*** New York, NY Fanviews Here 5/2/16 ***

BRWilly

AlaG said:

phungi said:

64 songs over 2 nights (not counting the Ishtar song) with 10 repeats. 54 different songs. Quit yer bitching and respect the band for bringing it with some serious energy.

While I defend the sentiment behind the repeats argument. This was not a lot relative to the number of repeats Philly got it seems. Certainly not a lot in general.

Ahh thanks for the data. As I followed the set online I too thought to myself, "Jeeze, feels like a lot of repeats, esp. the Ten songs from past few shows" but then we got raw data like this. Just goes to show what fans have come to expect thanks to the reputation the band has built with unpredictable and incredible setlists. You won't get numbers like these with any other band as famous as PJ or playing at a level close to PJ.

Gary Carter

hsohi said:

"(I mean do you have any idea how much they make off merchandise on a nightly basis? Not even Springsteen fans will wait on line two hours for a poster)"

That probably says more about us than about Springsteen fans...and not in a positive way.

When more people are lined up for merch than GA, that's a huge problem. It's also funny considering inside msg, the 200's had tons of merch booths with everything that was down in the main lobby. Shit they were even still selling posters 5 songs in. I'll never get why people wait for merch, it just truly shit's me.

pledgeagrievance

mrk2 said:

Looks like a fun show.

Throw in crap like Sweet Lew and Dirty Frank along with a couple of filler track's from the 00's albums = instantly greatest show ever according to setlist critics.

Lol

Gary Carter

on2legs said:

My wife and I drove in from NJ and headed right to the box office to get her tickets after parking. She let her 190xxx membership lapse years ago and only rejoined this year so we weren't expecting anything too close. We were just happy to be in the building. Needless to say, we were blown away when she got her tickets and saw they were front row center floor seats directly behind GA. We were smiling ear to ear.

We found our seats and had a blast being so close. It was cool to have the rail to lean on and I was hoping Mike might pass in front of us during Alive like I saw him do from the 200 level the night before. The crowd in our section was extremely energetic and nobody was acting like an idiot. I thought the band and the crowd were on fire. After seeing the two Philly shows and the first MSG show, I wouldn't have minded them mixing it up a little more but I was glad my wife got to hear many of her favorites.

The night went from great to amazing during Porch. We watched Ed make his way off the stage and I assumed he was going to wade into the GA crowd up front like he usually does to finish the song. But he kept walking and ended up making the turn into the walkway that separated GA from the floor seats. People were slapping hands with him as he walked by and me and my wife were leaning forward ready to take our turn. I got confused when he stopped right in front of us and I wasn't sure what was going on. But then Ed proceeded to climb up the rail directly in front of us. We were holding his arms as he climbed onto the rail and then one of the security guys from the band told us to hold his legs as he stepped onto the top of the rail. Ed belted out the rest of the song standing over us as we braced his legs. I was little concerned he was going to fall at one point. And then he hopped off and headed back to the stage to finish it up. It all happened so fast that it didn't seem real. I never expected him to make his way halfway out across the floor and never in a million years did we expect Ed to end up singing in front of our faces. Amazing. We even got Mike walking right in front of us later during his Alive solo too. Still riding the high from the show and so thankful to the ten club for hooking us up with great seats.

Wow I can't fucking believe Ed was on the rail. That's one of the coolest concert moments I've read.

adamg5

mrk2 said:

Looks like a fun show.

Throw in crap like Sweet Lew and Dirty Frank along with a couple of filler track's from the 00's albums = instantly greatest show ever according to setlist critics.

This is funny, but does not pertain to my argument. I'm not looking for checklists songs, super rarities I was just really looking forward to a show that opened up their catalogue to a lot more great hits other than night1. The ten song repeat argument looks like not much on paper, but at the show I was like "really again?"
I guess if they played in my tree, spin the black, dissident both nights I wouldn't care but the repeated songs they played were just ehh IMHO.

Mamasan80

114th show for me, and I'm baffled by some of these comments. Crowd seemed quite into it.

