On the one hand I feel like I’m done talking/thinking about this. On the other hand, I was lying awake this morning at 5:30 am, a full four days later, and still turning different options over in my mind.
The one I landed on this morning was ditching the Ed solo Patriot, adding a Go/Animal/SOLAT/whatever after the Glen song, then replacing Sonic Reducer with Fast Patriot if playing that song for Little Steven was so important to Ed. Fast Patriot at Wrigley in 2016 ruled.
If Ed played Patriot and then the band came out and they played Pearl Jam songs it would have been fine. Patriot is a good cover and probably very relevant to today. The probable was the Just Breathe into the GH duet and then followed up by another cover. The show flows better when Ed keeps it to one solo song.
It’ll go down as one of the worst decisions he ever made for a setlist imo.
I do agree with you but I'd also throw out Arms Aloft in there.
😂 this will always be the #1 setlist sin
DC '03 - Reading '04 - Philly '05 - Camden 1 '06 - DC '06 - E. Rutherford '06 - The Vic '07 - Lollapalooza '07 - DC '08 - EV DC 1 & 2 '08 (Met Ed!!) - EV Baltimore 1 & 2 '09 - EV NYC 1 '11 (Met Ed!) - Hartford '13 - GCF '15 - MSG 2 '16 - TOTD MSG '16 - Boston 1 & 2 '18 - SHN '21 - EV NYC 1 & 2 '22 - MSG '22
Been thinking about it, but honestly, I’m thrilled with the two MSG shows. 52 songs, only seven repeats (4 from the new album they are touring!) Band sounded great. Not sure what else there is to say.
I agree. It’s just after that main set the thought of “what could’ve been” inevitably crept into my mind. And I legit was losing patience during the encore. I hate covers so it was a nightmare for me. But I would totally get if other people loved it.
The grass is always greener. Sometimes they do add that one song or two and it feels a bit contrived or out of place. I kind of felt that way about Leash. At this point it is what it is. Starting on stools, slow encores etc. I loved that Patriot. I was hoping to hear Rats. Oh well. There is not one song on that list I did not enjoy.
It may be just a coincidence but Patriot (given all the other political tunes) had the feel of a personal response to the heckling Ed got about his political talk. I agree with Patriots message 100%, but just don’t love the tune. I don’t think Bruce covers it, and it’s weird that PJ plays it. Doesn’t feel at all like a PJ tune or that I am even at a PJ show when he sings it. To play a song because that artist is in the crowd, ok I get it, but it’s not a good policy for setlist construction. If it must be there, one of the other political tunes had to go and be replaced by a PJ banger at that point.
Now had they instead banged out Why Go at that slot, the place would have exploded, EXPLODED!, and all the talk of a lackluster encore here would not exist. Why Go has to be a top five crowd enthusiasm song, yet it did not make the MSG stage, while five covers N2 did. Strange decisions.
i appreciate Ed’s politics and how he stands up to the bizarre elements of American politics since 2015, but it’s a double edged sword. When he gets too into it, and uses either the D or R word (which he did) the Pearl Jam Live Show Magic loses its luster in that moment. Definitely took N2 down a peg. Still, great to see them twice in our hometown after so many years. Very Grateful.
Took me back to the Ralph Nader rally. It was not a coincidence IMHO. Ed will always say something about the state of our country, for better or worse. I like when he chooses something different instead of playing another song from Ten. I enjoyed the show, but the sound was so bad where I was. I am surprised more people are not talking about that instead of the song choices.
I agree, to my ears when Dolan decided to put in the bridges, they destroyed the elite acoustics of the garden. 100% the sound is nowhere near as good there post renovation. No way.
If Ed cut one cover song, sure, but the political heaviness he created was unfortunate. Given the events in GA, and the overall insanity in the states since 2015,and a big event the first Tuesday in November , I understand why he wanted to sing Patriot. It was just too much given the construct of the post break setlist.
