I had a great time at Midtown Music for the show. I think that there were at least 50,000 to 60,000 people at the show easy.
The wind did not ruin the sound in my opinion. I am kind of xenophobic and claustrophobic, so I did not go on the lawn with most of the other fans. I stood near the portable bathrooms for disabled/handicapped fans. The view was still fine, and I had a good time overall, I can not complain.
It was pretty funny when Eddie offered that young kid some wine, a good laugh by all.
Funny that's right where I was too. Great view and sound and there was no way in hell I was going down into that mess. Plus I had just gone to Deluna the night before.
52,000 was the number that was released as the official "sellout".
The last time I saw PJ and was able to sleep in my bed after a show was in 2000, when I still lived in Indiana.
The weather was great, the crowd was well behaved (except for the few who thought they were going to get past all of us who had been down front since between noon and 130). The openers were pretty good, although I must say that I'm still not a big Luda fan...
The setlist was about what I expected, although it had about 1 or 2 more songs from Backspacer that I would have preferred to hear, but hey, it's been so long since they have been to Atlanta, some of the people there probably only know Backspacer songs!
Met some nice people both nights, and all in all had a great time. And to top off the day, when I pulled in the driveway at 1230 am and got the mail, my holiday single/Deep mag had arrived that day too! And Notre Dame beat Michigan to get to 4-0. All in all, it was a good day.
"Then the Spirit of God hovered over the water, and God said, Let there be music, and there was Pearl Jam."
Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
My buddy and I were the first ones at 7 am to line up at Piedmont. Met some really nice folks. I think they were Eli and Kristen. Lost them on the mad dash to the stage but they were really nice people.
This was my 15th show and never have been this close. Was on the rail on Mike's side. Pure heaven. It felt like I was in a Blu Ray or movie. You couldn't get the smile off my face. Great energy from the band, and I'm at a point in my life where the set list doesn't matter, just enjoy the show. Mike is amazing to watch and even more up close. Nothing beats great Pearl Jam fans, met a few that this was there first show. The band was on fire and just really loose and having fun. If anyone remembers me I was wearing a Mets all-star game shirt from New York. Unforgettable show.
Had a blast at this show. Lost my spot up front couldn't handle the back pain anymore. Came back and got maybe in rows 25-30. Met a bunch of cool people and enjoyed the night.
Lierally was on the rail on Mike's side directly right in front of Mike. Being that close and right in front of Mike will always be engrained in my brain and will be something that I will never forget. This ranks right up there with being in the 9th row front and center at Alpine night 1.
Thinking about this, the show, meeting some great PJ fans, and being in a beautiful park in Atlanta with perfect weather - well it doesn't get much better than that.....except leaving and coming back down to reality, which I am struggling with doing today. And my voice is completely gone.
Regardless of whatever they played (expected a hits set list for a festival), PJ really did kill it Saturday night and it was a hell of a show. Great energy, great energy from the crowd which you could tell the band truly appreciated and fed off of, great show. I wish I could relive it all again, even going through the 13 hours of standing in line to get in the gates and standing there packed in at the rail the entire day. It was a short trip that went by way to quick, and I wish I could see more of Atlanta.
Great times that I will always remember. Going to PJ shows seems to be just a part of living life - love it.
Bristow, VA - 5.13.10
East Troy, WI - 9.3.11
East Troy, WI - 9.4.11
Atlanta, GA - 9.22.12
Las Vegas, NV - 10.31.12 (EV)
Las Vegas, NV - 11.1.12 (EV)
Chicago, IL - 7.19.13
Dallas, TX - 11.15.13
Oklahoma City, OK - 11.16.13
Seattle, WA - 12.6.13
Lincoln, NE - 10.9.14
Moline, IL - 10.17.14
St. Paul, MN - 10.19.14
Milwaukee, WI - 10.20.14
New York, NY - 5.1.16
New York, NY - 5.2.16
Boston, MA - 8.5.16
Boston, MA - 8.7.16
Chicago, IL - 8.20.16
The last time I saw PJ and was able to sleep in my bed after a show was in 2000, when I still lived in Indiana.
Great shots!! Props to you also for standing in that sun all afternoon and evening.
(last time I got to see a show and sleep in my own bed after was in 2003.) I'm waiting patiently.
