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Outgrowing Pearl Jam?

rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
edited June 2008 in The Porch
Ridiculous, eh? For a while there, I wondered if I had moved past them. I was into other bands (yet would always be disappointed when I tried to watch setlists like I do for PJ ... Everyone else plays the same shit every night), thought I had grown tired of "straight-ahead" rock music (yet would sometimes wonder why guitar player X didn't solo quite as kick-ass as Mike does), thought that PJ represented a part of my life that I would like to move past (yet there were parts of my past that I wanted to keep as well, and somehow PJ would always figure into these parts) ...
I remember that I couldn't quite get how people could just get tired of their favorite band ... And then I was there myself, maybe. Maybe there was musical life beyond the Jam. Maybe all the bashers were right?
.....

All it took for me to shake this mindset was seeing the Roo setlist written out on a thread here. "Yes ... THIS is why I've never quite been able to let them go." Am I am different person than I was in '00, or even in '06? Sure. But PJ is still there, still kicking ass ... The music will always be there, no matter how I change. And this is something I should take comfort in.

As an aside, this is probably the best first encore in the history of Pearl Jam:
(from Grand Rapids, MI, '06):
Sleight Of Hand, Off He Goes, Around The Bend, Parting Ways, Hard To Imagine, Crazy Mary, Alive ...

DAMN, that's awesome ...
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Comments

  • Yellow LedbellyYellow Ledbelly Posts: 3,749
    Good music never gets old my friend...never
    All I have to do is revel in the everyday....then do it again tomorrow

    They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
  • PrlJmr10PrlJmr10 Posts: 130
    Yellow Ledbelly wrote:
    Good music never gets old my friend...never

    U are correct, my friend!!!!

    Pearl Jam is like the finest wine...only gets better over time :)
    PEARL JAM - It's what's for breakfast

    "Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise."
    --Anonymous

    The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. -Patrick Henry, revolutionary (1736-1799)
  • finnanniefinnannie Posts: 1,186
    PrlJmr10 wrote:
    U are correct, my friend!!!!

    Pearl Jam is like the finest wine...only gets better over time :)


    true :)
    Won't let the light escape from me.
    Won't let the darkness swallow me.
  • gatorjamgatorjam West Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 196
    I am upset with myself for not sitting in the reserved seats and in the lawn at the West Palm Beach show. The crowd wasn't as into it as me, but I know Pearl Jam will be back again and like i have in the past i will fly out to see them!
    2003-Tampa
    2006-East Rutherford
    2008-West Palm Beach
    2009- Philadelphia
    2016- Fort Lauderdale and Miami
    2022-Denver
    2024- Philadelphia
  • YourDirtisMyfoodYourDirtisMyfood Boston Posts: 4,655
    PrlJmr10 wrote:
    U are correct, my friend!!!!

    Pearl Jam is like the finest wine...only gets better over time :)


    http://www.pearl-jam.com/pictures/evbw4/evbwine.jpg
  • mattcozeamattcozea Posts: 377
    Every once in a while I'll take a break from Pearl Jam, I'll get a little burnt out. Being a fan of this band is a marathon, not a sprint.
    6-27-98 Alpine Valley
    10-8-00 Alpine Valley
    10-9-00 All State Arena, Chicago
    4-23-03 Assembly Hall, Champaign
    5-16-06 United Center, Chicago
    6-30-06 Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee
    8-05-07 Grant Park, Chicago
    8-21-08 EV, Auditorium Theater, Chicago
    8-22-08 EV, Auditorium Theater, Chicago
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    I sort of know where you're coming from. I mean, there are points where I go months without really even listening to Pearl Jam, or even thinking about them.

    But I always come back, eventually. Usually around tour time. I'll start following the setlists. I'll haul out the old boots. I'll dust off the old DVDs. I'll try to learn a new song on guitar. And I'm sucked back in.

