike McCready, king of unnecessary hand gestures, broke out the jumping index finger twirl during this song.

8. I'm Open/9. I Am Mine: I couldn't tell if this was one song or two that flowed into each other. The setlist tells me it was the latter. They fit together pretty well, although they both gave off some weird British folk vibe. "Was that a Gordon Lightfoot song?" asked Dave McKenna, Official Reviewer of Record (check tomorrow's paper), who was sitting next to me. (Yes, they put all of us writers together; there were two other people with pads in the same row.)

10. I Got Id: One of the clear highlights of the night and another example of good setlist writing. After the weird meandering of the last two songs the band delivered one of its most ragged and rugged songs. This song has the perfect Eddie Vedder sing-along chorus. It starts out with "Ohhhhh I" and then you can't really tell what he says after that, but he's going up and down and it's fun to growl whatever words you want.

11. Daughter: Jeff Ahment breaks out the stand-up bass for this one ... but plays it sitting down. Whatever. Like "Elderly Woman" this song is given a mid-tempo rock makeover which takes away a bit of its charm but makes sense for an arena show. The band has been known to segue into various covers from this song but tonight it was just a few minutes of Eddie Vedder chanting stuff like "Hey-o!" and the crowd echoing him. It didn't really add anything to the song and just made me wonder why the Wizards don't use "Minnie the Moocher" on the Jumbotron anymore since they moved away from the Cap Centre.

12. Light Years: A nice and pleasant rock song written by a band of adults. It has one of those brief pauses that would maybe get a big reaction, but since it's from "Binaural," not too many people know it. It's not quite a sit down song, more of a sit on the top of your chair song.

13. Even Flow: One of the only times of the night that it felt like the band was pandering to the crowd by including a song that nobody in the band seemed to want to play. Except, of course, for Mike McCready. Man, that guy. He certainly has never met a long, pointless solo he couldn't make longer and more pointless. Eddie let him have at it and disappeared to the back corner for a cigarette and some wine. Dude loves his wine. The crowd didn't even seem to be that into this one, although maybe it was just the superfans up front that made me see it that way. I'm sure there are dozens of songs they'd rather hear than "Even Flow," and the percentage of superfans (as in, multiple shows per tour) only seems to be increasing lately.

14. Green Disease: The inevitable political preaching moment came before this song, although Vedder came at it from an interesting angle by talking about offshore drilling. Right after mentioning the topic he was greeted with some boos, although I couldn't tell if people were booing offshore drilling itself or simply Vedder talking about offshore drilling. He threw a bunch of numbers at us, 60 million something, 70 million something. "Too much math!" I yelled, far too pleased with myself, while some woman in front of me gave me a weird look. He ended his spiel by saying it will be "great to get some color in the White House." So there you have it: Pearl Jam endorses Alan Keyes. The song itself was fine, but given its placement and preceding lecture, it was the most popular bathroom breaker of the evening.

15. You Are: The echoy, processed guitar riff on this one made me think for just a split second that it was going to be a cover of "How Soon Is Now?" But nope, just another "Riot Act" tune. More good setlist construction, making sure the bathroom people don't miss anything they'd be too upset about.

16. U: The most pleasant surprise of the evening. Only post-show research helped me find out this was an extra track on the "Wishlist" single; I really thought it was a cover because it sounds nothing like your typical Pearl Jam song. It's the closest thing to a jangle-pop song in the band's catalog. There aren't many Pearl Jam songs that make you want to bop your head and just kind of shimmy, but this one does, and does it well. It was like a great, lost Lemonheads track and I'm going to have to track this one down for my iTunes.

17. Who You Are: Releasing this tribal, rhythmic, Eastern-influenced song as the first single of "No Code" signaled the beginning of the end for Pearl Jam as big unit movers, but that doesn't mean it's not a great song. Matt Cameron kept the rolling rhythms steady throughout and Vedder got to show off the range of his vocals. It kind of petered out at the end, but that actually fits with the song.

