Mansfield III 03 - EPIC - Night 3 of the Experiment - nuff said.
Albany 06 - GOOD.
Hartford 06 - SUBPAR - bad weather, lackluster set list
Boston I 06 - GOOD
Boston II 06 - SPECIAL - great crowd and they dropped the leash.
Hartford 08 - SPECIAL (bordering on EPIC) I need some time away from the high before I decide if EPIC is appropriate. Maybe after I listen to the boot I'll revisit this ranking.
Tibetan Freedom Concert-June 8, 1997-Special
While technically not Pearl Jam, Ed and Mike made an unannounced appearance and opened the show. They played Corduroy, RITFW, and Yellow Ledbetter acoustically. Later in the day, Ed sang Long Road with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills and Mike played Ghost Rider with them. Special indeed.
East Rutherford, NJ-September 8, 1998-Average
Really fun show and my first seeing Pearl Jam as a band. Setlist was OK, nothing too special. Opened with Oceans and we got the Man trilogy here. Ben Harper opened. Good times.
Uniondale, NY-April 30, 2002-Special
Ton of Riot Act songs...Save You, Get Right, I Am Mine, You Are, Thumbing my Way, Down, Know Your Rights. Bushleager...Some good rarities, I Am Patriot, This was the show where Eddie came out in the Bush mask and people booed him and chanted USA, etc. He went on a rant and then jumped into Know Your Rights and Rocking in the Free World before slamming his mic down and walking off. Sparta opened. I'm a fan of them so it was fun having them there.
Hartford, CT-May 13, 2006-Good
Good chunk of Avocado songs. Cold rainy night. First time played I'm Open. Went with my girlfriend and had a good time.
MSGI-2008-EPIC
30 songs. Non stop energy. 3 encores. Hard to Imagine, Love Reign O'er Me, All Along the Watchtower, Indifference, Down, WMA, Whipping, No More, Wasted Reprise, Spin the Black Circle, Leash, Porch....etc. I had more fun at this show than any pearl jam show, or really any other show, ever.
MSGII-2008-Good
Hard to really follow MSGI. Good show, but I just preferred Night I Better. Ace Frehley made an appearance which was cool. Opened with Release which I hadn't experienced before. Lukin, Rats, Ace on Black Diamond. Fun.
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)
East Rutherford II '06--Special
Pittsburgh '06--Good
Camden I '08--Special
Camden II '08--Special, bordering on Epic.
DC '08--Special
MSG II '08--Special
6/3/06 East Rutherford
6/23/06 Pittsburgh
6/19/08 Camden
6/20/08 Camden
6/22/08 DC
6/25/08 MSG
8/4/08 EV NYC
8/5/08 EV NYC
8/7/08 EV Newark
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)
EPIC - State College '03 (my first show, and pretty self explanatory)
- Mansfield '03 (again self explanatory, weird knowing that after your second show, you probably won't see one as good as either of your first two again)
SPECIAL - Hartford '08 (the main setlist was ridiculous and didn't stop there - Can't Keep is a pretty awesome opener, In Hiding, Immortality, and Blood)
GOOD - DC '08 (best seats out of the six, and awesome setlist, you trilogy was sick, I just can't rate this one higher because of the other 3)
- E. Rutherford II '06 (awesome show, SOLAT, whipping, HTI)
AVERAGE- E. Rutherford I '06 (weaker crowd energy, but reverse mamasan, and lots of vs. (my favorite album) - indifference, leash, glorified g, dissident, rvm)
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)
DC- Good
MSG1- Special
MSG 2- good
none of these shows are epics- Bonaroo was an Epic but I did not attend
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)
7-9-03 MSG2- GOOD- (1st PJ show- main set was awesome, encores seemed weak)
5-5-06 Irving Plaza- EPIC (no words needed.)
6-1-06 E RUTH1- Avg to GOOD (The set was awesome all around, with many personal favs, but the energy, on both the band and crowd's behalf, was lacking, hurting this show's status)
6-3-06 E RUTH2- SPECIAL (Last night of leg, energized show, encores were sick)
6-24-08 MSG1- GOOD to SPECIAL (yea, it's only a week old, and fresh in my mind, but I tend to think everyone is blowing it out of proportion so far. yea, 3 encores was awesome, they had a great energy, and the crowd was great, but the set was standard and I can't justify giving it anything higher)
6-25-08 MSG2- GOOD to SPECIAL (again, since it's so recent, its hard to rank it properly. I thought this one was better than night 1- setlist (well...until 2nd encore), the CROWD, band's energy. in time it will probably move higher in my rankings...)
Nice one this thread. God I wish I lived in a contry who had more wisits from PJ!
Berlin 2006 - Good/Special.
My first, Most amazing venue, best tag on black, footsteps, present tense.
Copenhagen 2007 - EPIC.
The importance for the band, the feeling among the crowd, in hiding, long road, love reign o´ me - and seeing PJ in my hometown. WOOO!
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
I still thought it was a great show, but CJ didnt do anything for me. When i saw the Ramones, it was Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Marky (1981) - I had only recently heard of CJ through the Ramones documentary.
