It was also interesting that the first play had an interlude between Stevie and Running but the second play did not.
Because there not being visuals done for it like for the actual songs? I take it, these visuals were mainly done to play during the songs for the youtube uploads (and now also used on this tour and for the theatrical thing). Like the Gigaton stock-footage edits.
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
It was also interesting that the first play had an interlude between Stevie and Running but the second play did not.
Because there not being visuals done for it like for the actual songs? I take it, these visuals were mainly done to play during the songs for the youtube uploads (and now also used on this tour and for the theatrical thing). Like the Gigaton stock-footage edits.
I really hope these aren't the visuals for the tour. If so, I think most of us would vote for the return of rear stage seats instead.
smiling all over and hearing still the sound in my head this morning.
..it had been full house/ theater (even 2 rooms, each almost sold out - tix for 12 €) in Munich ...what a nice surprise to me 👍 And the spirit was great, too, all so nice ppl of all ages around, many with PJ shirts on just like at concerts- what another lovely surprise.
The sound was also good, not perfect but dolby, so you could hear every detail in the sound mix; and: the show started right on time, directly.
What to say about this first time ever music experience? Just Wow!
Again, I am very impressed and stunned by the excellent new album! Another growing up to masterpiece. I truly like every song. Some blew me away right from the start, others got me at the second listening with the full understanding of the wonderful lyrics. anyway, dark matter is already crawling into me, the Pearl Jam fever has lighten up, again 😛 and I love it!
So, Thanks for the wonderful music again; Thank you, Pearl Jam, still!
Post edited by breakmarysfall on
there is no way to peace, peace is the way!
...the world is come undone, I like to change it everyday but change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks.
The experience in Woburn, MA wasn’t perfect (it started almost 30 minutes late, the sound wasn’t great, there was a super obnoxious woman), but the album is awesome.
I’m not somebody who dislikes the recent stuff (I love both Avocado and Gigaton), but I think this is their best album in 25 years. The run from Wreckage to Waiting for Stevie is phenomenal, and I was singing the chorus to Setting Sun over and over the whole way home.
Just got home. We had a few young'uns in our audience. Mostly Gen X for sure. Some lady definitely in her 60s stood up right before it started and said "Is this a Pearl Jam crowd? You're too quiet!". That got some cheers. We had about 20% full. Decent vibe but wish it was more crowded. The theater botched the sound though. It was way too quiet for the first half of the first playing. People yelling "turn it up!" after the first song. Someone left and complained after 3 songs. And they finally turned it up after 5-6 songs and it was better, but still muddled. We definitely did not get the Atmos mix. I knew that was possible but did not expect it to sound quieter than a movie. All in all, still a positive experience. Still digesting the tunes. Jeff’s intro was cool. . I thought the visualizers were meh.
Something Special was not as bad as some have said. Not gonna be a favorite of mine but not necessarily cringeworthy either.
I'd say DM through Running was my fav stretch. Setting Sun a beautiful closer, sad then hopeful.
At any given time I heard some elements of Yield, Binaural, Vs., Backspacer. But also Floyd, S Garden, The Who, u2, Petty, Bad Religion. Again, my sound was a little muddled even when the volume improved. But Cameron definitely shining as reviews have stated. I hear some quirky Stone riffage, and most of Mike's solos hit for me.
Very eager to listen at home with proper sound. And of course live 🙌🏻.
Basically, Something special seems to be a song that goes 50/50, tear inducing for those who can relate with own kids or close family and those who can't relate and find it cringeworthy.
Ten minutes to go! Nice turnout in Hamburg, it’s being shown in two cinemas here
We're were you, cinemax or Mundsburg? What did you think of the sound?
Mundsburg! You? I saw someone who looked so much like you but then I decided it wasn’t you 😄 the sound was really good but could’ve been a bit louder
Yes, I was looking for someone who was not sure if she was going to make it. I couldn't figure out how to book tickets for cinemax Damtor, so I wonder how many showed up there, and if it would have sounded better.
The odeon cinemas version of in the dark meant leaving surround lights on which wasnt great. Not a fan of the visuals either - they made me sleepy (that might also be my age though ha). Was great having the lyrics up to translate too. First listen - loved up to and including Running- end tracks i need to hear again. Definitely get U2 and Pink Floyd vibes. Some are definitely going to be great live.