18. Why Go: A very stark contrast to the preceding song, this set closer (or, in Pearl Jam land, halfway point) is Pearl Jam at its most arena rock. Like most of the "Ten" songs, McCready seemed to be enjoying himself more than anyone else and proved it by playing a behind-the-head guitar solo. Neat.

19. Comatose: The first encore began with this punky tune, which has a three-chord riff that really reminded me of Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me." Not a bad thing at all.

20. Sad: It seems this one was a bit of a rarity, which might explain why the girl in the row in front of me was freaking out about it. It couldn't have been the song itself, which was another solid-but-ordinary PJ rock.

21. Given to Fly: Now here's one was anything but ordinary. It's a very aptly titled song because this one simply soared. It's got all the ingredients of a classic Pearl Jam tune, from the big riffs to Vedder wailing "Oh, oh." Blame the Pearl Jam fatigue that was setting in by 1998 as the reason this one wasn't a big hit. My #1 highlight of the evening.

22. Come Back: A nice comedown after "Given to Fly," this one had the feel of a different era. It reminded me of "Donna" by Richie Valens or maybe one of Otis Redding's mellower songs.

23. Grievance: One of those mostly indistinguishable chugging riff rockers. Nothing wrong with it, but it didn't hold my attention. My eyes drifted to the retired Capitals jerseys in the rafters and I wondered: 1) Does any team have a more pathetic trio of retired jerseys than the Caps' Yvon Labre, Dale Hunter and Rod Langway, and 2) Who had the better mustache, Labre or Langway?

24. Black: Of the "Ten" hits this is the one that I find the least annoying these days. That's a backhanded compliment right there. As expected, it was a massive sing-along and Mike McCready ripped off a few solos.

25. Rearviewmirror: Another personal favorite. They jammed on it for a bit too long but since it was the end of the first encore, I'll forgive them. Up until the end it was an expertly done propulsive rock song, constantly gaining a bit of momentum, leading up to the call-and-response ending. Vedder played guitar for about half the songs tonight and I've always thought the guitar looked more like a decoration on him, but he had the rock star moves down pat here.

26. No More: The second encore kicks off with Vedder coming out alone with an acoustic guitar, greeted by chants of "Edd-ie! Edd-ie!" Written in tribute to a soldier who had been seriously injured in Iraq, this was a pretty straightforward folk/protest song.

27. Last Kiss: The little fan club Christmas single that could. The band performed this one early-'60s cover"for the back," those thousand or so folks seated behind the stage who can tell us if the guys in the band have any bald spots. A pleasant enough throwaway.

28. Crazy Mary: The strange encore continues with this brooding, folky Victoria Williams cover. It was the first song of the evening to prominently feature organist Boom Gaspar, and the long jam gave Vedder yet another chance to grab a smoke.

29. Alive: They have to play this one pretty much every night, and you can tell by the way they play it. Not that it was bad, but how excited can you get for a song that's 17 years old and doesn't really represent what you sound like these days? Still, the guys in the backwards hats near me were loving it. And good for Pearl Jam for giving it to them. If it wasn't for those guys in the backwards caps, they wouldn't be in this position in the first place.

30. All Along the Watchtower: The house lights went on, which usually signals the last song. And it's not "Yellow Ledbetter," but instead a hard-charging version of the Dylan classic. Perfect! Some young kid from what seems like Darnestown gets to come up on stage and play guitar with the band. It's cute, if a bit distracting.

31. Yellow Ledbetter: Can't escape it. What a terrible way to end an enjoyable evening. Simply put, this song is terrible. Please guys, retire this one.

(Note: Since this is already 2,000+ words I'll leave Ted Leo out of it but I'll just say this: Ted Leo + "I'm Stranded" by the Saints + ¼ full Verizon Center = totally surreal and great.)


