*** London, UK, SBE Fanviews Here 8/11/09 ***

Ron The Shelf wrote:

A little objectivity. A great occasion but the atmosphere and sense of anticipation was nothing like The Astoria. There was no real buzz before they came on. The setlist was nice and varied but the sound was awful and the band looked and sounded a little old and tired in my view. EV mentioned jetlag so maybe that was a factor but I came out thinking I had enjoyed a great evening but not a great gig. Also, I can do without the Ronnie Wood's of this world. It's a bit like sleeping with the enemy. The Rolling Stones to me represent the worst aspect of the commercialisation of music, a band who haven't released a worthwhile album for 30+ years and who tour for the money, not for the music (Keith Richards might be an exception). I hope PJ don't follow this route but the 'guest spots' the drum solo's and the twin necked guitars are too reminiscent of the pre-punk days for me when 'fans' were there to be used and abused and the bands became incredibly self-indulgent.

So, in short, a great gig but certainly not a classic and, for me, a few worrying trends.

Thank you, Captain Buzzkill & the Bringdowns.

What a show! Great setlist. Too much to say right now and not enough time.

Anyway, this is the one and only video I managed to take, the sound's pretty decent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucmCZArolFI

facepollution wrote:

What a show! Great setlist. Too much to say right now and not enough time.

Anyway, this is the one and only video I managed to take, the sound's pretty decent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucmCZArolFI

Nice one John, but just listen to the noise of the chat :-o

fowls wrote:

V V wrote:

sound cld have been better, from level 2 seemed like it wasn't reaching up to us, i'm guessing from level 1 and the ground sound was fine.

and for me comparing to astoria it wasn't as good, astoria was half the size so more intimate again there for a different gig both were ace but different

I still can't decide over Astoria or Shepherd's Bush (or come to think of it, ranking any of the shows I've been to :oops: ). Astoria had the brutal jumping around atmosphere since I was in the pit, Shepherd's Bush had the singing along with friends atmosphere of being in the rafters. Hard to compare the two.

yeah thats my feeling, each show has its own flavour and they're all yummy

Ron The Shelf wrote:

A little objectivity. A great occasion but the atmosphere and sense of anticipation was nothing like The Astoria. There was no real buzz before they came on. The setlist was nice and varied but the sound was awful and the band looked and sounded a little old and tired in my view. EV mentioned jetlag so maybe that was a factor but I came out thinking I had enjoyed a great evening but not a great gig. Also, I can do without the Ronnie Wood's of this world. It's a bit like sleeping with the enemy. The Rolling Stones to me represent the worst aspect of the commercialisation of music, a band who haven't released a worthwhile album for 30+ years and who tour for the money, not for the music (Keith Richards might be an exception). I hope PJ don't follow this route but the 'guest spots' the drum solo's and the twin necked guitars are too reminiscent of the pre-punk days for me when 'fans' were there to be used and abused and the bands became incredibly self-indulgent.

So, in short, a great gig but certainly not a classic and, for me, a few worrying trends.

There was a massive buzz among the people I met, people begging for tickets outside and a real nervous energy inside the gig - we just had to wait so long that I think it took the edge off a few people towards the end of 2 hours standing.

I think you are miles out when you say the band looked and sounded tired. It was so fresh, so energetic and so enthusiastic that I think it captured a lot of people last night.

Am I objective? Yeah, I've been watching gigs for 2 decades and I know that was very, very special. If you don't agree, it's a shame for you.

Ron The Shelf wrote:

i shit and i stink wrote:

Ron The Shelf wrote:

A little objectivity. A great occasion but the atmosphere and sense of anticipation was nothing like The Astoria. There was no real buzz before they came on. The setlist was nice and varied but the sound was awful and the band looked and sounded a little old and tired in my view. EV mentioned jetlag so maybe that was a factor but I came out thinking I had enjoyed a great evening but not a great gig. Also, I can do without the Ronnie Wood's of this world. It's a bit like sleeping with the enemy. The Rolling Stones to me represent the worst aspect of the commercialisation of music, a band who haven't released a worthwhile album for 30+ years and who tour for the money, not for the music (Keith Richards might be an exception). I hope PJ don't follow this route but the 'guest spots' the drum solo's and the twin necked guitars are too reminiscent of the pre-punk days for me when 'fans' were there to be used and abused and the bands became incredibly self-indulgent.

So, in short, a great gig but certainly not a classic and, for me, a few worrying trends.

There was a massive buzz among the people I met, people begging for tickets outside and a real nervous energy inside the gig - we just had to wait so long that I think it took the edge off a few people towards the end of 2 hours standing.

I think you are miles out when you say the band looked and sounded tired. It was so fresh, so energetic and so enthusiastic that I think it captured a lot of people last night.

Am I objective? Yeah, I've been watching gigs for 2 decades and I know that was very, very special. If you don't agree, it's a shame for you.

