PJ Bootleg Review Blog (Columbia 2016 Review Added!)

TamaDrummer91

Phoenix 13 review.
http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/phoenix-2013.html

ES105459

I thought Phoenix was one of the better shows of the tour. All around tight playing with no major flubs. Ed's voice was solid. I get the "flow" argument, but that's never been that important to me. I'm more concerned with tight/solid performances.

TamaDrummer91

ES105459 said:

I thought Phoenix was one of the better shows of the tour. All around tight playing with no major flubs. Ed's voice was solid. I get the "flow" argument, but that's never been that important to me. I'm more concerned with tight/solid performances.

I think that's completely fine too. That's why I acknowledge that we all judge boots differently. And I agree with you, Phoenix was a pretty tight show. For those who care most about that, they should be content with Phoenix boot.

Like I said, I think Phoenix is a good but average gig because I care a lot about flow. Crafting interesting and fluent set flow from song to song isn't easy. Just like putting a studio record track list together isn't easy. When a 3 hour long performance feels like a smooth enjoyable ride, that's so rewarding. I just respect that to the highest degree. I will say I think Phoenix blows San Diego out of the water because even though San Diego flows fairly well, it's considerably sloppy.

Judging a boot is a subjective/personal balancing act. Like you, I do focus on tightness a great deal. It's just the flow of Phoenix was very distracting for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it though and you have your own criteria for it. That's what matters in the end- how YOU judge a boot. There's really no wrong way. The only objective measurement is the one we are in agreement luckily, that is "is the performance tight?" Errors are more objective and concrete.

WhatYouTaughtMe

Thanks for taking the time to review the show. I was at Phoenix and it blew my mind. You can tell even on the boot that Ed got a little intoxicated toward the end. Elderly Woman is a good example, his time was just a little off and maybe was winded. I thought he sounded out of breath on indifference and rambled a little over the beginning music. Having said that, I dont expect to see the same Ed as I did in 98 and 2000 and it doesn't detract from the experience at all. Of the five shows I have been too and the first in 13 years, it was hands down my favorite. The band really is on fire this go around and sounds tighter musically to me. The energy on some of the older songs, like the end of Jeremy and Betterman is impressive for a group of men all around 50. It's hard to compare to other bootlegs when being there changes your perception of the performance. The energy was electric in that arena and the band seems to be having more fun than ever, which is the point for me. Keep on reviewing, I like to hear different perspectives.

TamaDrummer91

WhatYouTaughtMe said:

Thanks for taking the time to review the show. I was at Phoenix and it blew my mind. You can tell even on the boot that Ed got a little intoxicated toward the end. Elderly Woman is a good example, his time was just a little off and maybe was winded. I thought he sounded out of breath on indifference and rambled a little over the beginning music. Having said that, I dont expect to see the same Ed as I did in 98 and 2000 and it doesn't detract from the experience at all. Of the five shows I have been too and the first in 13 years, it was hands down my favorite. The band really is on fire this go around and sounds tighter musically to me. The energy on some of the older songs, like the end of Jeremy and Betterman is impressive for a group of men all around 50. It's hard to compare to other bootlegs when being there changes your perception of the performance. The energy was electric in that arena and the band seems to be having more fun than ever, which is the point for me. Keep on reviewing, I like to hear different perspectives.

You have a good point there, being at a show and listening to a boot are two separate things. In my reviews of boots I never have the intention to "put down" or "disrespect" anyone's show they went to. I think while we are there at a gig we should just let the music and energy take us away as best it can. Critiquing a show while you're there almost feels counterproductive as to why you went in the first place.

There are many shows that just don't appeal to me from a bootleg point of view, but if I were there in person at those particular shows, I would still have a blast. This isn't to contradict myself but to merely demonstrate that the two are different things, boots and shows that is. I was at Bonnaroo 08, had a lot of fun and thought it was a great show. While I enjoy the boot, it's not one of my top 20 and I have some major issues with it. That's just a personal example of what I am trying to convey. Thanks for the feedback!

WhatYouTaughtMe

TamaDrummer91 said:

WhatYouTaughtMe said:

Thanks for taking the time to review the show. I was at Phoenix and it blew my mind. You can tell even on the boot that Ed got a little intoxicated toward the end. Elderly Woman is a good example, his time was just a little off and maybe was winded. I thought he sounded out of breath on indifference and rambled a little over the beginning music. Having said that, I dont expect to see the same Ed as I did in 98 and 2000 and it doesn't detract from the experience at all. Of the five shows I have been too and the first in 13 years, it was hands down my favorite. The band really is on fire this go around and sounds tighter musically to me. The energy on some of the older songs, like the end of Jeremy and Betterman is impressive for a group of men all around 50. It's hard to compare to other bootlegs when being there changes your perception of the performance. The energy was electric in that arena and the band seems to be having more fun than ever, which is the point for me. Keep on reviewing, I like to hear different perspectives.

