I've done it for Bruce Springsteen fun experience. You get to see what the band sees. Sound for Bruce was good too for behind the stage.
It does depend on how low you are though as the bird can be obstructing. We were lower I think like 2nd row. Bruce also played like 3 songs to us and kept acknowledging us throughout the show like waving. It was a fun experience. Was also cool to be right behind Max and watch him play drums. Also, as noted, you get to kind of see behind the scenes backstage action on the stage. It's a unique perspective. I am also one of those people that as long as I'm in the building and get to see the show I'm good.
I'm going to contradict everyone else. Be careful where you buy the tickets. We bought behind the state tickets for the Seattle 2013 show. They turned out to be pretty bad. It was one of those times where they weren't listed as "obstructed view" until they showed up in the mail (I noticed this again with Tom Petty tickets at the gorge last year and noticed ticketmaster/live nation hid the obstruction view information by requiring you to click on a + sign to see it.
Anyways the problem we encountered was a combination of the lighting rig and the metal bird. The Lighting Rig blocked the whole rear part of the stage from view. I could really only see Eddie when he was singing at the very front centre of the stage. Couldn't see Jeff. Could only see Mike and Stone if they got right to the front of the stage. Every time the metal bird got lowered I could see anything because it blocked the view of the front of the stage. They were the worst tickets I've ever had to a show.
Conclusion: For the current PJ setup don't sit in the upper deck behind the stage. If you sit lower you'll be under the lighting rigs and the bird. If you are lower bowl behind the stage I think you'd be in good shape. It's sitting high up that causes the issues.
We had behind the stage tickets for Seattle as well. We were in the second to last row right behind the stage We still had a great time after we adjusted to the atmosphere up there. Funniest thing was, the people right behind us were upgraded mid-show to sit on the side of the stage. They were almost asleep by then because they got some puffs from a nearby friendly sharer... I hope they enjoyed the rest of the show! We only saw the band on the screens, and backwards, but hey - we were seeing them in Seattle! It was still pretty cool All advice I can give is... If you want to be there, be there. Have a good time. Be happy you are healthy and wealthy enough to be there and enjoy the show.
Please, Pearl Jam, consider a Benaroya Hall vinyl reissue!
Recommend!!!! Two of my favorite PJ concerts were behind the stage. Vancouver 98 and St. Louis 14!!!
Toledo, Oh 09-22-96, Chicago, Illinois 06-29-98, Portland, Oregon 07-18-98, Vancouver, British Columbia 07-19-98, Seattle 07-21-98, Seattle 07-22-98, Noblesville, Indiana 08-17-98, East Lansing, Michigan 08-18-98, Barrie, Ontario 08-22-98, Auburn Hills, Michigan 08-23-98, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 08-25-98, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 08-26-98, Camden, Camden, New Jersey 08-28-98 Camden, New Jersey 08-29-98,Knoxville, Tennessee 09-06-98, Columbia, Maryland 09-18-98,Mountain View, California 10-30-99,Mountain View, California 10-31-99, Virginia Beach, Virginia 08-03-00,Charlotte, North Carolina 08-04-00,Greensboro, North Carolina 08-06-00, Atlanta, Georgia 08-07-00,West Palm Beach, Florida 08-09-00,West Palm Beach, Florida 08-10-00,Tampa, Florida 08-12-00,New Orleans, Louisiana 08-14-00,Memphis, Tennessee 08-15-00,Nashville, Tennessee 08-17-00, Noblesville, Indiana 08-18-00,Cincinnati, Ohio 08-20-00,Columbus, Ohio 08-21-00, Wantagh, New York 08-23-00, Wantagh, New York 08-24-00,Wantagh, New York 08-25-00, Saratoga Springs, New York 08-27-00,Mansfield, Massachusetts 08-29-00,Mansfield, Massachusetts 08-30-00,Camden, New Jersey 09-01-00,Camden, New Jersey 09-02-00,Columbia, Maryland 09-04-00,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 09-05-00,Auburn Hills, Michigan 10-07-00, East Troy, Wisconsin 10-08-00,Chicago, Illinois 10-09-00,Cleveland, Ohio 04-25-03,Columbus, Ohio 06-24-03,Kitchener, ON 09-11-05, London, ON 9-12-05,Hamilton, ON 9-13-05,Cincinnati, Ohio 06-24-06, Chicago, Illinois 7-19-13, Cincinnati, Ohio 10-01-14, St. Louis, Missouri 10-03-14, Memphis, Tennessee 10-14-14,Detroit, Michigan 10-16-14, Moline, Illinois 10-17-14, Columbia SC 4-21-16 , Lexington KY 4-26-16, Philadelphia PA 4-28-16, Philadelphia PA 4-29-16, Boston 8-5-16 , Boston 8-7-16 Chicago 8-20-16, Chicago 8-22-16, Seattle 8-8-18, Seattle 8-10-18, Missoula 8-13-18, Chicago 8-18-18, Chicago 8-20-18, Boston 9-2-18, Boston 9-4-18
"...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.....”
was behind in Barclay, Mikes side. We had a blast. Different view, but been there done that. Besides seeing a lot of the work and "special people" close to the stage (we saw Eds kids and a few famous peeps) watching the crowd and feeling the energy from that perspective is unreal...they really must feel like Gods when they play. Wouldn't go looking for a seat there but if thats the only thing I could get, I would take it.
Thank you fellow 10 clubber for saving my ass....again!!!
I think it's probably a good way to enjoy crowd watching, which could definitely be fun. I've never done it, but judging from photos taken from that perspective, it could be pretty cool assuming your view isn't obstructed by something (which is a particular risk if you're a little higher up back there).