By David Malitz | June 23, 2008; 12:26 PM ET Live Last Night


Okay, this review seems like it could of been written by anyone one of us. If you are going to write a review, make sure you know Jeff Ament is not spelled Jeff Ahment. "Rearviewmirror" was too long? You would prefer the 5 min version, go stick in your CD then. "Sad" just another oridinary PJ rock song? "Yellow Ledbetter" is a terrible song.
You have to love free speech, only logical reason the Post would give free will to let this guy write a review.
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Comments

  • joebotjoebot Posts: 372
    Wow. Sounds like somebody has an passive aggressive anti ten club agenda. I do agree with retiring evenflow for a while.
  • dburbadburba Qatar Posts: 39
    It is getting very, very difficult to stay through YL, especially when I have work the next day.
  • satansbedbugssatansbedbugs On Tour Posts: 2,412
    obiwon76 wrote:
    Live Last Night: Pearl Jam, Song-By-Song

    Eddie Vedder (shown here at Bonnaroo) led Pearl Jam through a nearly three-hour, 31-song show.I won't waste time with pleasantries because Pearl Jam played a whopping 31 songs last night and it's my job to say something about all of them. It was a very good show, with definite highlights and only a few missteps. Pearl Jam's appeal is that they play solid rock-and-roll very well, so expecting a truly revelatory performance is unfair. The band's appeal is in its lack of frills. Hardcore fans, "Ten" devotees and casual fans all had plenty to like on Sunday night. Were you there? Let us know what you thought of the show in the comments.

    1. Hard to Imagine: This was my fourth "proper" Pearl Jam show (Tibetan Freedom Concert being the other) and the first time "Release" wasn't the opener. Like that "Ten" classic, this one sort of eases you into the set, with some fine Vedder bellowing to start things off.

    2. Severed Hand: A by-the-numbers, charging rocker by a band that manages to make by-the-numbers, charging rockers sound particularly vibrant. This one was no exception.

    3. Hail Hail: This "No Code" single was the first one to really get the crowd hyped, and with good reason. The first two songs were a bit relaxed; there was more urgency to this one. I even like the bridge in this song, if only because of the "Are you woman enough to be my man?" lyric, which is so silly but delivered with such sincerity that it works.

    4. Do the Evolution: Set list arrangement is such an important aspect to a show and this is a good example of how to do it right. Each previous song brought a little more energy to the table and we got the first peak of the evening here. Stone Gossard gets a rare spotlight solo but it's Vedder's howl that is the highlight, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that his voice remains the band's best instrument.

    5. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: "This one's for Mt. Pleasant," Vedder said before starting into the folky sing-along from "Vs." It was the closest he got to making an Ian MacKaye reference all night. This is one of those songs I heard a thousand times 15 years ago and have heard only a handful of times since then. But the lyrics stayed with me and it was hard to keep my reporter's cap on and not sing along with the rest of the 15,000 or so. When everyone put their arms in the air and the house lights went on at the "I just want to scream ... hello!" line, it was a give-you-chills moment.

    6. Evacuation: If Robert Christgau were writing this review, all you'd see here would be: The band tried to fight through the first batch of guitar problems but after they resurfaced, they didn't try again.

    7. Corduory: My favorite Pearl Jam song and clearly a crowd favorite, too, as evidenced by the enthusiastic (read: too fast and offbeat) clapping during the intro. It serves as a prototype for a great PJ tune, with a slow-build beginning, some serious riffage and singing and screaming by Vedder. Mike McCready, king of unnecessary hand gestures, broke out the jumping index finger twirl during this song.

    8. I'm Open/9. I Am Mine: I couldn't tell if this was one song or two that flowed into each other. The setlist tells me it was the latter. They fit together pretty well, although they both gave off some weird British folk vibe. "Was that a Gordon Lightfoot song?" asked Dave McKenna, Official Reviewer of Record (check tomorrow's paper), who was sitting next to me. (Yes, they put all of us writers together; there were two other people with pads in the same row.)

    10. I Got Id: One of the clear highlights of the night and another example of good setlist writing. After the weird meandering of the last two songs the band delivered one of its most ragged and rugged songs. This song has the perfect Eddie Vedder sing-along chorus. It starts out with "Ohhhhh I" and then you can't really tell what he says after that, but he's going up and down and it's fun to growl whatever words you want.

