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04-30-03: It was the best of shows, it was the worst of shows
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Uniondale, Long Island, New York. April 30, 2003.
I had never sat closer to the stage at a Pearl Jam concert. Stage left, up only a few rows. Clear view of the entire band. I could see Ed's eyes from the first note of Long Road to when it all fell apart after Bushleaguer.
To understand why it happened, you have to understand Nassau County, and Long Island as a whole. I was born, raised, and have lived all of my 40 years in different towns across Nassau, including Uniondale, where the Coliseum is located.
It's easy to chalk up the incident to a mainly Republican population, which Nassau County definitely has. But even more than party affiliation, what the county, and Long Island in general, has is a population of white, privileged, flag wavers that are easily manipulated by faux patriotism and anything that plays to the most basic of human emotions. Have you ever seen the "they took our jobs!" episode of South Park? That's the crowd.
So, when the debris started flying toward the stage and the boos were raining down, I was saddened, angered, frustrated, embarrassed, but not surprised. I grew up with these people. To an extent, I was/am one of them. My main personality difference is that I'm extremely liberal.
Anyways, I remember thinking during the show, before the incident, that this was going to go down as a classic PJ concert. I mean, the second song they played was Rearviewmirror!
But now it's memorable for a different reason. And now, looking back 17 (!!!) years later, I wouldn't change it at all. From Bushleaguer to Know Your Rights to RITFW, the intensity and tension remains unmatched at a Pearl Jam concert.
In the immortal words of Ed that closed out the show....
"Thank you, goodnight! *mic smash*"
I had never sat closer to the stage at a Pearl Jam concert. Stage left, up only a few rows. Clear view of the entire band. I could see Ed's eyes from the first note of Long Road to when it all fell apart after Bushleaguer.
To understand why it happened, you have to understand Nassau County, and Long Island as a whole. I was born, raised, and have lived all of my 40 years in different towns across Nassau, including Uniondale, where the Coliseum is located.
It's easy to chalk up the incident to a mainly Republican population, which Nassau County definitely has. But even more than party affiliation, what the county, and Long Island in general, has is a population of white, privileged, flag wavers that are easily manipulated by faux patriotism and anything that plays to the most basic of human emotions. Have you ever seen the "they took our jobs!" episode of South Park? That's the crowd.
So, when the debris started flying toward the stage and the boos were raining down, I was saddened, angered, frustrated, embarrassed, but not surprised. I grew up with these people. To an extent, I was/am one of them. My main personality difference is that I'm extremely liberal.
Anyways, I remember thinking during the show, before the incident, that this was going to go down as a classic PJ concert. I mean, the second song they played was Rearviewmirror!
But now it's memorable for a different reason. And now, looking back 17 (!!!) years later, I wouldn't change it at all. From Bushleaguer to Know Your Rights to RITFW, the intensity and tension remains unmatched at a Pearl Jam concert.
In the immortal words of Ed that closed out the show....
"Thank you, goodnight! *mic smash*"
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Comments
You have nailed it.