I met a woman that I would consider a fanatic.... her daughter is name after Eddie's daughter, lyrics tattooed on her forearm. She has been to 23 shows. Also, she had VIP tickets and was by me 20 feet from the Owl banner. Oh well she was really cool and very passionate.
I also met 3 guys from Wisconsin on my way back to the Art Center Marta station. We drank a couple of beers and I barely made my train. Thanks for the beers guys.
Last thing, I would have paid the $100 to see Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam on the same night. Start it at 5pm use both stages and let them play 3 hours each. I didn't care for any of the other bands. The funniest thing I heard all weekend was someone came to see Garbage and thought they would hang around to see Pearl Jam. I will bet he was the only person thinking that.
"If you are listening to this bootleg in Alaska, open the front door." Eddie Vedder 10/8/00
Like someone else above, MM was my 16th show, and first since MSG II a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed it. I certainly wouldn't call it my favorite show ever, but it was still really nice to see Pearl Jam again, particularly after 2+ years and more than 9 (9!) since the last Atlanta visit. The look on Ed's face when he sang the Elderly Woman line "my God, it's been so long / never dreamed you'd return..." said a lot to me.
I've read some complaints about sound, but other than the very beginning of the show I didn't notice any huge problems. At the very start the volume sounded low but it went up in a hurry. I noticed Stone having a problem in Why Go and it seemed like Mike had trouble a couple of times too, but that's just what happens sometimes with live music.
The pace of the songs seemed faster than normal, it felt like they moving pretty fast to get a good number of songs in with only two hours to work with. I loved how they played over half of Ten (Why Go, Even Flow, Black, Alive, Jeremy, Porch). It was my friend's first show and he was impressed with how they started off with so much stuff he knew, the only album he doesn't have is Backspacer.
In all...very solid show. Great to see them again. Hope the next show is sooner rather than later.
My buddy and I were the first ones at 7 am to line up at Piedmont. Met some really nice folks. I think they were Eli and Kristen. Lost them on the mad dash to the stage but they were really nice people.
This was my 15th show and never have been this close. Was on the rail on Mike's side. Pure heaven. It felt like I was in a Blu Ray or movie. You couldn't get the smile off my face. Great energy from the band, and I'm at a point in my life where the set list doesn't matter, just enjoy the show. Mike is amazing to watch and even more up close. Nothing beats great Pearl Jam fans, met a few that this was there first show. The band was on fire and just really loose and having fun. If anyone remembers me I was wearing a Mets all-star game shirt from New York. Unforgettable show.
Hope the folks who weathered the sun with us get to see them! We were faithfull!
Hey, I had the Seattle 21 PJ shirt on and my friend had the Philly 09 shirt. Great times, it was great to meet you! Thanks for the energy shots! ha!
We walked out with the girl Ashlynn who got the tambourine. She was beyond excited! What a great first show for her!
1998: Cleveland
2000: Cincinnati, Columbus
2003: Cleveland, Columbus
2004: Toledo
2006: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Gorge Night 1
2008: Washington D.C.
2009: Chicago Night 1, Seattle Night 1, Philadelphia Night 3, Philadelphia Night 4
2010: Columbus, Indianapolis, Cleveland
2011: Detroit EV, Chicago 1 EV
2012: Atlanta
2013: Chicago, Pittsburgh
2014: Cincinnati
This was the second show I've ever been too (first was back in '96 in Lauderdale) and all in all~ I had a remarkable time!
Knowing the opportunity of seeing them up close was actually going to be an option (unbeknown-est to my hubby and girlfriend who I turned into a PJ fan from several 13-hour long car rides from Florida to Jersey with me) I had already had it set it my mind that a day of "camping" was what we were all going to be subjected too... my first goal… get them buzzed before I informed them of this!
We arrived at noon and actually found parking in the park garage for $15.00! I couldn't believe 1- that it was so reasonable and 2- that is was open and there were actually spots available given the "no parking" warnings -Score!
Arriving into the park we milled about getting the lay of the land, visiting some vendors and even bought a blanket for $15 (Score again!) to sit down under a tree, grabbing some lunch and toss a few back.