    11. Daughter: Jeff Ahment breaks out the stand-up bass for this one ... but plays it sitting down. Whatever. Like "Elderly Woman" this song is given a mid-tempo rock makeover which takes away a bit of its charm but makes sense for an arena show. The band has been known to segue into various covers from this song but tonight it was just a few minutes of Eddie Vedder chanting stuff like "Hey-o!" and the crowd echoing him. It didn't really add anything to the song and just made me wonder why the Wizards don't use "Minnie the Moocher" on the Jumbotron anymore since they moved away from the Cap Centre.

    12. Light Years: A nice and pleasant rock song written by a band of adults. It has one of those brief pauses that would maybe get a big reaction, but since it's from "Binaural," not too many people know it. It's not quite a sit down song, more of a sit on the top of your chair song.

    13. Even Flow: One of the only times of the night that it felt like the band was pandering to the crowd by including a song that nobody in the band seemed to want to play. Except, of course, for Mike McCready. Man, that guy. He certainly has never met a long, pointless solo he couldn't make longer and more pointless. Eddie let him have at it and disappeared to the back corner for a cigarette and some wine. Dude loves his wine. The crowd didn't even seem to be that into this one, although maybe it was just the superfans up front that made me see it that way. I'm sure there are dozens of songs they'd rather hear than "Even Flow," and the percentage of superfans (as in, multiple shows per tour) only seems to be increasing lately.

    14. Green Disease: The inevitable political preaching moment came before this song, although Vedder came at it from an interesting angle by talking about offshore drilling. Right after mentioning the topic he was greeted with some boos, although I couldn't tell if people were booing offshore drilling itself or simply Vedder talking about offshore drilling. He threw a bunch of numbers at us, 60 million something, 70 million something. "Too much math!" I yelled, far too pleased with myself, while some woman in front of me gave me a weird look. He ended his spiel by saying it will be "great to get some color in the White House." So there you have it: Pearl Jam endorses Alan Keyes. The song itself was fine, but given its placement and preceding lecture, it was the most popular bathroom breaker of the evening.

    15. You Are: The echoy, processed guitar riff on this one made me think for just a split second that it was going to be a cover of "How Soon Is Now?" But nope, just another "Riot Act" tune. More good setlist construction, making sure the bathroom people don't miss anything they'd be too upset about.

    16. U: The most pleasant surprise of the evening. Only post-show research helped me find out this was an extra track on the "Wishlist" single; I really thought it was a cover because it sounds nothing like your typical Pearl Jam song. It's the closest thing to a jangle-pop song in the band's catalog. There aren't many Pearl Jam songs that make you want to bop your head and just kind of shimmy, but this one does, and does it well. It was like a great, lost Lemonheads track and I'm going to have to track this one down for my iTunes.

    17. Who You Are: Releasing this tribal, rhythmic, Eastern-influenced song as the first single of "No Code" signaled the beginning of the end for Pearl Jam as big unit movers, but that doesn't mean it's not a great song. Matt Cameron kept the rolling rhythms steady throughout and Vedder got to show off the range of his vocals. It kind of petered out at the end, but that actually fits with the song.

    18. Why Go: A very stark contrast to the preceding song, this set closer (or, in Pearl Jam land, halfway point) is Pearl Jam at its most arena rock. Like most of the "Ten" songs, McCready seemed to be enjoying himself more than anyone else and proved it by playing a behind-the-head guitar solo. Neat.

    19. Comatose: The first encore began with this punky tune, which has a three-chord riff that really reminded me of Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me." Not a bad thing at all.

    20. Sad: It seems this one was a bit of a rarity, which might explain why the girl in the row in front of me was freaking out about it. It couldn't have been the song itself, which was another solid-but-ordinary PJ rock.

    21. Given to Fly: Now here's one was anything but ordinary. It's a very aptly titled song because this one simply soared. It's got all the ingredients of a classic Pearl Jam tune, from the big riffs to Vedder wailing "Oh, oh." Blame the Pearl Jam fatigue that was setting in by 1998 as the reason this one wasn't a big hit. My #1 highlight of the evening.

