"Hey Matt, you gotta slow the songs down"??!!

dreamweaver · February 2011

that guy sounded soo scared. ha!.... tool

Being a drummer myself, or not, I would have at least investigated the topic and asked how they figure out the tempo's. That would have been cool to hear about..... My theory is that they take advantage of Matt's talents and pick the tempo up. You heard how happy Jeff was to have matt in the band. They are no doubt a far better band since the first show matt played with them.

Man they get some lame people to call in.

SVRDhand13 · February 2011

Haha just heard that while opening this link. That toolbag hung up?

dreamweaver · February 2011

SVRDhand13 wrote:

Haha just heard that while opening this link. That toolbag hung up?

Sounded to me like he did... probably cried for an hour about it too.

Newch91 · February 2011

I hope I'm not lame.

dreamweaver · February 2011

Newch91 wrote:

I hope I'm not lame.

That was you?!

Newch91 · February 2011

dreamweaver wrote:

Newch91 wrote:

I hope I'm not lame.

That was you?!

No...I was the first caller.

SVRDhand13 · February 2011

Newch91 wrote:

dreamweaver wrote:

Newch91 wrote:

I hope I'm not lame.

That was you?!

No...I was the first caller.

Oh, that's cool man. I liked your question and was surprised the first answer that came to Matt's mind was Backspacer.

WaveRyder · February 2011

I didnt get to hear it. What did he say?

force-10 · February 2011

It was rude to actually tell the man how to play, or not to play. It would have been a great question if he just would have asked how is it that the songs end up as they do when performing live, like if he has a major role behind this or something. They actualy talked about this. Too bad the dude blew it.

force-10 · February 2011

WaveRyder wrote:

I didnt get to hear it. What did he say?

A dude called and asked a question (don´t remember what). And after matt responded, he said, fastly, and a little nervous, "matt, you gotta slow the songs down" when you play live. Of course, referring to PJ. I guess.

force-10 · February 2011

shit, just now I felt like and old lady in a sewing circle! he he he.

Oh, and he immediately hung up! I guess it was tim that asked the dude why he would ask this and that´s when everyone in the booth realized he hung up.

Jesus. Stop. And that´s all im saying......

force-10 · February 2011

oh and his name and location is.......

Jerome230 · February 2011

Good Lord, I'm out of the loop.

*edit - duh*

Parksy · February 2011

I'll give him credit... for having stones to say that..

but yeah... if you expected anything other than being ridiculed for saying that, you're on drugs.

Drowned Out · February 2011

dreamweaver wrote:

SVRDhand13 wrote:

Haha just heard that while opening this link. That toolbag hung up?

Sounded to me like he did... probably cried for an hour about it too.

Cried? Or giggled like a kid who just made a prank call? Haven't heard it, but that's what it sounds like to me...that's pretty disrespectful. disappointing.

I've never given an opinion of Matt's tempo on the board.....Ready?

if the band wanted him to slow the songs down, wouldn't they just ask him to...and he would? Or maybe I'm wrong; he's an animal and he can't control himself?...and the band is too scared to ask him to breakie?

dreamweaver · February 2011

Drowned Out wrote:

dreamweaver wrote:

SVRDhand13 wrote:

Haha just heard that while opening this link. That toolbag hung up?

Sounded to me like he did... probably cried for an hour about it too.

Cried? Or giggled like a kid who just made a prank call? Haven't heard it, but that's what it sounds like to me...that's pretty disrespectful. disappointing.

I've never given an opinion of Matt's tempo on the board.....Ready?
if the band wanted him to slow the songs down, wouldn't they just ask him to...and he would? Or maybe I'm wrong; he's an animal and he can't control himself?...and the band is too scared to ask him to breakie?

Cried...

When a band plays live, there's a natural tendancy to speed up when your adrenaline is rushing. I'm in a band, I play drums. I've listened back to dozens of live recordings of myself where we blaze through songs but don't exactly feel it while we're playing. Matt even said, "there's a certain energy".

Not only that, Matt is one of the greatest drummers ever IMO, and his ability to play at a high level enables the band to play faster, probably to their liking, after last night- obviously Jeff loves it.

You wont make everyone happy doing this because there's some people who listen to the record the whole week before the show and are used to that tempo of Even Flow on Ten going in, and not understanding everything about a live show, or not understanding everything that is Pearl Jam.