I agree that ten is played too much, but why go would have brought an epic feel to the show. If I had my choice, I would take anything from Yield over any cover, any day, any time. Chalk it up to another thing I don’t get about the band or the faithful. Which is cool.
What political heaviness? Eddie was talking about voting for freedom and for human rights, nothing wrong with what he said. Pj has been political and sharing their thoughts for 33 plus years, not sure how anyone is shocked or even upset by it. It wasn’t too much, not at all.
Agree. Making a comment about gun laws before Glorified G on the day of (yet another) school shooting on point too
I agree with the comments on gun laws and women’s rights but he went too far because he specifically mentioned the “Republican” word in a derogatory manner which takes away from the magic of a PJ show …just a bit… and will get and did get boos….because that will divide.
A basic rule of showmanship is do not knowingly insult your audience.
He knows that. If that meant adding Patriot or a couple other political songs, then it’s too bad for those of us that want to get Why Go or Faithfull or one or many of the other great Pearl Jam tunes we didn’t get at MSG. Still two wonderful shows.
And respectfully Jo, I believe you have a much better chance influencing your daughter’s politics than Ed. If he did, great, but he should have left it short of putting down Rs and influencing the setlist. Patriot should not stand up against any PJ classic at a PJ show, and if they were simply respecting their guest, then a different cover should have been pulled. And it seemed the band was also not too happy with the encore. It’s unfortunate democracy seems to not exist on that stage They were definitely arguing about something.
Haha. So they weren’t respecting their audience because they played a song they have played for 30 years with the original artist in the building? Cmon man. I think the R word here is ridiculous.
Man BE, you certainly love to mix it up here. I'm not falling for that. If you re going to disrespect my comments, at least be accurate.
The discussion was about the leader of the band likely using his veto power in a visible disagreement with his band, to sidetrack a show that was heading towards epic status for his personal need to trash talk Republicans, and play a series of needless political tunes and covers to likely serve a personal political need. (There is no other need to play patriot, as its inferior to about 100 PJ tunes for PJ fans).
Given the construct of Philly1, seems this is what occurred MSG2.
Dude, ur argument is silly. Trump is going to lose regardless of what Eddie sang at their concert. I hope they play patriot at every remaining show pj does. It’s a great song and I love the part where he sings I only know one partyyyyy and it is freeeeeeeeedooooom. No need to carry this on any more, ur views are not worth anymore replies from me. Just talk about the show. Did you like the poster? What did you think of the T shirt quality?
Wish I was as confident as you about Mr Red Hat losing
I'm not really into concert merch too much. I go for the tunes. Thats maybe why I am harping on the awkward encore setlist
Still, those are all enjoyable songs and overall we got 2 great NY shows, just the decision to go solo and chill and political and so many covers in the encore had a significant impact on the energy of the show.
If Ed played Patriot and then the band came out and they played Pearl Jam songs it would have been fine. Patriot is a good cover and probably very relevant to today. The probable was the Just Breathe into the GH duet and then followed up by another cover. The show flows better when Ed keeps it to one solo song.
It’ll go down as one of the worst decisions he ever made for a setlist imo.
Yup. And I think Ed knows it. I feel like the Philly setlist was his way of making up for it.
He better make up for it AGAIN tomorrow night hahah
Making up for it is kinda silly, unless he is expecting the same 16k in the house from city to city. Well, reading the f2f topic, maybe that's true!
Can't make up for it for those of us who chose to stay local this tour. His setlist opportunity was lost on a personal decision he made, likely influenced by an isolated crowd reaction.
This is a good example of PJ not exactly having the best setlist process, since it seems to be more authoritarian and less democratic
Speaking of covers… Does anyone remember when they broke out Taking It To The Streets at MSG in 2016??
Yes! The guy sitting next to me and I were saying, before Night 1, how underrated and not-often-spoken of the MSG 2016 shows are.
I loved both 2016 MSG shows. Mike side for 1 and Stone side for 2. Combined they are up there as one of my top concert experiences.
