One of the best things about the 2000 and 2003 tour is that they played everywhere
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1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest 2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1 2022: Nashville 2023: Ft. Worth II 2024: Baltimore
I always thought they sounded the best in 2003. They were so tight and in sync with each other and just fed off each other energies. Eddie vocals were on point. Mike and Stones guitar tones were damn near perfect. I always liked the 98 and “Touring Band” eras too. But there was just always something about 2003 that was just different musically. I was actually listening to a few bootlegs from 2006 not that long ago and there is definitely a difference in sound form 2006 to 2003. Eddie almost sang slightly higher in 2006 as opposed to how he was singing in 03 and tones of the guitars and drums almost sound brighter. As opposed to the angry vibe that was coming off at 2003. I also thought they sounded really good in 2013 too.
"If you're like me, then you know me"
2006: Camden 1
2008: Washington DC
2009: Philly 1, Philly 2, Philly 3, Philly 4
2013: Philly 1, Philly 2, Baltimore
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2,
2017: Temple of The Dog Philly 2
I agree that 2003 was the best live year for them. I'll even pin it down the the end of the April '03 shows as their best run of consecutive shows ever: Philadelphia-Albany-Uniondale-Buffalo-State College. Boom was pretty well integrated by that point. They did 20 shows just in April! Band was on fire and really meshing well together. Great mix with the setlists. Really expanded to a whole bunch of new covers that year. Started adding more length to the sets around that time. Used to be rare to find 3-disc shows in the old CD bootleg era but they were cranking them out routinely at the end of that run. Just great energy overall. Even some classic shows in the summer '03 tour like MSG 1, Holmdel, Mansfield 3. April '03 was to Pearl Jam what May '77 was for the Grateful Dead.
TFC '97, TFC '98, Pittsburgh '98, Camden I,II '98, Camden I,II '00, Pittsburgh '00, Philly '03, Camden I,II '03, MSG I,II '03, Hershey '03, Reading '04, Philly '05, Camden I,II '06, Meadowlands I '06, Camden I,II '08, DC '08, Spectrum I,II,III,IV '09, Made in America '12, Philly I,II '13, GCF '15, Philly I,II '16, MSG I '16, Apollo ‘22, MSG ‘22, Camden ‘22, MSG I,II '24, Philly I,II '24
1994-1998 was their peak in my opinion. 2003 shows are awesome, too.
Milwaukee 2014 MSG 2016 1&2 Wrigley 2016 1&2 Eddie Vedder Obama Farewell Address 2017 Eddie Vedder Louisville, KY 2017 London 2018 1 Wrigley 2018 1&2 St. Louis 2020
After that, it’s still great but they seemed to become more of a “good time” band - which, when you think about it, was probably best for the overall health of the band.
Wasn't there a major change of guitars by Ed and Stone for the Riot Act tour? Add Boom to the mix, and it's almost like a rebirth for the band.
I don’t know about Mike and Stone changing that many guitars up. I know Stone was using that acoustic Gretsch for Black around that time, he plays on the Live At the Garden Dvd. I think he was using it on a few other songs too. It definitely had a very unique sound to it. And yeah I believe this was the first time Eddie steadily used Gibson SGs. I know prior he had mainly used telecasters. There was a few pictures of him in the mid 90s playing a Les Paul, but prior to 2003 I’m pretty sure he was a telecaster guy for the most part. Mikes tone was definitely the best it was in the 2003 era though and I think it was some of his best playing. I know riot act was the first record Mike recorded sober too.
"If you're like me, then you know me"
2006: Camden 1
2008: Washington DC
2009: Philly 1, Philly 2, Philly 3, Philly 4
2013: Philly 1, Philly 2, Baltimore
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2,
2017: Temple of The Dog Philly 2
Wasn't there a major change of guitars by Ed and Stone for the Riot Act tour? Add Boom to the mix, and it's almost like a rebirth for the band.
I don’t know about Ed, but this was the first tour that Stone used actual acoustic guitars instead of electric with pedals. It was mentioned in the old Rumor Pit at the same time they announced Boom would be adding keys for the first time. Matt also switched from Ayotte to Yamaha drums at this time.
I think I prefer 2000, but 2003 is a special memory.
2003 gave us the next-day "unmastered" soundboard recordings of the previous night's show which were still pretty darn good. I remember spending many many nights on the Synergy board following the setlist threads and then torrenting most shows in the morning.