By 1:15 I had convinced them we needed to move the blanket into the hot sun, down the hill and make our way to the main stage to set-up for day. For the most part- the people I encountered were from one end the spectrum (friendly- good spirits with a great vibe and attitude) to the other (obnoxiously rude and barbaric in nature). The latter, being less frequent- thank goodness!
Mid-way through Luda’s performance, my husband decided he was going to go take his last bathroom break. We were so fortunate to meet such a nice group of people camped out next to us. One very sweet young lady next to me helped me stand ground to save a spot for his return… I never thought he’d make it back but luckily Mike was missing from the other group. We all chanted “Michael- Michael” trying to steer him back to us and as clever as he was- he came back carrying a bag full of garbage as well as drinks for the group. He “posed” as clean-up crew and picked up trash on his way back to us with my hubby in-tow behind! Thanks Mike!! And BIG thanks to the people that let them pass back to the rest of us in front, especially since it was 10 minutes until Florence came on to perform and the crowd was growing by the minute.
My only complaint was the sound…I can’t understand what happened to it? During Ludacris & Florence’s sets it seemed fine but for PJ- the bass was completely over-whelming at times. Oh! Also…. during the end of Black- when Eddie came back on stage – “We belong… We belong… Together! Together!” He was singing it but I couldn’t hear it! Did my ears deceive me… did anyone in the middle or back hear him and I’m losing it!? ughk! Killed me
I would stand in the sun for another 8 hours getting (at times) pushed, shoved & elbowed all over again. They were amazing- I had a fantastic time and came across some very nice people. I was dying (& hoping to hear) Indifference & Blood and it kills me Just Breathe was on the set list and not played. Either way- I loved every last minute of it and would do it all over again but skipping the $700 speeding ticket we got in Georgia to get there! :fp:
...and to the dude who ripped the guitar pick out of my hand and ran with it... :nono: karma is a bitch buddy!
Just got back home to New Orleans today after spending the weekend in Atlanta. (My birthday was Saturday!!!!) The post concert depression hasn't sunk in yet, and I'm still pumped from this show!!!
Peidmont park was beautiful- very relaxed atmosphere, for the most part. They do need to figure out a better lay out of the bathrooms/food/drink/beer vendors though! Also, being from New Orleans, I evidently don't know how to walk on hills and almost wiped out coming up and down the hills several times...and no, it was not the vodka lemonaid I was drinking
Garbage sounded pretty good, Ludacris did his thing- actually really got the crowd pumped, while I pretended to know the words. Florence the Machine surprised me in a good way, as they almost put me to sleep at Jazz Fest last year! As she was winding down, my sister and I left our non Pearl Jam friends to try to get a bit closer to the stage. I was amazed at the hoards of people that were leaving after Flo finished to head on over to the one other stage to see Girl Talk. Of course, this mad me extremely happy as I was able to get about 50 people back on Mike's far side. The crowd around me was pretty tame, and the majority of people I talked to had never seen Pearl Jam, weren't really here for Pearl Jam (what?!?!) and were just enjoying the fest. As the hour passed and it got closer to nine, the crowd got tighter and tighter...a line of people kept trying to elbow there way up front, and that got a bit ridiculous. At one point we had a crumped up blanket at our feet, and we kept on telling people to "WATCH THE BABY!!!" if they tried to make their way through. The look on those people's face were priceless.
Anyhoo, we were right in front of the monitor, which was great for me as I am quite short and so could not see the stage at all..my sister is tall, and I will post some of her pictures once she sends them to me!
I had a feeling they were going to open up with Why Go, and was so pumped up when they did. I couldn't help myself, jumping up and down and singing at the top of my lungs the entire concert. The crowd around me probably thought I was crazy, as most of them were casual listeners, and didn't seem to have
too much energy. But, friendly people none-the-less Thank you to the old guy who offered me pot and wasn't offended by my refusal
I never had any issues with the sound, but after the show I did hear some comments from the people who were waaaaaaay in the back; seems that last year they had another set of speakers set up midway down the stage area, and this year they didn't for some reason? But like I said, everything sounded good from my vantage point.
The set list was expected for a festival, but they played the hell out of everything. Mike was on FIRE.