Something Special not as bad as i thought would be- still reminds me of a 80/90s family tv sitcom theme style but the lyrics are great and I get the sentiment. Probably will still sit on my skip list though.
I would also agree that Ed seems diminished in it all- the rest are smashing it and actually in some ways I like they are all at the front shining brightly.
i also wish had been a bit more like Metallica 72 seasons album experience with snippets of them talking about the songs - but overall positive
Looking forward to Friday
2000 Cardiff/ 2006 Paris/ 2011 Toronto/ 2013 Chicago/ 2014 Amsterdam 1 & Milton Keynes, 2016 MSG 1 & 2/ 2017 London Ed solo/ 2018 London 1, Padua, Rome, Prague & London 2 2019 Dusseldorf & Dublin Ed Solo 2022 Copenhagen, London 1&2, Budapest, Krakow, Vienna, Prague, Ams 1 & Ams 2 2024 Manchester, London, Auckland & Sydney
Really enjoyed the record and am absolutely fascinated by Setting Sun.
Maybe a dumb question - Did anyone else get zero lyrics for Got to Give until the very end? Wasn't sure if that was by design or if my theater just had it framed wrong on the screen
Really enjoyed the record and am absolutely fascinated by Setting Sun.
Maybe a dumb question - Did anyone else get zero lyrics for Got to Give until the very end? Wasn't sure if that was by design or if my theater just had it framed wrong on the screen
Same lyrics issue for me, I was also at the listening party in London last month and 1 song didn't have lyrics think it was the same song
I absolutely enjoyed this experience! What a way to take in the new album being in a dark room to really listen and then take it in again with the lyrics and visuals. Loved it! (Yes, I wish we could have done this with Gigaton...)
A few thoughts...
I have not enjoyed a new album first listen like that in last 25 years; make no mistake, I have loved Pearl Jam releases over the last 25 years, but every element of this album was on overdrive and I was hooked on first listen to the whole damn thing. Big smile the whole time.
Those clips of "Something Special" were nice teasers to have but did not do that song justice until I heard the whole thing
I hope we get a lot of Dark Matter played on tour because I can tell these songs are going to be amazing live
I went last night. Speakers blew after the first 4 songs, took 20 minutes to fix lol.
I'm not impressed with DM. I want to like it more, but I think it's meh so far. Hoping things change when I can actually give it a serious listen, vs. at a movie theater behind assholes who talked the entire night and ignored people's requests to shut the fuck up.
I have no kids of my own. My Goddaughters are as close as I'll get. That being said, "Something Special" makes "The Haves" look like "Stairway To Heaven" lol. It's awful.
Really enjoyed the record and am absolutely fascinated by Setting Sun.
Maybe a dumb question - Did anyone else get zero lyrics for Got to Give until the very end? Wasn't sure if that was by design or if my theater just had it framed wrong on the screen
I was not familiar with song titles at all, there was one song that this happened. Lyrics popped up towards the end only for me.
I enjoyed listening to the new album in that kind of setting, although the sound wasn’t that good. Was a bit better the second time around. No Atmos. But was quite loud at least.
Looking forward to listening to it again with proper headphones.
Would have been nice to see the song titles too, not just the lyrics, to make it easier to remember certain things about the songs.
I remember thinking, that it was a strong start. Maybe in the middle the mood slowed down a bit, but then everything picked up speed again. But honestly after listening to it twice yesterday everything is just a blur right now. 😂
Found Setting Sun to be a beautiful closer. Was quite different, than I thought it would be, when I listened to the clip before.
But could say the same about most of the songs.
So to anyone judging from the clips (or other sources in not so decent quality) I think it’s better to wait till the release date to listen to the whole album in a good quality, to get the right/ whole impression.
And I’m also going to wait with my final judgement (for the songs that I didn’t like the first time) to the time after hearing the live versions, too.
And yes, no lyrics at all in the beginning of one song.
Sound was wayyyy off at AMC Skokie. I had Stone really loud, and everyone else was significantly quieter. Was very hard to get a good feel for the album this way.