What some of the complainers don't seem to understand is the actual number of people who are "following" the tour (as in doing 2 shows or more) - it's at most 1000 people, or, you know, like 5% of the audience. Especially in a market like NYC where tickets are impossible and ludicrously expensive on the secondary market (as of 5 PM yesterday, the cheapest front of stage ticket in the 100's on Stubhub was $675; it came down but not everyone wants to wait til 7PM day of and still pay $400 per ticket) - I'd guess 75% of that crowd last night was not there the night before. The repeats are going to happen, no matter where they are.

One thing I think is tricky is that PJ set the bar for NYC impossibly high by playing arguably the two best shows of their first decade here with 9/29/96 at Randall's and 9/11/98. People continue to come to MSG with ridiculously high expectations, and that's not fair to the band, or themselves. The magic may happen, but 90% of the time, you've set yourself up for disappointment. Both shows here were very good, not legendary, but so what? They were still two of the 5 best shows anyone will play at MSG this year.

Suziemay

I saw Pearl Jam on the rail at MSG. I can die happy now! Energy at the Garden is simply amazing, I haven't stopped smiling.

My favourite moment was when they played Breath for Jessica! For a refresher on the Breath campaign in 1998: http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/98/east_leg/breath.shtml

dkast85

I for sure liked n1 MSG better but PJ fans complaining about repeats is funny. It's Pearl Jam. They have a big catalogue but it's not that big. They aren't Phish. They aren't able to play a different show every night. Generally speaking, PJ shows are predictable. This is nothing new.

The worst thing about last night was that they came out later than n1 and they left the stage earlier than n1. It was a way shorter show. Also, the sound going off during porch was messed up.

curmudgeoness

JulesTheMan said:

adamg5 said:

northerndragon said:

Tonight the crowd was better than night 1 but everything else was not. The night suffered from multiple sound problems and a repeat setlist that was a little meh.
It was ok, not amazing. A little disappointed for NYC, they deserved better.

Agreed. Crowd was louder and more energetic.

I don't know... I couldn't get tickets to Night 1, but this Night 2 crowd seemed quite tame from an MSG standpoint. I live here in NYC and go to most MSG shows, and I've seen way more berserk crowds at PJ shows here. I only got Ticketmaster seats, side stage/middle tier, and I was told several times by the people behind me to sit down. The people to my left said, "wow you're really into this!" I said, "yea... I'm a FAN".

I was in 208, and I think the whole section was singing. I was at Philly 1, 10C seats, and nobody was singing -- but there were dudes shouting excitedly about the NFL draft for most of the show; maybe they went to the wrong building?? So I think it depends a lot on the general vibe of your section. I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic crowd around us last night -- all well-behaved, all very enthusiastic, and LOUD.

phungi

Having been there both nights, in 218 on Sunday and GA on Monday, it is hard to compare experiences, which were both excellent. However, hearing repeats only gives you about a 1-2 second pause (i.e., "damn, I would have loved to hear something else instead of Lightning Bolt right now") before loving every second of the song that is being played.

Been a PJ fan and concert-goer since 1992, and several things are clear:
1. They play what they want to play, not what they think you want them to play
2. Wherever they do play, the do so with passion and intensity - you never see anyone mailing in a song.
3. You really never know what they are going to play next.
4. Looking at a setlist is different than hearing one. Every song is an experience unto itself. So many factors "make" a song or concert, and the communal singing may heighten it for one person and detract for another.
5. If we have learned anything from all the recent losses in the music community, every show is precious, every song is precious, as you never know when it will be your last. If you never saw PJ again, would hearing Jeremy or Alive or Small Town or Betterman two nights in a row really be a negative scar on your otherwise positive memory of the band?
6. Cell phones at concerts suck. Keep it in your pocket. Oh, and keep your ball off my lawn kid!

MayDay10

Anyone disappointed in the show should recalibrate their expectations.