My one complaint is that I wish they could have had more time!!! Jeff seemed to be grinning the whole time, Stone moved/jumped around more than I've seen in a while, and Eddie was magic. Matt rocked it as usual, and of course Boom nailed his crazy mary solo . (And sometimes I think the organ/keyboard solo in Crazy Mary gets a bit whiny but last night it wasn't:)
A few songs in I realized Mike was wearing a Team Gleason shirt. I couldn't believe it, and when EV dedicated GTF to Steve Gleason, I was so touched and cheered my heart out..a rude girl next to us yelled "shut up" for some reason; evidently she has a thing against New Orleans or former Saints players with ALS? She didn't faze me though, and when they brought out Gleason in his wheelchair for the last few songs I had tears n my eyes and sang all the more loudly.
Hey Man! Awesome you found my post. Hoping to all see ya all on the road. We couldn't have had a nice bunch of people up front. Thanks for the pizza and fries too lol. I'll PM you my info. Would love to have a copy of that group picture we took at the end of the show. Rock on! I'm still on cloud 9.
My buddy and I were the first ones at 7 am to line up at Piedmont. Met some really nice folks. I think they were Eli and Kristen. Lost them on the mad dash to the stage but they were really nice people.
This was my 15th show and never have been this close. Was on the rail on Mike's side. Pure heaven. It felt like I was in a Blu Ray or movie. You couldn't get the smile off my face. Great energy from the band, and I'm at a point in my life where the set list doesn't matter, just enjoy the show. Mike is amazing to watch and even more up close. Nothing beats great Pearl Jam fans, met a few that this was there first show. The band was on fire and just really loose and having fun. If anyone remembers me I was wearing a Mets all-star game shirt from New York. Unforgettable show.
this was my 13th pj show and i've never seen them come out kicking so much ass. yea there were a lot a idiots in the crowd. kind of done with festivals...
but
holy crap mike looked insane. he was going for it. the whole band was really.
and the sound kicked my ass. sounded amazing. so happy i was able to go.
We managed to get about 50 feet from the stage. Stone was directly in front of us. We were right near the group holding up the plastic Easter Bunny on the pole.
I was content with the spot we had near the sound board during Florence & the Machine's set, but it was great that so many people took off for the other stage when they finished. I kept following my wife, who was great at spotting empty spaces. Her final move was to bribe someone with the full beer that I'd just purchased so we could get down to the aforementioned spot near the Easter Bunny.
Despite it being a "greatest hits" type of show, I still managed to catch four songs I'd never seen them play live before.
As for the other bands, Joan Jett, Avett Brothers and Florence & the Machine were all great.
Oh, and if the guy who was holding up the Dirty Frank sign is reading this, I really would have given you $100 if they had played it (assuming you were able to find me after the show).
The show was awesome no matter what!! It was my 10th, first in 4, and was with my wife for whom I owe dearly!! She was a champ all weekend long w the drunks and jerks. just LOVED Avett, JJett, Garbage, and pearl jam!!
That being said, I getting fuckin old for crowds like that!! No more festivals or even general ad shows for me!! Give me a seat in the second level and I'll leave the bravehearts the rest!!
Also, first time on Stone's side...kicked ASS!!
oh, my new Ohio-Va friends John, Matt, etc...hit me up!! Had a blast w u all!! peace!!
My friend and I were standing next to that young boy, not only did he get a pick, the set list, and a tambourine...but Eddie calls him out during the concert. Absolutely amazing. Considering how I've been a fan shortly after day one, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was jealous as hell. My friend was beside herself but she got a pick later in the show and all was well. If he wasn't a fan before the other night, I can't see how he doesn't love the band now. Sooner or later I'll score, then again, being this close to the stage was as good as it gets for me.
Great show, met some really great people in the crowd. We stood there forever waiting to see the boys. I've seen them at the garden, boston, camden, montreal, etc... but never this close. It was actually surreal. When you are going crazy in the crowd, its a much different experience. Being this close to the band, I just stood there in awe. Here is the band that has had a profound impact in my life and there they are, right in front of me. Mike came out to take pics of florence and the machine and I think he was surprised when we all knew it was him (he wore sunglasses and pretended to be a photographer), sorry buddy, you're going to have to do better than that. I think he was a little embarassed to pull some attention away from Florence because he said hello and left shortly afterward. Is it strange that the older we get, the more appreciation I have for the Mike?