    22. Come Back: A nice comedown after "Given to Fly," this one had the feel of a different era. It reminded me of "Donna" by Richie Valens or maybe one of Otis Redding's mellower songs.

    23. Grievance: One of those mostly indistinguishable chugging riff rockers. Nothing wrong with it, but it didn't hold my attention. My eyes drifted to the retired Capitals jerseys in the rafters and I wondered: 1) Does any team have a more pathetic trio of retired jerseys than the Caps' Yvon Labre, Dale Hunter and Rod Langway, and 2) Who had the better mustache, Labre or Langway?

    24. Black: Of the "Ten" hits this is the one that I find the least annoying these days. That's a backhanded compliment right there. As expected, it was a massive sing-along and Mike McCready ripped off a few solos.

    25. Rearviewmirror: Another personal favorite. They jammed on it for a bit too long but since it was the end of the first encore, I'll forgive them. Up until the end it was an expertly done propulsive rock song, constantly gaining a bit of momentum, leading up to the call-and-response ending. Vedder played guitar for about half the songs tonight and I've always thought the guitar looked more like a decoration on him, but he had the rock star moves down pat here.

    26. No More: The second encore kicks off with Vedder coming out alone with an acoustic guitar, greeted by chants of "Edd-ie! Edd-ie!" Written in tribute to a soldier who had been seriously injured in Iraq, this was a pretty straightforward folk/protest song.

    27. Last Kiss: The little fan club Christmas single that could. The band performed this one early-'60s cover"for the back," those thousand or so folks seated behind the stage who can tell us if the guys in the band have any bald spots. A pleasant enough throwaway.

    28. Crazy Mary: The strange encore continues with this brooding, folky Victoria Williams cover. It was the first song of the evening to prominently feature organist Boom Gaspar, and the long jam gave Vedder yet another chance to grab a smoke.

    29. Alive: They have to play this one pretty much every night, and you can tell by the way they play it. Not that it was bad, but how excited can you get for a song that's 17 years old and doesn't really represent what you sound like these days? Still, the guys in the backwards hats near me were loving it. And good for Pearl Jam for giving it to them. If it wasn't for those guys in the backwards caps, they wouldn't be in this position in the first place.

    30. All Along the Watchtower: The house lights went on, which usually signals the last song. And it's not "Yellow Ledbetter," but instead a hard-charging version of the Dylan classic. Perfect! Some young kid from what seems like Darnestown gets to come up on stage and play guitar with the band. It's cute, if a bit distracting.

    31. Yellow Ledbetter: Can't escape it. What a terrible way to end an enjoyable evening. Simply put, this song is terrible. Please guys, retire this one.

    (Note: Since this is already 2,000+ words I'll leave Ted Leo out of it but I'll just say this: Ted Leo + "I'm Stranded" by the Saints + ¼ full Verizon Center = totally surreal and great.)


    By David Malitz | June 23, 2008; 12:26 PM ET Live Last Night


    Okay, this review seems like it could of been written by anyone one of us. If you are going to write a review, make sure you know Jeff Ament is not spelled Jeff Ahment. "Rearviewmirror" was too long? You would prefer the 5 min version, go stick in your CD then. "Sad" just another oridinary PJ rock song? "Yellow Ledbetter" is a terrible song.
    You have to love free speech, only logical reason the Post would give free will to let this guy write a review.


    Does # 31 say what I think it says?
    *Marker in the Sand Fanclub * HNIC

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  • Blind3Blind3 Posts: 1,149
    Note to self: re-invoke the " Fuck all critics" rule. That review was about as exciting as the five shows worth of laundry I'm now catching up with before heading to NYC tomorrow morning.
    "Buy the ticket,take the ride"
    Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

    "If I wanted you to understand, I would have explained it better"
    Johan Cruijff
  • not a fan of die-hard fans, politically inspired music and intensity, awesomely long solos and jam sessions to extend normal songs???? Good idea reviewing a pearl jam show
    9/1/2000 - E-Centre, Camden, 'Sometimes' started and I was hooked...
  • I_Got_ShitI_Got_Shit Posts: 325
    I don't know, seems to me like a pretty honest review from someone who's not a huge PJ fan. Some good points about the order of the setlist -- I like having songs like Hail Hail and DTE near the beginning, it really gets the crowd going. I actually laughed at the line about the I Got Shit chorus, and I'll admit that for a long time I didn't know what the hell Ed was singing. And a lot of hardcore fans feel the same way as the reviewer about Even Flow and Ledbetter.

