Awesome show. This was show 16 for me and I was able to hear In My Tree for the first time which was a treat. The setlist had so many great surprises that it's hard to know where to start. They continue to sound amazing and have to be considered one of the best live bands of all time (if not the best).
Having now seen them two shows in a row (St. Paul 2 and Chicago 1), it's notable how much Eddie is connecting with the crowd and really being quite effusive about his gratitude and appreciation for the PJ community. And it's been really interesting to hear the stories and use of the projector to show pictures of people that have meant a lot to him. Really cool to hear the story in St. Paul about the boy, Charlie, who suffered from epidermolysis bullosa as well as the stories and pictures last night about his Great Aunt Sandy who passed away recently and the great story about going to his grandmother's old apartment and meeting the people outside and current owner (who Eddie invited to the show along with his son who is starting med school this week). In short, it's a really interesting direction that adds a lot more emotion and connection to the shows.
One note about the comparison between St. Paul 2 and Chicago 1. I may be biased as I'm from Minnesota, but I thought the crowd was a bit better in St. Paul. Chicago was great, but I've always wondered if the big cities kind of "expect" something special and are less likely to be overly enthusiastic while crowds in the smaller places that are less frequently played (i.e. Minnesota, Moline, etc.) are so appreciative that they go ape-sh*t the whole night. That's not to knock Chicago at all, but I think there was a stronger crowd vibe in St. Paul.
With all that said, so grateful this amazing band is still playing. Keep rockin' on, everyone. Enjoy the rest of the tour!
As a Minnesotan too, I’m used to sleepy crowds in MN unless it’s more aggressive bands. I was surprised by the crowds this time around. Maybe a lot more 10c members but even the 200 sections seemed into it. The United Center is huge so maybe the diehards were just outnumbered. Also, it was a Tuesday.
Amazing set but the energy was off in the 300s. Not many people on their feet. Heard someone near me threaten violence on a group that were standing up. Same guy complained that they didn't play the "popular songs" as they busted into faithful and later said that they were "playing fake music" during RVM.
I had some similar BS in my section, although no threats of violence. Sat next to an old school 10C member, yet all he did was complain that the new album sucked and that they should only play the “old stuff”. Still trying to figure out where the cutoff is for old vs. new since he was singing along with Comatose. He also referred to Vs. as the “V.S.” album??? He said Quick Escape wasn’t good simply because it’s on an album he doesn’t like. Mystifying. And most of my section (307) was sitting for the duration. So I loved the setlist, performance, and the bird’s eye view, but it can’t quite compete with my favorite shows due to the vibe around me. That contributes A LOT to a show experience.
I am lost, I'm no guide, but I'm by your side. I am right by your side.
Show 16 for me too! Was such a fun and unique setlist. This was somehow my 5th time seeing Release as an opener. Someone in the merch line told me it's only the 6th time they've opened with Release so either I have good luck or he is very wrong. I've always loved Binaural so getting God's Dice and Light Years was excellent. The encore was the highlight though. Throw Your Arms was mine and my wife's first dance at our wedding, so it was really cool to finally see it (and with her)! Inside Job is such an awesome song that lets the guys really cook; doing Wishlist (instead of Last Kiss) for the turnaround song was great; Not For You is my all time favorite live PJ song and seeing it in the encore was really sweet; and then Better Man into Alive was awesome. I don't love ending on a cover, but they really knocked the socks off Surrender. We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Ed sounded great, but the dude needs a better teleprompter because he could not remember any lyrics. Hopefully they fix the sound mix in the coming shows. Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
EDIT - Forgot to mention the crowd. Up in the 300s, there were lots of hardcore fans, but also lots of people uninterested in the deeper cuts. This is par for the course. There are not too many 90s rock bands who were this big still touring (Foo Fighters, who else?) so anyone born in the 80s is going to go even if they only know Alive and Jeremy. You just gotta make the most of the show and ignore the talkers and sitters.
