I’d really love the transcript of the poem before Alive or a video link. As a FW native and Latino, that story really touched me. These last few days have been the homecoming I didn’t realize I needed. On to Austin for what I’m sure is also gonna be an emotional week. Thanks PJ! 🩵
Here you go.
“‘My mom was 17 when she had me. But she was younger, and more rebellious, and more beautiful than most 17-year-olds can be at that age. So she was busy being young, and rebellious, and beautiful, on the streets of our city, Dallas, when I was a child, a young person. For this reason, she was in and out of my life. I don’t fault her for that, I love my mother very much, and I get it. I was once young and beautiful too. My father left the year I was born, and he never came back. It was because of all this that I was raised by my abuelo, grandfather, he was my mother, my father, my abuelo, my teacher, my everything. When I was 14, he died in a car accident…I became homeless, but more importantly, it was the first time in my life, my young life, that I felt fatherless. I spent most nights bouncing around from place to place, many nights sleeping under the concrete pavilions in Tietze Park [Ed has trouble with the pronunciation, joking “I’ve never been there)] in old East Dallas. But I was never alone because the sound of the voice and the music of Pearl Jam was with me, in my headphones, reminding me that the pain I was feeling wasn’t rage at the universe for taking my grandfather from me, but a hurting from the fact that I had all the love in the world inside of me and nowhere to put it. Pearl Jam’s music made me strong, made me whole, made me realize that music and art and poetry, these are things we live and breathe and die for. Your music reminded me that I was alive, so thank you for creating that art and music and poetry that saved me in every way a person can be saved…I will be forever grateful to you.”
London 11 August 2009, London 18 August 2009, Manchester 20 June 2012, EV London 1 August 2012, Chicago Wrigley 19 July 2013, Amsterdam 16 June 2014, Milton Keynes 11 July 2014, NYC 1 May 2016, EV London 6 June 2017, EV London 7 June 2017, Rio de Janeiro 21 March 2018, Amsterdam 12 June 2018, Amsterdam 13 June 2018, London 18 June 2018, Rome 26 June 2018, Berlin 5 July 2018, London 17 July 2018, London 8 July 2022, London 9 July 2022, Vienna 20 July 2022, Amsterdam 24 July 2022, Amsterdam 25 July 2022, Fort Worth 13 September 2023, Fort Worth 15 September 2023.
I’d really love the transcript of the poem before Alive or a video link. As a FW native and Latino, that story really touched me. These last few days have been the homecoming I didn’t realize I needed. On to Austin for what I’m sure is also gonna be an emotional week. Thanks PJ! 🩵
Here you go.
“‘My mom was 17 when she had me. But she was younger, and more rebellious, and more beautiful than most 17-year-olds can be at that age. So she was busy being young, and rebellious, and beautiful, on the streets of our city, Dallas, when I was a child, a young person. For this reason, she was in and out of my life. I don’t fault her for that, I love my mother very much, and I get it. I was once young and beautiful too. My father left the year I was born, and he never came back. It was because of all this that I was raised by my abuelo, grandfather, he was my mother, my father, my abuelo, my teacher, my everything. When I was 14, he died in a car accident…I became homeless, but more importantly, it was the first time in my life, my young life, that I felt fatherless. I spent most nights bouncing around from place to place, many nights sleeping under the concrete pavilions in Tietze Park [Ed has trouble with the pronunciation, joking “I’ve never been there)] in old East Dallas. But I was never alone because the sound of the voice and the music of Pearl Jam was with me, in my headphones, reminding me that the pain I was feeling wasn’t rage at the universe for taking my grandfather from me, but a hurting from the fact that I had all the love in the world inside of me and nowhere to put it. Pearl Jam’s music made me strong, made me whole, made me realize that music and art and poetry, these are things we live and breathe and die for. Your music reminded me that I was alive, so thank you for creating that art and music and poetry that saved me in every way a person can be saved…I will be forever grateful to you.”
Thank you soooo much!!
Austin, TX - 9/16/95 ~ Charleston, SC - 10/5/96 ~ Dallas, TX - 7/5/98 ~ San Antonio, TX - 4/5/03 ~ Denver, CO - 7/2/06 ~ EV - LA #2 - 4/13/08 ~ Austin, TX - 10/4/09 ~ Los Angeles, CA #1 - 11/23/13 ~ Los Angeles, CA #2 - 11/24/13 ~ Seattle, WA - 12/6/13 ~ NYC #1 - 5/1/16 ~ Boston, MA #1 - 8/5/16 ~ Boston, MA #2 - 8/7/16 ~ Boston, MA #1 - 9/2/18 ~ Boston, MA #2 - 9/4/18 ~ Louisville, KY - 9/17/22 ~ Ft. Worth, TX #1 - 9/13/23 ~ Ft. Worth, TX #2 - 9/15/23 ~ Austin, Texas #1 - 9/18/23 ~ Austin, Texas #2 - 9/19/23
I would describe tonight as choppy. To me, it seemed like they never got going. Every time they started to pick things up, Ed would bring it back down. Short show, lots of mic feedback spread through out. To each their own though. Just Breathe in the 3rd spot was tough.