Also - it definitely felt to me like the idea was half-assed. I liked the concept of listening in the dark and then with visuals, but the visuals truly felt like a Windows 98 screensaver. It really felt like an idea that PJ management had where the band said - "cool, go for it" but didn't really have any involvement. I think if Ed and the guys were involved, instead of visuals they would've had videos of them playing the songs in rehearsals. I know that's a bigger production cost and more effort - but that just reinforces my feeling that this wasn't really the band's idea.
As for the album - it's hard to judge having not heard Ed's vocals too well. A lot of the lyrics felt... cheesy to me. And many of the songs sounded very radio-friendly. Not in a bad way, but nothing truly blew me away. Again - maybe because of the poor sound, but I'm not feeling super confident that this is going to be an album with songs I'm itching to see live (either now or in a decade).
That said - I could totally see this album jumping to the top of the Billboard charts and winning a few Grammys. It's got that "aging rockers keep making rock music when no one else does" vibe. Consistent performance. True rock songs. But nothing truly challenging or unique for me.
Hoping I change my mind when I hear it with better sound.
Saw it in Lowell, MA. Definitely had the surround sound in effect, which was pretty cool, especially on the title track. Could have been louder, but it certainly wasn't quiet. I thought the "visuals" would change more throughout the songs, so I wasn't super jazzed about them. I think they'll be fine as background for the band (don't want too much going on), but for this setting it was kinda boring. I did appreciate having the lyrics up, though, especially as Ed's pronunciations can be... Unique. I really liked the album, but I'm not super critical/knowledgeable.
"I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the [shows I've done]. Some folks just have one, others they got none..."
Hartford 10.02.96 | Mansfield 2 09.16.98 | Mansfield 1 08.29.00 |
Mansfield 1 07.02.03 | Mansfield 3 07.11.03 | Boston 2 05.25.06 | Tampa 04.11.16 | Fenway 1 08.05.16 | Fenway 2 08.07.16 | Fenway 1 09.02.18 | Fenway 2 09.04.18 | Baltimore 03.28.20 | Hamilton 09.06.22 | Toronto 09.08.22 | Nashville 09.16.22 | St Louis 09.18.22
"He made the deal with the devil, we get to play with him. He goes to hell, of course. We're going to heaven."
Saw it in Farmingdale, NY last night. The sound was comically bad -- it was just bass and vocals. I've heard Dark Matter (the song) like a hundred times and it was almost unrecognizable at the theater. The whole album -- not sure if the theater fucked up or it was just a horrible mix or whatever (I dont know how these things work). There was basically no Stone or Mike during the entire two listens. Really weird. All of that said, I think the album seems pretty good! Dark Matter is great, I thought wreckage, waiting for Stevie, and upper hand were really good, as was the last song. I'm pumped for the release and for the tour, but that sound last night . . . woof.
Saw it in Farmingdale, NY last night. The sound was comically bad -- it was just bass and vocals. I've heard Dark Matter (the song) like a hundred times and it was almost unrecognizable at the theater. The whole album -- not sure if the theater fucked up or it was just a horrible mix or whatever (I dont know how these things work). There was basically no Stone or Mike during the entire two listens. Really weird. All of that said, I think the album seems pretty good! Dark Matter is great, I thought wreckage, waiting for Stevie, and upper hand were really good, as was the last song. I'm pumped for the release and for the tour, but that sound last night . . . woof.
I went to Stony Brook instead last minute change, it was in a nicely renovated Dolby Theatre
Saw it in Farmingdale, NY last night. The sound was comically bad -- it was just bass and vocals. I've heard Dark Matter (the song) like a hundred times and it was almost unrecognizable at the theater. The whole album -- not sure if the theater fucked up or it was just a horrible mix or whatever (I dont know how these things work). There was basically no Stone or Mike during the entire two listens. Really weird. All of that said, I think the album seems pretty good! Dark Matter is great, I thought wreckage, waiting for Stevie, and upper hand were really good, as was the last song. I'm pumped for the release and for the tour, but that sound last night . . . woof.
I went to Stony Brook instead last minute change, it was in a nicely renovated Dolby Theatre
Comments
Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022
EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.