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)
7-9-03 MSG2- GOOD- (1st PJ show- main set was awesome, encores seemed weak)
5-5-06 Irving Plaza- EPIC (no words needed.)
6-1-06 E RUTH1- Avg to GOOD (The set was awesome all around, with many personal favs, but the energy, on both the band and crowd's behalf, was lacking, hurting this show's status)
6-3-06 E RUTH2- SPECIAL (Last night of leg, energized show, encores were sick)
6-24-08 MSG1- GOOD to SPECIAL (yea, it's only a week old, and fresh in my mind, but I tend to think everyone is blowing it out of proportion so far. yea, 3 encores was awesome, they had a great energy, and the crowd was great, but the set was standard and I can't justify giving it anything higher)
6-25-08 MSG2- GOOD to SPECIAL (again, since it's so recent, its hard to rank it properly. I thought this one was better than night 1- setlist (well...until 2nd encore), the CROWD, band's energy. in time it will probably move higher in my rankings...)
Ive only been to three shows so I can only compare those shows with bootlegs (and maybe im not really qualified to rate them - maybe there should be a minimum?!).
Id tend to agree with these ratings for the three shows ive seen -- E Rutherford 2 (06) - Special and MSG1 and MSG2 (08)-- too early to call, but for now, Good to Special.
I love this thread and I am pleased to see that others, who have been to far more shows than I have, generally rate E. Ruth2 2006 high as well.
I probably need to wait for the bootlegs to get a better handle on MSG1 & MSG2. I can tell you that they would be high on my list of all-time concerts. In the end, i wouldnt think they compare to epic shows like Philly 05, State College, any of the Gorge shows, Seattle 2000, Boston 7/11/03, etc., but they were pretty great.
Hartford 10/02/96 SPECIAL- borderline epic, SOLAT, Footsteps, Alive, Blood, Porch played in order to close opening set. INSANE. Plus supporting NO CODE and MY 1st show.
Pittsburg 8/25/98- SPECIAL- outdoor open with Release, No Way (1st time EVER), Not for You.
Cleveland 8/26/98-Good- following Pitt, band was tired and I was tired too.
Hartford 09/13/98-Average. Short list, POLICE trouble. But Ben Harper opened!!!
Camden 9/02/00-SPECIAL. Of the Girl (incredible opener and song), Habit, Rival, I got Id, Animal. Damn I forgot how awesome this show was.
Columbia, MD 9/04/00-Good strong list but energy low for Sonic Youth's lead singer's mother was in an auto crash that night.
Reading, PA 10/01/04 -SPECIAL- Open with LBC crowd sang love about 20 times, Sad 1st time ever.
Albany 5/12/06- EPIC- The return of RATS, Red Mosquito,
Washington DC 5/30/06-Good- Very happy to hear Inside Job
Camden 06/19/08-Special my 39th Birthday, enough said
Washington DC 06/22/08-Subpar. Worst seats ever. Band pushed. If it weren't for Jake this show would have gotten no love on the board. My last show to date and I only hope for better next time.
Hartford 10/02/96 & 09/13/98
Pittsburg 8/25/98 & 4/26/03
Cleveland 8/26/98
Camden 9/02/00 & 06/19/08 (my birthday!)
Columbia, MD 9/04/00
State College 5/03/03
Reading, PA 10/01/04
Albany 5/12/06
Washington DC 5/30/06 & 06/22/08
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.
every time I watch Touring Band the St. Louis GTF gives me the chills. Awesome experience.
Hartford 10/02/96 & 09/13/98
Pittsburg 8/25/98 & 4/26/03
Cleveland 8/26/98
Camden 9/02/00 & 06/19/08 (my birthday!)
Columbia, MD 9/04/00
State College 5/03/03
Reading, PA 10/01/04
Albany 5/12/06
Washington DC 5/30/06 & 06/22/08
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)
4/17/94, 9/29/96, 9/10/98, 8/7/00, 8/24/00, 4/30/03, 7/8/03, 7/9/03, 10/1/04, 5/12/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/12/08, 6/27/08, Ed solo 8/5/08, 10/27/09,5/18/10,10/22/13,5/1/16
Epic: Newcastle (06)
Special: Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Nijemegen (07), Tokyo (03)
Good: Munich, London (07), Sydney III, Adelaide I+II (06), Osaka, Yokohama (03)
Average: Werchter (07), Sydney I, Melbourne I+II+III, Perth (06), Sydney I+II+III, Nagoya (03)
Subpar: Chorzow (07), Sydney II (06)
Randall's Island 1996 - EPIC (No Code, the pit, the rain, John Popper on Even Flow)
E. Rutherford 1998 - AVERAGE (Man Trilogy, decent set, but hated the venue)
Tampa 2000 - GOOD (Great set, but terrible sound from my seats)
Tampa 2003 - GOOD (YLB AND RITFW, good set and nice wing seats)
Tampa 2008 - SPECIAL (The crowd, great 10C seats, Nothingman/Black/Wasted/Porch encore, Present Tense!)