On the bright side, long road and undone were incredible.
Agreed, it was all over the place. A lot of up then down, then up, then speech. The songs that were played were super tight though. l had a blast
-------- To be clear, they are still the best live band on the planet, so (IMO) even a not so stellar show from the boys is going to be superior to any other band out there. I truly am a diehard and positive fan, but for whatever reason this one didn't speak to me as much. And that's ok. I am very glad to see that it did for so many - that's what it's all about. Sometimes sets connect with people and other times they don't. I am an Immortality, Dissident, SOLAT, Not For You, Black, Go, RVM, kind of guy.... so for me, their "glue songs" (non regulars and not rare gems) didn't connect. And I have always been a firm believer in the idea that the glue songs are the ones that make or break a show.
My apologies regarding Just Breathe as it was indeed in the 4th spot. Not sure if that truly makes a difference, but I just found it odd that they chose a song so early in the set to be played by Ed.
Other highlights besides Undone and Long Road included Pendulum, Inside Job, and one of the best Gardens I have seen in a long time. Hearing Undone alone made the trip worth it.
All my best to those finishing the tour. I'll certainly be back.
Cant believe its over. I'm back at work now thinking of 2024. You wait sooo long and then bam, its over. For the first time I didn't give a shit about the set list. Just being there, one spot off the rail seeing the best band in the world is overwhelming! Ed was obviously sick as shit and gave it his all. I have killer video of him falling to the stage floor exhausted right in front of us. You could see it in his face, wiped out!
At Forth Worth 2 during RITFW, Mike walked to his amp and picked up a piece of paper with the number 84 on it. Then walked to the edge of stage and held it up to show someone. At the end of Yellow Ledbetter he flipped his guitar backwards to show the paper was taped on the back. Anyone know the significance?
Wow!! That show was absolutely amazing from start to finish. So happy to see Matt back behind the drums. Then to hear that setlist just blew me away. My highlight was of course UNDONE. I never thought I would get that one. Everyone up front was going crazy. I am not sure how it was received in the stands being such a rarity to the casual fan. I was lucky enough to get rail and that always makes the show extra special. I can’t believe only two more shows and then back to real life.
Great pics! What a show! Best setlist of the tour IMO!
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Had a great time at this show. It was only my 7th in my almost 32 years of fandom (amazing how 1st school, then work, next COVID, and now family obligations can keep you away from shows you wish you could attend). This show probably ranks 3rd or 4th out of all of ones that I've seen. #1 by a mile is West Lafayette, IN in 1994 and #2 is Arlene Schnitzer in Portland, OR in 2006. (It's between this one and Dallas 2013 for #3; one gave me "Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns" while the other gave me "Hard to Imagine" ... both bucket list songs for me to see PJ play live.)
What I loved about this show was the pacing, mix of rarities with hits, and overall jovial mood of the band. Binaural is probably my least favorite PJ album, but I thought that "Breakerfall" live was next level. I've heard it on a few live CDs, but in-person it just hit harder. I've listened to Binaural with renewed appreciation after hearing "Breakerfall" in FTW. It was the 2nd time I've heard "Garden" in-person, and this rendition was the heaviest of the two (I recall the W. Lafayette version sounding more bluesy and remember EV sitting in front of Dave Abbruzzese's drum kit for that one). Finally getting "Red Mosquito" live was another high point. It may have also been the most energetic, passionate rendition of "Alive" that I've experienced, after EV reading Joaquin Zihuatenejo's poem (the park mentioned in the poem where Joaquin lived was one block from my house and adjacent to my kids' preschool ... I spent a ton of time there, so that made this one connect even more for me). Also, I have to say that "Unthought Unknown" is super-powerful live ... this was my 2nd time hearing it and the live experience is so different from the one on the album. It creates that infamous PJ "buzz" that only comes at the conclusion of their most powerful songs.
"Release" remains my white whale of bucket list songs. This concert was unexpectedly emotional for me. I lived in Dallas for 25 years and moved away just 2 years ago. While I could only manage about 18 hours there for the show, it felt like being home ... being in a place I loved for 25 years, with a band that I've loved for 32 years, and rocking out with thousands of like-minded fans. I was so sad when the lights came up for RITFW because I knew that it was coming to an end, and I would soon have to re-join the "real world". But, for 2.5 glorious hours on Friday night, I was allowed to escape to a place of unbridled joy. Thanks Pearl Jam!
