*** Sea.Hear.Now Festival Fanviews Here 9/18/21 ***

Get_Right

Left the beach at 2 on a perfect day. Headed north to Asbury Park.  Took 15 mins to find parking in a large public lot about 1 mile from the venue.  GREAT weather, GREAT vibe walking past the old carousel, the stone pony, seeing boats in the water and the surf. Entrance around 3:30 took about 30 mins, pretty well organized and lax security, no hassles.  Walked down to just left of the soundboard on Mike's side toes in the sand!  Setting was fantastic.  Blanket down and about 6 of us hanging out on the beach, having drinks, what a setting.  Completely exceeded my expectations. Patti Smith was pretty good, and the sound was really good right near the soundboard. Avetts came out hard! Loved their set and it was rocking. 

Wasn't thrilled with the PJ opener, knew they were going to play a bunch of new songs, and was excited to hear them, but was hoping for a more "traditional" opening.  Other than that, I think this was a very well thought out festival set for the first show back. "New" stuff sounded great and there were real gems for the hardcore fans. Other than Even Flow, I was happy they stayed away from Ten songs until the end.  I think I shed a tear during wishlist and during elderly woman. "My god it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return, but now here you are, and here I am" Fucking A, heard that song a million times, but this one got to me. I am getting chills as I write that.  Red Mosquito, WMA, waiting on friend and people have the power tags, My city of ruins, all great.  Really good show that exceeded my expectations. On to Ohana!!

nycrats

steven87 said:

Had an incredible time! I feel so fortunate to have been at the first show back. It was a truly cathartic experience for me seeing them live again after all this time. I thought the Gigaton songs rocked, and I was glad to hear so many of them. The energy in my section (a row back from the rail, Mike’s side), was incredible.  Everyone seemed to know every word of the Gigaton songs and was screaming them out. It was a long day getting blasted by the sun for 8 plus hours on the beach, but it was great getting to hang out with all you awesome people all day! Was really happy they played seven o’clock, my favorite song from the album, and thought it sounded great live. Also, quick escape and SBWM totally rocked and I could see them becoming live staples. I also thought the slightly slowed down versions of the regular staples sounded great (present tense, corduroy, GTF), and the band as a whole sounded really tight. Highlights for me were the opening words of corduroy, the sing along during small town, red mosquito with Danny clinch, porch with Eddie pretending to climb the scaffolding, Mike’s shredding solo in even flow, and my city of ruins. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for Ohana encore in two weeks!

Wow sounds like you were close!  What was the preparation like to get to that point?  Were people camped out a day before or something? Did you have vip? Numbers on wrists, notepads etc? Curious how one got super close for this.. must have been an extraordinary commitment 

steven87

nycrats said:

steven87 said:

Had an incredible time! I feel so fortunate to have been at the first show back. It was a truly cathartic experience for me seeing them live again after all this time. I thought the Gigaton songs rocked, and I was glad to hear so many of them. The energy in my section (a row back from the rail, Mike’s side), was incredible.  Everyone seemed to know every word of the Gigaton songs and was screaming them out. It was a long day getting blasted by the sun for 8 plus hours on the beach, but it was great getting to hang out with all you awesome people all day! Was really happy they played seven o’clock, my favorite song from the album, and thought it sounded great live. Also, quick escape and SBWM totally rocked and I could see them becoming live staples. I also thought the slightly slowed down versions of the regular staples sounded great (present tense, corduroy, GTF), and the band as a whole sounded really tight. Highlights for me were the opening words of corduroy, the sing along during small town, red mosquito with Danny clinch, porch with Eddie pretending to climb the scaffolding, Mike’s shredding solo in even flow, and my city of ruins. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for Ohana encore in two weeks!

Wow sounds like you were close!  What was the preparation like to get to that point?  Were people camped out a day before or something? Did you have vip? Numbers on wrists, notepads etc? Curious how one got super close for this.. must have been an extraordinary commitment 

Fortunately I live only a half hour away so I drove over early in the morning and got on line around 830. There were probably about 50 people or so ahead of me at that time. No numbers on wrists, no VIP. We all just took turns doing food runs, bathroom breaks, etc. while we were waiting and held each other’s spots. It was one big happy family! Was a serious commitment enduring the sun beating down on us all day (and of course I forgot to bring a hat) but was totally worth it in the end. 

steven87

Here are a few pics from where I was standing:

GlowGirl

pjhawks said:

You forget how great this band is sometimes. I thought they sounded incredible. Red Mosquito was probably my fave but pretty much all were great.  Perfect weather and didn’t feel crowded where we stood.  Was about 100 yards back from the first set of mid speakers.

two downsides had nothing to do with the music, idiots standing at the steps to the boardwalk. Keep the steps clear people. And getting out of town trying to find an Uber was a clusterfuck.  None available and people all thru town just sitting around looking for one.  Finally hauled down a cab at about 1:00 am.