Re MSG2 this year - I like Patriot and with Little Steven in the house makes perfect sense. Performances were great but I do think the “mellow” may have gone on a bit long and impacted the ride that the audience was on.
Been thinking about it, but honestly, I’m thrilled with the two MSG shows. 52 songs, only seven repeats (4 from the new album they are touring!) Band sounded great. Not sure what else there is to say.
I agree. It’s just after that main set the thought of “what could’ve been” inevitably crept into my mind. And I legit was losing patience during the encore. I hate covers so it was a nightmare for me. But I would totally get if other people loved it.
The grass is always greener. Sometimes they do add that one song or two and it feels a bit contrived or out of place. I kind of felt that way about Leash. At this point it is what it is. Starting on stools, slow encores etc. I loved that Patriot. I was hoping to hear Rats. Oh well. There is not one song on that list I did not enjoy.
It may be just a coincidence but Patriot (given all the other political tunes) had the feel of a personal response to the heckling Ed got about his political talk. I agree with Patriots message 100%, but just don’t love the tune. I don’t think Bruce covers it, and it’s weird that PJ plays it. Doesn’t feel at all like a PJ tune or that I am even at a PJ show when he sings it. To play a song because that artist is in the crowd, ok I get it, but it’s not a good policy for setlist construction. If it must be there, one of the other political tunes had to go and be replaced by a PJ banger at that point.
Now had they instead banged out Why Go at that slot, the place would have exploded, EXPLODED!, and all the talk of a lackluster encore here would not exist. Why Go has to be a top five crowd enthusiasm song, yet it did not make the MSG stage, while five covers N2 did. Strange decisions.
i appreciate Ed’s politics and how he stands up to the bizarre elements of American politics since 2015, but it’s a double edged sword. When he gets too into it, and uses either the D or R word (which he did) the Pearl Jam Live Show Magic loses its luster in that moment. Definitely took N2 down a peg. Still, great to see them twice in our hometown after so many years. Very Grateful.
Took me back to the Ralph Nader rally. It was not a coincidence IMHO. Ed will always say something about the state of our country, for better or worse. I like when he chooses something different instead of playing another song from Ten. I enjoyed the show, but the sound was so bad where I was. I am surprised more people are not talking about that instead of the song choices.
I agree, to my ears when Dolan decided to put in the bridges, they destroyed the elite acoustics of the garden. 100% the sound is nowhere near as good there post renovation. No way.
If Ed cut one cover song, sure, but the political heaviness he created was unfortunate. Given the events in GA, and the overall insanity in the states since 2015,and a big event the first Tuesday in November , I understand why he wanted to sing Patriot. It was just too much given the construct of the post break setlist.
I agree that ten is played too much, but why go would have brought an epic feel to the show. If I had my choice, I would take anything from Yield over any cover, any day, any time. Chalk it up to another thing I don’t get about the band or the faithful. Which is cool.
What political heaviness? Eddie was talking about voting for freedom and for human rights, nothing wrong with what he said. Pj has been political and sharing their thoughts for 33 plus years, not sure how anyone is shocked or even upset by it. It wasn’t too much, not at all.
Agree. Making a comment about gun laws before Glorified G on the day of (yet another) school shooting on point too
I agree with the comments on gun laws and women’s rights but he went too far because he specifically mentioned the “Republican” word in a derogatory manner which takes away from the magic of a PJ show …just a bit… and will get and did get boos….because that will divide.
A basic rule of showmanship is do not knowingly insult your audience.
He knows that. If that meant adding Patriot or a couple other political songs, then it’s too bad for those of us that want to get Why Go or Faithfull or one or many of the other great Pearl Jam tunes we didn’t get at MSG. Still two wonderful shows.
And respectfully Jo, I believe you have a much better chance influencing your daughter’s politics than Ed. If he did, great, but he should have left it short of putting down Rs and influencing the setlist. Patriot should not stand up against any PJ classic at a PJ show, and if they were simply respecting their guest, then a different cover should have been pulled. And it seemed the band was also not too happy with the encore. It’s unfortunate democracy seems to not exist on that stage They were definitely arguing about something.
