Wrigley...one year later

JB128716

I'm going to beat all the people waiting for tomorrow to post something. Plus it is 7/19/2014 in Singapore, so nah.

Wrigley changed my life. I met so many people that traveled to that show (including myself) that something just clicked. This past year I've been all over the world to visit, to see PJ, and to live out things that used to be just dreams.

I cannot express how much that show meant to me personally. And to see the band I love pull so many strings to be allowed to return to the stage at 11:30 and play till 2am...speechless.

I was able to express some of my gratitude in Leeds when we gave Ed a 100 yr Wrigley flag sign with messages from many of us fans.

I can not say it enough.

Love...Love...Love

KC138045

With all the build up to that show it felt like it was never going to get here. Now I can't believe it's been 1 year already. What a memorable night.

Empty Glass

Ha, I was just about to post something. July 18, 2013 was a very long (in a great way) day. It started w/ a beer at Harrisburg airport at 9:30 am watching the British Open. It ended at about 3:30 am Central time leaving a bar we really didn't need to go to - ha, ha.

The time in between was a blast. Met some great people, drank too much, found a batting cage upstairs at Sluggers that we spent too much time in convincing each other we could hit a baseball drunk (we did and well after a few tries), I laughed at everyone in the merch line (sorry, that didn't look fun) and met some more great people.

Fun times. I just wish the weather this July was there last year.

jlaustin

Amazing, awesome experience that I will never forget!

coco butter

Loved it! I'm going to watch the DVD of the show tomorrow night with a drink!

PJ_Soul

I wish I could go back and experience that whole trip again! You're right Empty Glass - if the weather could have been more reasonable, that would have been even more perfect. I was dying, lol. But despite the fact that I felt like I was in a steam room with the temp cranked too high for the whole trip, I absolutely had the time of my life! I miss all of you people who were there with me! :x It was so fun to just be able to say hi to any person on the street, in a bar, at the hotel, etc, who was wearing a Pearl Jam shirt and we all already felt like we were friends, lol. The city was overrun by PJ fans, and I loved it! <:-P

PJ_Soul

coco butter said:

Loved it! I'm going to watch the DVD of the show tomorrow night with a drink!

That's a good idea! I'm going to do the same.

lazloblue

One of the very best 24hrs of my life. Sooo glad I jumped on a plane, even without a ticket to the show. BUG's!!!

Enjoyed meeting everyone and even creating some spectacular long lasting friendships!!

I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Red Mosquito75

It was truly a special show. First time going to a show with no tickets. Waiting around Wrigley for 2 days. Finally releasing more tickets and getting tickets on the floor.
Thank you PJ. Can't wait for Moline

pulling69

I was right there with all of you....And 2 years ago today(in about 2 hours) I had my work accident that resulted in my left elbow looking like it does in my avatar pic(my right elbow broke as well but not as bad). Chicago was a very, very special time for me. Sitting outside the outfield wall that evening listening to THAT sound-check, realizing where I was the year before, I will never forget it. It was all so very worth it in the end.

jjflash

One year ago tonight I was getting ready to watch the soundcheck from a Wrigley rooftop w/ fans from all over the world and then having the time of my life singing PJ's songs at the top of my lungs w/ all you brethren at the pre-party. One of the best bar scenes I've ever witnessed

JB128716

I brought Dimi to that party. I remember seeing him down the street about a block away. It took him about an hour to get to where I was standing because everyone was stopping him for pictures. Lol

Sarava

Ironically I'm going to Wrigley for a concert tonight...this time it's Billy Joel. A few things are different. The weather is great this year!! It's not Peal Jam, so it won't be quite the same. But I've always wanted to see Billy Joel live.

I'm still hoping to get that Cracker Jack poster eventually. The lines I was in at Wrigley were sold out, and they wouldn't let me on the field to that home plate stand that did have some. Then 10C put them on sale...I added it, but it was gone when I checked out. It's been elusive so far. Hoping for that 1 in a million chance that my mystery poster is the cracker jack one. It was just too special of a night to not get one eventually.