    And I like that he didn't try to seem "too cool" to be affected by the music, admitting that he got caught up in Small Town and Given to Fly.
    *Does not include encore of Garden and Leash.
  • matt770matt770 Posts: 134
    Question - was this review written for the people who were there? I don't see the point of that, since we know what we saw and could write our own reviews. Was it written for people who weren't there? What would be the point of that? If it's a good review, well guess what, the show already happened, now you have to try to score tickets in another city and drive hours to get there. (I'm putting myself in the mindset of the average DC resident who may have a passing interest in a PJ show).

    Obviously it's not written for the "superfans" since we'd listen to Eddie take a dump for 3 hours, right? So basically, this review is not useful for anyone.

    This is just crap to fill newspaper space, one person's opinion of a band and a concert that is no more valid or relevant than mine or yours or anyone else's. This person just happened to go to school to be a journalist and writes cute little smartass remarks and some bullshit corporate newspaper pays him to write them.
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Kind of a mixed review ... Not sure what this guy's issue with Mike is, and I'm sorry, but there is a difference between an overplayed and a bad song (Ledbetter is not the latter). Severed Hand is pretty far from relaxed. On the other hand, some of his critical remarks were rather playful, and you can tell that this guy does like the band, at least to some extent.
  • nfanelnfanel Posts: 2,558
    Does # 31 say what I think it says?
    yes. boooo to this whole review.
  • dburbadburba Qatar Posts: 39
    matt770 wrote:
    Question - was this review written for the people who were there? I don't see the point of that, since we know what we saw and could write our own reviews. Was it written for people who weren't there? What would be the point of that? If it's a good review, well guess what, the show already happened, now you have to try to score tickets in another city and drive hours to get there. (I'm putting myself in the mindset of the average DC resident who may have a passing interest in a PJ show).

    Obviously it's not written for the "superfans" since we'd listen to Eddie take a dump for 3 hours, right? So basically, this review is not useful for anyone.

    This is just crap to fill newspaper space, one person's opinion of a band and a concert that is no more valid or relevant than mine or yours or anyone else's. This person just happened to go to school to be a journalist and writes cute little smartass remarks and some bullshit corporate newspaper pays him to write them.

    By that logic newspapers shouldn't cover any news that already happened, because hey, it already happened, so what can anyone do about it? Maybe it was written because people might be curious about the show. Way to shoehorn in an irrelevant anti-corporate mini-rant there at the end, though.
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    I_Got_Shit wrote:
    I don't know, seems to me like a pretty honest review from someone who's not a huge PJ fan. Some good points about the order of the setlist -- I like having songs like Hail Hail and DTE near the beginning, it really gets the crowd going. I actually laughed at the line about the I Got Shit chorus, and I'll admit that for a long time I didn't know what the hell Ed was singing. And a lot of hardcore fans feel the same way as the reviewer about Even Flow and Ledbetter.

    And I like that he didn't try to seem "too cool" to be affected by the music, admitting that he got caught up in Small Town and Given to Fly.

    Yeah the review wasn't that bad. I agree with him completely on RVM. I have never liked the jam in the middle. The song kicks ass and doesn't lend itself to that.
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • bryionakbryionak Posts: 27
    Yeah, when they started All Along the Watchtower. I was like wow no YL tonight. Then I was thinking, you know I really hope they play it anyway. I was glad to hear it, even though it makes 4/5 that I have seen it now.
    1994-4-08 Fairfax, VA GMU Patriot Center
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  • matt770matt770 Posts: 134
    dburba wrote:
    By that logic newspapers shouldn't cover any news that already happened, because hey, it already happened, so what can anyone do about it? Maybe it was written because people might be curious about the show. Way to shoehorn in an irrelevant anti-corporate mini-rant there at the end, though.