You have a good point there, being at a show and listening to a boot are two separate things. In my reviews of boots I never have the intention to "put down" or "disrespect" anyone's show they went to. I think while we are there at a gig we should just let the music and energy take us away as best it can. Critiquing a show while you're there almost feels counterproductive as to why you went in the first place.

There are many shows that just don't appeal to me from a bootleg point of view, but if I were there in person at those particular shows, I would still have a blast. This isn't to contradict myself but to merely demonstrate that the two are different things, boots and shows that is. I was at Bonnaroo 08, had a lot of fun and thought it was a great show. While I enjoy the boot, it's not one of my top 20 and I have some major issues with it. That's just a personal example of what I am trying to convey. Thanks for the feedback!

I would also take a guess that most people posting on here have been to multiple shows and the best bootleg doesn't hold up to seeing the band live on a bad night. I have read and agree that the boots from that Bonaroo time period don't reflect the performance well. I maybe read a different person was mixing for awhile? Not sure. You never know what different things could affect it. I always think of soldier field and how much energy you can tell was put into it, only to really listen to it and be put off by how awful it sounds to my ears. I will probably get flamed on here for saying that but, it is my opinion. We are spoiled these days with the production put into these boots.

TamaDrummer91

So true, the production of 2011-2013 boots has been brilliant. Those 3 most recent tours have the best boot mixes in my opinion. Just a pleasure to listen to those. Matt and Jeff's rhythm section sounds so warm, full, and crisp. In the end, all boot mixes have something I can respect.

CharlieP

I love this thread and I love the site! Keep ´em coming

Amongst the Ani

Keep them coming. I was at Phoenix and it was a magical experience as most PJ shows are. I did agree 100% with the review. It doesn't taint the experience at all or make the boot less enjoyable to me. Thank you for the reviews and keep up the good work.

TamaDrummer91

Thanks guys! San Diego 13 will be up tonight. It's a little sloppy on Ed's part, but he's in a good mood. The rarities did sound good for the most part.

mrussel1

How fortunate we are to be able to focus our feedback on the boots to things like the set list flow, the nuances of the mix, whether the crowd was mixed up or down sufficiently, etc. Many of us tolerated horrible hissing, guy to the left yelling for no reason, and all sorts of other craziness on the boots of our youth. Or if there was a random soundboard, it was unGodly expensive. I obsessively collected, listened to and traded just God awful bootlegs from Zep, Floyd, Dead, etc that I cannot even tolerate today, after PJ. No one even cared about the quality of the actual performance, it was all about the quality of the tape.

We used to be happy to just eat. Now we are comparing the bone in rib-eye to the fillet at a five star steakhouse. That's friggin' great!

Indifference71

Just started listening to San Diego. Sounds great so far. Such an awesome show to be at...one of my favs.

karmadefect

mrussel1 said:

No one even cared about the quality of the actual performance, it was all about the quality of the tape.

Oh so true. Now there are so many you can be picky.

kmac1976

TamaDrummer91 said:

Thanks guys! San Diego 13 will be up tonight. It's a little sloppy on Ed's part, but he's in a good mood. The rarities did sound good for the most part.

SD = Happy Eddie

LA1/LA2 = Angry Eddie (i.e.Corduroy during LA1, guitar toss during LA2)

Both versions of Eddie are great. I've listed to SD a few times...definitely some flubs on Ed's part. Great show to see live....intimate atmosphere. LA1 was a classic rock concert...fingers crossed it translates to the boot.

Tammadrummer91...great job on the reviews!

Indifference71...if PJ comes to Chicago this fall....you'll be hearing from me.

YLed2

For anyone interested, all of the European 2012 boots have been reviewed as well and up on the site. The reviews for the 3 U.S. boots of 2012 will be up in the next week or so. Once I'm finished, I will provide my overall thoughts and reflections on the 2012 tour as a whole.

I reviewed the European 2012 boots and I would personally rank them as follows, from best to worst. I also separated them into tiers to try and distinguish them further:

Amsterdam 1
Oslo
Berlin 1
Berlin 2
Copenhagen

Stockholm
Manchester 2
Arras
Werchter

Amsterdam 2
Manchester 1
Isle Of Wight
Prague

Indifference71

kmac1976 said:

TamaDrummer91 said:

Thanks guys! San Diego 13 will be up tonight. It's a little sloppy on Ed's part, but he's in a good mood. The rarities did sound good for the most part.