Great memories though. I hope they release an official boot or blu-ray someday.

JB128716

They were selling Mystery posters in sets of 3 in the UK. My buddy got a crackerjack and a googley eyed poster from Wrigley so there might be some still out there.

pearlgirl52

Life. Changing.

derbydave

What a GREAT time we had in Chicago...from the 10 Club Happy Hour & BBQ at the rooftop club & getting to watch the sound check...to hanging out with a bunch of friends I had met the previous years in Missoula & at PJ20!!
I had the BEST ticket buddy & we had an EPIC roadtrip over to Chicago!
I also finally got to meet 2 GREAT friends from the boards...I'm talking to you KC & Brandon!
All in all...Wrigley was a weekend I'll NEVER FORGET! !

jason_94

Yes, I remember. What a great way to spend my birthday last year and the day after!

Yes, the heat was intense & the lines were ridiculously long and I would do it all over again. Made the trip with 3 great friends, met some more friends for the first time, & met several other great people.

Great times, great memories. I can't wait to do it again!
(Ok, maybe subtract 30* & 3 hours of line time the next time! )

jason_94

Hey, I remember quite awhile back someone posted a video of that line at Wrigley.

Can someone post that on this thread (or the other 1 year ago Wrigley thread. So, which one is the official 1 anyway? ) )

Hoccapuk

It was truly epic and as everyone has already stated, so many great people, new friends etc, was kind of like a gathering of Pearl Jam. I think they should do a MEGA show like that every year, different parts of the country/world. Just draw fans in from all over the world for one time every year.

jms

I had a freaking blast that weekend. Other than the weather it was perfect weekend. Swam in the lake a ton, had some nice food and still got a cracker jack poster and set list t shirt when I got back w/o having to wait in those lines. Thanks 10C!!

Pretty much the exact opposite of my week this week. Man I wish I was there right now.

dimitrispearljam

"you trust me on this?
the curfew has been extended...so what ever happens...we got that...."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVvqnpPAE4U

JB128716

Thanks for sharing Dimi. So many memories so many friends both old and new.

jjflash

derbydave said:

What a GREAT time we had in Chicago...from the 10 Club Happy Hour & BBQ at the rooftop club & getting to watch the sound check...to hanging out with a bunch of friends I had met the previous years in Missoula & at PJ20!!
I had the BEST ticket buddy & we had an EPIC roadtrip over to Chicago!
I also finally got to meet 2 GREAT friends from the boards...I'm talking to you KC & Brandon!
All in all...Wrigley was a weekend I'll NEVER FORGET! !

One of many highlights from the weekend was waiting in the merch line in the basement of the hotel and chatting up the guy in front of me. You on the forums, I ask?? What's your name? Lo and behold if it ain't the one and only Derby Dave B-) >-

dimitrispearljam

JB128716 said:

Thanks for sharing Dimi. So many memories so many friends both old and new.

thanks buddy for all....

badbrains

I can't believe it was a year ago! What a trip, what an experience and what fucken rain and heat!!!! Oh and fuck that merchandise stand line....

AnotherTourPlease

derbydave said:

What a GREAT time we had in Chicago...from the 10 Club Happy Hour & BBQ at the rooftop club & getting to watch the sound check...to hanging out with a bunch of friends I had met the previous years in Missoula & at PJ20!!
I had the BEST ticket buddy & we had an EPIC roadtrip over to Chicago!
I also finally got to meet 2 GREAT friends from the boards...I'm talking to you KC & Brandon!
All in all...Wrigley was a weekend I'll NEVER FORGET! !

I came here to post about what a fantastic weekend I had with DerbyDave at Wrigley last year, and I see he's already visited the thread. Dave drove all the way from Columbus Ohio to Buffalo NY to pick me up . . . so far outta his way, it was CRAZY, then we headed to Chi-town. A year ago tonight we enjoyed that great fanclub barbeque and sound check, from the Wrigley rooftop bar. Sound check was almost as long as PJ's early shows back in '92! Then the next night was the best kind of insanity! PJ 'til 2am! What a weekend!!!

jason_94

Oh, the memories!


http://youtu.be/fUn9Z8WJq-I

evenflow82

The greatest 'could have been' in PJ history.