Haha. So they weren’t respecting their audience because they played a song they have played for 30 years with the original artist in the building? Cmon man. I think the R word here is ridiculous.
Man BE, you certainly love to mix it up here. I'm not falling for that. If you re going to disrespect my comments, at least be accurate.
The discussion was about the leader of the band likely using his veto power in a visible disagreement with his band, to sidetrack a show that was heading towards epic status for his personal need to trash talk Republicans, and play a series of needless political tunes and covers to likely serve a personal political need. (There is no other need to play patriot, as its inferior to about 100 PJ tunes for PJ fans).
Given the construct of Philly1, seems this is what occurred MSG2.
Dude, ur argument is silly. Trump is going to lose regardless of what Eddie sang at their concert. I hope they play patriot at every remaining show pj does. It’s a great song and I love the part where he sings I only know one partyyyyy and it is freeeeeeeeedooooom. No need to carry this on any more, ur views are not worth anymore replies from me. Just talk about the show. Did you like the poster? What did you think of the T shirt quality?
Wish I was as confident as you about Mr Red Hat losing
I'm not really into concert merch too much. I go for the tunes. Thats maybe why I am harping on the awkward encore setlist
Still, those are all enjoyable songs and overall we got 2 great NY shows, just the decision to go solo and chill and political and so many covers in the encore had a significant impact on the energy of the show.
It only matters if you care more about the politics than the artist performing and singing songs. Their opening encores have been chill for years.
This was my 8th PJ MSG show, and my first in the pit. It had always been a dream of mine to be in the pit at MSG, and I couldn’t believe that after all of these years, my dream had finally come true! I lined up early to get rail and had an incredible spot on the bump right in front of Ed, leaning slightly toward Mike. I couldn’t believe the amount of interaction that I had with Ed throughout the night. Ed frequently walked out onto the bump and sang directly to the audience, exchanged high fives and fist bumps, etc. The energy on the rail/in the pit was great, and everyone was jumping and singing along to every word of every song. The pit was hopping all night long and I got to experience the MSG floor “bounce” that I had heard about for so long. It was a really special experience that I will never forget!
I should add that it was an especially emotional night for me because my son was starting kindergarten the following morning. So as you could imagine, there were a ton of emotions swirling through my head that night. And literally right after the show, I drove straight home and packed up my son’s lunch and backpack to get him ready for his first day of school in the morning. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend such an emotional night than surrounded by my PJ family!
I really liked the garden opener (which is one of my favorite songs from ten), which I thought was particularly appropriate for the garden and set the tone for the rest of the night. Hail, hail was a nice treat early on and got the pit bumping. That is one of my favorite of PJ’s faster/punk-inspired songs, and I hadn’t heard it in almost a decade. I was rocking out so hard during it that I had completely sweat through my shirt by the end of the song. I figured that the fact that I was completely soaked in sweat by the end of the third song was a good sign and an omen of things to come. It was also nice hearing won’t tell a few songs later. It’s one of my favorites from DM, and I think it comes off great live. That’s one they should definitely pull out more often. Won’t tell was followed by maybe the best, most intense version of not for you I’ve ever heard. Everyone at the front was screaming out all of the lyrics at the top of their lungs, and we were all losing our minds together. It was glorious! It was great hearing another one of my favorites, I am mine, a few songs later. “I know I was born and I know that I’ll die, the in between is mine”- I couldn’t think of more perfect lyrics to describe what I was experiencing at that very moment.