Eddie walked by us and I'd be lying if I didn't say I froze. It might be worth mentioning that I'm a married 34 year old man, with adult responsibilities - who was completely starstruck when his favorite rock star was within arms reach.
I'd be lying if I said it was the greatest show I've ever been too because there is no doubt in my mind that Atlanta had all the makings of one of those 3 hour odysseys... you could tell the band knew what they had out there and were disappointed they couldn't say "fuck it" and play through the deadline....think Garden '03 or the Spectrum. The problem was that the city had a hard stop on each band. One of the opening bands (Civil Twilight - who was actually great) tried to go over their allotted limit and some weird guys came over and threatened to turn off their mics. I saw it with my own eyes. That being said, it was a solid set list and I appreciated how frantic Pearl Jam was to get an extra song in at the end. Although, one piece of advise would be to skip the whole encore thing in those scenarios. There were 62 thousand maniacs out there that were saying "no f'ing way" when they tried to leave. If I were them, I would have played through.
One great advantage to this show than to the other ones I've been to recently was the posters. Holy hell, me and my friend each got one. At PJ20, none were to be found. Best part is that I left them at the gate in Atlanta - FML.
To Jeremy and the crew from Canada and Colorado - do you have any kings? (nothing better than playing go fish between acts).
if i lose my membership number one more time because of a spam blocker, i might lose my mind.
The VIP was mellow. Worth it just for the bathroom access. I guess you get spoiled being so close in the fan club but I enjoyed this show. I'm looking forward to them returning to Atlanta...few nights at the fox? Gwinnett would be a solid venue choice.[/quote
I totally picked the wrong night to drink at,..due to the bathroom access at midtown fest...but the night b4 @ Deluna i wanted to have a much clear'r memory of the show so i decided to be the DDriver and got us back to our hotel safely...
as for the bathrooms again in atlanta,...i realize the place was massive...it was really really awesome, might i add as well...but man...next time i have the option for closer restrooms (i'm paying, barnone)...i dont care how much it is...It flat our sucks to be miserable having to go so fn' bad and knowing pj has a good hour+ left...i missed nearly 3 songs...
not to mention...by the time i got to the porta johns...you could barely hear the music...i was thinking..."what are all these people doing??" when i started the walk back...i had to of past a few thousand people b4 i could even hear the music again...
To the venue:...i've been to big events like this before...I've seen how they put speakers way out in the crowd...the back one fourth easily of the crowd was like just hanging out/drinkin'/bs'n cause you couldn't hear the music anyways... and to them it prolly wasn't worth it to walk down the huge hill to hear it, then just to have to go all the way back up the hill just to take a wizz...and believe me...it was a giant hill...
Man was it a huge open venue...I cant stop thinking bout how fn' cool and awesome it was!!!
Had a complete blast!!...loved all the people i met...loved everything else bout the place...
next time, i'll just have to be a lil more wiser on the drinking....
you know how it goes though...sometimes, you just have a few too many and shit gets out of hand...
Cant believed i'm back to work already...
B2B shows was cool....but next time, i'm going for at least 4 in a row!!!
peace
Hey, aren't you my new friend from Charlotte? Sounds like our situation in the area on Stone's side. Those 3 shitheads showed up and started smoking right in our faces, yelling at all the wrong times...it definitely changed the vibe of the nice group of fans around us.
In general, though, the show was solid... I've been jonesing for a show since my last one in May 2010. They totally delivered and sounded great despite a few glitches with the sound. Loved seeing Stone with a smile on his face for most of the show, especially when they first came out and saw the huge crowd.
Whoever held up the sign that said, "It doesn't get Eddie Vedder than this," is awesome. So perfect
As usual, I'm having that post-show impulse to quit my job and travel around seeing Pearl Jam shows...if only. Stupid grown-up responsibilities.
Side note about the festival itself...beautiful park, great location, but holy shit, what a mess. Oversold and under-prepared. Outside Lands was not nearly as bad when PJ was there, nor was Firefly earlier this year. I won't come again unless it's my only chance for a PJ show all year.
