Rating the Shows You've Attended
Curious to see how people would rate the shows they've personally attended on the following scale. Try not to be biased!
The scale is this:
EPIC - Shows that are remembered forever even by the people who didn't go to them (think Randalls Island, etc) (maybe 1% of shows)
SPECIAL - The rare unusually amazing/rare/unique shows from each tour (maybe 5-10% of shows)
GOOD - The above average shows, (probably I'd say 35% of shows)
AVERAGE - Good, but overall its going to be a show that blends in with a lot of other shows on the tour (another 35% or so)
SUBPAR - Still great but for a Pearl Jam show nothing that was particularly inspiring (bottom 20% of shows)
Obviously this works best for people like me who haven't seen 50 billion shows. But whoever wants to play along, I'd love to see how people rate the shows they've been to as honestly as possible.
Here's mine:
Jones Beach II, 2000: AVERAGE (still my all time favorite ItsOK tho, IMO better than Virginia)
Holmdel, 2003: SPECIAL (Hunger Strike re-debuts, 3 encores, Wash, chronological set-list, etc)
Camden I, 2006: AVERAGE (2nd encore of Blood, Comatose, Even Flow, Leash, SOLAT WOW!!!)
East Rutherford II, 2006: GOOD (Dont Give me no lip, Hard to Imagine, In Hiding, Rats, most songs on tour)
Gorge I, 2006: SPECIAL (borderline epic) (Wash, Crown of thorns, mamason trilogy, Great Its ok tag, DIRTY FRANK re-debuts!)
Gorge II, 2006: GOOD (overshadowed by first night: Little Wing full, great Fuckin up, Rats, Satans Bed)
MSG I, 2008: SPECIAL (incredible crowd, 3rd encore of Watchtower & Indifference!, I believe in Miracles, WMA, Spin)
Boston II, 2008: TBD
The scale is this:
EPIC - Shows that are remembered forever even by the people who didn't go to them (think Randalls Island, etc) (maybe 1% of shows)
SPECIAL - The rare unusually amazing/rare/unique shows from each tour (maybe 5-10% of shows)
GOOD - The above average shows, (probably I'd say 35% of shows)
AVERAGE - Good, but overall its going to be a show that blends in with a lot of other shows on the tour (another 35% or so)
SUBPAR - Still great but for a Pearl Jam show nothing that was particularly inspiring (bottom 20% of shows)
Obviously this works best for people like me who haven't seen 50 billion shows. But whoever wants to play along, I'd love to see how people rate the shows they've been to as honestly as possible.
Here's mine:
Jones Beach II, 2000: AVERAGE (still my all time favorite ItsOK tho, IMO better than Virginia)
Holmdel, 2003: SPECIAL (Hunger Strike re-debuts, 3 encores, Wash, chronological set-list, etc)
Camden I, 2006: AVERAGE (2nd encore of Blood, Comatose, Even Flow, Leash, SOLAT WOW!!!)
East Rutherford II, 2006: GOOD (Dont Give me no lip, Hard to Imagine, In Hiding, Rats, most songs on tour)
Gorge I, 2006: SPECIAL (borderline epic) (Wash, Crown of thorns, mamason trilogy, Great Its ok tag, DIRTY FRANK re-debuts!)
Gorge II, 2006: GOOD (overshadowed by first night: Little Wing full, great Fuckin up, Rats, Satans Bed)
MSG I, 2008: SPECIAL (incredible crowd, 3rd encore of Watchtower & Indifference!, I believe in Miracles, WMA, Spin)
Boston II, 2008: TBD
Jones Beach II (2000), Holmdel (2003), Camden I, East Rutherford II, Gorge I, Gorge II (2006), MSG I, Boston II (2008), Spectrum II, Spectrum III, Spectrum IV (2009), MSG I, MSG II (2010), Prague (2012), Philly I (2013), Philly I, Philly II, Fenway I (2016), Fenway I (2018), MSG (2022), MSG I, Fenway 1 (2024)
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Comments
Columbia: Special
WPB: Good
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
2024: Baltimore
Upcoming: 2025 Hollywood, FL Night 2
Lollapalooza-AVERAGE
Cleveland 2006- SPECIAL -setlist was amazing(U,Smile,DGNL, Faithful,Immortality,Fuckin Up), interaction was top notch
Pittsburgh 2006- GOOD (Waiting on a Friend)
Columbus 2003- Subpar
Cleveland 2003- GOOD ( best live version of Sonic Reducer)
Columbus 2000- GOOD
Boston I '04: Special
Boston II '04: Good
Hartford '06: Subpar
East Rutheford '06: Good
Camden I 08: Good
Camden II 08: Good
(I would flip-flop the Boston '04's, however, II was ruined as the person I gave a free ticket to, felt the need to try to cram 6 people into the one seat).