Show 16 for me too! Was such a fun and unique setlist. This was somehow my 5th time seeing Release as an opener. Someone in the merch line told me it's only the 6th time they've opened with Release so either I have good luck or he is very wrong. I've always loved Binaural so getting God's Dice and Light Years was excellent. The encore was the highlight though. Throw Your Arms was mine and my wife's first dance at our wedding, so it was really cool to finally see it (and with her)! Inside Job is such an awesome song that lets the guys really cook; doing Wishlist (instead of Last Kiss) for the turnaround song was great; Not For You is my all time favorite live PJ song and seeing it in the encore was really sweet; and then Better Man into Alive was awesome. I don't love ending on a cover, but they really knocked the socks off Surrender. We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
Very solid show last night. Release, low light, just breathe, retrograde was a solid start. Got to hear all the gigaton songs I wanted to hear. The Quick escape solos Mike and jeff is fire. In my tree plus inside job!! I was hoping for 1 more after surrender. Enjoyed surrender as a closer because of their energy. Can't wait for Thursdays show.
Show 16 for me too! Was such a fun and unique setlist. This was somehow my 5th time seeing Release as an opener. Someone in the merch line told me it's only the 6th time they've opened with Release so either I have good luck or he is very wrong. I've always loved Binaural so getting God's Dice and Light Years was excellent. The encore was the highlight though. Throw Your Arms was mine and my wife's first dance at our wedding, so it was really cool to finally see it (and with her)! Inside Job is such an awesome song that lets the guys really cook; doing Wishlist (instead of Last Kiss) for the turnaround song was great; Not For You is my all time favorite live PJ song and seeing it in the encore was really sweet; and then Better Man into Alive was awesome. I don't love ending on a cover, but they really knocked the socks off Surrender. We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
Show 16 for me too! Was such a fun and unique setlist. This was somehow my 5th time seeing Release as an opener. Someone in the merch line told me it's only the 6th time they've opened with Release so either I have good luck or he is very wrong. I've always loved Binaural so getting God's Dice and Light Years was excellent. The encore was the highlight though. Throw Your Arms was mine and my wife's first dance at our wedding, so it was really cool to finally see it (and with her)! Inside Job is such an awesome song that lets the guys really cook; doing Wishlist (instead of Last Kiss) for the turnaround song was great; Not For You is my all time favorite live PJ song and seeing it in the encore was really sweet; and then Better Man into Alive was awesome. I don't love ending on a cover, but they really knocked the socks off Surrender. We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
For as much fun as I had at the St Paul shows, I have so much jealousy / FOMO from that setlist. Holy shit.
2009 Philadelphia (10/31) 2010 Boston (5/17) 2013 Worcester (10/15); Worcester (10/16); Hartford (10/25) 2016 Boston (8/5); Boston (8/7) 2018 London (6/18); Boston (9/2); Boston (9/4) 2019 EV Lisbon (6/20) 2021 Ohana Dana Point (10/2) 2022 EV Earthlings NYC (2/3) 2022 NYC (9/11); Camden (9/14) 2023 St. Paul (8/31); St. Paul (9/2); Austin (9/18)
Show 16 for me too! Was such a fun and unique setlist. This was somehow my 5th time seeing Release as an opener. Someone in the merch line told me it's only the 6th time they've opened with Release so either I have good luck or he is very wrong. I've always loved Binaural so getting God's Dice and Light Years was excellent. The encore was the highlight though. Throw Your Arms was mine and my wife's first dance at our wedding, so it was really cool to finally see it (and with her)! Inside Job is such an awesome song that lets the guys really cook; doing Wishlist (instead of Last Kiss) for the turnaround song was great; Not For You is my all time favorite live PJ song and seeing it in the encore was really sweet; and then Better Man into Alive was awesome. I don't love ending on a cover, but they really knocked the socks off Surrender. We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
I realized this many years ago that the location and person that goes with you plays a large roll in the experience. I’ve been at those shows during 2010’s and you’re in the show but up top in section 200 or 300 and it isn’t all die hards like the pit or most things close to the stage.
With that is also who you go with as I’ve been with good friends and gfs and they just don’t get, enjoy, respect the music of this band as I do and it can make for an awkward time. One of the best shows I ever went to was Oakland 2013 where they played for like 3hr20min and I had gotten my ticket from a 10C member and never met him until that day and we were 2-3 rows on Mikes side the whole show and had the greatest conversations before the show and I’m between encores but love for the same band is a powerful thing amongst strangers.