YLed2

evenflow82 said:

The greatest 'could have been' in PJ history.

This was, in my opinion, was one of PJ's greatest shows ever. But I agree, the entire band (especially Ed) intended to set out and make Wrigley as their greatest ever. But then the worst storm ever rolls through. It still was one of their greatest because of many factors, but you know the guys were disappointed that the show they had set out to do was impeded by weather.

It was a geat and special weekend. One I will remember forever.

tempo_n_groove

evenflow82 said:

The greatest 'could have been' in PJ history.

Agreed!

Also that video above shows the Mural not even started yet! That's cool!!!

AndySlash

i got lucky and won the ga lottery and couldn't have been more excited. took the megabus from minneapolis to chicago with the lady day of show. we got downtown about 5 and took the train up to wrigley. met up with some old friends for a beer then headed inside. after chatting with some awesome folks from long island, we made our way into the ga pit and picked out a spot dead center but toward the back fence. i made sure to take a look around the stadium and soak in the space because i'd likely never be standing in wrigley's centerfield ever again. man, the trip was worth it just for that moment.

show starts and about a minute into release the lady stumbles and then faints. the good people around us get help over right away and next thing i know we're in a large, air-conditioned daycare room operating as a medical hub. the lady gets some water and ice to cool down, and we chat up a couple other nice folks in the room who have experienced the same thing we just did. i can hear the songs being played - boy, was hold on a surprise, and i knew that that come back meant a lot to one particular fan - and eventually eddie's announcement. soon, we can hear the crowds outside the doors and in the concourse.

we watch the weather reports on tv and know some shit is coming in. the lady gets some food, but after a bit it comes back up, just like the emt predicted. we wait out the storm and hope for the best. we talk about how we actually have it pretty good at that moment and that if one of us had to pass out during the first song, this certainly seemed to be the show to do it at.

the storm passes and the lady is feeling pretty good a short time later, so we head out into the crowd and mingle with strangers. after 45 minutes or so and the lady feeling well again, we head back in with the mob when the gates are reopened. standing back in the area where we had been when the show started, it felt surreal just how the past few hours had gone. but there we were.

it was cool to see ernie banks, and all night was perfect to get right back into the swing of things. eddie's faithfull speech really was pretty moving given the crowd environment and circumstances of the night. i felt that lightning bolt, despite thinking it sounded like unthought known pt. 2, was a pretty decent song on first listen. bugs was a pleasant surprise - i had been at philly 4 in 09 so i looked around to see how excited other folks were - lots of smiles on that one. i rocked out something fierce to rearviewmirror.

i thought (and still do) future days was awful. thankfully they followed up with mother; as a pink floyd fan this was a huge song for me and one of a few on my 'hoping for' list on the night. but the highlight of the night, in my view, was chloe dancer/crown of thorns. amazingly emotional performance. i think the events of the night had caught up to me by then and after getting mother then chloe/crown in succession i was ready for a bit of a release, which came at about 8:50 in this video, when jeff plays that wonderful bassline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWJyUM4V1zk

the rest of the show is kind of a blur. i was glad to hear black, always a favorite. it was made obvious that rockin' was going to be it, and the show ended just like that. as we're filing out we run into our friends and gush about the show, then squeeze onto the el platform. the train took awhile to arrive, making it hot and incredibly uncomfortable given what had happened to the lady earlier, but all was well and we were soon back at the hotel. 12 or so hours later i was pulling up to our home in minneapolis.

it's an experience i certainly won't forget and definitely the most unique concert experience i've ever had. tons of memories topped by an incredible show. no matter how much that scrooge evenflow82 ( ) wants to dwell on the what could have been, the what was was a fucking unforgettable night.