We got two LEGEND rock performer appearances in the context of a pj show. I am normally not a huge fan of guests... often it can take away momentum. Not these. Amazing performances of 2 enduring rock songs... with icons playing right in front of us with our favorite band. This alone makes me tingly I was there. I thought my head was going to explode when Rick NiElson came out and surrender started. Couldn't take my eyes away from nielson... it was watching a rock master in entertaining an audience. What a treat! The rest of the show was fairly average... but the bar is set so high. Average is still fucking amazing. No energy or motivation to compare it to other shows and argue.

So I saw the pit during msg 1 and decided that I needed to go all in. Lined up right after the show and was one of a band of about 20 fools sleeping in chilly damp air with every lunatic in the world checking up on us.
Met great people in line from all over the world... each with a different pj experience and perspective. Waiting was arduous but I would do it again.

Ended up 12th in line, got rail between ev and stone. Never have been nearly that close. Eddie through the mic to my buddy amit during even flow and we all sang... was amazing.

Crowd seemed real good. Kind of disappointed "surrender" didnt get a larger ovation at the end.... also... its strange that in east coast shows... nobody makes any noise for the encore break. Wasn't any issue of people trying to push to the front or anything. I thought present tense was a great rendition. Technical shit marred breath and porch. Seemed to be glitches all night to varying degrees. Both Jeff and Eddie seemed to get pissed a few times... I had actually thought they chopped some songs looking at their on stage communication, but looking at the setlist, they didn't.

Love a show that has both deep and garden... leash too!

Eddie was sweating profusely all night. Also drank more wine than I've seen him drink in awhile... but maybe it was me being close and noticing it. During a few solos he would squat and take big Swigs... usually just after a tech issue hah.

The tambourine thing is both funny and sad. Eddie calling someone a "fuck" in mid song is hilarious. Jeff was pretty amused too. But come on. Eddie makes it clear it's for the kid and you try to make off with It? Would you even be able to enjoy possession of it in the f? I would just look at the thing and feel shame with myself for being an ass.

All the hits were great to hear. I don't mind. That's how I got hooked. There are many people in the crowd going for the first time.

Oh yeah, I got a kick out of ed's dick tease of an endorsement for Bernie sanders.

adamg5

MayDay10 said:

Anyone disappointed in the show should recalibrate their expectations.

We got two LEGEND rock performer appearances in the context of a pj show. I am normally not a huge fan of guests... often it can take away momentum. Not these. Amazing performances of 2 enduring rock songs... with icons playing right in front of us with our favorite band. This alone makes me tingly I was there. The rest of the show was fairly average... but the bar is set so high. Average is still fucking amazing. No energy or motivation to compare it to other shows and argue.

So I saw the pit during msg 1 and decided that I needed to go all in. Lined up right after the show and was one of a band of about 20 fools sleeping in chilly damp air with every lunatic in the world checking up on us.
Met great people in line from all over the world... each with a different pj experience and perspective. Waiting was arduous but I would do it again.

Ended up 12th in line, got rail between ev and stone. Never have been nearly that close. Eddie through the mic to my buddy amit during even flow and we all sang... was amazing.

Crowd seemed real good. Kind of disappointed "surrender" didnt get a larger ovation at the end.... also... its strange that in east coast shows... nobody makes any noise for the encore break. Wasn't any issue of people trying to push to the front or anything. I thought present tense was a great rendition. Technical shit marred breath and porch. Seemed to be glitches all night to varying degrees. Both Jeff and Eddie seemed to get pissed a few times... I had actually thought they chopped some songs looking at their on stage communication, but looking at the setlist, they didn't.

Love a show that has both deep and garden... leash too!

Eddie was sweating profusely all night. Also drank more wine than I've seen him drink in awhile... but maybe it was me being close and noticing it. During a few solos he would squat and take big Swigs... usually just after a tech issue hah.

The tambourine thing is both funny and sad. Eddie calling someone a "fuck" in mid song is hilarious. Jeff was pretty amused too. But come on. Eddie makes it clear it's for the kid and you try to make off with It? Would you even be able to enjoy possession of it in the f? I would just look at the thing and feel shame with myself for being an ass.