MSG1 2008 - SPECIAL (Best crowd of my shows, Reign O'er Me, Watchtower)
MSG2 2008 - SPECIAL (Not quite as good as night one, but Ace evened it out - Black Diamond!)
1993-11-05 Indio California Empire Polo Fields
SPECIAL
First show. Drove from Orange County out to the desert with some good high school friends. Remember them testing the pit playing RATM's "Bomb Track" between opening bands. Opened with Release and the the pit was swaying in unison. Ed then told the audience to take care of one another or something to that effect...and all hell broke loose when they started playing Go. The pit and fans were lousy (as Ed notes frequently on this boot for those who have heard it). Indifference and Baba were standouts for me. They also played Sonic Reducer, which later turned into one of my favorite covers by the band (thanks to the Atlanta 1994 boot) but for some reason didn't reasonate with me at the time. I was slightly bummed at the time that they didn't play Black or Jeremy. Still this show had a huge impact on me. I went home and in the next week joined Ten Club.
1998-06-20 Missoula Montana Washington-Grizzly Stadium
SPECIAL
Took me 5 1/2 years to see the band again and to be honest it was a personal goal for my college years (I had messed up goals). In the end it was an excellent graduation present to myself. I was moving shortly to Chicago and this was the only show I could attend on the tour (Had a 5th row side stage ticket for Portland that I had camped out all night to get but sadly had to sell it to a fraternity brother) . Road tripped to Idaho with a friend to pick another friend and then headed to Missoula. Remember many people tailgating and hanging out on the lawn outside the stadium. They sold the big foot Ames poster outside and opted not to buy it because I thought it was a fugly (wish I had now). The three of us made our way upfront and grabbed the rail when things went crazy during the opening with Corduroy. Hearing Black for the first time was a highlight. One of my friends was pissed at me because I was screaming along to the lyrics (Funny how I don't like this one as much anymore because the crowds now drown out Ed's singing on this song). I also thought In Hiding, Pilate (great pit song), Once, and Yellow LedBetter (first time I could understand the lyrics) were standouts.
2000-10-30 Sacramento California Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre
AVERAGE
My job at the time required me to travel frequently. I was conviently in Sacramento for when tickets went onsale and drove up to the venue at 4:30 am to be first in line. Got a 7th row orchestra seat. I was then conveniently in the Bay Area the night of the show and fought terrible traffic to drive out to Sacramento. I remember the weather being cold (40's?) and only having a fleece jacket. Ed was under the weather and drinking tea. Due to the cold they opened with Whipping (which I liked). Tremor Christ and the Kids are All Right were good. I believe it was the shortest show of the 2000 tour. I thought I was going to be able to make it up to the Seattle I show later that week, so at the time I looked at this show as a good warm up for Seattle. Sadly, I wasn't able to go to Seattle and this ended up being my only PJ fix of the 200 tour.
2003-04-25 Cleveland Ohio Gund Arena
GOOD
Had just finished my first year of graduate school and was pumped to celebrate with PJ. First time getting TC tickets and my seats were amazing. It was a little freaky having people you admire looking you in the eyes constantly (those who are hitting the lottery jack pot this tour know what I mean) Really enjoyed the encores, especially I Am a Patriot, Crazy Mary (terrific Mike solo), Sonic Reducer, and RITFW. Ed fell off the stage during RITFW during Mike's solo. It looked serious and Mike came to the edge of the stage and asked the audience what was going on. After a few nervous moments Ed climbed back up, took to the mic, and angerily sang the rest of the song (total rock star moment).
2003-07-05 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
GOOD
I personally liked this show. Heard a lot of songs I did not get in Cleveland. Loved the tag in Wishlist, Breathe, I Believe in Miracles, Down, Blood (Bow, Wow Wow). I enjoyed hearing RITFW in the middle of the set.
2004-10-01 Reading Pennsylvania Sovereign Center
AVERAGE
Long drive from DC soured my mood some. The crowd were a bunch of a-holes. People kept sneaking into the first few rows, as security was non-exsistent. Hearing Sad played for the first time was a nice surprise. Also heard Nothingman (only time I have heard this song).
2004-10-02 Toledo Ohio Sports Arena
EPIC
PJ set was short but loved Long Road and THumbing My Way. Obviously seeing them play with Niel Young made this show unique. I was able to watch the Neil set from the front row off to the side and it was filmed professionally by someone. Hoping the professional video some day services. AATW blew me away. I just stood in awe knowing at the time seeing Neil and PJ play together was something special.
2004-10-11 Washington DC MCI Center
SPECIAL
First and only time I was able to get me wife to see a PJ show. And it was basically because of the other artists that she went to the show. REM was amazing (first time seeing them and made me regret not staying another day in the Toledo area to head up to Detroit and catch REM/Bruce on the VFC tour). Ed did a great duet with Michael on Begin the Begin. The PJ set itself was average. Obviously way too short for any PJ's fan liking. I have nothing against Bu$hleaguer's message, but personally did not like the song live. Same with the New World. The highlight was an absolute stellar MOW. The Dixie Chick's and James Taylor trading harmonies was great. Bruce and the E street band were great as always. Absolutely loved Michael Stipe's duet with the band on Because the Night. So many top notch artists. It makes me excited to think DC might get something like this again in 2008.