That was my sign
Also during the first encore break I folded up my other sign into a paper airplane and threw it on stage when they were coming back out before Crazy Mary. It landed right in front of Eddie and during the intro to Alive he picked it up and threw it off the side of the stage! It was pretty wicked!!
9/3/2011 East Troy, WI
9/4/2011 East Troy, WI
9/22/2012 Atlanta, GA
7/16/2013 London, ON
7/19/2013 Chicago, IL
10/11/2013 Pittsburgh, PA
10/12/2013 Buffalo, NY
10/16/2014 Detroit, MI
10/17/2014 Moline, IL
10/19/2014 St. Paul, MN
10/20/2014 Milwaukee, WI
The state of depression has sunk in so far this week and it's tough to focus on anything - I feel kind of lost and like a zombie. I swear, the worst part of a PJ show is when it's over and getting back to the routine.
I had a great time at the show and it was such a great quick getaway. My best friend and I went straight from the airport to the park and waited in line for two hours before the gates opened. We got rail directly right in front of Mike and my girl met up with us later in the day and was between me and the rail with Mike right in front of us melting our faces. The show was absolutely great - they killed it. I only wish they had more time to play because you could tell they were loving the energy from the crowd and their energy was off the charts. Myself, my buddy, and my girl all caught picks from Mike. I could have 2 or 3 more, but I dropped them and Mike hit a security guard in the back of the head when he was trying to throw me one.
Beautiful park, great city, good people, and just a great show and time. I wish we had more time to check out downtown Atlanta because it really does look like a very cool city and place to live. Seems like the show was a year ago and it went by way too quick. I will remember this weekend and the show for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the good times.
Bristow, VA - 5.13.10
East Troy, WI - 9.3.11
East Troy, WI - 9.4.11
Atlanta, GA - 9.22.12
Las Vegas, NV - 10.31.12 (EV)
Las Vegas, NV - 11.1.12 (EV)
Chicago, IL - 7.19.13
Dallas, TX - 11.15.13
Oklahoma City, OK - 11.16.13
Seattle, WA - 12.6.13
Lincoln, NE - 10.9.14
Moline, IL - 10.17.14
St. Paul, MN - 10.19.14
Milwaukee, WI - 10.20.14
New York, NY - 5.1.16
New York, NY - 5.2.16
Boston, MA - 8.5.16
Boston, MA - 8.7.16
Chicago, IL - 8.20.16
Super VIP viewing sucked ass! Had to go on the lawn to really get into it. Love this band, love the show but I agree with some others no more festivals for me. From now on all things Pearl Jam baby! Can't wait until Oct 31. Bring on the Vedder!
My buddy and I were the first ones at 7 am to line up at Piedmont. Met some really nice folks. I think they were Eli and Kristen. Lost them on the mad dash to the stage but they were really nice people.
This was my 15th show and never have been this close. Was on the rail on Mike's side. Pure heaven. It felt like I was in a Blu Ray or movie. You couldn't get the smile off my face. Great energy from the band, and I'm at a point in my life where the set list doesn't matter, just enjoy the show. Mike is amazing to watch and even more up close. Nothing beats great Pearl Jam fans, met a few that this was there first show. The band was on fire and just really loose and having fun. If anyone remembers me I was wearing a Mets all-star game shirt from New York. Unforgettable show.
Hope the folks who weathered the sun with us get to see them! We were faithfull!
Hey, I had the Seattle 21 PJ shirt on and my friend had the Philly 09 shirt. Great times, it was great to meet you! Thanks for the energy shots! ha!
We walked out with the girl Ashlynn who got the tambourine. She was beyond excited! What a great first show for her!
LOL I was directly behind you guys, thought I had a legit shot at that tambourine when Ed saw my arm in my plastic sleeve but alas at least the girl that got it enjoyed it. I met someone from the forum on Friday as I was buying my first beer just after 4pm, can't recall who it was. Some pics from the festival:
Special thanks going out to the guy from Brazil that messed up this epic shot...Doh LOL
And did anyone else catch the shake weight "lady" on the way out? :shock:
"Populated with every reject and cutthroat from Bombay to Calcutta. It's worse than Detroit."
This was mine and my wife's 1st Pearl Jam show and we had an amazing time. I had always heard about the energy, but it was amazing. We got pretty close to the front on the right side of the stage next to the fence and met two couples that were long time fans. Had a great time.