9-01-00 Camden NJ-- AVERAGE
7-05-03 Camden NJ-- AVERAGE
10-01-04 Reading PA-- SPECIAL
10-03-05 Philadelphia PA-- EPIC
5-27-06 Camden NJ-- AVERAGE
5-28-06 Camden NJ-- GOOD
6-19-08 Camden NJ-- SPECIAL
6-20-08 Camden NJ-- SPECIAL
6-24-08 New York NY-- EPIC
I could not have asked for anything more. They hit all my favorites: present tense, i got id, red mosquito, off he goes etc. A wave of emotion hit me during Inside Job, a song I never really paid attention to much before the show. An amazing night.
last night wasn't epic IMO. Bringing out a replacement of a replacement Ramone doesn't launch a show to epic standards in my book
St. Louis 2000- Special. Maybe it's just special because it was my first show, or maybe it was one of the best "Of The Girl" performances ever, the sign language girl during "Given to Fly". Any setlist that has "In My Tree", "Footsteps", "Parting Ways", and "Sonic Reducer" is okay in my book.
St. Louis 2003- Special. Just because of opening with "Present Tense" and the fact that the only cover all night was the tag of "Save It For Later" on "Betterman".
Kansas City 2003- Special. I've never been in a crowd that felt as unified as this one. Huge downpour started at the end of Idlewild's set and delayed the show a bit. "Hi dad" during "Release" still gives me chills when I hear it.
Council Bluffs 2003- Good. If this had been the only time I heard "Arc", it would be special. Fairly decent setlist. "Driven To Tears" is always good, and one of the best RITFW yet.
St. Paul 2003- Average. "Evenflow" followed by "Thin Air"? Seriously? Besides that...nothing.
Chicago 2003- Good. Great run of Present Tense and Light Years. Cool to see Idlewild up with PJ for RITFW.
St. Louis VFC 2004- Good. I loved the political covers, and really dug the first encore as an acoustic set. "Alone", "All or None", "Man of the Hour", and "Fortunate Son" really made the night for me.
Chicago I 2006- Special. Personally, to me this was a special show. Heard two of my favorites "I Got Shit" and "Low Light" for the first time. Hard not to call that special.
Cleveland 2006- EPIC. From a personal point and as a show. Met Mike at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier in the day. Great show with lots of energy. Any encore that includes "You", "Don't Gimme No Lip", "Smile", "Fuckin' Up", and the best "Thumbing My Way" known to man make it truly an epic and underrated show.
Cincy 2006- Good. The only thing keeping this from being subpar is that it was my first time hearing "Kids Are Alright" and "Long Road"...after that....all downhill
The Vic 2007- BEYOND EPIC. I don't need to explain this one. One of the greatest nights of my life.
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
MSG 7/8/03- Epic
MSG 7/9/03 -Special
Homdel 7/14/03 Average
Boston 9/28/04 Good
Boston 9/29/04 Special
Montreal 9/15/05 Good
Hartford 5/13/06 Subpar
NJ 6/1/06 Average
NJ 6/3/06 Good
MSG 6/24/08 Special
St. Louis 2000-GOOD-just look at ledvedderman review above
St. Louis 2003-GOOD
VFC- St. Louis-GOOD
VFC- Boston 2-SPECIAL-crowd made this one crazy
Chicago- Vic Theatre-EPIC- 10c only show thats why
Tampa, FL 2008-SPECIAL-another show in a different state, got to meet alot of cool people and it was my honeymoon on top of it
SPECIAL - The rare unusually amazing/rare/unique shows from each tour (maybe 5-10% of shows)
GOOD - The above average shows, (probably I'd say 35% of shows)
AVERAGE - Good, but overall its going to be a show that blends in with a lot of other shows on the tour (another 35% or so)
SUBPAR - Still great but for a Pearl Jam show nothing that was particularly inspiring (bottom 20% of shows)
Epics
Randall's 2 96 (life altering)
MSG 2 98 (one word: alive)
Specials
Reading 04 (I had front row)
Columbia 08 (amazing seats, three encores, ed was in rare form)
MSG 2 2003 (it really did feel like a family reunion--relentless main set)