2006-05-20 Cleveland OH Quicken Loans Arena
AVERAGE
The drive from DC sucked the energy out of me. I bought a ticket to the Indians game to take in batting practice and ended up meeting Mike McCready who was also at the ballpark for the same reason. Ed seemed upset most the show. I loved the It's OK Tag (unexpected but it didn't sound great for some reason...think it was the arena acoustics). The encores had some good rarieties but not my personal favorites (U, Don't Gimme No Lip). I was happy to hear Smile and F-in Up.
2006-05-27 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
AVERAGE
Played a lot of their grestest hits this night. However, hearing Marker and Come Back for the first time made me happy.
2006-05-28 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
GOOD
Throw Your Arms Around Me during the preset. Wash as an opener. Whipping, Garden, Satan's Bed. Good times.
2006-05-30 Washington D.C. Verizon Center
GOOD
Release (Took 12 1/2 years to hear again), Low Light, I Got Id, MOW, Come Back, F-in Up all stood out for me. A little short due to the curfew, but for some reason I really enjoyed this show.
2007-08-02 Chicago Illinois The Vic Theatre
EPIC
Flew in that morning and went to see the Cubs play. Then headed to the venue. Can't beat a day at Wrigley and then an evening with Pearl Jam. I am a huge Cubs fan and had tears in my eyes hearing Eddie sing the Cub's Song. I greatly appreciated the band acknowledging it being a fan club show and putting together a unique set list (extremely kind gesture in my opinion). I found the crowd interaction to be great. Other than the MSG shows, this was the loudest I have heard fans singing PJ songs. So many highlights: Education, Undone, In Hiding, Hard to Imagine, Off He Goes, Love Reign (amazing), Sonic Reducer, Indifference (13 1/2 years since previously heard it).
2008-06-22 Washington D.C. Verizon Center
GOOD
I thought the crowd was great. Better than 2006. They played much longer than 2006. Loved HTI as an opener. I liked the you triology (hadn't heard You Are in awhile). Loved Come Back and AATW sounded great.
2008-06-24 New York New York Madison Square Garden
2008-06-25 New York New York Madison Square Garden
SPECIAL
I'm putting these 2 shows together. I absolutely loved the fan interaction. Loudest arena shows I have ever heard. Yes, Eddie we really can feel the floor bouncing just like you. Worth the trip. So many highlights. I think hearing WMA, Garden really stands out as well as Indifference.
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)
Indy 03 - Special: My first show, great little gems in the setlist like Gimme Some Truth, Habit, Soldier of Love, Smile, etc. Cried the first time I heard Alive live.
Camden I 06 - Good
Camden II 06 - Special: Wash > Go as an opener? Fuggetaboutit.
Washington, D.C. 06 - Good
E. Rutherford I 06 - Good
E. Rutherford II 06 - Good
Lollapalooza 07 - Good
MSG I 08 - Epic: I don't care what anyone says, this is easily my all-time favorite show, and to me, 30 songs, 3 encores, hearing 10 songs live for the first time, including Faithfull, Down, Who You Are, WMA, All Along the Watchtower, Spin the Black Circle and Love Reign O'er Me, along with the loudest and greatest crowd I've ever heard/seen at a concert out of my total 60 concerts...all that equals EPIC.
MSG II 08 - Special
I am lost, I'm no guide, but I'm by your side. I am right by your side.
SPECIAL
MSG Night 1 08
MSG Night 2 08
Ottawa 05
Montreal 98 (my first show, played HTI which was very rare at the time)
GOOD
Montreal 05
Barrie 98
Montreal 03
AVERAGE
Montreal 00
SUBPAR
Toronto 06
Shows: Montreal 98, Barrie 98, Montreal 00, Montreal 03, Montreal 05, Ottawa 05, Toronto 06, Vancouver Night 1 08 (EV), Vancouver Night 2 08 (EV), MSG1 08, MSG2 08, Montreal Night 2 08 (EV), Toronto Night 1 08 (EV), Toronto 09, Hartford 11 (EV), Ottawa 11, Ottawa 16, Ottawa 22.
I have seen 5 pj shows and I would say 3 were epic and the other 2 were just under.
Hartford- 96 Epic. As Epic as it gets. I was on the lawn when the pepper spray flew.
La Forum 06 I- Epic. Great set list and Tim Robbins doing guest vocals topped off by arena workers picketing the arena and Eddie standing up for them.
La Forum 06 II - Borderline Epic. Night starts with picketing workers holding up signs of support for PJ and them simply asking people not to buy concessions inside. Awesome vibe. Got there early and listened to all of there sound check. Eddie, Jeff, and Mike came over and talked with us lucky few very briefly, but hey, that moment lasted a lifetime.
Mansfield I 08 Beyond Epic. The setlist was the best I've ever witnessed. Im Open, Given to fly, off he goes. The second set was the most beautiful moment i have ever witnessed between a band and a crowd. Starts with Reign over me. But the moment I will never forget was Eddie seemingly loosing control after black. Visibly upset. The crowd decided to pick him up during the beginning of betterman. And boy, did they ever. MUST have for any pj fan. AWESOME.