Anyone know if there will be a good sounding bootleg of this concert? I'd love to have it. Jay
10th time seeing PJ and this was the closest I have ever been to any of their shows. Probably was only 25-30 feet away from the stage on Mike's side. The never cease to amaze me every time I see them and they just make me want to go see them more and more.
I have posted an album on facebook for your enjoyment. (It's photos from the whole weekend, but the last half of the photos are all Pearl Jam). Here's the link...I hope it works. I am not too familiar on how to share albums and such online...
The festival was a lot better than anticipated. I was with a group of friends and we actually missed out on a good portion of Friday's performances due to our flight being delayed for 4 hours but it's whatever.
Kind of sucked with the strict sound ordinance that Atlanta has but I just love how Eddie and Co. said screw it and played over the time that allotted to them. Anyways hope you enjoy the pics!
St. Louis, MO 10/11/2000
St. Louis, MO 04/22/2003
St. Louis, MO 10/05/2004
Cincinnati, OH 06/24/2006
Manchester, TN 06/14/2008
Chicago, IL 08/24/2009
Columbus, OH 05/06/2010
Indianapolis, IN 05/07/2010
East Troy, WI 09/03/2011
East Troy, WI 09/04/2011
Atlanta, GA 09/22/2012
Chicago, IL 07/19/2013
Pittsburgh, PA 10/11/2013
Buffalo, NY 10/12/2013
Dallas, TX 11/15/2013
Oklahoma City, OK 11/16/2013
Comments
Funny that's right where I was too. Great view and sound and there was no way in hell I was going down into that mess. Plus I had just gone to Deluna the night before.
The last time I saw PJ and was able to sleep in my bed after a show was in 2000, when I still lived in Indiana.
The weather was great, the crowd was well behaved (except for the few who thought they were going to get past all of us who had been down front since between noon and 130). The openers were pretty good, although I must say that I'm still not a big Luda fan...
The setlist was about what I expected, although it had about 1 or 2 more songs from Backspacer that I would have preferred to hear, but hey, it's been so long since they have been to Atlanta, some of the people there probably only know Backspacer songs!
Met some nice people both nights, and all in all had a great time. And to top off the day, when I pulled in the driveway at 1230 am and got the mail, my holiday single/Deep mag had arrived that day too! And Notre Dame beat Michigan to get to 4-0. All in all, it was a good day.
Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
This was my 15th show and never have been this close. Was on the rail on Mike's side. Pure heaven. It felt like I was in a Blu Ray or movie. You couldn't get the smile off my face. Great energy from the band, and I'm at a point in my life where the set list doesn't matter, just enjoy the show. Mike is amazing to watch and even more up close. Nothing beats great Pearl Jam fans, met a few that this was there first show. The band was on fire and just really loose and having fun. If anyone remembers me I was wearing a Mets all-star game shirt from New York. Unforgettable show.
We got a few videos of our experience up front:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meGo6tkW ... e=youtu.be
Girl next to me getting Eddie's tambourine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFndaydbYAc
Hope the folks who weathered the sun with us get to see them! We were faithfull!
--
MSG 1 '98 - MSG 1+2 '03 - Reading,PA '04 - Borgata 1 '05 - Continental Arena 1+2 '06 - Lollapalooza Chicago,IL '07-MSG 1+2 08, Mansfield 1 08, Beacon Theatre 08. MSG 1 10,PJ20 Alpine Valley, Atlanta 2012, Brooklyn 1+2 2013, Hartford 2013, Seattle 2013, Memphis 2014
Thinking about this, the show, meeting some great PJ fans, and being in a beautiful park in Atlanta with perfect weather - well it doesn't get much better than that.....except leaving and coming back down to reality, which I am struggling with doing today. And my voice is completely gone.
Regardless of whatever they played (expected a hits set list for a festival), PJ really did kill it Saturday night and it was a hell of a show. Great energy, great energy from the crowd which you could tell the band truly appreciated and fed off of, great show. I wish I could relive it all again, even going through the 13 hours of standing in line to get in the gates and standing there packed in at the rail the entire day. It was a short trip that went by way to quick, and I wish I could see more of Atlanta.