I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
And the spirit was great, too, all so nice ppl of all ages around, many with PJ shirts on just like at concerts- what another lovely surprise.
and: the show started right on time, directly.
anyway, dark matter is already crawling into me, the Pearl Jam fever has lighten up, again 😛 and I love it!
Thank you, Pearl Jam, still!
...the world is come undone, I like to change it everyday but change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks.
I'm in the first group.
the sound was really good but could’ve been a bit louder
Something Special not as bad as i thought would be- still reminds me of a 80/90s family tv sitcom theme style but the lyrics are great and I get the sentiment. Probably will still sit on my skip list though.
i also wish had been a bit more like Metallica 72 seasons album experience with snippets of them talking about the songs - but overall positive
Looking forward to Friday
2016 MSG 1 & 2/ 2017 London Ed solo/ 2018 London 1, Padua, Rome, Prague & London 2
2019 Dusseldorf & Dublin Ed Solo
2022 Copenhagen, London 1&2, Budapest, Krakow, Vienna, Prague, Ams 1 & Ams 2
2024 Manchester, London, Auckland & Sydney
Maybe a dumb question - Did anyone else get zero lyrics for Got to Give until the very end? Wasn't sure if that was by design or if my theater just had it framed wrong on the screen
A few thoughts...
- I have not enjoyed a new album first listen like that in last 25 years; make no mistake, I have loved Pearl Jam releases over the last 25 years, but every element of this album was on overdrive and I was hooked on first listen to the whole damn thing. Big smile the whole time.
- Those clips of "Something Special" were nice teasers to have but did not do that song justice until I heard the whole thing
- I hope we get a lot of Dark Matter played on tour because I can tell these songs are going to be amazing live
Enjoy! Can't wait for Friday!!I'm not impressed with DM. I want to like it more, but I think it's meh so far. Hoping things change when I can actually give it a serious listen, vs. at a movie theater behind assholes who talked the entire night and ignored people's requests to shut the fuck up.
I have no kids of my own. My Goddaughters are as close as I'll get. That being said, "Something Special" makes "The Haves" look like "Stairway To Heaven" lol. It's awful.
Join the fight to prevent suicide at www.afsp.org
Sound was wayyyy off at AMC Skokie. I had Stone really loud, and everyone else was significantly quieter. Was very hard to get a good feel for the album this way.
Also - it definitely felt to me like the idea was half-assed. I liked the concept of listening in the dark and then with visuals, but the visuals truly felt like a Windows 98 screensaver. It really felt like an idea that PJ management had where the band said - "cool, go for it" but didn't really have any involvement. I think if Ed and the guys were involved, instead of visuals they would've had videos of them playing the songs in rehearsals. I know that's a bigger production cost and more effort - but that just reinforces my feeling that this wasn't really the band's idea.
As for the album - it's hard to judge having not heard Ed's vocals too well. A lot of the lyrics felt... cheesy to me. And many of the songs sounded very radio-friendly. Not in a bad way, but nothing truly blew me away. Again - maybe because of the poor sound, but I'm not feeling super confident that this is going to be an album with songs I'm itching to see live (either now or in a decade).
That said - I could totally see this album jumping to the top of the Billboard charts and winning a few Grammys. It's got that "aging rockers keep making rock music when no one else does" vibe. Consistent performance. True rock songs. But nothing truly challenging or unique for me.
Hoping I change my mind when I hear it with better sound.
Eddie Vedder: 6/15/09 6/16/11
Loved it though. The way some of these songs translate live will be amazing.
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Hartford 10.02.96 | Mansfield 2 09.16.98 | Mansfield 1 08.29.00 | Mansfield 1 07.02.03 | Mansfield 3 07.11.03 | Boston 2 05.25.06 | Tampa 04.11.16 | Fenway 1 08.05.16 | Fenway 2 08.07.16 | Fenway 1 09.02.18 | Fenway 2 09.04.18 | Baltimore 03.28.20 | Hamilton 09.06.22 | Toronto 09.08.22 | Nashville 09.16.22 | St Louis 09.18.22
"He made the deal with the devil, we get to play with him.
He goes to hell, of course. We're going to heaven."
sound was great imo