Next came one of my best moments of the night. Before the show, I was chatting with a friend in the GA line about the horrific shooting that had occurred in Georgia earlier that day. I told him that I thought this might finally be the day they pull out glorified g (which happened to be his favorite song). But I didn’t want to get his hopes up too much, so I told him that it’s one of Ed’s least favorite songs to play since he hates singing about guns. Then lo and behold when Ed started talking about how they were about to play a request that he absolutely hates, I knew what was about to happen. When they launched into glorified g, it was a great moment for me, but an even better moment for my long-time friend (who I have known since way back in elementary school). My favorite part was not just the song itself (which I thought they absolutely rocked), but watching my friend’s face while he passionately sang and screamed along to his favorite song, with Ed only a few feet away. And then amazingly, during the latter part of the song, Ed walked over to us on the bump, looked us directly in the eyes, and proceeded to sing right in our faces. It was an amazing moment! And the most incredible part was getting to share the moment with a long-time friend, watching him completely lose his mind belting out the lyrics with Ed staring directly into our faces. As much as I love having my own “moments” at these shows, I actually enjoy just as much—if not more—witnessing other people have their moments right beside me. That’s what keeps me coming back for more.
I was also over the moon to hear waiting for Stevie, which was the final song I needed to hear to complete DM. I thought it was one of the best live songs off the album, and it was great watching Mike and Watt trade off guitar licks and absolutely shred the solo. That was followed by one of the best, most energetic versions of RVM I’ve ever heard. I know people have mixed feelings on Watt, but personally I think the guy can shred with the best of them. It was awesome watching him and Mike tear it up during RVM, and it looked like they were having a blast doing so.
I also loved the encore. I feel like lately the encores have become a bit cookie cutter, but not this one. Now normally I don’t like it when they do a lot of covers, since I would always prefer that they play more originals, but this was the exception. I loved the covers they chose. Ed doing I am a patriot solo was great. Song of good hope with glen was incredible, and was one of my favorite moments of the night. I just think it’s such a beautiful song. And to make it even better, a friend of mine had a moment during the song. Throughout the show, me and some other people at the front were periodically holding up signs trying to get Ed’s attention to get him to pour wine for a friend who is a teacher (who had just started school that week), and who also does some great work with the wishlist foundation. My friend was holding up a sign that said, “Teacher needs a drink.” 🍷🤣 Ultimately, we were not successful in getting Ed to pour her some wine, but something even better happened. In the middle of the song (which happens to be one of her favorite songs), we brought her up to the rail and Ed walked right up to her, held her hand, and sang directly into her eyes for several seconds. It was an amazing moment, which I was really fortunate to witness from only a few feet away. I was really happy that Ed recognized her dedication and the hard work that she performs day in and day out as both a teacher and for the wishlist foundation—especially during the craziness of the first week of school—and provided her with a moment that she will never forget. Well-deserved!
I also really liked hearing gimme some truth, which was a cover that I never thought I would get to hear. I always really enjoyed watching it on the MSG ‘03 DVD, and was so happy I finally got to see it live. Setting sun was great as always. I think it’s one of the best songs on DM—and one of the best they’ve written in a long time—and comes off great live, especially with the added visuals. I would be happy hearing it every show.
And then for my favorite moment of the show. Sonic reducer is one of my favorite covers they do. When I heard the opening chords, I lost my mind. That might’ve been the hardest I’ve ever rocked out during a song. And the entire pit felt like it was bouncing up and down as one during the song. At one point during the song, Ed walked over to me on the bump and sang literally inches from my face. And I screamed the lyrics right back. It was so intense I can’t even describe it. And just when I thought we couldn’t possibly rock out any harder, THEY DROPPED THE LEASH!!! I couldn’t believe it! The floor was literally shaking at this point. The energy down there felt otherworldly. And toward the end of the song (which is one of my all-time favorites), Ed again walked out onto the bump, stared directly into my eyes, and belted out the lyrics right in my face. What a moment! That Sonic reducer-leash combo was one of the best, more intense one-two punches I have ever heard them do. And the crowd ate up every second of it.
Finally, even though I’ve seen RITFW a million times, seeing them do it with Stevie Van Zandt was just plain awesome! I was so happy he came out onstage after Ed pointed him out in the crowd earlier. I’m also a huge Bruce and E-Street fan, so this was a great moment for me. And it was one of my favorite versions of RITFW I’ve ever heard. And as if I hadn’t already had enough amazing moments during the show, toward the end of the song, while I was rocking out and jumping around like a madman, Ed came over to me and gave me a fist bump. 👊 That really sent the evening over the edge for me!
