**Thunder Bay Fanviews Here**

Just got back from Thunder Bay - great show!! I couldn't believe looking at the setlist that only 23 songs were played, it seemed like so much longer. Present Tense as an opener was amazing, as were my seats in the 13th row (thanks 10C!). Yeah it was hot, but there was so much energy in that place last night. Everybody where I was sitting was SO into it, although I did see a some lame-asses sitting down behind the stage. I thought it was really cool seeing PJ in such a small place.

Eddie was more animated than I've ever seen him. Granted this is the only show I attended/will attend on this tour, but he was into it, man. Jumping all around, climbed the speakers on Porch, etc...Just an overall awesome show, well worth the 6+hr drive from Wisconsin. It was one of those where the setlist doesn't look good on paper, but if you were there it didn't matter.

And the preset! Oh the preset! I had just found my seats and was about to go fetch a t-shirt when the lights go out and Eddie comes strolling onto the stage with a guitar and a harmonica. I knew Hide Your Love Away was coming and sure as shit, there it is. My timing was unreal, if I had left 10 mins later I would have missed it. Divine!

So thanks PJ...See you around the bend.

With all the silence last night....it was like we knew something was up. I cried because I missed it and .... I am crying again because I missed it.

Cheers to the world's greatest rock band! <raises his pint and salutes!>

Just rolled into Chicago back from ThunderBay!
I just want to say "Thanks!" to all the locals that took good care of us last night!
The after-parties at Players, Scuttlebutts, and the Vahalla Inn were sweet! Sing- alongs until 5 AM!

Did anyone else catch that Mike and Jeff were playing War Pigs during Alive?
Listen to the boot- It was hilarious they were face to face laughing during the whole thing! More later... Awesome time!

The best show of my life. I drove about 10 hours from South Dakota, and I about had a heart attack when Ed pointed me out to come up and sing I Believe in Miracles with him and the SuperSuckers. It was definately an experience that I'll never forget. I am still in shock as I type this back in South Dakota.

I won't go into much detail about last night's show, because it was too special for me...like, empirically, this show probably doesn't crack my top five Pearl Jam concerts of all-time, but subjectively it was the greatest concert-going experience of my life. I've got a blog that's documenting my progress on the 2005 tour, and I wrote in it something along the lines of, "I may eventually see another Buffalo '03 (which is my #1 Pearl Jam show ever with a bullet); I will not, however, experience another Thunder Bay '05." I was born in Thunder Bay, lived there for twenty-one years, spent my childhood learning how to skate on the Fort William Gardens' ice surface...and yesterday, the day after submitting my master's thesis, I was my band in my hometown. Just an utterly surreal night--can't wait for Kitchener!

Steve

NWOntario wrote:

You need to know this: you're a hero. Just an amazing moment last night...dude, YOU GAVE EDDIE VEDDER A PIGGY BACK RIDE!!! Got any pics?

Steve

I don't have any pics yet. A few people in my section took some of me and they said that they would email them to me. If anyone has some pics let me know. Thankyou Thunder Bay, I will never forget you.

Thunder Bay defnitely rocked, but it couldn't have possibly lived up to what I experienced the night before in Winnipeg. My highlights were the PT opener, LIGHT YEARS (almost as good as hearing IN HIDING for the first time), NOTHINGMAN, and Ed just going crazy going into the crowd, jumping on speakers, climbing the ladder on stage, everything.

I yelled "PLAY LEASH!!!!" and Ed looked and said "What?" I yelled it again but then he said "I'm sorry I can't hear you. After all these years I can't hear too well. I fuck like a rabbit, but I can't hear shit." Funny as hell! But sadly, no Leash.

Also went out for beers with 62strat, I'mlostI'mnoguide, Dont_go_on_me, and RiotAct. Had a great time guys! (And girl) I think we ALL had Chipotle after we got back to the twin cities.

GreasyBastard wrote:

lol...awesome...that was you eh

Oh yeah. Just wanted everyone to know that I did my part to try to get Leash played.

GoBucky wrote:

Wow, only 23 songs that include Cropduster, Last Kiss, and Driven to Tears? This has to be the worst so far.

Having been at the show, on first glance the set list isn't all that impressive. This especially after seeing the setlist for Winnepeg the night before - oh to have been there eh.

But then again, present tense, light years, nothingman, breakerfall, down, lukin, SOLT and driven to tears were great.

While at times during the show I felt a little disappointed with the set but all I had to do was look around at like 5,000 people - and 5,000 people is not at all what I thought it would be; much smaller - and watch their reaction.

In talking to a lot of people from Thunder Bay there's a lot being drained from the city. Jobs are going west and are scarce, schools are closing and becoming more crowded, people are leaving town and to make matters worse (and I can see with the right perspective here) the last two MAJOR shows to come to town were something like REM and Nickelback. Bret Michaels from Poison is coming in October.

I could have done without hearing evenflo again but I will always remember how much the band gave out in terms of energy and how much the fans reciprocated. I left thinking this was/will have been the thing to do in Thunder Bay for sometime to come.

We all can get a little high on our preferences for PJ songs. But for me, just to feel and see the crowd reaction to a standard like Jeremy said it all and made me appreciate all the more what some of those songs from Ten can do. Consider how many times Alive has been played and yet the band never mails it in. The kick er in the tail and get it done eh. I'm happy to have been a part of it and at times felt bad that I was taking the seat of someone who had never seen the band before.

All that said, I turned 30 on the day of the show and I can think of no better way to celebrate a new part of my life than in the midst of 23 songs that will stand the test of time and for a night can bring a smile to the face.

clk019 wrote:

Having been at the show, on first glance the set list isn't all that impressive. This especially after seeing the setlist for Winnepeg the night before - oh to have been there eh.

But then again, present tense, light years, nothingman, breakerfall, down, lukin, SOLT and driven to tears were great.

While at times during the show I felt a little disappointed with the set but all I had to do was look around at like 5,000 people - and 5,000 people is not at all what I thought it would be; much smaller - and watch their reaction.

In talking to a lot of people from Thunder Bay there's a lot being drained from the city. Jobs are going west and are scarce, schools are closing and becoming more crowded, people are leaving town and to make matters worse (and I can see with the right perspective here) the last two MAJOR shows to come to town were something like REM and Nickelback. Bret Michaels from Poison is coming in October.

I could have done without hearing evenflo again but I will always remember how much the band gave out in terms of energy and how much the fans reciprocated. I left thinking this was/will have been the thing to do in Thunder Bay for sometime to come.

We all can get a little high on our preferences for PJ songs. But for me, just to feel and see the crowd reaction to a standard like Jeremy said it all and made me appreciate all the more what some of those songs from Ten can do. Consider how many times Alive has been played and yet the band never mails it in. The kick er in the tail and get it done eh. I'm happy to have been a part of it and at times felt bad that I was taking the seat of someone who had never seen the band before.

All that said, I turned 30 on the day of the show and I can think of no better way to celebrate a new part of my life than in the midst of 23 songs that will stand the test of time and for a night can bring a smile to the face.

I moved from T. Bay to Calgary in 1995. I know what it is like when bands don't play Thunder Bay. You have to drive to Minneapolis or Winnipeg or Toronto just to see a band. From reading these reviews, I think Thunder Bay got something special. Gee, I wish I was home.

It is rumoured that Pearl Jam used to play Crocks and Rolls in Thunder Bay in the time before they released "Ten". Can anyone here substantiate or deny this rumour?