I myself still learn new things about Pearl Jam everyday. Matt was disrespected, and thats a shame. totally soured the interview I think..

UpSideDown · February 2011

Never understood why people blame Matt for the entire band playing things faster.....

Gonzo1977 · February 2011

The tempo of a song is mostly set by the drummer.

To Matt's defense...the band probably likes it that way.

capthowdy1027 · February 2011

Yes, the tempo is set by the drummer but like somebody already said... if the rest of the band didn't want it to be that way, then it wouldn't be. They would all end up backstage after the show and they'd all say 'what the hell was that?' and it would be fixed the next night.

Whoever said it, either Tim or Rob, that they enjoyed the faster pace live and then go back and listen to the album version and it's totally different than they remembered it is exactly how I feel on the "issue". Point in case, Given To Fly. I've listened to that damn song so many more times live than on the album and I prefer the live tempo so much more than studio. The studio version just doesn't even feel right to me anymore.

Gonzo1977 · February 2011

capthowdy1027 wrote:

Yes, the tempo is set by the drummer but like somebody already said... if the rest of the band didn't want it to be that way, then it wouldn't be. They would all end up backstage after the show and they'd all say 'what the hell was that?' and it would be fixed the next night.

Whoever said it, either Tim or Rob, that they enjoyed the faster pace live and then go back and listen to the album version and it's totally different than they remembered it is exactly how I feel on the "issue". Point in case, Given To Fly. I've listened to that damn song so many more times live than on the album and I prefer the live tempo so much more than studio. The studio version just doesn't even feel right to me anymore.

I agree.
If this was a problem the band would have corrected this a long time ago.

dreamweaver · February 2011

Gonzo1977 wrote:

The tempo of a song is mostly set by the drummer.

To Matt's defense...the band probably likes it that way.

This, although widley excepted as a fact in drumming and music, is not always true.
Everyone else in the band has the ability to drive, push or pull a performance. Especially if Ed or Stone starts a song off fast... or slow.

eyedclaar · February 2011

dreamweaver wrote:

Gonzo1977 wrote:

The tempo of a song is mostly set by the drummer.

To Matt's defense...the band probably likes it that way.

This, although widley excepted as a fact in drumming and music, is not always true.
Everyone else in the band has the ability to drive, push or pull a performance. Especially if Ed or Stone starts a song off fast... or slow.

Exactly. If you've played in a band, you know this to be true.

UpSideDown · February 2011

I think another thing that people don't recognize is that Matt's busier drumming style (for lack of a better term) tends to make the songs seem faster than they really are.....more tom fills, bass kicks and his ride/hi-hat patterns as well....

Dave was cymbal happy, but not necessarily in a busy way....it fit his groove well.

Jack's timing & patterns were more straight forward and simplistic overall (on most songs, some exceptions)

So even if Matt is playing a song with the exact same timing it is going to sound like it is being pushed harder to begin wtih....

tremors · February 2011

I believe Matt is an accomplished jazz drummer, as well as many other styles - so I'm pretty sure he would know how to bust out a laid back groove if that was required for the task in hand. Given that Pearl Jam shows are all about that intense unrelenting energy though - I think Matt and the whole band have probably developed a live style deliberately which makes full use of his amazing energy and stamina. Many people like the current style, myself included, whereas some people find it is too quick for their taste. Personally I see this as the band's preference and a matter of taste; and in last night's interview Jeff said that they got frustrated that Jack Irons' energy would flag rather badly, and they couldn't do all the songs justice. The fact that they now have a drummer who could easily drive a marathon run with his energy is a great thing - that I count myself lucky to be able to appreciate. The quicker band pace overall is noticeable, and clearly some people don't like it - laying the blame at Matt's door however, and implying (as I think it does) that he can't hold the tempo, seems ridiculous to me. I used to play in a band with an amateur drummer who was really good, but who would speed up as the song got going, and we would end up playing the same song faster and faster as he got carried away. I don't think Matt Cameron - one of the world's most well respected drummers quite falls into this category! The tempo of each song is consistent. It seems obvious to me that the band play quicker because they like the live shows to be quick and energetic, and that the overall energy of the live setting and audience drives them all vigorously. Maybe when you hear the bootleg in a warm cosy living room, and compare the cuts to the studio performance the difference is more obvious. But when I've come back from a Pearl Jam show with Matt playing (which I've done 5 times) the last thing that has been going through my mind is...... 'man, that was all way too quick!!'