Those last 2 at Oakland last year were quite unique and I’ll pay more for closer sets but truly only for this band.
I was in that exact spot for the Oakland 2013 show! You're right, the friendliness of the folks around me made it so special. I made friends for life that night.
Amazing set but the energy was off in the 300s. Not many people on their feet. Heard someone near me threaten violence on a group that were standing up. Same guy complained that they didn't play the "popular songs" as they busted into faithful and later said that they were "playing fake music" during RVM.
I had some similar BS in my section, although no threats of violence. Sat next to an old school 10C member, yet all he did was complain that the new album sucked and that they should only play the “old stuff”. Still trying to figure out where the cutoff is for old vs. new since he was singing along with Comatose. He also referred to Vs. as the “V.S.” album??? He said Quick Escape wasn’t good simply because it’s on an album he doesn’t like. Mystifying. And most of my section (307) was sitting for the duration. So I loved the setlist, performance, and the bird’s eye view, but it can’t quite compete with my favorite shows due to the vibe around me. That contributes A LOT to a show experience.
And tickets are being wasted on helmets like these. Ffs so sad.
brixton 93
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
I was in 313, crowd was pretty subdued up there, many people even left early which blows my mind. Show was good but I thought the sound could have been better.
Buffalo - 5/2/2003
Chicago - 8/24/2009 East Troy, WI - 9/3/2011 Milwaukee - 10/20/2014
Chicago 2 - 8/22/2016 Franklin, TN (EV solo) - 9/24/2017 Chicago 1 - 8/18/2018 Chicago 2 - 8/20/2018 Dana Point, CA - 10/2/2021 Chicago 1 - 9/5/2023 Chicago 2 - 9/7/2023
This was my 21st show, and the third of this tour. Seats were on 200 level directly behind Ed, which made for an interesting - in a good way - view. One the best aspects of it was getting to see how different people in the audience, particularly those on the rail, reacted when Ed, Mike, or anyone else would interact with them. It definitely added something different to this show from having seats facing the front of the band.
When we got to our seats we started chatting with the family next to us, who was from Virginia and brought their daughter who turned nine the day of the show. It was her first concert. They had a big sign for her and since we were on the second row on the 200 level directly behind Ed, it seemed there would be a good chance the band would see it. Her parents said her favorite song is DOTC, and while it isn’t my cup of tea I certainly hoped they would play it for the birthday girl.
Release is my favorite opener and Low Light one of my highlights on Yield, so I loved how it started. I thought the next three, Just Breathe, Retrograde, and Who Ever Said were just ok, but then things quickly changed. The entire band, and Ed in particular, were really into Corduroy. That is when I realized it would be a special night, and most of the rest of the main set (Comatose being the exception) was stellar. It is hard to pick out a few highlights because it was all so amazing, but I really enjoyed God’s Dice, Faithful, Animal, Light Years, having a great view of seeing both Matt and Josh pounding on the drums during In My Tree, and RVM.
The encore picked up right were the main set left off. Ed has been really chatty the entire tour, particularly at this how. The stories were great, and it obviously meant a lot to him to be back in Chicago around family and seeing his grandmother’s old apartment. Ed ran off stage and down the tunnel right after Throw Your Arms Around Me and didn’t make it back up on stage until just a few seconds before he had to start singing Inside Job (maybe the long intro gives him time for a bathroom break?).
Better Man typically is something I could do without, but tonight it was one of the standouts, particularly seeing the fireflies. I love that they ended with Surrender, as did a lot of fans on the rail based on how much they were jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Going back to one detail, when they started on DOTC, the nine year old next to us was smiling ear to ear since it is her favorite song and that is what she most wanted to see. Then later in the show when the put her with the sign on the video board, she got a huge ovation from the crowd, and I don’t think I have ever seen anyone in the world look as happy and as overcome with emotion as she was in that moment. If you told me on my way into the venue the highlight would be a nine year old sitting near me I would have said you were crazy, but that ended up being the case.
I won’t be able to make it to any other shows this tour, but it has been an unbelievable week seeing them three times and I cannot wait until the next tour.