DC 2006 (lowlight and my wife caugh a pick from Mike)
NJ 2 2006 (upgraded this one as it was a really fun show--Ed again in rare form)
Goods
Rochester 1994 (day before Kurdt found; PJ was good butr Mudhoney was better)
TFC 98 (Betterman dedicated to Clinton; yielded stage to RHCP)
DC 2000 (Played extra long as Sonic Youth had to bail; first time hearing Crazy Mary)
DC 2003 (Greatest version of Betterman I've ever heard--some of the fans were dicks though)
DC 2008 (This one could have been special--the roof was not sweating though)
Averages
MSG 1 98 (Feels better already: see night two)
Subpars
Jones Beach 1 2000 (Sonic Youth blew them off the stage)
Boston 1 2004 (Very rusty)
Boston 2 2004 (Still rusty)
West Palm I '00 - Average
Tampa '00 - Special
Seattle I '00 - Good
Seattle II '00 - Epic
West Palm '03 - Good
Orlando '03 - Special
Tampa '03 - Subpar
Kissimmee '04 - Average
West Palm '08 - Good
Tampa '08 - Good
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
2024: Baltimore
Upcoming: 2025 Hollywood, FL Night 2
9/8/08, East Rutherford - Good
9/10/08, MSG - Special
9/11/08, MSG - Epic
8/23/00, Jones Beach - Average
8/24/00, Jones Beach - Good
8/25/00, Jones Beach - Special
9/1/00, Camden - Special
9/2/00, Camden - Good
4/28/03, Philly - Special
4/30/03, Uniondale - Special
7/5/03, Camden - Good
7/6/03, Camden - Subpar
7/8/03, MSG - Epic
7/9/03, MSG - Epic
7/14/03, Holmdel - Special
9/28/04, Boston - Special
9/29/04, Boston - Special
10/1/04, Reading - Special
9/19/05, Toronto - Special
9/30/05, Atlantic City - Special
10/1/05, Atlantic City - Special
10/03/05, Philly - Epic
5/12/06, Albany - Good
5/13/06, Hartford - Good
5/27/06, Camden - Good
5/28/06, Camden - Good
5/30/06, Washington DC - Special
5/31/06, New York (Storytelllers) - Epic
6/1/06, East Rutherford - Special
6/3/06, East Rutherford - Special
12/9/06, Honolulu - Good
8/2/07, Chicago (Vic) - Epic
8/5/07, Chicago (Lollaplooza) - Special
6/19/08, Camden - Good
6/20/08, Camden - Good
6/22/08, Washington DC - Good
6/24/08, MSG - Special
whew....
Mansfield III from '03. 45 songs. 'Nuff said.
Special:
Boston II from '06 -- dropped the Leash, Low Light, Smile, Parachutes debut. Indifference, RITFL and YL all in second encore.
Champaign, IL from '03 -- small arena, amazing crowd, lots of covers (Driven to Tears, Know Your Rights, Fortunate Son, Blue Red Grey, Crazy Mary and Baba). Most fun I've ever had at a PJ show. Also, someone yelled out for Ledbetter so Ed took it off the set list. Some might disagree, but this is a personal favorite.
Good: Mansfield I and II in '03, Boston I and II in '04, Boston I in '06.
Paris 06: average
Copenhagen 07: special
Werchter 07: good
2007: Copenhagen, Werchter
2009: Rotterdam, London
2010: MSG, Arras, Werchter
2012: Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin
2014: Amsterdam, Stockholm
I really liked the acoustic sets
Come on, we got Alone, I've Got a Feeling, The Seeker, American in Me, Bleed for Me, Masters of War, Lion's Share, The New World, and Howard Zinn was there!!!!
Now that I think of it, I should have rated them epic rather than special.
I have them both as good, but I had really shitty seats and the sound sucked in the Fleet Center.
you forgot the vocals of Tim Robbins.
I dunno, maybe I should upgrade them to average, but they were so rusty still. I don't think they really clicked until Reading on that tour.
Word up! Plus I was annoyed by the "Yankees suck" chants--I mean it it's a rock concert. I lost a lot of respect for Red Sox fans at those shows.
Crazy ass Boston hulligans!!!! Its not a baseball game, let along a sporting event.
one of my favorite bootlegs and top 3 shows I've ever heard!
Charlotte 2000 - Good. Had some good crowd interaction with Better Man (although they fucked up the beginning) and Black. Ending was amazing with I Got Shit, Last Kiss, Porch, and Yellow Ledbetter (the last two with Mike just completely jamming out).