Drowned Out · February 2011

eyedclaar wrote:

dreamweaver wrote:

Gonzo1977 wrote:

The tempo of a song is mostly set by the drummer.

To Matt's defense...the band probably likes it that way.

This, although widley excepted as a fact in drumming and music, is not always true.
Everyone else in the band has the ability to drive, push or pull a performance. Especially if Ed or Stone starts a song off fast... or slow.

Exactly. If you've played in a band, you know this to be true.

Ok, so back to my point then...there are only two scenarios here:
Either the band likes the up-tempo, and enjoy playing to his speed/interpretation....
or...
Matt can't control himself, nor the tempo, and they're too scared to ask him to breakfast. That's pretty much impossible for me to swallow.

If they thought he was screwing up their songs, they'd probably do something about it. Makes no sense to me that the band would let Matt dictate their entire live presentation musically....and yes...the rhythm of some songs is set by the opening guitars, and the drummers are listening to them for cues. I think most people in this thread are on the same page.

Vedder_Girl77 · February 2011

The guy that called up and told Matt to slow down was a total jerk. So embarrassing as a fan to hear another fellow fan say something so stupid. It shows a huge lack of respect.

JonnyPistachio · February 2011

He should've just said that he plays them faster so that they can play 2-3 extra songs every night.

Gonzo1977 · February 2011

Vedder_Girl77 wrote:

The guy that called up and told Matt to slow down was a total jerk. So embarrassing as a fan to hear another fellow fan say something so stupid. It shows a huge lack of respect.

I know!!!

That guy was an epic douchebag.

1) How many times does the band have to explain that Temple was a one time deal?
2) You get a chance to talk to A MEMBER OF PEARL JAM and you blow it by insulting them.

Just shameful...

That guy's Mom should do the world a favor and take the phone out of his room.

vedpunk · February 2011

IF YOU CAN'T KEEP UP WITH MATT'S DRUM STYLE THEN YOU ARE FUCKING LAME. (I'm sorry for the profanity but some of you people need to hear it) That caller is an embarrassment to the Ten Club and to PJ fans everywhere. You don't call your idol to complain that they aren't doing their job right. Are you fucking serious?

THIS IS A ROCK BAND PEOPLE!!!!! Would you rather they slow down the timing and play like U2 or Nickelback? Matt brings intensity and energy to a Pearl Jam show and it only enhances the experience! Leave it to a lame Pearl Jam fan to try to ruin a good thing. Get a life.

teeman · February 2011

Gonzo1977 wrote:

Vedder_Girl77 wrote:

The guy that called up and told Matt to slow down was a total jerk. So embarrassing as a fan to hear another fellow fan say something so stupid. It shows a huge lack of respect.

I know!!!

That guy was an epic douchebag.

1) How many times does the band have to explain that Temple was a one time deal?
2) You get a chance to talk to A MEMBER OF PEARL JAM and you blow it by insulting them.

Just shameful...

That guy's Mom should do the world a favor and take the phone out of his room.

It's more of an insult to call a fellow fan a jerk if you ask me. He asked about slowing down the songs, that's not a totally unreasonable thing to ask Matt Cameron, drummer for PJ. If you listen to a lot of songs lately (Corduroy, Given to Fly, Evenflow to name a few) they are markedly faster live than they are on record. Even Rockin' in the Free World, they play the VMA version on PJ Radio, forgot how cool and methodical it sounded compared to recent versions.

boyo79 · February 2011

JonnyPistachio wrote:

He should've just said that he plays them faster so that they can play 2-3 extra songs every night.

What a great answer this would be!!!!

I don't even know why there is such a debate about Matt and his drumming skills and songs now being played faster. The band clearly adore Matt and Ed has numerous times said how much of an amazing musician Matt is. Read the inlay notes for 'In The Moonlight' on Lost Dogs. That tells you what the band think of MC.

For me, he has taken the band to another level, something which Ed has said many times

"Hey Matt, you gotta slow the songs down"??!!

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&quot;Hey Matt, you gotta slow the songs down&quot;??!!

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LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

LOOKING FOR A SINGLE TICKET TO MSG NIGHT 2

"Hey Matt, you gotta slow the songs down"??!!