All the hits were great to hear. I don't mind. That's how I got hooked. There are many people in the crowd going for the first time.

Oh yeah, I got a kick out of ed's dick tease of an endorsement for Bernie sanders.

This comment I have to say is a well said argument against the naysayers(me). I appreciate it.

jdesantis1983

Discopij said:

Can't believe people are complaining about a show that included Breath, Leash, Garden, and All or None in terms of rarities ... 2 great special guest covers ... and over 30 songs in total.

Completely agree. If you're feeling this way might be good to not go to as many shows, and it will make the next one that much better. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, hadn't seen the band in 3 years until Friday night, Philly 2 and MSG 2 were well worth the wait for me. I don't need to hear Sweet Lew, Hitch Hiker, Cropduster or Bugs and I think the band doesn't play those rarely heard songs because they don't want to hear them either, either way they'll sell out 2 nights in NY/Boston/Philly/Chicago/LA and other cities. They're playing what they want to play and that's all I care to hear. I don't collect songs so I'd take Evenflow or anything off of LB/Backspacer any day of the week off of some of the songs they rarely play that are hard to listen to. My brother loved his first PJ show, was cool to see a first timers perspective on it.

I went to see a great show and they didn't disappoint. Philly 2 and last night were just that. Can't wait for Fenway, and will relish these 2 shows I just went to until then. That encore of Beatles/All or None/Pendulum/Present Tense/Breath/SOLAT/Porch was incredible as was Betterman in the main set, and the covers/guests were a great surprise. Section 119 was rocking out all night, I was at Philly 2 also with similar seats and both crowds seemed about the same to me, very loud and very into it from where I was sitting. And honestly, I remember seeing more mass exits to the bathroom/concession stands during Philly 2 overall than last night, especially for Baba/YLB at the end when a lot more people cleared out at Philly. Seemed like more of the crowd stuck around last night. I would give Philly a slight edge over this show for me personally because of Ten, but MSG wasn't disappointing by a long shot.

JC29856

Mamasan80 said:

114th show for me, and I'm baffled by some of these comments. Crowd seemed quite into it.

What some of the complainers don't seem to understand is the actual number of people who are "following" the tour (as in doing 2 shows or more) - it's at most 1000 people, or, you know, like 5% of the audience. Especially in a market like NYC where tickets are impossible and ludicrously expensive on the secondary market (as of 5 PM yesterday, the cheapest front of stage ticket in the 100's on Stubhub was $675; it came down but not everyone wants to wait til 7PM day of and still pay $400 per ticket) - I'd guess 75% of that crowd last night was not there the night before. The repeats are going to happen, no matter where they are.

One thing I think is tricky is that PJ set the bar for NYC impossibly high by playing arguably the two best shows of their first decade here with 9/29/96 at Randall's and 9/11/98. People continue to come to MSG with ridiculously high expectations, and that's not fair to the band, or themselves. The magic may happen, but 90% of the time, you've set yourself up for disappointment. Both shows here were very good, not legendary, but so what? They were still two of the 5 best shows anyone will play at MSG this year.

I was going to say the Randalls and breath shows are over and have been for years. Expecting a repeat of those shows or something similar is insanity.
Like you I've been fortunate enough to see many many shows and as I grow older gain more and more appreciation for them.

Thought: you get/see 100% of the problems when working in the complaint department

Suziemay

*double post

Suziemay

MayDay10 said:

Anyone disappointed in the show should recalibrate their expectations.

We got two LEGEND rock performer appearances in the context of a pj show. I am normally not a huge fan of guests... often it can take away momentum. Not these. Amazing performances of 2 enduring rock songs... with icons playing right in front of us with our favorite band. This alone makes me tingly I was there. I thought my head was going to explode when Rick NiElson came out and surrender started. Couldn't take my eyes away from nielson... it was watching a rock master in entertaining an audience. What a treat! The rest of the show was fairly average... but the bar is set so high. Average is still fucking amazing. No energy or motivation to compare it to other shows and argue.