I think Pearl Jam was its absolute coolest in 2002/2003. They'd already reached the highest peaks in terms of fame and popularity during the 1990s. They didn't feel the need to prove anything to anybody any more. The highly underrated Riot Act album is very visceral and political, which I really appreciated then and now. Furthermore, a vast majority of the "bandwagon" fans were gone by that point, and the rest of us didn't have to continue sharing the band with so very many other people. It just doesn't get any better than their performance of Save You on David Letterman's show in 2002 to promote the Riot Act album. Then just when I thought things couldn't get any better, they released Lost Dogs in 2003. Wow! Those were the days! Don't get me wrong -- I love Gigaton. Nonetheless, if I had the money and free time (and access to a time travel machine), I'd follow the band as they toured in 2002 and 2003. There's no doubt about it!
‘03 was definitely great but those second encores with sleater Kinney .......yikes.
I did eleven shows that year, it was awesome. Only bad one out of the bunch was Hershey and being with the ex. :(
holmdel 2 nights later was the show the see...I did about 15 that tour and Hershey might have been my least favorite
Holmdel might have been the best show that year; such an underrated show. It has to be one of the most unique first sets in the bands history. Ten to riot act in chronological order!!!!!
‘03 was definitely great but those second encores with sleater Kinney .......yikes.
I did eleven shows that year, it was awesome. Only bad one out of the bunch was Hershey and being with the ex. :(
holmdel 2 nights later was the show the see...I did about 15 that tour and Hershey might have been my least favorite
Holmdel might have been the best show that year; such an underrated show. It has to be one of the most unique first sets in the bands history. Ten to riot act in chronological order!!!!!
great show and last of the US dates, opened with Wash, two tracks from each album through the first set or something.
‘03 was definitely great but those second encores with sleater Kinney .......yikes.
I did eleven shows that year, it was awesome. Only bad one out of the bunch was Hershey and being with the ex. :(
holmdel 2 nights later was the show the see...I did about 15 that tour and Hershey might have been my least favorite
Holmdel might have been the best show that year; such an underrated show. It has to be one of the most unique first sets in the bands history. Ten to riot act in chronological order!!!!!
Damn straight. Holmdel could be my top show out of 40+
I dunno. My favourite tours that I've attended were 1998, 2005, and 2016. 2005 was on fire. I think it was the first tour I saw where they weren't promoting an album, so the setlists opened up a bit. Plus they were on fire. I think it's underrated because it wasn't a big tour. Canada+South America+a few US dates?
2003 Champaign was TIGHT AF. Only fuck up was Ed during Blue Red and Grey and the guy that yelled for YL causing the band to scratch it from the setlist
This Champaign show was....TIGHT AF! Tried to think of a better way to put it, but "TIGHT AF" seems quite appropriate. Might have been the best of the shows I've ever seen.
"A smart monkey doesn't monkey around with another monkey's monkey" - Darwin's Theory
2003 Champaign was TIGHT AF. Only fuck up was Ed during Blue Red and Grey and the guy that yelled for YL causing the band to scratch it from the setlist
I reviewed a bunch of 03’ shows for the DEEP microsite, including Champaign. Might be the best show I’ve ever been to, period. They were on fire that night.
I dunno. My favourite tours that I've attended were 1998, 2005, and 2016. 2005 was on fire. I think it was the first tour I saw where they weren't promoting an album, so the setlists opened up a bit. Plus they were on fire. I think it's underrated because it wasn't a big tour. Canada+South America+a few US dates?
You're right about '05. Really interesting setlists without the album to promote. Pretty wide open with what you could get. Philly '05 was probably my most listened to bootleg until the Philly Ten show happened.
TFC '97, TFC '98, Pittsburgh '98, Camden I,II '98, Camden I,II '00, Pittsburgh '00, Philly '03, Camden I,II '03, MSG I,II '03, Hershey '03, Reading '04, Philly '05, Camden I,II '06, Meadowlands I '06, Camden I,II '08, DC '08, Spectrum I,II,III,IV '09, Made in America '12, Philly I,II '13, GCF '15, Philly I,II '16, MSG I '16, Apollo ‘22, MSG ‘22, Camden ‘22, MSG I,II '24, Philly I,II '24
‘03 was definitely great but those second encores with sleater Kinney .......yikes.
