*** Chicago 1 Fanviews Here 8/23/09 ***

A phenomenal, emotional show, with lots of energy from the band and crowd alike.

My membership number is 313XXX and this was my first time buying 10C tickets. I had heard that there was going to be a huge fan club presence at the show and, having a relatively high membership number, I told myself that I would be happy with anything in front of the stage that was not 300 level. I got row 10 in Section 106, lower level at the back of the arena, dead straight out from center stage. Reading the seating chart I was a bit disappointed with the distance but once I got to the seats they turned out to be fine - not as far as I imagined. After reading some of the other posts from 10C members who DID pull 300 level seats this evening, I’m counting my blessings. I’ve been up there for several other shows (one by PJ) and I always feel like I’m on another planet. Anyway, from where I was sitting, the vocals were sometimes a little muddy on the up-tempo songs, but instrumentally it was a very clear-sounding, face-melting, tear-your-head off assault. Damn it felt good!

From a set list perspective this show was just about perfect for me. With the exception of “Dissident” (which I just can’t get into for some reason), I at least like every song they played tonight. This was only my fourth PJ show and it was my first time hearing “Long Road”, “God’s Dice”, “Sad”, “In Hiding”, “Rats”, “Spin The Black Circle” and “Smile”. All of those are favorites of mine and I thought they were all very well played, especially “STBC” which was really intense.

I was not aware of the back story regarding Jeff’s friend. They never specifically said he passed away, but between seeing the Jeff-designed poster, Eddie’s comment at the start of the show (“We have a lot of emotion to get through tonight”), Jeff’s comments to introduce “Happy Birthday” and then playing “Come Back” and “Man Of The Hour”, it wasn’t hard to figure out. As I said, just a very emotional show. I hope it brought Jeff some solace.

"Given To Fly" was killer. Great crowd response too.

I can sympathize with the guy who wore the “No Even Flow” shirt the following night (I saw Ed try not to laugh when he was singing the first verse and wondered what was up. He explained it after the song). I always tell myself that I’m tired of “Alive” and “Even Flow” and wouldn’t mind if they dropped them - until they play them. Then all bets are off. They might be old warhorses but holy crap do they play ‘em well!! They bring an amazing intensity level to those two. If the band ain’t tired of them after 18 years then I shouldn’t be tired of them after 4 shows. (And a couple dozen bootlegs. And constant rotation on the radio (to the exclusion of almost all other PJ music - don’t get me started)). Where was I? Oh yeah, Chicago #1...

The two Quadrophenia songs in the first encore were jaw-droppingly great. They just nailed them to the wall. I’m still in awe over those.

Finally, I’m definitely liking the new songs in concert. “The Fixer” got an especially big response and generated a lot of crowd participation. “Got Some” was also good, though I preferred the version from the following night, probably because I could make out the lyrics a little better from my Chicago #2 seat (200 level, a little closer than halfway back). I have to send my thanks to the lady up front who read my mind and asked for “more new stuff”. “Supersonic” was played in response. That was my first time hearing that one and I liked that too. I hear a pretty strong Ramones influence on the 3 new songs I’ve heard so far. They’re all short, melodic and hard rocking tunes. And with Backspacer having 11 songs and a rumored run time of about 35 minutes, I wouldn’t be surprised if PJ is kind of tipping its hat to those first 4 Ramones albums. Anyway, more great stuff to my ears. I can’t wait for the new album.

A few general comments to close:

1) Matt Cameron is kicking some major ass these days. I have simply never heard him sound better than he did at these two Chicago shows. He’s just an amazing, powerhouse drummer and PJ is lucky to have him in the band.

2) Mike is obviously an outstanding lead guitar player but I really love Stone’s playing too. He doesn’t get to step forward and solo too often - just two or three times a show it seems - but he always sounds great when he does. I wish he’d get to take the lead a bit more often.

3) Kudos to whoever selected Bad Religion as the opener. I’d heard of them but I was mostly unfamiliar with their music. I thought they were pretty impressive. I’ll definitely dig into them a little deeper.