So I saw the pit during msg 1 and decided that I needed to go all in. Lined up right after the show and was one of a band of about 20 fools sleeping in chilly damp air with every lunatic in the world checking up on us.
Met great people in line from all over the world... each with a different pj experience and perspective. Waiting was arduous but I would do it again.

Ended up 12th in line, got rail between ev and stone. Never have been nearly that close. Eddie through the mic to my buddy amit during even flow and we all sang... was amazing.

Crowd seemed real good. Kind of disappointed "surrender" didnt get a larger ovation at the end.... also... its strange that in east coast shows... nobody makes any noise for the encore break. Wasn't any issue of people trying to push to the front or anything. I thought present tense was a great rendition. Technical shit marred breath and porch. Seemed to be glitches all night to varying degrees. Both Jeff and Eddie seemed to get pissed a few times... I had actually thought they chopped some songs looking at their on stage communication, but looking at the setlist, they didn't.

Love a show that has both deep and garden... leash too!

Eddie was sweating profusely all night. Also drank more wine than I've seen him drink in awhile... but maybe it was me being close and noticing it. During a few solos he would squat and take big Swigs... usually just after a tech issue hah.

The tambourine thing is both funny and sad. Eddie calling someone a "fuck" in mid song is hilarious. Jeff was pretty amused too. But come on. Eddie makes it clear it's for the kid and you try to make off with It? Would you even be able to enjoy possession of it in the f? I would just look at the thing and feel shame with myself for being an ass.

All the hits were great to hear. I don't mind. That's how I got hooked. There are many people in the crowd going for the first time.

Oh yeah, I got a kick out of ed's dick tease of an endorsement for Bernie sanders.

Is that you, Ryan? It's Su May! I don't think we were foolish at all. One of the best nights of my life seeing my favourite band at the best concert venue in the world in the best city in the world (sorry, I love NYC so don't anyone try and tell me any other city is better)

NK10452

First things first: all PJ shows are awesome. I had a blast last night. The band seems to be having more fun that I can ever recall; they sounded great; crowd was great. It was a ton of fun. That said, the setlist was a bit uninspired and the band seemed more in control than I'm used to seeing (if that makes sense); that edge which is so emblematic of a PJ show wasn't really there . . . at least not for me. This was show #23 for me (which is a lot but not compare to some of you animals!) and while there are no bad PJ shows, this one was likely forgettable.

Kudos to the band on the GA section, though! Fantastic idea and even better execution. Plenty of room to move about and/or leave to get beers.

elen

Suziemay said:

I saw Pearl Jam on the rail at MSG. I can die happy now! Energy at the Garden is simply amazing, I haven't stopped smiling.

My favourite moment was when they played Breath for Jessica! For a refresher on the Breath campaign in 1998: http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/98/east_leg/breath.shtml

I think I've seen your beautiful pictures on instagram!

Incredible experience for my husband and I. Coming all the way from Italy, first time seeing the band in NY, enjoying the first night in our upper seats as childs at the candy shop and having the great luck of being in the pit last night. Living the concert from the second row is unforgettable!
We've met a lot of cool people in the pit. It was so joyful! We're used to European ones where everything is crazy packed and people can easily get rude. It has been truly amazing.

I'm extremely happy and grateful for having them in my life.

Now I just can't wait for Fenway and Wrigley

MayDay10

Yes, that is me.

Suziemay said:

MayDay10 said:

Anyone disappointed in the show should recalibrate their expectations.

We got two LEGEND rock performer appearances in the context of a pj show. I am normally not a huge fan of guests... often it can take away momentum. Not these. Amazing performances of 2 enduring rock songs... with icons playing right in front of us with our favorite band. This alone makes me tingly I was there. I thought my head was going to explode when Rick NiElson came out and surrender started. Couldn't take my eyes away from nielson... it was watching a rock master in entertaining an audience. What a treat! The rest of the show was fairly average... but the bar is set so high. Average is still fucking amazing. No energy or motivation to compare it to other shows and argue.