    Well no, actual news is relevant and affects peoples' lives. This review is irrelevant for the same reason Eddie said the Grammy was irrelevant -- how do you judge a piece of art? But also because like I said, it doesn't really contain any usable information.

    As for the anti-corporate bit...look into the ownership of all the major papers, magazines and news networks. They are all owned by a handful of corporations, many of whom have other interests besides reporting the news. Most people get their information and base their opinions on these sources. This fact is always in the back of my mind when I read anything in the media and leads me to make comments like "bullshit corporate newspaper" since that's what the majority of them are.
  • Smellyman2Smellyman2 Posts: 689
    But the lyrics stayed with me and it was hard to keep my reporter's cap on and not sing along with the rest of the 15,000 or so.


    "Too much math!" I yelled, far too pleased with myself, while some woman in front of me gave me a weird look. He ended his spiel by saying it will be "great to get some color in the White House." So there you have it: Pearl Jam endorses Alan Keyes"


    Either you are a reporter and you should keep your reporter hat on....or you're a giant douchebag.

    this guy is definitely a douchebag....Yelling shit when Ed started talking politics????? This dude has an agenda
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    But the lyrics stayed with me and it was hard to keep my reporter's cap on and not sing along with the rest of the 15,000 or so.


    "Too much math!" I yelled, far too pleased with myself, while some woman in front of me gave me a weird look. He ended his spiel by saying it will be "great to get some color in the White House." So there you have it: Pearl Jam endorses Alan Keyes"


    Either you are a reporter and you should keep your reporter hat on....or you're a giant douchebag.

    this guy is definitely a douchebag....Yelling shit when Ed started talking politics????? This dude has an agenda

    I don't know ... I agree with the whole let Ed speak his mind about politics thing, but the whole "get some color in the White House" remark just further fueled my view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons. Ed's definitely done better with his political banter in the past.
  • LongRhodeLongRhode Posts: 93
    bryionak wrote:
    Yeah, when they started All Along the Watchtower. I was like wow no YL tonight. Then I was thinking, you know I really hope they play it anyway. I was glad to hear it, even though it makes 4/5 that I have seen it now.

    Funny thing is.. I have brought my wife to six shows (beginning in 2003) and she has never gotten to see it.. so i guess you never know. Wouldn't mind getting it during one of the Mansfield shows.
    1991 - Warwick RI
    1994 - Boston Garden 1
    2003 - Mansfield 1
    2004 - Boston 1 & 2
    2006 - Albany, Boston 1, Dublin Ireland
    2008 - Mansfield 1 & 2, EV Boston 1
  • Smellyman2Smellyman2 Posts: 689
    I don't know ... I agree with the whole let Ed speak his mind about politics thing, but the whole "get some color in the White House" remark just further fueled my view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons. Ed's definitely done better with his political banter in the past.

    You're not a fucking reporter at a show yelling shit at Ed. A reporter shouldn't be yelling shit at all..

    and he just said that so you know who he is endorsing w/o saying it.....but hopefully you are smart enough to realize that...
    just further fueled my view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    guess not
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Right, the whole color comment was WAY over my head ...
  • Smellyman2Smellyman2 Posts: 689
    Right, the whole color comment was WAY over my head ...

    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    Maybe I should be giving Ed the benefit of the doubt. I don't know. I am with those folks who believe that Obama is not some huge paragon of radical change, but that's a topic for the MT, I suppose.
  • matt770matt770 Posts: 134
    I don't know ... I agree with the whole let Ed speak his mind about politics thing, but the whole "get some color in the White House" remark just further fueled my view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons. Ed's definitely done better with his political banter in the past.