SD = Happy Eddie

LA1/LA2 = Angry Eddie (i.e.Corduroy during LA1, guitar toss during LA2)

Both versions of Eddie are great. I've listed to SD a few times...definitely some flubs on Ed's part. Great show to see live....intimate atmosphere. LA1 was a classic rock concert...fingers crossed it translates to the boot.

Tammadrummer91...great job on the reviews!

Indifference71...if PJ comes to Chicago this fall....you'll be hearing from me.

San Diego was a really fun show. Great venue too. Looking forward to hearing the LA boots.

I hope I'm hearing from you in the fall! Hope you're doing well.

TamaDrummer91

Along with his ranking, don't forget to check out Brandon's recently completed 2012 in depth reviews. Almost all these were his. I gotta say, I think he hit the nail on the head with these.

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/2012

I'm continuing 2013, San Diego will be posted in a couple hours. Ill plan on doing a review tomorrow for LA 1 if its released (which it should be). Furthermore, Ian will most likely continue his entire 2003 Leg 2 stint. Its been a busy week for him too. Life gets in the way of boot listening!

TamaDrummer91

San Diego 2013 is on the site! A fun boot, but I preferred Phoenix slightly. Dallas and OKC were by far my favs from last week.
http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/san-diego-2013.html

TamaDrummer91

I received a question about the version of Tremor Christ on San Diego 13. Figured I would let others know too:

The tempo is reasonable, it's faster than studio but slower than the Torino 2006 version. Like you, I think too fast a tempo can make the song lose it's feeling. It mostly retains it's haunting feel in San Diego. San Diego as a whole was rough for Ed vocally, but I would say Tremor Christ is one of his better vocal performances of the night. His voice cracks a little towards the end, but otherwise is strong. It actually only cracks on one word and it's not that bad really. He gets the lyrics as close to the original as possible. Instead of saying "bloodied on the shore" in the second line of first verse, he says" bloodied by the shore." That's being as nitpicky as possible.

Mixing wise, Ed's vocals are definitely high in the mix. Jeff's bass tone comes through beautifully. Stone and Mikes guitars sound a little more textured than the 2006 Torino version. The song was played twice in 2010, boot mixes sound much more raw and unpolished. So they are not as ear pleasing. It was played 3 times in 2009, but I didn't like any of those versions because Ed fumbles the lyrics. San Diego is the best version of Tremor Christ since 2006 in Torino, but even that one is a little fast.

As far as guitar tone alone, I hesitate to call it warm. It is more cold like you mentioned. 2013 guitar mixes do not have the crunch and body that 2012 mixes did, but they are much more full bodied and distinguished than 2008-2010. I would say they sound a little more clean than 2006, but much more texture and clarity.

TamaDrummer91

LA 1 2013 review. I am quite fond of this one. Excellent, heavy show.
http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/los-angeles-1-2013.html

To be clear, only the new 2013 boots are being announced each week but many other reviews will be coming in and posted. My hope in doing this is not so much self promotion as it is to help avoid the countless, "Which are the best boots of 2013" threads that always come up when new ones are released.

boyo79

TamaDrummer91 said:

Along with his ranking, don't forget to check out Brandon's recently completed 2012 in depth reviews. Almost all these were his. I gotta say, I think he hit the nail on the head with these.

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/2012

I'm continuing 2013, San Diego will be posted in a couple hours. Ill plan on doing a review tomorrow for LA 1 if its released (which it should be). Furthermore, Ian will most likely continue his entire 2003 Leg 2 stint. Its been a busy week for him too. Life gets in the way of boot listening!

Yep I'll be back on the bootleg trail in the next couple of days, Phoenix '03 the next one on the list!

High Fidelity 2000

I like that you notice stuff like cracking/poor vocals. Sometimes I feel like fans just don't even hear stuff like that from what I read around here. Quality is a big thing when you're listening to the bootlegs, I'm sure that stuff is less noticed in person at a show with everything going on but on a bootleg it is so obvious to my ears. I actually think that sometimes Eddie LIKES the way his voice sounds when it's cracking, like unpolished, punk quality stuff. I don't get it. From what I've heard so far in 2013 though, Ed's voice is overall a nice improvement compared to the 2008-2012 years.

I have only read a couple of your reviews so far but it seems like you have good musician ears. I finally downloaded Amsterdam 2 a couple months ago and though the set list is neat and everything, I thought the performance/quality was borderline awful on a lot of the songs. It wasn't a mistake here or there, it just sounded bad. Most overrated "classic" show I have listened to. Guess you had to be there.