    A few months after this tour, I'll probably go through a non-Pearl Jam phase again. It doesn't mean I've outgrown them. It just means I can't listen to the same band every day of my life :)
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • PJGARDENPJGARDEN Posts: 1,484
    I think I know how you feel. I have recently gone through a period (a pretty long period) where I didn't listen to the band so much. I didn't think about it that much. My taste in music has expanded quite a bit so I was just in to other things at the time. I went to the WBP show and didn't really get the same "high" off the show as I did in the past. I started to think maybe I had just finally grown out of my PJ stage and this was really unsettling. The feeling didn't last long. The next night in Tampa the band blew me away!!! Best show I have ever been to. I may not listen to them as much as I used to but they will always be my favorite band and they do get better with time :)
  • Yellow LedbellyYellow Ledbelly Posts: 3,749
    I also go through periods when I don't listen to the band very much or even at all, sometimes long periods. But never have I felt like I was outgrowing the band......you outgrow New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys, not PJ.
    All I have to do is revel in the everyday....then do it again tomorrow

    They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,060
    PJGARDEN wrote:
    I think I know how you feel. I have recently gone through a period (a pretty long period) where I didn't listen to the band so much. I didn't think about it that much. My taste in music has expanded quite a bit so I was just in to other things at the time. I went to the WBP show and didn't really get the same "high" off the show as I did in the past. I started to think maybe I had just finally grown out of my PJ stage and this was really unsettling. The feeling didn't last long. The next night in Tampa the band blew me away!!! Best show I have ever been to. I may not listen to them as much as I used to but they will always be my favorite band and they do get better with time :)

    I'm with you. I was telling a friend that I was done following PJ after the WPB show. The traveling gets old (living in Indiana you have to travel far to see multiple shows). But after Tampa, I was re-energized. Then Columbia blew me away. Probably my 3rd favorite show of the 32 I've seen (I enjoyed it a whole lot more than Boston III '03). Now I'm as psyched as ever to get to MSG for probably two of the best shows I'll ever see.

    Overall though, I think at some point (probably soon) I'll stop traveling and following them around. Maybe just pick a city each tour and see that show and spend time there instead of bouncing from city to city and spending more time traveling then relaxing.
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,060
    Yes, it is possible to outgrow Pearl Jam. There a quite a few regular posters on here who actually don't realize they have.

    For example, there are probably a few people here who if you took out Who You Are, W.M.A, and All Night from the Bonnaroo setlist would think the show sucked.

    If you spend more time complaining about the posters and the setlists then you do talking about the music, then you have outgrown Pearl Jam.
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    bootlegger10 wrote:
    Yes, it is possible to outgrow Pearl Jam. There a quite a few regular posters on here who actually don't realize they have.

    For example, there are probably a few people here who if you took out Who You Are, W.M.A, and All Night from the Bonnaroo setlist would think the show sucked.

    If you spend more time complaining about the posters and the setlists then you do talking about the music, then you have outgrown Pearl Jam.

    I've got to say ... I think you may be on to something here ...
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    bootlegger10 wrote:
    I'm with you. I was telling a friend that I was done following PJ after the WPB show. The traveling gets old (living in Indiana you have to travel far to see multiple shows). But after Tampa, I was re-energized. Then Columbia blew me away. Probably my 3rd favorite show of the 32 I've seen (I enjoyed it a whole lot more than Boston III '03). Now I'm as psyched as ever to get to MSG for probably two of the best shows I'll ever see.

    Overall though, I think at some point (probably soon) I'll stop traveling and following them around. Maybe just pick a city each tour and see that show and spend time there instead of bouncing from city to city and spending more time traveling then relaxing.

    I think moderation -- at least *some* moderation -- is key. It works out pretty well for me. Every two years or so, I plan a vacation to a city or area I'd like to see around a time when Pearl Jam is going to be there.

    If I plan it right -- like San Francisco in '06 -- I can see multiple shows, and a part of the country I've always wanted to visit.

    When it starts to feel more like a job than a vacation, that's when it's probably time to stop.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • stranger34stranger34 Posts: 235
    I usually put PJ to sleep for a while at a time now. I tend to use the tours or a new album as a reason to get back into them which Camden totally did for me last night.