At Forth Worth 2 during RITFW, Mike walked to his amp and picked up a piece of paper with the number 84 on it. Then walked to the edge of stage and held it up to show someone. At the end of Yellow Ledbetter he flipped his guitar backwards to show the paper was taped on the back. Anyone know the significance?
The guys Mike was showing this to were in the row in front of us. They said it was the year that he (Mike) met Jeff and they started playing together.
Does anyone have a good close shot (Video) of Wishlist and Ed's intro to it...? I am compiling all the vids I can find of it to make a single video and I just don't have a good close up. A video of it from the pit would be perfect.
Flew in that morning without a ticket and headed to the Wishlist party and met some great people. am embarrassed to say I forgot their names.
Hung out with 2 great guys from Long Island and CT.
Caught an Uber with them to the arena and they talked me into going to the box office to score a ticket.
Thank You for being persistent, got a great ticket and paper no less.
A row 9 first side section seat day of at the box office. Nice score!
Day of is the way to go! I had a similar experience in Chicago. I had decent 200-level seats for Chicago N1, and then an hour or so before doors, I was able to get 7th row, side stage, mike’s side.
Flew in that morning without a ticket and headed to the Wishlist party and met some great people. am embarrassed to say I forgot their names.
Hung out with 2 great guys from Long Island and CT.
Caught an Uber with them to the arena and they talked me into going to the box office to score a ticket.
Thank You for being persistent, got a great ticket and paper no less.
A row 9 first side section seat day of at the box office. Nice score!
Day of is the way to go! I had a similar experience in Chicago. I had decent 200-level seats for Chicago N1, and then an hour or so before doors, I was able to get 7th row, side stage, mike’s side.
Did you resell your other tickets or did they let you trade them in?
Flew in that morning without a ticket and headed to the Wishlist party and met some great people. am embarrassed to say I forgot their names.
Hung out with 2 great guys from Long Island and CT.
Caught an Uber with them to the arena and they talked me into going to the box office to score a ticket.
Thank You for being persistent, got a great ticket and paper no less.
A row 9 first side section seat day of at the box office. Nice score!
Day of is the way to go! I had a similar experience in Chicago. I had decent 200-level seats for Chicago N1, and then an hour or so before doors, I was able to get 7th row, side stage, mike’s side.
Did you resell your other tickets or did they let you trade them in?
Resold them on F2F right after I picked up the better seats on TM. They sold in less than a minute.
It was my wife and I's 16th show and it was great. As most have mentioned, awesome energy and I loved the venue. We had a blast. Set was solid!
Kansas City 6/12/03 ** Kissimmee 10/9/04 ** Atlantic City 10/1/05 ** Denver 7/2/06 ** Denver 7/3/06 ** Chicago 8/23/09 ** Chicago 8/24/09 ** Kansas City 5/3/10 ** Dallas 11/15/13 ** Oklahoma City 11/16/13 ** St. Louis 10/3/14 ** Tulsa 10/8/14 ** Chicago - Wrigley Field 8/20/16 ** Chicago - Wrigley Field 8/22/16 ** Oklahoma City 9/20/22 ** Ft. Worth 9/15/23
Comments
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
What I loved about this show was the pacing, mix of rarities with hits, and overall jovial mood of the band. Binaural is probably my least favorite PJ album, but I thought that "Breakerfall" live was next level. I've heard it on a few live CDs, but in-person it just hit harder. I've listened to Binaural with renewed appreciation after hearing "Breakerfall" in FTW. It was the 2nd time I've heard "Garden" in-person, and this rendition was the heaviest of the two (I recall the W. Lafayette version sounding more bluesy and remember EV sitting in front of Dave Abbruzzese's drum kit for that one). Finally getting "Red Mosquito" live was another high point. It may have also been the most energetic, passionate rendition of "Alive" that I've experienced, after EV reading Joaquin Zihuatenejo's poem (the park mentioned in the poem where Joaquin lived was one block from my house and adjacent to my kids' preschool ... I spent a ton of time there, so that made this one connect even more for me). Also, I have to say that "Unthought Unknown" is super-powerful live ... this was my 2nd time hearing it and the live experience is so different from the one on the album. It creates that infamous PJ "buzz" that only comes at the conclusion of their most powerful songs.
"Release" remains my white whale of bucket list songs. This concert was unexpectedly emotional for me. I lived in Dallas for 25 years and moved away just 2 years ago. While I could only manage about 18 hours there for the show, it felt like being home ... being in a place I loved for 25 years, with a band that I've loved for 32 years, and rocking out with thousands of like-minded fans. I was so sad when the lights came up for RITFW because I knew that it was coming to an end, and I would soon have to re-join the "real world". But, for 2.5 glorious hours on Friday night, I was allowed to escape to a place of unbridled joy. Thanks Pearl Jam!
amazing
id rank
ft worth 2
austin 2
ft worth 1
austin 1
EV - St. Louis 7/1/11 ** Tulsa 11/19/12