So I saw the pit during msg 1 and decided that I needed to go all in. Lined up right after the show and was one of a band of about 20 fools sleeping in chilly damp air with every lunatic in the world checking up on us.
Met great people in line from all over the world... each with a different pj experience and perspective. Waiting was arduous but I would do it again.

Ended up 12th in line, got rail between ev and stone. Never have been nearly that close. Eddie through the mic to my buddy amit during even flow and we all sang... was amazing.

Crowd seemed real good. Kind of disappointed "surrender" didnt get a larger ovation at the end.... also... its strange that in east coast shows... nobody makes any noise for the encore break. Wasn't any issue of people trying to push to the front or anything. I thought present tense was a great rendition. Technical shit marred breath and porch. Seemed to be glitches all night to varying degrees. Both Jeff and Eddie seemed to get pissed a few times... I had actually thought they chopped some songs looking at their on stage communication, but looking at the setlist, they didn't.

Love a show that has both deep and garden... leash too!

Eddie was sweating profusely all night. Also drank more wine than I've seen him drink in awhile... but maybe it was me being close and noticing it. During a few solos he would squat and take big Swigs... usually just after a tech issue hah.

The tambourine thing is both funny and sad. Eddie calling someone a "fuck" in mid song is hilarious. Jeff was pretty amused too. But come on. Eddie makes it clear it's for the kid and you try to make off with It? Would you even be able to enjoy possession of it in the f? I would just look at the thing and feel shame with myself for being an ass.

All the hits were great to hear. I don't mind. That's how I got hooked. There are many people in the crowd going for the first time.

Oh yeah, I got a kick out of ed's dick tease of an endorsement for Bernie sanders.

Is that you, Ryan? It's Su May! I don't think we were foolish at all. One of the best nights of my life seeing my favourite band at the best concert venue in the world in the best city in the world (sorry, I love NYC so don't anyone try and tell me any other city is better)

Yes, it is.... ha, that's funny, didn't put 2&2 together.... didn't realize you were THE "Su"

I definitely wouldn't take back any part of the experience, crazy 3am locals and everything

davidos

Really enjoyed my 3 night run! (Philly 1, MSG 1 & 2)...

Went with my wife last night (her 1st of the run).... I could see how some people were bummed about the repeats... I had all these possible songs in my head because they have such a huge catalog and when they started repeating I had to get used to that... but going with someone who wasn't there the night before I enjoyed her reaction to the hits... (Corduroy, Betterman, etc.)

The setlist did not flow like Night 1... The first set of Night 1 left me breathless... every song flowed right into the next... just incredible... not so for Night 2... but after 3 hours of the greatest band on the planet leaving it all out there you just shake your head and can't believe that they can do what they do... It's exhausting standing there watching!

Highlights:
- Surrender!
- Leatherman (we live very close to where the actual Leatherman lived and my wife finally put it together... ;-)
- Even Flow - Mike's solo with his guitar behind his waist was unreal!
- Jeremy - just a killer live song
- Breath - when Ed went down and sang to the girl who had the sign...
- Driven to Tears - Nice surprise w/ Sting!
- Sonic Reducer - great energy...
- Floor shaking! Great crowd...

The Nit Picky:
- Setlist flow
- Sound was not great from my seats on Stone's side... at times I couldn't hear Stone... then Mike... and towards the end most of what I could hear in the mix was Matt... that and the total cut out 2 or 3 times around Porch... Night 1 the sound was amazing... you could hear everything in the mix including every one of Jeff's bass notes...
- Felt like they were somewhat rushing... No Sirens outro... Alive and some of the other extended jam songs seemed abbreviated... maybe it was just me... I dunno... felt that way...

Just so happy that I had this opportunity! My wife and I went to Randalls Island in '96 when we were dating and in our 20s... now 20 years later and 2 kids it's freaking mind blowing to be able to go to these concerts together and scream our lungs out watching these guys play their hearts out!!!!!