I had an amazing time at the show. It was great to see them after 3 long years. I was just to the left of the soundboard. People around me were having a good time. I wish they didn't cut Retrograde. But loved every minute of it. Present Tense and Red Mosquito were my highlights. But it was all good. Now I wish I was going to Ohana. I would be sad it was over, but I still have 3 more shows to go to once they reschedule. Hoping that will be soon. I agree that the Uber situation was a nightmare. Big thank you to @RatherStarved for giving me and my friends a ride back to our hotel. We really appreciated it!!

Dr.Teeth and the Electric Mayh

Loved the opening to the set. New songs were awesome. Take the long way is something fierce. 

Crowd sucked in my area, constantly shouting play Jeremy. Kind of felt bad for the band that they had to start on the Jersey Shore. They were clearly excited to play the new songs. Very glad they did. 

RatherStarved

GlowGirl said:

pjhawks said:

You forget how great this band is sometimes. I thought they sounded incredible. Red Mosquito was probably my fave but pretty much all were great.  Perfect weather and didn’t feel crowded where we stood.  Was about 100 yards back from the first set of mid speakers.

two downsides had nothing to do with the music, idiots standing at the steps to the boardwalk. Keep the steps clear people. And getting out of town trying to find an Uber was a clusterfuck.  None available and people all thru town just sitting around looking for one.  Finally hauled down a cab at about 1:00 am.

I had an amazing time at the show. It was great to see them after 3 long years. I was just to the left of the soundboard. People around me were having a good time. I wish they didn't cut Retrograde. But loved every minute of it. Present Tense and Red Mosquito were my highlights. But it was all good. Now I wish I was going to Ohana. I would be sad it was over, but I still have 3 more shows to go to once they reschedule. Hoping that will be soon. I agree that the Uber situation was a nightmare. Big thank you to @RatherStarved for giving me and my friends a ride back to our hotel. We really appreciated it!!

@GlowGirl It was my pleasure and I also enjoyed the show.  Disappointed they struck Unthought Known as it was a perfect night for that but there’s still Ohana…I have no complaints about the show at all and still cannot believe it actually happened.  

URthekey

I thought the new music sounded great! Would have liked less of a ‘greatest hits’ set but Present Tense was really moving and I always love to hear Red Mosquito. I was thrilled just being in a crowd of dancing people rocking out again! My only complaint- The show felt very short, PJ’s set went to quick! 

Otherwise perfect weather, good food, good friends.

URthekey

cp3iverson

URthekey said:

I thought the new music sounded great! Would have liked less of a ‘greatest hits’ set but Present Tense was really moving and I always love to hear Red Mosquito. I was thrilled just being in a crowd of dancing people rocking out again! My only complaint- The show felt very short, PJ’s set went to quick! 

Otherwise perfect weather, good food, good friends.

I didn’t really see it as a greatest hits set.  Half of the set was Gigaton and two No Code tunes.  

OnWis97

cp3iverson said:

URthekey said:

I thought the new music sounded great! Would have liked less of a ‘greatest hits’ set but Present Tense was really moving and I always love to hear Red Mosquito. I was thrilled just being in a crowd of dancing people rocking out again! My only complaint- The show felt very short, PJ’s set went to quick! 

Otherwise perfect weather, good food, good friends.

I didn’t really see it as a greatest hits set.  Half of the set was Gigaton and two No Code tunes.  

Kind of a combo. Made sure to get enough hits but also pleased the hard core base.

heartofadog

As someone who did not watch the stream and just kept track via the setlist thread here/some Twitter posts, did Klinghoffer play guitar and keys or just guitar? Was Boom there as well, looks like his rig on stage where it usually is but I've seen no mention of him or any photos. If Boom's not out with them it makes perfect sense to have Josh in the sort of Scott Thurston Heartbreakers role but if Boom is out with them that means they're a four-guitar band for the songs when Ed's playing too, which seems like overkill maybe. Anyone who was there have any thoughts about how the addition of Josh changed the sound/arrangements?

misterbean

Lots of opinions on DOTC as the opener. Was the number one song my wife wanted to hear and you know, happy wife/happy life, so I was cool with it.

misterbean

heartofadog said:

As someone who did not watch the stream and just kept track via the setlist thread here/some Twitter posts, did Klinghoffer play guitar and keys or just guitar? Was Boom there as well, looks like his rig on stage where it usually is but I've seen no mention of him or any photos. If Boom's not out with them it makes perfect sense to have Josh in the sort of Scott Thurston Heartbreakers role but if Boom is out with them that means they're a four-guitar band for the songs when Ed's playing too, which seems like overkill maybe. Anyone who was there have any thoughts about how the addition of Josh changed the sound/arrangements?