I did eleven shows that year, it was awesome. Only bad one out of the bunch was Hershey and being with the ex. :(
holmdel 2 nights later was the show the see...I did about 15 that tour and Hershey might have been my least favorite
Holmdel might have been the best show that year; such an underrated show. It has to be one of the most unique first sets in the bands history. Ten to riot act in chronological order!!!!!
Also the show where you could trade out your MSG tickets for this one since they had so many requests for MSG this show was a late add on. Ended up with row 7 dead center seats. Was killer and a great tailgate day.
2003 was killer for the ability to get tickets to as many shows as possible. With the new policies looks like those days are long gone
I always see peaks and valleys. Some shows stand out more than others, definitely, but some of those shows come from different tours, different eras.
It's really hard to name the highest peak. Early on, their shows were raw, energetic, but also lacking in some musicianship, coordination. Later shows, they are definitely wiser, and they have a much better sense of themselves, the crowd, and their music is much better to me. But like anything, sometimes we see the age. I mean, I dont want anyone climing scaffolding anymore...but its also hard to deny that stuff like that is intense. Overall, I just really enjoy their peaks and valleys. I'm getting older. So are they. Their peaks now are different types of peaks than say, when they were in their 20's, and for good reason.
My guess....their next concert....post-pandemic...that I attend is probably going to be one of the highest peaks for me and PJ. I dont care about 100% accuracy. Emotionally, it will be hard to beat their return.
That's a good way to put. Plus I think the 2013 and 2016 tours were also pretty amazing, when they stepped up their game, and 3 hour+ setlists became the norm. I feel like 13/16 became a new peak too.. even if they have aged a bit.
My absolute favourite tour is Yield, because they were still young with piss/vinegar, but had also figured out their shit, and gained some wisdom. So many fans seeing them for the first time on that tour. I'd seen a lolla set when I was super young, but the Yield tour was my first real Pearl Jam exposure. Maybe because it was my first tour, I'm super nostalgic for it.
For the 2003 tour, I only saw the shows in Seattle (technically 2002) at Key Arena, and Vancouver. I will say Mansfield #3 is one of my most spin boots ever, and that says alot, considering I wasn't at the show.
Comments
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
2024: Baltimore
Upcoming: 2025 Hollywood, FL Night 2
2006: Camden 1
2008: Washington DC
2009: Philly 1, Philly 2, Philly 3, Philly 4
2013: Philly 1, Philly 2, Baltimore
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2,
2017: Temple of The Dog Philly 2
EV- 2008, 2011 Boston
Yeah, pretty good!
I really enjoyed the 2016 tour actually, but looking back 2003 is pretty magical. Mansfield, State College, the Japan/Australia shows.
My only shows were Atlanta (really fun) and MSG #1, Live at the Garden show. That is still probably my number one show. Man. So good.
MSG 2016 1&2
Wrigley 2016 1&2
Eddie Vedder Obama Farewell Address 2017
Eddie Vedder Louisville, KY 2017
London 2018 1
Wrigley 2018 1&2
St. Louis 2020
After that, it’s still great but they seemed to become more of a “good time” band - which, when you think about it, was probably best for the overall health of the band.
2006: Camden 1
2008: Washington DC
2009: Philly 1, Philly 2, Philly 3, Philly 4
2013: Philly 1, Philly 2, Baltimore
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2,
2017: Temple of The Dog Philly 2
2003 gave us the next-day "unmastered" soundboard recordings of the previous night's show which were still pretty darn good. I remember spending many many nights on the Synergy board following the setlist threads and then torrenting most shows in the morning.
It's really hard to name the highest peak. Early on, their shows were raw, energetic, but also lacking in some musicianship, coordination.
Later shows, they are definitely wiser, and they have a much better sense of themselves, the crowd, and their music is much better to me. But like anything, sometimes we see the age. I mean, I dont want anyone climing scaffolding anymore...but its also hard to deny that stuff like that is intense. Overall, I just really enjoy their peaks and valleys. I'm getting older. So are they. Their peaks now are different types of peaks than say, when they were in their 20's, and for good reason.
My guess....their next concert....post-pandemic...that I attend is probably going to be one of the highest peaks for me and PJ. I dont care about 100% accuracy. Emotionally, it will be hard to beat their return.
Nuclear fission