All in all, even after going in with high expectations, my first pit experience at msg was better than I ever could have imagined. A truly incredible, magical experience that I will never forget. I also got a mike pick, a photo of which I have included below 🎸🤘
You know there were a lot of folks who felt Song of Good Hope broke some of the momentum and could have been skipped - I was kind of in that camp also. Last night my mom gently passed on after a great long life and a battle with cancer. I went outside, looked up at the moon and played the Song of Good Hope from the MSG bootleg and it was helpful. I am now very glad they chose to play this song and it makes the show even more special for me now.
You know there were a lot of folks who felt Song of Good Hope broke some of the momentum and could have been skipped - I was kind of in that camp also. Last night my mom gently passed on after a great long life and a battle with cancer. I went outside, looked up at the moon and played the Song of Good Hope from the MSG bootleg and it was helpful. I am now very glad they chose to play this song and it makes the show even more special for me now.
Sorry to hear this. Love to you
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 -
Comments
Yes! The guy sitting next to me and I were saying, before Night 1, how underrated and not-often-spoken of the MSG 2016 shows are.
Wish I was as confident as you about Mr Red Hat losing
I'm not really into concert merch too much. I go for the tunes. Thats maybe why I am harping on the awkward encore setlist
Still, those are all enjoyable songs and overall we got 2 great NY shows, just the decision to go solo and chill and political and so many covers in the encore had a significant impact on the energy of the show.
Making up for it is kinda silly, unless he is expecting the same 16k in the house from city to city. Well, reading the f2f topic, maybe that's true!
Can't make up for it for those of us who chose to stay local this tour. His setlist opportunity was lost on a personal decision he made, likely influenced by an isolated crowd reaction.
This is a good example of PJ not exactly having the best setlist process, since it seems to be more authoritarian and less democratic
Re MSG2 this year - I like Patriot and with Little Steven in the house makes perfect sense. Performances were great but I do think the “mellow” may have gone on a bit long and impacted the ride that the audience was on.
It only matters if you care more about the politics than the artist performing and singing songs. Their opening encores have been chill for years.
I should add that it was an especially emotional night for me because my son was starting kindergarten the following morning. So as you could imagine, there were a ton of emotions swirling through my head that night. And literally right after the show, I drove straight home and packed up my son’s lunch and backpack to get him ready for his first day of school in the morning. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend such an emotional night than surrounded by my PJ family!
I really liked the garden opener (which is one of my favorite songs from ten), which I thought was particularly appropriate for the garden and set the tone for the rest of the night. Hail, hail was a nice treat early on and got the pit bumping. That is one of my favorite of PJ’s faster/punk-inspired songs, and I hadn’t heard it in almost a decade. I was rocking out so hard during it that I had completely sweat through my shirt by the end of the song. I figured that the fact that I was completely soaked in sweat by the end of the third song was a good sign and an omen of things to come. It was also nice hearing won’t tell a few songs later. It’s one of my favorites from DM, and I think it comes off great live. That’s one they should definitely pull out more often. Won’t tell was followed by maybe the best, most intense version of not for you I’ve ever heard. Everyone at the front was screaming out all of the lyrics at the top of their lungs, and we were all losing our minds together. It was glorious! It was great hearing another one of my favorites, I am mine, a few songs later. “I know I was born and I know that I’ll die, the in between is mine”- I couldn’t think of more perfect lyrics to describe what I was experiencing at that very moment.
I also really liked hearing gimme some truth, which was a cover that I never thought I would get to hear. I always really enjoyed watching it on the MSG ‘03 DVD, and was so happy I finally got to see it live. Setting sun was great as always. I think it’s one of the best songs on DM—and one of the best they’ve written in a long time—and comes off great live, especially with the added visuals. I would be happy hearing it every show.
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 -
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18