And finally, thanks to PJLadie for taking my spare ticket this night. It was fun meeting you. Enjoy those Philly shows!

what a show i hope they come to stl or close to the mid west next time

Those of us PJ fans who live in South Florida had been going through withdrawal prior to last year's show in West Palm Beach. It was amazing to see the band again after five years, but Ed didn't bring his A-game to that June 2008 show -- too much pre-concert wine, many of us felt. So when I treated myself to a birthday weekend in Chicago -- and StubHub tix for my wife and I to Sunday's show -- part of me was hoping for a little redemption. As so many of you have eloquently stated, neither Ed nor the band disappointed. They did more than just "get through" the emotion about which Ed spoke as the lights dimmed. They immersed themselves in it. At least it felt that way in Section 211. I don't think I'll ever forget how it felt to hear Ed pour himself so completely into "Long Road," which seemed like a birthday present in and of itself. It all felt fresh and vital and alive -- from the splendor of "Come Back" to the brilliance of "Love Reign ..." to the soaring energy of "Rearview." I came to the Windy City looking, in part, for a little payback. But if anyone owes anything at this point, it's me. Thank you guys -- not only for Sunday, but for an entire career of making music that matters.

pureoc wrote:

First off, troubledsoulsuniteblog, great review, truly a great, great read, and you hit so many things about these shows right on the head. After Toronto, I can say that both Chicago shows blew Toronto out of the water. For night 1, I couldn't have asked for a better opener. I have been dying to hear long road and finally got it. I've heard numerous live versions and I swear I've never heard Eddie belt it out like he did here, especially the "how i wish for you today" twoards the end, DAMN! Another highlight was In Hiding. Love that song, and Yield is my favorite album. There had to be a ton of fan club members cause the chorus of this song seemed to be deafening from where I was on the floor in Sec. 5 row 16, and I loved every second of it. Rats, wow, one I never thought I'd get and it was great at least from where I was to see a bunch of people getting into it, myself included. Love Reign over me, wow, Eddie nailed it and again just defening during the chorus with the crowd belting the words. Real Me, as far as I'm concerned was the song I thought rocked the most, yeah it isn't there's but they nailed it and played it with so much energy and emotion and boy did it ever show. Smile, well since I'm from Milwaukee this song is just special because of the ties it has to my city. Again, loved the fact that it became defening during "I miss you already" and boy do I miss this band already. Say what you want but there is no better way to say goodbye than Yellow Ledbetter, I think. Great show, this band gives more to it's fans than anyone out there, and thanks to them for all they have given us. Well, well worth it and a great 14th show for me.

First Long Road for me too. And that first loud chord (G I think) when the band kicks in. Fucking goose bumps. Wow!

[quote="mrs. wes c.addleOmg! Me too! Some tears fell, too! And they kept falling during Come Back. Thank goodness it was dark otherwise people would have seen me sobing. It just took over. Nothing compares to a live show.[/quote]

I have to admit to this too, although my gf did see me sobbing...

Flagg wrote:

First Long Road for me too. And that first loud chord (G I think) when the band kicks in. Fucking goose bumps. Wow!

my goosebumps had fucking goosebumps.

i think every show should open with Long Road, but that's just me.
that song will never fail to bring a tear to my eye.

Does anyone know the approx. amount of time that is the norm between the concert date and the bootleg release date? I need something new to look forward to since the concert has past... Also, did anyone pre-order a poster? I did and still have not recieved it. Just wondering...

mrs. wes c.addle wrote:

Does anyone know the approx. amount of time that is the norm between the concert date and the bootleg release date? I need something new to look forward to since the concert has past... Also, did anyone pre-order a poster? I did and still have not recieved it. Just wondering...

I also pre-ordered the poster and haven't received it yet.

Anyone catch what McCready's first T-shirt was, the black and white one with two matching figures on it? It looked to me like it was Han Solo duplicated, but couldn't tell from my angle.

Although my seats weren't as good as N2, my husband and I still had a great time. I would love to know what Ed's connection to Rockton is. He gave it a shout out in 06 & on Sunday right before launching into Elderly Woman. I live on the border of Rockton (population 5,296) and Roscoe (population 6,244), so I'm very curious!