Philadelphia Halloween 2009 - Spectrum Closing Show

Sobelberg8

Hey everyone, we're covering this monster of a show for our next podcast episode. I'm looking for some good stories or reviews from people who attended this show to give us some good insight so we can properly cover it. It's a very popular show so there should be no lack of stories and reviews, but I'd love to hear from everyone and anyone that has an opinion on it.

Would also love to hear from just Philly people in general that remember going to the Spectrum for Flyers or Sixers games as well as other shows there. Having never been there I'd love to get an idea of what the venue was like, especially since many people say it embodied the spirit of the city.

Anything you guys can to do help would be greatly appreciated and in return we'd love to share your story on the episode!

dankind

Great show, awful flu. 

Sobelberg8

You had an awful flu?

dankind

A great many attendees caught the flu after the show. 

YoullseeDragons

One of the best nights ever! Grew up going to the Spectrum. Even brought our daughter there to see The Wiggles! The show was sold out, merch line was crazy, and she gave Jeff wiggle a high-5. The Spectrum was a shrine to Philly sports and musical history. Every game and every show there added to the spirit of the building. I miss that building. The band did a great job honoring the memories and giving her a proper send off.

KN219077

dankind said:

A great many attendees caught the flu after the show. 

MUst have been something like norovirus to spread like that

Sobelberg8

dankind said:

A great many attendees caught the flu after the show. 

That’s odd. Did anyone in the band suffer the same fate?

CROJAM95

I got that nasty flu bug

Miserable week after

Great 4 shows, night 3 my favorite
remember the World Series going on ( cough yay Yankees cough) felt great to be in philly

pjpjpaul

I caught the flyers game earlier that day and then hit the show with my buddy. We had nosebleed seats but it was great just being in the building for that epic show. 

Ledbetterman10

dankind said:

Great show, awful flu. 

Dude me too! That show was absolute torture to get through. Not because of the show at all....but because I was literally about to faint. 

MayDay10

I remember being very tired for the 4th show.  I had attended all 4, so it was the 4th (quality) show in 5 nights.  I don't know how the band does/did it.  Was running on fumes as the show extended deep into the encores.  

RS65573

I went to all 4, got sick show 2. My wife got it BAD for show 4, I carried her out of the 10th row soaked during the confetti. Crazy.

curmudgeoness

RS65573 said:

I went to all 4, got sick show 2. My wife got it BAD for show 4, I carried her out of the 10th row soaked during the confetti. Crazy.

H1N1....

I've always assumed that someone in the box office was spreading it, since we didn't buy any food/drink didn't go to any pre-parties, and I, the person picking up the tickets, got sick on the 29th, between shows. The rest of the family succumbed Nov. 1st. I think most of the people who went to the shows got sick.

curmudgeoness

Halloween show ... costumes, on stage and in the crowd; sloppy but fun cover of "Whip It;" very naughty story about KISS, Ed's mom, and Mike's mom; "Out of My Mind!" "I want everyone in here to tell everyone out there, we ain't playing shows this long ever again; this is OTOTO." LOL -- now if shows are shorter than three hours, there is complaining.

2-feign-reluctance

dankind said:

Great show, awful flu. 

The Philly Plu

MR242791

oh wow I got sick too lol.  I only went to two shows though, 10/28 and 10/31.  It was fun but the spectrum's concession area was so uncomfortable, it was just too crowded. after experiencing that i understood why the spectrum was being replaced.  

key to the locks

There was a lot of build up that week that the last show would be the longest ever. Also rumors about special guests.

Bought a ticket last minute and drove by myself over 6 hours the day of the show. I remember how electric the atmosphere was when I arrived. The world series was going on across the street and I spent some time at the party going on outside the phillies stadium. The band gave score updates thru the night. The band came out to the Rocky theme, Ed threw the boxing gloves he was wearing into the crowd and it was on.

lemon2

Don't forget World Series Game 3 was going on right next door.  Was great when Eddie gave scoring updates during the show. As a Yankee fan, it was so awesome when he announced the Yankees finally took the lead in the 5th inning against the Phillies. Sorry Philly fans.

SJD3232

why not check out the fanviews:  http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/116752/philadelphia-4-fanviews-here-10-31-09/p1

KN219077

I was 2500 miles away and sick with h1n1 as well, I remember it well. Spent four days down then tried to go to work was doing hard physical labort and my heart rate was through the roof and my lung capacity was probably half of normal. Looking back, it was a dumb thing to do and could have damn near killed me, being 23 probably helped

RS65573

I worked every day at 8am, drove to shows at 4pm and came home after.  2 hours each way. I was 34. Would not attempt today.

Ryan

Night 3 and night 1 were the best shows of this run.

annabellaqueen

Went to the show on the 27th, Eddie said they were going to try to play all their songs at the four-show run so I splurged and bought Halloween ebay tix for $150 apiece (bargain!) the next day. We went in costume and tailgated while a Sixers or Flyers game was going on at the Wells Fargo Center. In the parking lot drinking beers with people we just met, my wife -- dressed up as Elmo -- gets physically lifted up and hugged by two dudes wearing Bert and Ernie costumes. Think we still have the photo of her laughing with a soft pretzel in her hand and being held up by Bert and Ernie. Walking down Pattison Ave. to pick up the tix at the Holiday Inn the security guard at Citizen Bank Park shouts out to me and anyone in the vicinity. ("GET YOUR MIDDLE FINGERS READY, HERE THEY COME, HERE COME THE YANKEES, GET YOUR MIDDLE FINGERS READY!!!")