    Ive found some other great bands with awesome deep catalogs to get lost in in the meantime like REM
  • 12345AGNST112345AGNST1 Posts: 4,906
    PJ expanded my taste for rock music, but there is nothing like PJ for me. If I listen to another band, it only makes me enjoy PJ that much more when I go back to listen to them. I never get tired of them, and ive been listening to them almost EVERY DAY for the past 2.5 years. It does NOT get old.
    5/28/06, 6/27/08, 10/28/09, 5/18/10, 5/21/10
    8/7/08, 6/9/09
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,060
    slightofjeff wrote:
    I think moderation -- at least *some* moderation -- is key. It works out pretty well for me. Every two years or so, I plan a vacation to a city or area I'd like to see around a time when Pearl Jam is going to be there.

    If I plan it right -- like San Francisco in '06 -- I can see multiple shows, and a part of the country I've always wanted to visit.

    When it starts to feel more like a job than a vacation, that's when it's probably time to stop.

    Totally agree. This time around I stopped buying posters at the show and even stopped seeing the opener (I did see KOL at WPB). This gives you about 2 more hours to relax a day instead of standing in a line or sitting in a crowd listening to an opening band that was cool the first time you saw them but get old after a while (although MMJ and KOL have been great).
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,060
    stranger34 wrote:
    I usually put PJ to sleep for a while at a time now. I tend to use the tours or a new album as a reason to get back into them which Camden totally did for me last night.

    Ive found some other great bands with awesome deep catalogs to get lost in in the meantime like REM


    Yep! I've done that with Springsteen, then REM, and now Radiohead. There are so many bands out there that I just ignored, so for REM and Springsteen there are 20-30 years of music out there to catch up on!
  • rebornFixerrebornFixer Posts: 4,901
    bootlegger10 wrote:
    Yes, it is possible to outgrow Pearl Jam. There a quite a few regular posters on here who actually don't realize they have.

    For example, there are probably a few people here who if you took out Who You Are, W.M.A, and All Night from the Bonnaroo setlist would think the show sucked.

    If you spend more time complaining about the posters and the setlists then you do talking about the music, then you have outgrown Pearl Jam.

    Good points ... I hadn't considered it that way, but I think you're right. I used to whine a bit about setlists ... I later realized just how good we have it, and now everything the band does looks pretty darn great to me. I still have my favorites and I'll get really worked up over a set that happens to include a lot of them (e.g., Columbia, SC), but every setlist thread this tour has been fun ... Evenflow shows up and instead of "again?!", I'm thinking "Cool, how will Mike and Matt sound on this one?" ... fuck it. Good times. I wish this tour was longer ...
  • pjstarrpjstarr Posts: 270
    I will listen to Pearl Jam til the day I die! They are the best band in the world and have enough variety to keep me happy forever. In fact I will request that whoever is at my wake has to listen to Pearl Jam. Pretty morbid but damn I love this band!
    "I think this is the coldest red wine I've ever had"
    E.V- Ice Bowl, Alpine Valley 2000

    Alpine Valley 6 -27-98 Palace 10-7-00 Alpine Valley 10-8-00
    Shoreline 6-1-03 DTE 6-25-03 DTE 6-26-03
    Pepsi Center 7-2-06 Pepsi Center 7-3-06
    Riverside Theater E.V solo 8-19-08
  • writersuwritersu Posts: 1,867
    I can't outgrow a band that grows with me.

    If they didn't though, they would be Poison, persay
    Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on The Creek......


    Together we will float like angels.........