Boom was there. Josh played guitar on RITFW for sure...other songs, not sure. 

OceansJenny

steven87 said:

Here are a few pics from where I was standing:

Awesome!! Looks like it was worth it to me!

OceansJenny

heartofadog said:

As someone who did not watch the stream and just kept track via the setlist thread here/some Twitter posts, did Klinghoffer play guitar and keys or just guitar? Was Boom there as well, looks like his rig on stage where it usually is but I've seen no mention of him or any photos. If Boom's not out with them it makes perfect sense to have Josh in the sort of Scott Thurston Heartbreakers role but if Boom is out with them that means they're a four-guitar band for the songs when Ed's playing too, which seems like overkill maybe. Anyone who was there have any thoughts about how the addition of Josh changed the sound/arrangements?

Here’s Boom

Sobelberg8

Easily my favorite photo I took of the night

OceansJenny

Great shot!!

jdesantis1983

nicknyr15 said:

Wasn’t there. Watched a stream but I have to ask… 7:00 at number 3 seemed to completely kill any energy that QE built. Did it feel that way?And all the all the older songs were 100% played at their normal tempo. It was very consciously done, I heard the tempo slow down when they started getting too fast. I’m also pretty sure I saw EV turn to MC and make a slow down gesture. Can’t remember which song though. I’m not a fan of Gigaton but they were obviously very excited to play the new ones. I think the setlist audibles were better to keep the crowd engaged. 

Agree, 3 GIgaton songs in a row to open the show seemed to dull the crowd down a bit, it was a festival crowd that had been there all day. Corduroy got the energy back up. Sad about missing Light Years, would’ve traded that for any of the Gigaton songs, but loved all the older stuff they played and most of the new songs sounded great. Red Mosquito is one of my favorites and I’d never seen it before so that, Present Tense, and Ed playing My City of Ruins in Asbury (Bruce repurposed it for NYC after 9/11 but originally wrote it years before about Asbury) alone made it worth it. Really felt like mostly a PJ crowd there, I only wish they could have played longer, but they were scheduled to be done at 10:30, so I’m glad we got to see a full 2 hour show, considering it was their first in over 3 years plus the energy, I’m sure everyone was wiped. I thought the layout of the festival worked nicely, great vibe and though the sand isn’t easy on the feet, legs and back after a while, still amazing to see your favorite band on the beach with some beautiful weather. 

Side note: Does anyone know if any of the band showed up to play at any of the after shows at Stone Pony, Wonder Bar, etc?

Ledbetterman10

Great show. I thought the venue was cool as hell with the ocean on the right. The whole set up of the entire festival was cool. I thought the band sounded terrific. When Mike was soloing at the end of Quick Escape, I just thought about how great it was to be at a live show again. A few random thoughts....

I thought the Gigaton songs I like (DOTC, SBWM, Quick Escape) were great and the others, while I'm not that into them, were definitely played well and sounded good. Would've gone with SBWM over 7 o'clock in that third spot though. 

Anyone else think Even Flow was played much slower than usual? More resembling the album cut? I liked it. 

Eddie needs to stop blathering on and on between songs. During that rambling Bruce Springsteen DWI thing, I thought "Well that could've been Spin The Black Circle or something."

nicknyr15

Ledbetterman10 said:

Great show. I thought the venue was cool as hell with the ocean on the right. The whole set up of the entire festival was cool. I thought the band sounded terrific. When Mike was soloing at the end of Quick Escape, I just thought about how great it was to be at a live show again. A few random thoughts....

I thought the Gigaton songs I like (DOTC, SBWM, Quick Escape) were great and the others, while I'm not that into them, were definitely played well and sounded good. Would've gone with SBWM over 7 o'clock in that third spot though. 

Anyone else think Even Flow was played much slower than usual? More resembling the album cut? I liked it. 