Comments
Albany 06 - GOOD.
Hartford 06 - SUBPAR - bad weather, lackluster set list
Boston I 06 - GOOD
Boston II 06 - SPECIAL - great crowd and they dropped the leash.
Hartford 08 - SPECIAL (bordering on EPIC) I need some time away from the high before I decide if EPIC is appropriate. Maybe after I listen to the boot I'll revisit this ranking.
While technically not Pearl Jam, Ed and Mike made an unannounced appearance and opened the show. They played Corduroy, RITFW, and Yellow Ledbetter acoustically. Later in the day, Ed sang Long Road with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills and Mike played Ghost Rider with them. Special indeed.
East Rutherford, NJ-September 8, 1998-Average
Really fun show and my first seeing Pearl Jam as a band. Setlist was OK, nothing too special. Opened with Oceans and we got the Man trilogy here. Ben Harper opened. Good times.
Uniondale, NY-April 30, 2002-Special
Ton of Riot Act songs...Save You, Get Right, I Am Mine, You Are, Thumbing my Way, Down, Know Your Rights. Bushleager...Some good rarities, I Am Patriot, This was the show where Eddie came out in the Bush mask and people booed him and chanted USA, etc. He went on a rant and then jumped into Know Your Rights and Rocking in the Free World before slamming his mic down and walking off. Sparta opened. I'm a fan of them so it was fun having them there.
Hartford, CT-May 13, 2006-Good
Good chunk of Avocado songs. Cold rainy night. First time played I'm Open. Went with my girlfriend and had a good time.
MSGI-2008-EPIC
30 songs. Non stop energy. 3 encores. Hard to Imagine, Love Reign O'er Me, All Along the Watchtower, Indifference, Down, WMA, Whipping, No More, Wasted Reprise, Spin the Black Circle, Leash, Porch....etc. I had more fun at this show than any pearl jam show, or really any other show, ever.
MSGII-2008-Good
Hard to really follow MSGI. Good show, but I just preferred Night I Better. Ace Frehley made an appearance which was cool. Opened with Release which I hadn't experienced before. Lukin, Rats, Ace on Black Diamond. Fun.
Beacon Theatre-TBD
- Seatte II 00'
- Benaroya Hall 03'
SPECIAL
- Showbox II 02'
- Gorge 05'
- Gorge I 06'
GOOD
- Vancouver 03'
- Gorge II 05'
- MSG I 08'
- MSG II 08'
AVERAGE
- Seattle I 98'
- Seattle I 00'
SUBPAR
- Groundwork 01'
- Key Arena I and II 02'
- Paramount 05'
Pittsburgh '06--Good
Camden I '08--Special
Camden II '08--Special, bordering on Epic.
DC '08--Special
MSG II '08--Special
6/23/06 Pittsburgh
6/19/08 Camden
6/20/08 Camden
6/22/08 DC
6/25/08 MSG
8/4/08 EV NYC
8/5/08 EV NYC
8/7/08 EV Newark
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)
EPIC - State College '03 (my first show, and pretty self explanatory)
- Mansfield '03 (again self explanatory, weird knowing that after your second show, you probably won't see one as good as either of your first two again)
SPECIAL - Hartford '08 (the main setlist was ridiculous and didn't stop there - Can't Keep is a pretty awesome opener, In Hiding, Immortality, and Blood)
GOOD - DC '08 (best seats out of the six, and awesome setlist, you trilogy was sick, I just can't rate this one higher because of the other 3)
- E. Rutherford II '06 (awesome show, SOLAT, whipping, HTI)
AVERAGE- E. Rutherford I '06 (weaker crowd energy, but reverse mamasan, and lots of vs. (my favorite album) - indifference, leash, glorified g, dissident, rvm)
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)
DC- Good
MSG1- Special
MSG 2- good
none of these shows are epics- Bonaroo was an Epic but I did not attend
The Vic, Soldier Field were EPIC
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)
7-9-03 MSG2- GOOD- (1st PJ show- main set was awesome, encores seemed weak)
5-5-06 Irving Plaza- EPIC (no words needed.)
6-1-06 E RUTH1- Avg to GOOD (The set was awesome all around, with many personal favs, but the energy, on both the band and crowd's behalf, was lacking, hurting this show's status)
6-3-06 E RUTH2- SPECIAL (Last night of leg, energized show, encores were sick)
6-24-08 MSG1- GOOD to SPECIAL (yea, it's only a week old, and fresh in my mind, but I tend to think everyone is blowing it out of proportion so far. yea, 3 encores was awesome, they had a great energy, and the crowd was great, but the set was standard and I can't justify giving it anything higher)
6-25-08 MSG2- GOOD to SPECIAL (again, since it's so recent, its hard to rank it properly. I thought this one was better than night 1- setlist (well...until 2nd encore), the CROWD, band's energy. in time it will probably move higher in my rankings...)
Berlin 2006 - Good/Special.