It was so freaking hot inside the building, packed to the rafters, we ditched our costumes like three songs in. They bring out one of the Spectrum's oldest employees and he gets a rousing ovation. It was a really sweet moment. (Eddie would bring this man out again when he played a solo show at Tower Theatre in Upper Darby a year or two later.) The Spectrum is where I saw my first rock show as a 15-year-old, so it was cool to see the final show there. That said, you were taking your life in your hands going to the bathroom. You actually had to walk down stairs off the concourse to reach the bathrooms and the steps seemed to be smeared with Crisco (or worse). As far as concerts, though, great venue, right on top of the stage. Wells Fargo is nowhere near that intimate. If you're in the upper deck at WF, it feels miles away from the stage. They've torn down a lot of these cool old arenas, but to me the XL Center in Hartford (built in '75) almost has that type of closer, intimate feel. Would love to know how much confetti they shot off that night, it just went on forever. We walk outside the Spectrum to fireworks after Chooch Ruiz hits a ninth-inning home run for the Phillies, but it wasn't enough. So the concert and WS game let out at roughly the same time. Sat in our car in the parking lot unable to move for like 90 minutes. We should have brought more beers. Amazing, amazing show and experience. 

RS65573

Awesome write up. Spot on about the XL Center.

Sobelberg8

Yeah the XL Center is definitely one of the last of a dying breed type arenas, I've been going there for years and besides them widening the concourse the actual arena feels unchanged. Just a simple 3 tier set up where if you were sitting in the 200s for an MSG it would feel like the 100s section at XL. The Buffalo arena (they change the name every damn year, I know it as First Niagra or HBSC) has a similar feel to it. 

That was indeed a good write up and I'd love to use that in our episode. Those are the kind of stories we're looking for - something that really paints the picture of the entire experience. The Yankee bus story had me cracking up and your wife running into Bert and Ernie was great too.

RS65573

Yeah go dig up that picture!

dankind

SJD3232 said:

why not check out the fanviews:  http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/116752/philadelphia-4-fanviews-here-10-31-09/p1

I think that thread goes into pages of Internet tough guys offering to beat up some dickhead who stole an Eddie Vedder wine bottle souvenir from a woman after the show. But if you're looking for all angles for your podcast, even the crappy stuff that happens at shows, then that might be a good story, too.

2-feign-reluctance

BAAAAAAAAARFFFFF!! Had tickets to the 31st, refunded them almost immediately due to terrible, temporary phobia of flying.

a5pj

I never heard about everyone getting sick at these shows, my group didn't get it.
Great shows, exhausting run

demetrios

a5pj said:

I never heard about everyone getting sick at these shows, my group didn't get it.
Great shows, exhausting run

I was at all 4 shows. I got the sickness when I got home November 1st. 

jjflash

annabellaqueen said:

Went to the show on the 27th, Eddie said they were going to try to play all their songs at the four-show run so I splurged and bought Halloween ebay tix for $150 apiece (bargain!) the next day. We went in costume and tailgated while a Sixers or Flyers game was going on at the Wells Fargo Center. In the parking lot drinking beers with people we just met, my wife -- dressed up as Elmo -- gets physically lifted up and hugged by two dudes wearing Bert and Ernie costumes. Think we still have the photo of her laughing with a soft pretzel in her hand and being held up by Bert and Ernie. Walking down Pattison Ave. to pick up the tix at the Holiday Inn the security guard at Citizen Bank Park shouts out to me and anyone in the vicinity. ("GET YOUR MIDDLE FINGERS READY, HERE THEY COME, HERE COME THE YANKEES, GET YOUR MIDDLE FINGERS READY!!!")

It was so freaking hot inside the building, packed to the rafters, we ditched our costumes like three songs in. They bring out one of the Spectrum's oldest employees and he gets a rousing ovation. It was a really sweet moment. (Eddie would bring this man out again when he played a solo show at Tower Theatre in Upper Darby a year or two later.) The Spectrum is where I saw my first rock show as a 15-year-old, so it was cool to see the final show there. That said, you were taking your life in your hands going to the bathroom. You actually had to walk down stairs off the concourse to reach the bathrooms and the steps seemed to be smeared with Crisco (or worse). As far as concerts, though, great venue, right on top of the stage. Wells Fargo is nowhere near that intimate. If you're in the upper deck at WF, it feels miles away from the stage. They've torn down a lot of these cool old arenas, but to me the XL Center in Hartford (built in '75) almost has that type of closer, intimate feel. Would love to know how much confetti they shot off that night, it just went on forever. We walk outside the Spectrum to fireworks after Chooch Ruiz hits a ninth-inning home run for the Phillies, but it wasn't enough. So the concert and WS game let out at roughly the same time. Sat in our car in the parking lot unable to move for like 90 minutes. We should have brought more beers. Amazing, amazing show and experience. 

Good story, thanks for sharing