I was at Phoenix and I get what your'e saying but to me that sort of random flow is what made the show so unique and unusual. The first encore was mostly Lost Dogs, it was amazing. I thought Yellow Moon in the middle of the main set was a surprise, not necessarily a negative. Anyway, I'm interested to read more of your reviews as I work backward. Thanks for the blog.

YLed2

High Fidelity 2000 said:

I have only read a couple of your reviews so far but it seems like you have good musician ears. I finally downloaded Amsterdam 2 a couple months ago and though the set list is neat and everything, I thought the performance/quality was borderline awful on a lot of the songs. It wasn't a mistake here or there, it just sounded bad. Most overrated "classic" show I have listened to. Guess you had to be there.

I also found, also judging by ranking as you can see, found Amsterdam 2 boot to be vastly overrated and disappointing, most for the reasons you mentioned. When most people think of the Euro 2012 tour, they almost always think of Amsterdam 2 because of the hype it received. When in reality, Amsterdam 1 I believe is the best boot of the tour. Of course, boots and the shows themselves are two separate entities, but Amsterdam 1 is the best boot of the European 2012 tour in my opinion.

High Fidelity 2000

YLed2 said:

High Fidelity 2000 said:

I have only read a couple of your reviews so far but it seems like you have good musician ears. I finally downloaded Amsterdam 2 a couple months ago and though the set list is neat and everything, I thought the performance/quality was borderline awful on a lot of the songs. It wasn't a mistake here or there, it just sounded bad. Most overrated "classic" show I have listened to. Guess you had to be there.

I also found, also judging by ranking as you can see, found Amsterdam 2 boot to be vastly overrated and disappointing, most for the reasons you mentioned. When most people think of the Euro 2012 tour, they almost always think of Amsterdam 2 because of the hype it received. When in reality, Amsterdam 1 I believe is the best boot of the tour. Of course, boots and the shows themselves are two separate entities, but Amsterdam 1 is the best boot of the European 2012 tour in my opinion.

Yep, I saw that, that's why I liked your reviews.

I have hardly heard anything from the Europe 2012 tour, but I know Amsterdam 2 was overrated just by listening to the boot.

TamaDrummer91

LA 2 2013 review. One of the worst bootlegs I've yet to hear (and I've heard a lot).

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/los-angeles-2-2013.html

JF110284

TamaDrummer91 said:

LA 2 2013 review. One of the worst bootlegs I've yet to hear (and I've heard a lot).

I was at this show, and agree that the set flow (or lack thereof) was unfortunate. Regarding Mike, though, his guitar went silent at the end of Alive because he dove into the crowd. This obviously does nothing for the bootleg, but it was a nice treat for those in the crowd.

TamaDrummer91

JF110284 said:

TamaDrummer91 said:

LA 2 2013 review. One of the worst bootlegs I've yet to hear (and I've heard a lot).

I was at this show, and agree that the set flow (or lack thereof) was unfortunate. Regarding Mike, though, his guitar went silent at the end of Alive because he dove into the crowd. This obviously does nothing for the bootleg, but it was a nice treat for those in the crowd.

That's super cool! I didn't know that. I would love to be at a gig where he did that. Some say Ed makes this band live, well I tend to think Mike adds to the live gig as much if not more. Not that they all aren't wonderful.

TamaDrummer91

Oakland '13 review is up. That makes 2 shows back to back that were really lackluster in terms of performance. I hope Portland is better.

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/oakland-2013.html

karmadefect

TamaDrummer91 said:

Oakland '13 review is up. That makes 2 shows back to back that were really lackluster in terms of performance. I hope Portland is better.

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/oakland-2013.html

You basicly killed them off in the last two reviews. And the sad thing is you could even call the review mild is you listen to the shows. X_X
I am glade I haven't yet had the time to read LA I. I need something positive.
I can't believe the Portland show won't enable you to right a more positive review.
Three bad show that can't be true can it?

TamaDrummer91

karmadefect said:

TamaDrummer91 said:

Oakland '13 review is up. That makes 2 shows back to back that were really lackluster in terms of performance. I hope Portland is better.

http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/oakland-2013.html

You basicly killed them off in the last two reviews. And the sad thing is you could even call the review mild is you listen to the shows. X_X
I am glade I haven't yet had the time to read LA I. I need something positive.
I can't believe the Portland show won't enable you to right a more positive review.
Three bad show that can't be true can it?

Well, LA 1 was a great show. A hard rocking one, that was really fun to listen to.

I'm listening to Portland 13 now, and I'll have the review posted later tonight. I'm happy to report that it is much much better than LA 2 and Oakland. A top 10 from 2013. Still not as good as LA 1, Dallas, or OKC from leg 2, but after the last two consecutive shows, Portland is glorious.