My first, Most amazing venue, best tag on black, footsteps, present tense.
Copenhagen 2007 - EPIC.
The importance for the band, the feeling among the crowd, in hiding, long road, love reign o´ me - and seeing PJ in my hometown. WOOO!
I still thought it was a great show, but CJ didnt do anything for me. When i saw the Ramones, it was Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Marky (1981) - I had only recently heard of CJ through the Ramones documentary.
6/24/08 (MSG1)
6/25/08 (MSG2)
7/1/08 (Beacon Theater -NYC)
10/30/09 (Philly3)
5/18/10 (Newark, NJ)
5/20/10 (MSG1)
5/21/10 (MSG2)
10/18/13 (Brooklyn 1)
10/19/13 (Brooklyn 2)
5/1/16 (MSG 1)
5/2/16 (MSG 2)
3/30/20 (MSG)
9/3/24 I(MSG1)
9/4/24 (MSG 2)
Virginia Beach-Average
MSG 2-Special
Mansfield I-Sub Par
Ive only been to three shows so I can only compare those shows with bootlegs (and maybe im not really qualified to rate them - maybe there should be a minimum?!).
Id tend to agree with these ratings for the three shows ive seen -- E Rutherford 2 (06) - Special and MSG1 and MSG2 (08)-- too early to call, but for now, Good to Special.
I love this thread and I am pleased to see that others, who have been to far more shows than I have, generally rate E. Ruth2 2006 high as well.
I probably need to wait for the bootlegs to get a better handle on MSG1 & MSG2. I can tell you that they would be high on my list of all-time concerts. In the end, i wouldnt think they compare to epic shows like Philly 05, State College, any of the Gorge shows, Seattle 2000, Boston 7/11/03, etc., but they were pretty great.
6/24/08 (MSG1)
6/25/08 (MSG2)
7/1/08 (Beacon Theater -NYC)
10/30/09 (Philly3)
5/18/10 (Newark, NJ)
5/20/10 (MSG1)
5/21/10 (MSG2)
10/18/13 (Brooklyn 1)
10/19/13 (Brooklyn 2)
5/1/16 (MSG 1)
5/2/16 (MSG 2)
3/30/20 (MSG)
9/3/24 I(MSG1)
9/4/24 (MSG 2)
Pittsburg 8/25/98- SPECIAL- outdoor open with Release, No Way (1st time EVER), Not for You.
Cleveland 8/26/98-Good- following Pitt, band was tired and I was tired too.
Hartford 09/13/98-Average. Short list, POLICE trouble. But Ben Harper opened!!!
Camden 9/02/00-SPECIAL. Of the Girl (incredible opener and song), Habit, Rival, I got Id, Animal. Damn I forgot how awesome this show was.
Columbia, MD 9/04/00-Good strong list but energy low for Sonic Youth's lead singer's mother was in an auto crash that night.
Pittsburg 4/26/03-SPECIAL Once, Alive, Footsteps in order! Whipping, Blood, Porch, Immortality, Go. WOW.
State College 5/03/03- EPIC- LONGEST SHOW EVER
Reading, PA 10/01/04 -SPECIAL- Open with LBC crowd sang love about 20 times, Sad 1st time ever.
Albany 5/12/06- EPIC- The return of RATS, Red Mosquito,
Washington DC 5/30/06-Good- Very happy to hear Inside Job
Camden 06/19/08-Special my 39th Birthday, enough said
Washington DC 06/22/08-Subpar. Worst seats ever. Band pushed. If it weren't for Jake this show would have gotten no love on the board. My last show to date and I only hope for better next time.
Pittsburg 8/25/98 & 4/26/03
Cleveland 8/26/98
Camden 9/02/00 & 06/19/08 (my birthday!)
Columbia, MD 9/04/00
State College 5/03/03
Reading, PA 10/01/04
Albany 5/12/06
Washington DC 5/30/06 & 06/22/08
every time I watch Touring Band the St. Louis GTF gives me the chills. Awesome experience.
Pittsburg 8/25/98 & 4/26/03
Cleveland 8/26/98
Camden 9/02/00 & 06/19/08 (my birthday!)
Columbia, MD 9/04/00
State College 5/03/03
Reading, PA 10/01/04
Albany 5/12/06
Washington DC 5/30/06 & 06/22/08
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)
Special: Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Nijemegen (07), Tokyo (03)
Good: Munich, London (07), Sydney III, Adelaide I+II (06), Osaka, Yokohama (03)
Average: Werchter (07), Sydney I, Melbourne I+II+III, Perth (06), Sydney I+II+III, Nagoya (03)
Subpar: Chorzow (07), Sydney II (06)
Randall's Island 1996 - EPIC (No Code, the pit, the rain, John Popper on Even Flow)
E. Rutherford 1998 - AVERAGE (Man Trilogy, decent set, but hated the venue)
Tampa 2000 - GOOD (Great set, but terrible sound from my seats)
Tampa 2003 - GOOD (YLB AND RITFW, good set and nice wing seats)
Tampa 2008 - SPECIAL (The crowd, great 10C seats, Nothingman/Black/Wasted/Porch encore, Present Tense!)