    In the moment that you left the room, the album started skipping, goodbye to beauty shared with the ones that you love.........
  • chiquimonkeychiquimonkey Posts: 9,337
    writersu wrote:
    I can't outgrow a band that grows with me.
    so true. we've all grown up with them, on our own journeys and having their music as the soundtrack for it all. there are other bands i love for sure, but PJ's music is a rock that i can always count on :)
  • sailboatcaptainsailboatcaptain San Juan, Puerto Rico Posts: 251
    i agree with all of you......

    but I'll never stop listening....
    a WAVE came crashing like a fist to the jaw !
    WPB 03,Tampa 03,Camden 03,MSG1 03,Kissimmee 04,Lollapalooza 07, WPB 08,Tampa 08,Chicago 2009 (night 1 & 2), MSG 1 & 2 May 2010. PJ20 Sept 3 & 4 2011, Midtown Festival Sept 2012, Brooklyn Oct 18 & 19 2013, Ft Lauderdale 2016 and Miami 2016, Brooklyn, NY 2017
  • 12345AGNST112345AGNST1 Posts: 4,906
    writersu wrote:
    I can't outgrow a band that grows with me.


    That's the official line we tell people from now on.

    "why do you always listen to Pearl Jam, don't you get tired of them?"

    "I cant outgrow a band that grows with me."
    5/28/06, 6/27/08, 10/28/09, 5/18/10, 5/21/10
    8/7/08, 6/9/09
  • finnanniefinnannie Posts: 1,186
    12345AGNST1 wrote:
    That's the official line we tell people from now on.

    "why do you always listen to Pearl Jam, don't you get tired of them?"

    "I cant outgrow a band that grows with me."


    thats a nice line :D
    Won't let the light escape from me.
    Won't let the darkness swallow me.
  • writersuwritersu Posts: 1,867
    chiquimonkey wrote:
    so true. we've all grown up with them, on our own journeys and having their music as the soundtrack for it all. there are other bands i love for sure, but PJ's music is a rock that i can always count on :)


    yeah, and even when I watch something from when they were brand new in the 90's, I can appreciate the passion that came from the points of views they had, from where they were. Just like all of us, we change but what I respect is that no matter if I agree or disagree, I can say I respect their well thought out views.
    Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on The Creek......


    Together we will float like angels.........

    In the moment that you left the room, the album started skipping, goodbye to beauty shared with the ones that you love.........
  • writersuwritersu Posts: 1,867
    12345AGNST1 wrote:
    That's the official line we tell people from now on.

    "why do you always listen to Pearl Jam, don't you get tired of them?"

    "I cant outgrow a band that grows with me."


    Shit!! The one thing I don't copyright!!!!!


    (j/k I appreciate the complement...........)
    Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on The Creek......


    Together we will float like angels.........

    In the moment that you left the room, the album started skipping, goodbye to beauty shared with the ones that you love.........
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,060
    reborncareerist wrote:
    Good points ... I hadn't considered it that way, but I think you're right. I used to whine a bit about setlists ... I later realized just how good we have it, and now everything the band does looks pretty darn great to me. I still have my favorites and I'll get really worked up over a set that happens to include a lot of them (e.g., Columbia, SC), but every setlist thread this tour has been fun ... Evenflow shows up and instead of "again?!", I'm thinking "Cool, how will Mike and Matt sound on this one?" ... fuck it. Good times. I wish this tour was longer ...

    Yep, I'm sure we've all been down on setlists at one point. I'm guilty of ragging on Cinci 06.
  • happy2beherehappy2behere Posts: 148
    writersu wrote:
    I can't outgrow a band that grows with me.

    If they didn't though, they would be Poison, persay

    good line though you lose almost 100% of your points as you also mentioned Poison.
    gay for danny.
  • pjalive21pjalive21 St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,818
    im not outgrowing the band, just some whining fans who complain about where they sit
  • DirtyGin NYDirtyGin NY Posts: 11
    SOLAT319 wrote:
    OK so you were at G Rap! do you know that guy who shouted "seatbelts motherfuckers!" ? Zack the spin blog guy will interview him if we can find this guy and of course if he is doing the rounds for the East Coast tour.

    I think I get more excited and anxious now than 10 or more years ago. Always get some goosebumps....and I'm 41
    SPAC 8/4/92
    Rochester 4/7/94
    Mansfield 9/15/98
    SPAC 8/27/00
    Albany 4/29/03
    Mansfield 7/3/03
    Mansfield 7/11/03
    Hershey 7/12/03
    Albany 5/12/06
    Columbia 6/16/08
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