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Had upper level behind stage at Barclays on night 2 in 2013 and I'd avoid those type of seats again if at all possible. The sound was very different and it felt disconnected as compared to night 1 when I had more "traditional" seats. YMMV of course as there are no doubt many factors including the liveliness of the people around you.
That said, behind stage is still 1000000000 times better than not being in the building!
Hubs and I were behind the stage at Seattle '13, as well - they were the only tickets we could get, which meant that we were in the house! I think it was a really interesting perspective. The sound obviously wasn't as good as it would be if seated in front of the stage, but it was still acceptable, ditto with the atmosphere of the fans back there. I really enjoyed having a bee-line view of Matt Cameron playing! Extra added bonus was that we could see folks checking out the band backstage and sidestage - including Steve Gleason, Jill Vedder, and the kids. As another poster said above, if you want to be there, be there - even if it means being behidn the stage. Just decide to have a good time with it, and you will!
Oh my gosh! I almost forgot that we were behind the stage in St. Paul last year, too! We had tickets in the upper bowl, but never actually made it to our seats... There was a railing all the way around the back of the lower bowl, and we went in there before the show to "check it out". We ended up staying there for the whole show. Nobody harassed us, and for most of the show there wasn't anyone else there, so we had so much room to dance around and rock out!
We had behind the stage tickets for Seattle as well. We were in the second to last row right behind the stage We still had a great time after we adjusted to the atmosphere up there. Funniest thing was, the people right behind us were upgraded mid-show to sit on the side of the stage. They were almost asleep by then because they got some puffs from a nearby friendly sharer... I hope they enjoyed the rest of the show! We only saw the band on the screens, and backwards, but hey - we were seeing them in Seattle! It was still pretty cool All advice I can give is... If you want to be there, be there. Have a good time. Be happy you are healthy and wealthy enough to be there and enjoy the show.
I don't mind the angle, but it was the equipment block the view that really annoyed me. I really couldn't see much of anything. The lighting rig blocked the whole middle/rear part of the stage. I couldn't see Matt or Jeff at all. I could only see Mike and Stone if they wandered to the very front of the stage. The best I really got was seeing Eddie if he performed at the very front of the stage. He was in a position where he was just between the lighting rig and the metal bird. Any time the bird was lowered I couldn't see anything on the stage at all.
I was pretty frustrated by the experience. I had no idea it would be that bad. If the rig wasn't in the way they wouldn't bad seats, so I'm trying to warn anyone who's travelling. It's a lot of money to spend to look at metal rigs.
My lesson learned. If I'm going to shell out the money to travel and stay in seattle. I may as well shell out some extra money for bettertickets. I also learned that if Vancouver/Seattle are on the same tour again. Choose Seattle First, Vancouver doesn't sell out of 10c tickets unless there's no Seattle show. I completely chose my tickets in the wrong order :( I've been to 20ish PJ shows. The experience of being at a PJ show and not being able to see PJ was a frustrating one for me.
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Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
It does depend on how low you are though as the bird can be obstructing. We were lower I think like 2nd row. Bruce also played like 3 songs to us and kept acknowledging us throughout the show like waving. It was a fun experience. Was also cool to be right behind Max and watch him play drums. Also, as noted, you get to kind of see behind the scenes backstage action on the stage. It's a unique perspective. I am also one of those people that as long as I'm in the building and get to see the show I'm good.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
Anyways the problem we encountered was a combination of the lighting rig and the metal bird. The Lighting Rig blocked the whole rear part of the stage from view. I could really only see Eddie when he was singing at the very front centre of the stage. Couldn't see Jeff. Could only see Mike and Stone if they got right to the front of the stage. Every time the metal bird got lowered I could see anything because it blocked the view of the front of the stage. They were the worst tickets I've ever had to a show.
Conclusion: For the current PJ setup don't sit in the upper deck behind the stage. If you sit lower you'll be under the lighting rigs and the bird. If you are lower bowl behind the stage I think you'd be in good shape. It's sitting high up that causes the issues.
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Behind the stage in Hartford. I think lower level behind the stage is great but upper levels present a lot of problems.
2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD
2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA
2022: 9/14 NJ ... 2024: 5/28 WA, 9/7 PA, 9/9 PA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
That said, behind stage is still 1000000000 times better than not being in the building!
I think it was a really interesting perspective. The sound obviously wasn't as good as it would be if seated in front of the stage, but it was still acceptable, ditto with the atmosphere of the fans back there. I really enjoyed having a bee-line view of Matt Cameron playing! Extra added bonus was that we could see folks checking out the band backstage and sidestage - including Steve Gleason, Jill Vedder, and the kids.
As another poster said above, if you want to be there, be there - even if it means being behidn the stage. Just decide to have a good time with it, and you will!
Raleigh '03
Charlotte '13
Cincinnati '14
Greenville '16, Columbia '16
Nashville '22
I was pretty frustrated by the experience. I had no idea it would be that bad. If the rig wasn't in the way they wouldn't bad seats, so I'm trying to warn anyone who's travelling. It's a lot of money to spend to look at metal rigs.
My lesson learned. If I'm going to shell out the money to travel and stay in seattle. I may as well shell out some extra money for bettertickets. I also learned that if Vancouver/Seattle are on the same tour again. Choose Seattle First, Vancouver doesn't sell out of 10c tickets unless there's no Seattle show. I completely chose my tickets in the wrong order :( I've been to 20ish PJ shows. The experience of being at a PJ show and not being able to see PJ was a frustrating one for me.