MSG1 2008 - SPECIAL (Best crowd of my shows, Reign O'er Me, Watchtower)
MSG2 2008 - SPECIAL (Not quite as good as night one, but Ace evened it out - Black Diamond!)
I'll ride the wave where it takes me...
SPECIAL
First show. Drove from Orange County out to the desert with some good high school friends. Remember them testing the pit playing RATM's "Bomb Track" between opening bands. Opened with Release and the the pit was swaying in unison. Ed then told the audience to take care of one another or something to that effect...and all hell broke loose when they started playing Go. The pit and fans were lousy (as Ed notes frequently on this boot for those who have heard it). Indifference and Baba were standouts for me. They also played Sonic Reducer, which later turned into one of my favorite covers by the band (thanks to the Atlanta 1994 boot) but for some reason didn't reasonate with me at the time. I was slightly bummed at the time that they didn't play Black or Jeremy. Still this show had a huge impact on me. I went home and in the next week joined Ten Club.
1998-06-20 Missoula Montana Washington-Grizzly Stadium
SPECIAL
Took me 5 1/2 years to see the band again and to be honest it was a personal goal for my college years (I had messed up goals). In the end it was an excellent graduation present to myself. I was moving shortly to Chicago and this was the only show I could attend on the tour (Had a 5th row side stage ticket for Portland that I had camped out all night to get but sadly had to sell it to a fraternity brother) . Road tripped to Idaho with a friend to pick another friend and then headed to Missoula. Remember many people tailgating and hanging out on the lawn outside the stadium. They sold the big foot Ames poster outside and opted not to buy it because I thought it was a fugly (wish I had now). The three of us made our way upfront and grabbed the rail when things went crazy during the opening with Corduroy. Hearing Black for the first time was a highlight. One of my friends was pissed at me because I was screaming along to the lyrics (Funny how I don't like this one as much anymore because the crowds now drown out Ed's singing on this song). I also thought In Hiding, Pilate (great pit song), Once, and Yellow LedBetter (first time I could understand the lyrics) were standouts.
2000-10-30 Sacramento California Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre
AVERAGE
My job at the time required me to travel frequently. I was conviently in Sacramento for when tickets went onsale and drove up to the venue at 4:30 am to be first in line. Got a 7th row orchestra seat. I was then conveniently in the Bay Area the night of the show and fought terrible traffic to drive out to Sacramento. I remember the weather being cold (40's?) and only having a fleece jacket. Ed was under the weather and drinking tea. Due to the cold they opened with Whipping (which I liked). Tremor Christ and the Kids are All Right were good. I believe it was the shortest show of the 2000 tour. I thought I was going to be able to make it up to the Seattle I show later that week, so at the time I looked at this show as a good warm up for Seattle. Sadly, I wasn't able to go to Seattle and this ended up being my only PJ fix of the 200 tour.
2003-04-25 Cleveland Ohio Gund Arena
GOOD
Had just finished my first year of graduate school and was pumped to celebrate with PJ. First time getting TC tickets and my seats were amazing. It was a little freaky having people you admire looking you in the eyes constantly (those who are hitting the lottery jack pot this tour know what I mean) Really enjoyed the encores, especially I Am a Patriot, Crazy Mary (terrific Mike solo), Sonic Reducer, and RITFW. Ed fell off the stage during RITFW during Mike's solo. It looked serious and Mike came to the edge of the stage and asked the audience what was going on. After a few nervous moments Ed climbed back up, took to the mic, and angerily sang the rest of the song (total rock star moment).
2003-07-05 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
GOOD
I personally liked this show. Heard a lot of songs I did not get in Cleveland. Loved the tag in Wishlist, Breathe, I Believe in Miracles, Down, Blood (Bow, Wow Wow). I enjoyed hearing RITFW in the middle of the set.
2004-10-01 Reading Pennsylvania Sovereign Center
AVERAGE
Long drive from DC soured my mood some. The crowd were a bunch of a-holes. People kept sneaking into the first few rows, as security was non-exsistent. Hearing Sad played for the first time was a nice surprise. Also heard Nothingman (only time I have heard this song).
2004-10-02 Toledo Ohio Sports Arena
EPIC
PJ set was short but loved Long Road and THumbing My Way. Obviously seeing them play with Niel Young made this show unique. I was able to watch the Neil set from the front row off to the side and it was filmed professionally by someone. Hoping the professional video some day services. AATW blew me away. I just stood in awe knowing at the time seeing Neil and PJ play together was something special.
2004-10-11 Washington DC MCI Center
SPECIAL
First and only time I was able to get me wife to see a PJ show. And it was basically because of the other artists that she went to the show. REM was amazing (first time seeing them and made me regret not staying another day in the Toledo area to head up to Detroit and catch REM/Bruce on the VFC tour). Ed did a great duet with Michael on Begin the Begin. The PJ set itself was average. Obviously way too short for any PJ's fan liking. I have nothing against Bu$hleaguer's message, but personally did not like the song live. Same with the New World. The highlight was an absolute stellar MOW. The Dixie Chick's and James Taylor trading harmonies was great. Bruce and the E street band were great as always. Absolutely loved Michael Stipe's duet with the band on Because the Night. So many top notch artists. It makes me excited to think DC might get something like this again in 2008.