I thought that Retrograde into Who Ever Said was spectacular. Of all the great songs they played that was a highlight for me. The dud of the night was Quick Escape. I thought the sound was "tinny" or maybe high in treble? I am sitting further back on Thursday so maybe that will be different. Great show overall. Oh and I was Glad to see that Stone really seemed into this one. He wasn't back in his little cubby hole by the drums most of the show.
First PJ concert in the US. First time GA. Simply amazing. Met some great people in the merch line and inside the arena. Zero hostility, everyone was so cool and receptive. I am forever grateful for the opportunity. Loved the US crowd, Chicago, and the setlist was amazing. It is hard taking pictures in GA (people move in front of you and it throws the - cellphone - camera off), but thougt id share some of my favorites:
Awesome show. This was show 16 for me and I was able to hear In My Tree for the first time which was a treat. The setlist had so many great surprises that it's hard to know where to start. They continue to sound amazing and have to be considered one of the best live bands of all time (if not the best).
Having now seen them two shows in a row (St. Paul 2 and Chicago 1), it's notable how much Eddie is connecting with the crowd and really being quite effusive about his gratitude and appreciation for the PJ community. And it's been really interesting to hear the stories and use of the projector to show pictures of people that have meant a lot to him. Really cool to hear the story in St. Paul about the boy, Charlie, who suffered from epidermolysis bullosa as well as the stories and pictures last night about his Great Aunt Sandy who passed away recently and the great story about going to his grandmother's old apartment and meeting the people outside and current owner (who Eddie invited to the show along with his son who is starting med school this week). In short, it's a really interesting direction that adds a lot more emotion and connection to the shows.
One note about the comparison between St. Paul 2 and Chicago 1. I may be biased as I'm from Minnesota, but I thought the crowd was a bit better in St. Paul. Chicago was great, but I've always wondered if the big cities kind of "expect" something special and are less likely to be overly enthusiastic while crowds in the smaller places that are less frequently played (i.e. Minnesota, Moline, etc.) are so appreciative that they go ape-sh*t the whole night. That's not to knock Chicago at all, but I think there was a stronger crowd vibe in St. Paul.
With all that said, so grateful this amazing band is still playing. Keep rockin' on, everyone. Enjoy the rest of the tour!
I am a Twin Cities resident who happened to be at St Paul #2 (only) and then made a last minute decision to head to Chicago #1. As a great Chicago HS kid Joel Goodsen once said, "Some times you just have to say, what the F@#K!"
Agree on the crowd, but St Paul had a weekend advantage, assuming most of the the Thursday goers had pre-arranged to make it a long weekend. At the Xcel, the only song I think we sat for was "Don't Back Down" which made sense and allowed everyone to catch their breath. At United Center I think my area was seated for well over half the show. Oh well.
The Rearviewmirror crowd response for the fallen 10Cer though was really amazing. One of the coolest things I have ever seen live. Everyone was standing for that one.
As for the Sandy, I lost track, was she a EVs mother's sister or his grandmother's sister? Not minimizing his loss, just curious. Earlier I noticed he changed the lyric in Release from "dear Dad" to "dear Mom". Perhaps the family Celebration had an impact on that.
Anyway for Pearl Jam show Number Ten for me, it was great. Well worth the trip.
I was in 313, crowd was pretty subdued up there, many people even left early which blows my mind. Show was good but I thought the sound could have been better.
I hate that I’m writing this, but I left early too. This was my 47th (!) PJ show, and I’ve been a 10C member since the religious experience I had when I saw them with my uncle at Alpine Valley in ‘98… but this show was just such a bad vibe for me, and I hate that it was. I think it starts with 10C (again) brutally handling a presale. I had great seats, but 3 switches later, after the public on sale date, I’m stuck with seats behind the stage in the 300 level. The sound and energy up there was abysmal. We felt cast away, not to mention that people next to us bought in on stubhub immediately before the show for 46 bucks for the pair… and I had the privilege of paying 350 through 10C. So combined with the fact that the sound was awful, the pace was slow, the keys were low, and that it wasn’t the first time I’ve felt completely left out by the 10C, at this same venue, no less… we left. And didn’t look back. And I’ve never felt sadder.