Eddie needs to stop blathering on and on between songs. During that rambling Bruce Springsteen DWI thing, I thought "Well that could've been Spin The Black Circle or something."

All older songs were 100% played closer to album tempo last night and it seemed like a very conscious decision. Matt played songs slightly differently to accommodate the tempo, including some of his fills. 

Ledbetterman10

nicknyr15 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

Great show. I thought the venue was cool as hell with the ocean on the right. The whole set up of the entire festival was cool. I thought the band sounded terrific. When Mike was soloing at the end of Quick Escape, I just thought about how great it was to be at a live show again. A few random thoughts....

I thought the Gigaton songs I like (DOTC, SBWM, Quick Escape) were great and the others, while I'm not that into them, were definitely played well and sounded good. Would've gone with SBWM over 7 o'clock in that third spot though. 

Anyone else think Even Flow was played much slower than usual? More resembling the album cut? I liked it. 

Eddie needs to stop blathering on and on between songs. During that rambling Bruce Springsteen DWI thing, I thought "Well that could've been Spin The Black Circle or something."

All older songs were 100% played closer to album tempo last night and it seemed like a very conscious decision. Matt played songs slightly differently to accommodate the tempo, including some of his fills. 

Yeah now that you mention it, I kinda noticed it during Alive too. But it was very noticeable during Even Flow. Didn't really notice it with other older songs though. 

RiotZact

nicknyr15 said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

Great show. I thought the venue was cool as hell with the ocean on the right. The whole set up of the entire festival was cool. I thought the band sounded terrific. When Mike was soloing at the end of Quick Escape, I just thought about how great it was to be at a live show again. A few random thoughts....

I thought the Gigaton songs I like (DOTC, SBWM, Quick Escape) were great and the others, while I'm not that into them, were definitely played well and sounded good. Would've gone with SBWM over 7 o'clock in that third spot though. 

Anyone else think Even Flow was played much slower than usual? More resembling the album cut? I liked it. 

Eddie needs to stop blathering on and on between songs. During that rambling Bruce Springsteen DWI thing, I thought "Well that could've been Spin The Black Circle or something."

All older songs were 100% played closer to album tempo last night and it seemed like a very conscious decision. Matt played songs slightly differently to accommodate the tempo, including some of his fills. 

Yeah I noticed this as well. They played for over 2 hours and only played 20 songs. Even with Eddie talking more than usual and a few extended tags, 2 hours and 6 minutes should be closer to 22 or 23 songs by their usual standard.

This is something I’ve argued with myself about in the past. More songs, or songs played at the tempo they’re supposed to be? It’s kind of a catch 22. In the past I’ve leaned more toward more songs, but I would understand the decision either way. 

aurynsdad

I'll take correct tempo every time. I wonder if this is part of why Josh Klinghoffer is there.

aurynsdad

Not being mentioned but I feel it has to be said- that was one of the best live performances of Present Tense, and much closer to what is actually on the album than how they often play it.

AN126064

For your enjoyment the Asbury Park Press’ article on the set 
https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/09/19/pearl-jam-asbury-park-sea-hear-now-festival-nj/8409808002/

rhcpjam1029

Still on cloud nine from that show...second shortest set I've seen, but definitely in my top three!  The energy was off the charts from the entire band.  "Quick Escape" stood out the most for me from the Gigaton songs.  Jeff's bass was grooving.  Loved the shorter "Better Man."  "My City of Ruins" was a beautiful moment.  Obviously wished they could've played longer, but it was an incredible show!  

steven87

Sobelberg8 said:

Easily my favorite photo I took of the night

Amazing photo!!!

The_Giant_Midget

was my 20th show. right off the bat i was blown away seeing how energetic they were, especially Ed - he was jumping around the entire night. the new stuff was the highlight for me, im shocked people didn't love DOTC as an opener. i was very into it and i think it sounds awesome live. actually looking forward to seeing those songs live which is something i couldn't really say about backspacer/LB. 

think the addition of Josh is a great thing and hopefully they can push the limits on stage now. I have seen some complaints about the setlists being somewhat predictable - and i sort of agree. I know its a festival set but im hoping they get the rust off and start whipping out some tracks from the middle albums.

anyway, cant wait for Ohana. the band seems in great spirits. love Gigaton live and really can't beat seeing the best band in the world playing on the beach.

P.S. i love all of Ed's stories but it kinda stings seeing so many songs crossed off the set (yes i know there's a curfew...but still)

lastexitlondon

Did anyone  see what picks they  were using. ?