2006-05-20 Cleveland OH Quicken Loans Arena
AVERAGE
The drive from DC sucked the energy out of me. I bought a ticket to the Indians game to take in batting practice and ended up meeting Mike McCready who was also at the ballpark for the same reason. Ed seemed upset most the show. I loved the It's OK Tag (unexpected but it didn't sound great for some reason...think it was the arena acoustics). The encores had some good rarieties but not my personal favorites (U, Don't Gimme No Lip). I was happy to hear Smile and F-in Up.
2006-05-27 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
AVERAGE
Played a lot of their grestest hits this night. However, hearing Marker and Come Back for the first time made me happy.
2006-05-28 Camden New Jersey Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
GOOD
Throw Your Arms Around Me during the preset. Wash as an opener. Whipping, Garden, Satan's Bed. Good times.
2006-05-30 Washington D.C. Verizon Center
GOOD
Release (Took 12 1/2 years to hear again), Low Light, I Got Id, MOW, Come Back, F-in Up all stood out for me. A little short due to the curfew, but for some reason I really enjoyed this show.
2007-08-02 Chicago Illinois The Vic Theatre
EPIC
Flew in that morning and went to see the Cubs play. Then headed to the venue. Can't beat a day at Wrigley and then an evening with Pearl Jam. I am a huge Cubs fan and had tears in my eyes hearing Eddie sing the Cub's Song. I greatly appreciated the band acknowledging it being a fan club show and putting together a unique set list (extremely kind gesture in my opinion). I found the crowd interaction to be great. Other than the MSG shows, this was the loudest I have heard fans singing PJ songs. So many highlights: Education, Undone, In Hiding, Hard to Imagine, Off He Goes, Love Reign (amazing), Sonic Reducer, Indifference (13 1/2 years since previously heard it).
2008-06-22 Washington D.C. Verizon Center
GOOD
I thought the crowd was great. Better than 2006. They played much longer than 2006. Loved HTI as an opener. I liked the you triology (hadn't heard You Are in awhile). Loved Come Back and AATW sounded great.
2008-06-24 New York New York Madison Square Garden
2008-06-25 New York New York Madison Square Garden
SPECIAL
I'm putting these 2 shows together. I absolutely loved the fan interaction. Loudest arena shows I have ever heard. Yes, Eddie we really can feel the floor bouncing just like you. Worth the trip. So many highlights. I think hearing WMA, Garden really stands out as well as Indifference.
Mansfield 7/11/03 - Epic - Seeing the early acoustic set was something to behold.
Mansfield 6/30/08 - Special - the setlist, the energy, the finale, all around awesome.
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)
Indy 03 - Special: My first show, great little gems in the setlist like Gimme Some Truth, Habit, Soldier of Love, Smile, etc. Cried the first time I heard Alive live.
Camden I 06 - Good
Camden II 06 - Special: Wash > Go as an opener? Fuggetaboutit.
Washington, D.C. 06 - Good
E. Rutherford I 06 - Good
E. Rutherford II 06 - Good
Lollapalooza 07 - Good
MSG I 08 - Epic: I don't care what anyone says, this is easily my all-time favorite show, and to me, 30 songs, 3 encores, hearing 10 songs live for the first time, including Faithfull, Down, Who You Are, WMA, All Along the Watchtower, Spin the Black Circle and Love Reign O'er Me, along with the loudest and greatest crowd I've ever heard/seen at a concert out of my total 60 concerts...all that equals EPIC.
MSG II 08 - Special
I am right by your side.
MSG Night 1 08
MSG Night 2 08
Ottawa 05
Montreal 98 (my first show, played HTI which was very rare at the time)
GOOD
Montreal 05
Barrie 98
Montreal 03
AVERAGE
Montreal 00
SUBPAR
Toronto 06
Hartford- 96 Epic. As Epic as it gets. I was on the lawn when the pepper spray flew.
La Forum 06 I- Epic. Great set list and Tim Robbins doing guest vocals topped off by arena workers picketing the arena and Eddie standing up for them.
La Forum 06 II - Borderline Epic. Night starts with picketing workers holding up signs of support for PJ and them simply asking people not to buy concessions inside. Awesome vibe. Got there early and listened to all of there sound check. Eddie, Jeff, and Mike came over and talked with us lucky few very briefly, but hey, that moment lasted a lifetime.
Hartford 08 Borderline epic. Fantastic setlist. Smile, porch, leash. Awesome.
Mansfield I 08 Beyond Epic. The setlist was the best I've ever witnessed. Im Open, Given to fly, off he goes. The second set was the most beautiful moment i have ever witnessed between a band and a crowd. Starts with Reign over me. But the moment I will never forget was Eddie seemingly loosing control after black. Visibly upset. The crowd decided to pick him up during the beginning of betterman. And boy, did they ever. MUST have for any pj fan. AWESOME.