A shame for me? Not sure what your point is. The buzz definitely wasn't the same as the Astoria and I am sure a fair few who were at both shows would agree. I have seen the band many times and last night doesn't compare with The Astoria, Berlin 2006 or Cardiff 2000 for me. Not the worst (that has to be the Key Arena, Seattle in 2002, the audience was so lame it was untrue). I enjoyed it but I can''t agree with some on here saying "best gig ever" "best live band ever". PJ is definitely the best current live band around but I don't think they will ever be up there with the energy and sense of occasion of going to see The Clash as I did many times. I am just trying to bring some objectivity to the discussion, rather than the sycophancy that is a trait here.

The gig, in most people's opinions here, was wonderful. Of course, some are prone to exaggeration but if that is what someone really feels it is not sychophancy, it is just their opinion.

I think that Pearl Jam may be the best live band of all time but that is a tough to call. You have to take into account, without being rude, that the sense of expectation you felt when you went to see the Clash was a younger version of yourself. We're older now and have been there and done it a little. I met some younger lads last night and they were so enthusiastic it reminded me of how I was a decade ago. Their Pearl Jam is your Clash.

People's opinions to music always vary, that's why it is interesting. I read your post and the whole night for me was almost a polar opposite, which is strange when we were all in the same tiny room.

I meant it is a shame that you didn't enjoy the gig as much as others here did, that's all, no dig intended.

Eraserhead wrote:

Ron The Shelf wrote:

A little objectivity. A great occasion but the atmosphere and sense of anticipation was nothing like The Astoria. There was no real buzz before they came on. The setlist was nice and varied but the sound was awful and the band looked and sounded a little old and tired in my view. EV mentioned jetlag so maybe that was a factor but I came out thinking I had enjoyed a great evening but not a great gig. Also, I can do without the Ronnie Wood's of this world. It's a bit like sleeping with the enemy. The Rolling Stones to me represent the worst aspect of the commercialisation of music, a band who haven't released a worthwhile album for 30+ years and who tour for the money, not for the music (Keith Richards might be an exception). I hope PJ don't follow this route but the 'guest spots' the drum solo's and the twin necked guitars are too reminiscent of the pre-punk days for me when 'fans' were there to be used and abused and the bands became incredibly self-indulgent.

So, in short, a great gig but certainly not a classic and, for me, a few worrying trends.

Thank you, Captain Buzzkill & the Bringdowns.

Why can't he say something that isn't gushing with excitement?

It was a great show, but there wasn't a great buzz around before they came on - too many poncey freeloaders who shouldn't have been there and looked quite uninterested throughout. The majority loved it, as did I, but it's annoying to see non-diehards in there.

I didn't appreciate seeing that twat Ronnie Wood up there either. He's a braindead old fool.

First review...

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/going-out/whats-new/pearl-jam-shepherds-bush-empire-review

Pearl Jam, Shepherd's Bush Empire - review
A vintage Pearl Jam set (with a surprise appearance from Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood) shows off fan favourites and highlights from 26 years and nine studio albums

by: James Gill
12 August 2009

Rating: 4/5

THEIR upcoming album points to a sunnier tomorrow, but this was vintage Pearl Jam last night: passion, pain, and a thoroughly polished set, packed with fan favourites.

And this was all about the fans; a gig for fan club members ahead of a mini European tour and the new LP, Backspacer, out next month.

There has always been something visceral about the bond between Pearl Jam and their fans, borne of lyrics that actually mean something, blistering live sets, and the intensity of Eddie Vedder, the charismatic and, at times, troubled, front man.

And that energy was in full effect last night as, over 26 songs and two hours 20 minutes, the Seattle five-piece rattled out stone-cold classics (Alive, Corduroy, Yellow Ledbetter), covers (Ronnie Wood joining them on stage for All Along the Watchtower), and three from Backspacer.

The End is heartbreaking stuff ("I just want to hold on and know I’m worth your love, and I don’t think there’s such a thing") but Got Some and the pop-tastic The Fixer, in particular, suggest a more optimistic outlook. After nine studio albums and 18 years as a band, that can be no bad thing.

Fantastic gig. The sound was excellent and Eddie seemed to be enjoying it, very similar to Chickenfoot recently where they seemed like a bunch of mates having a jam and a laugh. No pressure.
I was on Level 1 with the industry plebs, which wasn't full. I felt sorry for the people trying to get tickets outside, as there was enough space for 50+ more people. That's the way of the world I suppose.
Roll on next week...

Eraserhead wrote:

Hope everyone enjoyed it (duh!) and had a safe journey home.

sounds like some people didn't... :roll:

well, i did and that's all that matters to me!
second row, right in front of Mike, i don't seem to recall thinking "damn, didn't they play this in Calgary, how disappointing... oh, and they played this as well... that's bad...i'm not enjoying this at all..."

stood next to Randall for a bit and held his beer while he set up his rig so there's at least one recording that i know of and i think someone posted elsewhere that Sandra taped it as well.

only seen 5 shows but no Black in the last 3 and no Jeremy at all so i'll be quite happy to get them in Manchester or the O2 though i'm sure some people will moan about it...