Charlotte 2003 - Average. I may put the 2000 show over this one since that was my first, but from hearing other boots from the 2003 tour, this show just kind of blended in with the rest. In Hiding, Alive, and Sonic Reducer were the highlights to me, but this one just didn't match the intensity of the 2000 show.
Columbia 2008 - Special. Great setlist, awesome energy from the band and crowd. Just a great overall performance. To me, Alive was the highlight amongst a lot of other great songs.
07/13/98 Los Angeles - Good
07/14/98 Los Angeles - Good
10/31/99 Bridge School - Average
10/28/00 San Bernardino - Average
10/31/00 Mountain View - Average
10/21/01 Bridge School - Special. Right after 9/11. Very moving performances by all artists. Crowd singing "Imagine" at the end just brought everyone to tears.
06/01/03 Mountain View - Average
07/15/06 SF I - Good
07/16/06 SF II - Good
07/18/06 SF III - Special
10/21/06 Bridge School - Average
04/07/08 Berkeley - Good
04/08/08 Berkeley - Epic
11/18/97 Oakland
07/13/98 Los Angeles
07/14/98 Los Angeles
10/31/99 Bridge School
10/28/00 San Bernardino
10/31/00 Mountain View
10/21/01 Bridge School
06/01/03 Mountain View
07/15/06 SF I
07/16/06 SF II
07/18/06 SF III
10/21/06 Bridge School
04/07/08 Berkeley
04/08/08 Berkeley
Berlin 06 - Good
Dusseldorf 07 - Special
Hurricane 07 - Good
Copenhagen 07 - Epic
Werchter 07 - Average
MSG 1 '08=Special
Camden 1 '08=Special
6/19/08 - Camden 1
6/24/08 - MSG 1
8/07/08 - Newark, EV Solo
6/11/09 - Upper Darby, EV Solo
10/28/09 - Spectrum 2
10/30/09 - Spectrum 3
10/31/09 - Spectrum 4
9/16/95 Austin - Special. opening acts Radiohead and the Ramones. My first show. 30 songs. Simply rocked! General admission with massive mosh pit.
7/22/98 Seattle - Good. Memorial Stadium. Pearl Jam playing in their hometown. The teeny-bop group "Hansen" was playing in Key Arena behind them. When the 1100 curfew came, Eddie said "well, it's curfew time, but I see that Hansen is still playing at the Key Arena, so we're going to keep playing." Could have been "special", but not quite. They were billed as having a "special guest", and rumors were flying that Chris Cornell was backstage and going to join them onstage for a few songs, but it never materialized.
5/30/2006 - Washington, DC - Good. After serving overseas for the seven years, it was great to be back in the USA and able to see Pearl Jam again, especially all the new songs from Avacado.
6/22/2008 - Washington, DC - Special. 31 songs. Crowd was amazing! Main setlist was good, but encores made it Special. 90 minute encore! I was expecting a 4 song first encore followed by a 3 song second encore, but instead got 7 and 6 songs in the encores. Played multiple songs even after houselights came on. Versions of Black and RVM were amazing.
On a sidebar, I just missed an "EPIC" back in October, 1998. I was living in Seattle at the time, and was actually at the Crocodile Cafe during the day on October 10th. For those of you who don't know, the Croc is TINY. I could have still gotten tickets to Cheap Trick that night, but my wife had a headache, so we went home instead. Little did we know that Pearl Jam made a surprise appearance opening for Cheap Trick that night at the Croc. They played 10 songs, and it would have been EPIC. Ahhh, the one that got away.
Lansing 98 ~ GOOD
W. Palm Beach 98 I ~ GOOD
W. Palm Beach 98 II ~ SPECIAL
Detroit 2000 ~ GOOD
Chicago 2000 ~ GOOD
Chicago 2003 ~ GOOD
Detroit I 2003 ~ GOOD
Detroit II 2003 ~ GOOD
Toledo 2004 ~ EPIC (Neil Young)
Grand Rapids 2004 ~ SPECIAL
Kitchener 2004 ~ GOOD
London 2005 ~ GOOD
Chicago I 2006 ~ GOOD
Chicago II 2006 ~ SPECIAL
Grand Rapids 2006 ~ EPIC
Cleveland 2006 ~ GOOD
Detroit 2006 ~ GOOD
Camden I 2008 ~ GOOD
Camden II 2008 ~ GOOD
MSG I 2008 ~ SPECIAL/EPIC
MSG II 2008 ~ SPECIAL/EPIC