    '06 had much better political content -- that Masters of War is a classic, and the Cheney bit before Fuckin' Up was priceless.
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    Maybe I should be giving Ed the benefit of the doubt. I don't know. I am with those folks who believe that Obama is not some huge paragon of radical change, but that's a topic for the MT, I suppose.
  • obiwon76obiwon76 Posts: 568
    rrivers wrote:
    Yeah the review wasn't that bad. I agree with him completely on RVM. I have never liked the jam in the middle. The song kicks ass and doesn't lend itself to that.

    I disagree. The whole beauty to RVM is the middle jam. If people want to hear the exact same version that is on the cds, that they shouldnt be dissapointed when it's played live. The middle jam is a vortex of 4 guitars and Matt experiementing with sounds that is hardly played the same way twice.
    San Fran 92, San Fran 93, Berkeley 93, Indio 93, Fairfax 94, DC 95, San Fran 95, DC 95, Va Beach 98, Columbia 98, Dc 98, Va Beach 00, Columbia 00, Philly 03, Bristow 03, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Dc 06, DC 08
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    Maybe I should be giving Ed the benefit of the doubt. I don't know. I am with those folks who believe that Obama is not some huge paragon of radical change, but that's a topic for the MT, I suppose.
  • obiwon76obiwon76 Posts: 568
    rrivers wrote:
    Yeah the review wasn't that bad. I agree with him completely on RVM. I have never liked the jam in the middle. The song kicks ass and doesn't lend itself to that.

    I disagree. The whole beauty to RVM is the middle jam. If people want to hear the exact same version that is on the cds, that they shouldnt be dissapointed when it's played live. The middle jam is a vortex of 4 guitars and Matt experiementing with sounds that is hardly played the same way twice.
    San Fran 92, San Fran 93, Berkeley 93, Indio 93, Fairfax 94, DC 95, San Fran 95, DC 95, Va Beach 98, Columbia 98, Dc 98, Va Beach 00, Columbia 00, Philly 03, Bristow 03, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Dc 06, DC 08
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    Maybe I should be giving Ed the benefit of the doubt. I don't know. I am with those folks who believe that Obama is not some huge paragon of radical change, but that's a topic for the MT, I suppose.
  • obiwon76obiwon76 Posts: 568
    rrivers wrote:
    Yeah the review wasn't that bad. I agree with him completely on RVM. I have never liked the jam in the middle. The song kicks ass and doesn't lend itself to that.

    I disagree. The whole beauty to RVM is the middle jam. If people want to hear the exact same version that is on the cds, that they shouldnt be dissapointed when it's played live. The middle jam is a vortex of 4 guitars and Matt experiementing with sounds that is hardly played the same way twice.
    San Fran 92, San Fran 93, Berkeley 93, Indio 93, Fairfax 94, DC 95, San Fran 95, DC 95, Va Beach 98, Columbia 98, Dc 98, Va Beach 00, Columbia 00, Philly 03, Bristow 03, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Dc 06, DC 08
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    Smellyman wrote:
    If not than why would that ONE comment just further fuel your view that most musicians/entertainers vote for people based on shallow reasons

    HOLY MULTIPOSTS!!!
    Sorry!
  • obiwon76obiwon76 Posts: 568
    rrivers wrote:
    Yeah the review wasn't that bad. I agree with him completely on RVM. I have never liked the jam in the middle. The song kicks ass and doesn't lend itself to that.

    I disagree. The whole beauty to RVM is the middle jam. If people want to hear the exact same version that is on the cds, that they shouldnt be dissapointed when it's played live. The middle jam is a vortex of 4 guitars and Matt experiementing with sounds that is hardly played the same way twice.
    San Fran 92, San Fran 93, Berkeley 93, Indio 93, Fairfax 94, DC 95, San Fran 95, DC 95, Va Beach 98, Columbia 98, Dc 98, Va Beach 00, Columbia 00, Philly 03, Bristow 03, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Dc 06, DC 08
  • it is just this guy's blog posting. the official washpost review will likely come out tomorrow.

    while i can't imagine not loving pearl jam, i also can't imagine having to be an objective listener of some band i despise. so...

    let's see what the offical review says.

    i thought the show was awesome and just kept building the energy...

    but what do i know, i'm just a superfan.
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