I was in 313, crowd was pretty subdued up there, many people even left early which blows my mind. Show was good but I thought the sound could have been better.
I hate that I’m writing this, but I left early too. This was my 47th (!) PJ show, and I’ve been a 10C member since the religious experience I had when I saw them with my uncle at Alpine Valley in ‘98… but this show was just such a bad vibe for me, and I hate that it was. I think it starts with 10C (again) brutally handling a presale. I had great seats, but 3 switches later, after the public on sale date, I’m stuck with seats behind the stage in the 300 level. The sound and energy up there was abysmal. We felt cast away, not to mention that people next to us bought in on stubhub immediately before the show for 46 bucks for the pair… and I had the privilege of paying 350 through 10C. So combined with the fact that the sound was awful, the pace was slow, the keys were low, and that it wasn’t the first time I’ve felt completely left out by the 10C, at this same venue, no less… we left. And didn’t look back. And I’ve never felt sadder.
That's a bummer for sure. By keys lower, you mean tuned down songs?
1991-11-30 St. Paul, MN
1992-08-28 St. Paul, MN
1998-06-30 Minneapolis, MN
2000-10-08 East Troy, WI
2003-06-16 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-26 St. Paul, MN
2006-06-27 St. Paul, MN
2006-07-07 San Diego, CA
2007-08-05 Chicago, IL
2008-06-24 New York, NY
2009-08-23 Chicago, IL
2009-08-24 Chicago, IL
2011-07-02 EV Minneapolis, MN
2011-09-03 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2011-09-04 PJ20 East Troy, WI
2013-07-19 Wrigley Chicago, IL
2014-10-19 St. Paul, MN
I was in 313, crowd was pretty subdued up there, many people even left early which blows my mind. Show was good but I thought the sound could have been better.
I hate that I’m writing this, but I left early too. This was my 47th (!) PJ show, and I’ve been a 10C member since the religious experience I had when I saw them with my uncle at Alpine Valley in ‘98… but this show was just such a bad vibe for me, and I hate that it was. I think it starts with 10C (again) brutally handling a presale. I had great seats, but 3 switches later, after the public on sale date, I’m stuck with seats behind the stage in the 300 level. The sound and energy up there was abysmal. We felt cast away, not to mention that people next to us bought in on stubhub immediately before the show for 46 bucks for the pair… and I had the privilege of paying 350 through 10C. So combined with the fact that the sound was awful, the pace was slow, the keys were low, and that it wasn’t the first time I’ve felt completely left out by the 10C, at this same venue, no less… we left. And didn’t look back. And I’ve never felt sadder.
Yeah seat location is without a question the most important factor to enjoying a show. When you have good seats you're connected but when youre 300 level *behind* the stage....tough. The 10c tickets I have for both nights are unbelievably bad. I ended up buying two great tickets in 122 from TM on tuesday on my way to the venue for face. We couldn't have had more fun. show was incredible. I couldn't give away my extra 300 level tickets. so that was $300 out the window lol. I'm in my 300 level 10c tickets tonight and am not happy about it but the 10c tix I have are un-sellable.
Comments
I am right by your side.
We were up in 319 - Mike's side immediately to the side of the stage. Was a great view, but it sounded like Mike's guitar was way too loud in the mix. Could've been our location, but I'm curious if anyone else felt that. Last time I remember it this loud was back in Bristow, VA in 2003 (though they fixed that up in the boot). I could barely hear Stone - except for Alive and his solo in Not For You. Side note - I really love a Stone solo. Sure, Mike's the guitar god and he can shred like few others. But Stone's grooviness is tough to beat and when he launches into that Not For You solo, it's just the best. Ed sounded great, but the dude needs a better teleprompter because he could not remember any lyrics.
Hopefully they fix the sound mix in the coming shows.
Trying to decide if I get tickets for tomorrow night. Leaning towards yes, but let's see.
EDIT - Forgot to mention the crowd. Up in the 300s, there were lots of hardcore fans, but also lots of people uninterested in the deeper cuts. This is par for the course. There are not too many 90s rock bands who were this big still touring (Foo Fighters, who else?) so anyone born in the 80s is going to go even if they only know Alive and Jeremy. You just gotta make the most of the show and ignore the talkers and sitters.
Eddie Vedder: 6/15/09 6/16/11
I am right by your side.
Thanks for the clarification.
Eddie Vedder: 6/15/09 6/16/11
I am right by your side.
2010 Boston (5/17)
2013 Worcester (10/15); Worcester (10/16); Hartford (10/25)
2016 Boston (8/5); Boston (8/7)
2018 London (6/18); Boston (9/2); Boston (9/4)
2019 EV Lisbon (6/20)
2021 Ohana Dana Point (10/2)
2022 EV Earthlings NYC (2/3)
2022 NYC (9/11); Camden (9/14)
2023 St. Paul (8/31); St. Paul (9/2); Austin (9/18)
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
East Troy, WI - 9/3/2011
Milwaukee - 10/20/2014
Franklin, TN (EV solo) - 9/24/2017
Chicago 1 - 8/18/2018
Chicago 2 - 8/20/2018
Dana Point, CA - 10/2/2021
Chicago 1 - 9/5/2023
Chicago 2 - 9/7/2023
Melbourne #2 '03
Melbourne #3 '03
Melbourne #1 '06
Melbourne #3 '06
Melbourne '09
Melbourne '14
When we got to our seats we started chatting with the family next to us, who was from Virginia and brought their daughter who turned nine the day of the show. It was her first concert. They had a big sign for her and since we were on the second row on the 200 level directly behind Ed, it seemed there would be a good chance the band would see it. Her parents said her favorite song is DOTC, and while it isn’t my cup of tea I certainly hoped they would play it for the birthday girl.
Release is my favorite opener and Low Light one of my highlights on Yield, so I loved how it started. I thought the next three, Just Breathe, Retrograde, and Who Ever Said were just ok, but then things quickly changed. The entire band, and Ed in particular, were really into Corduroy. That is when I realized it would be a special night, and most of the rest of the main set (Comatose being the exception) was stellar. It is hard to pick out a few highlights because it was all so amazing, but I really enjoyed God’s Dice, Faithful, Animal, Light Years, having a great view of seeing both Matt and Josh pounding on the drums during In My Tree, and RVM.
The encore picked up right were the main set left off. Ed has been really chatty the entire tour, particularly at this how. The stories were great, and it obviously meant a lot to him to be back in Chicago around family and seeing his grandmother’s old apartment. Ed ran off stage and down the tunnel right after Throw Your Arms Around Me and didn’t make it back up on stage until just a few seconds before he had to start singing Inside Job (maybe the long intro gives him time for a bathroom break?).
Better Man typically is something I could do without, but tonight it was one of the standouts, particularly seeing the fireflies. I love that they ended with Surrender, as did a lot of fans on the rail based on how much they were jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Going back to one detail, when they started on DOTC, the nine year old next to us was smiling ear to ear since it is her favorite song and that is what she most wanted to see. Then later in the show when the put her with the sign on the video board, she got a huge ovation from the crowd, and I don’t think I have ever seen anyone in the world look as happy and as overcome with emotion as she was in that moment. If you told me on my way into the venue the highlight would be a nine year old sitting near me I would have said you were crazy, but that ended up being the case.
I won’t be able to make it to any other shows this tour, but it has been an unbelievable week seeing them three times and I cannot wait until the next tour.
Agree on the crowd, but St Paul had a weekend advantage, assuming most of the the Thursday goers had pre-arranged to make it a long weekend. At the Xcel, the only song I think we sat for was "Don't Back Down" which made sense and allowed everyone to catch their breath. At United Center I think my area was seated for well over half the show. Oh well.
The Rearviewmirror crowd response for the fallen 10Cer though was really amazing. One of the coolest things I have ever seen live. Everyone was standing for that one.
As for the Sandy, I lost track, was she a EVs mother's sister or his grandmother's sister? Not minimizing his loss, just curious. Earlier I noticed he changed the lyric in Release from "dear Dad" to "dear Mom". Perhaps the family Celebration had an impact on that.
Anyway for Pearl Jam show Number Ten for me, it was great. Well worth the trip.