Great times that I will always remember. Going to PJ shows seems to be just a part of living life - love it.
East Troy, WI - 9.3.11
East Troy, WI - 9.4.11
Atlanta, GA - 9.22.12
Las Vegas, NV - 10.31.12 (EV)
Las Vegas, NV - 11.1.12 (EV)
Chicago, IL - 7.19.13
Dallas, TX - 11.15.13
Oklahoma City, OK - 11.16.13
Seattle, WA - 12.6.13
Lincoln, NE - 10.9.14
Moline, IL - 10.17.14
St. Paul, MN - 10.19.14
Milwaukee, WI - 10.20.14
New York, NY - 5.1.16
New York, NY - 5.2.16
Boston, MA - 8.5.16
Boston, MA - 8.7.16
Chicago, IL - 8.20.16
(last time I got to see a show and sleep in my own bed after was in 2003.) I'm waiting patiently.
I met a woman that I would consider a fanatic.... her daughter is name after Eddie's daughter, lyrics tattooed on her forearm. She has been to 23 shows. Also, she had VIP tickets and was by me 20 feet from the Owl banner. Oh well she was really cool and very passionate.
I also met 3 guys from Wisconsin on my way back to the Art Center Marta station. We drank a couple of beers and I barely made my train. Thanks for the beers guys.
Last thing, I would have paid the $100 to see Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam on the same night. Start it at 5pm use both stages and let them play 3 hours each. I didn't care for any of the other bands. The funniest thing I heard all weekend was someone came to see Garbage and thought they would hang around to see Pearl Jam. I will bet he was the only person thinking that.
Alpine Valley: 6/26/98, 10/8/00, 6/21/03, 9/3/11 Target Center: 6/30/98
Summerfest: 6/30/06 Music Midtown: 9/22/12 Wrigley Field: 7/19 & 7/20/13, 8/20/16
Charlotte: 10/30/13
Greenville: 4/16/16, Columbia 4/21/16, Wrigley Field: 8/20/2016
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYfdMSLsmvA&feature=colike
Is this a joke?
If not, I'd like to know how many "concerts" this "journalist" has actually "seen."
I've read some complaints about sound, but other than the very beginning of the show I didn't notice any huge problems. At the very start the volume sounded low but it went up in a hurry. I noticed Stone having a problem in Why Go and it seemed like Mike had trouble a couple of times too, but that's just what happens sometimes with live music.
The pace of the songs seemed faster than normal, it felt like they moving pretty fast to get a good number of songs in with only two hours to work with. I loved how they played over half of Ten (Why Go, Even Flow, Black, Alive, Jeremy, Porch). It was my friend's first show and he was impressed with how they started off with so much stuff he knew, the only album he doesn't have is Backspacer.
In all...very solid show. Great to see them again. Hope the next show is sooner rather than later.
Hey, I had the Seattle 21 PJ shirt on and my friend had the Philly 09 shirt. Great times, it was great to meet you! Thanks for the energy shots! ha!
We walked out with the girl Ashlynn who got the tambourine. She was beyond excited! What a great first show for her!
2000: Cincinnati, Columbus
2003: Cleveland, Columbus
2004: Toledo
2006: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Gorge Night 1
2008: Washington D.C.
2009: Chicago Night 1, Seattle Night 1, Philadelphia Night 3, Philadelphia Night 4
2010: Columbus, Indianapolis, Cleveland
2011: Detroit EV, Chicago 1 EV
2012: Atlanta
2013: Chicago, Pittsburgh
2014: Cincinnati
Knowing the opportunity of seeing them up close was actually going to be an option (unbeknown-est to my hubby and girlfriend who I turned into a PJ fan from several 13-hour long car rides from Florida to Jersey with me) I had already had it set it my mind that a day of "camping" was what we were all going to be subjected too... my first goal… get them buzzed before I informed them of this!
We arrived at noon and actually found parking in the park garage for $15.00! I couldn't believe 1- that it was so reasonable and 2- that is was open and there were actually spots available given the "no parking" warnings -Score!
Arriving into the park we milled about getting the lay of the land, visiting some vendors and even bought a blanket for $15 (Score again!) to sit down under a tree, grabbing some lunch and toss a few back.
By 1:15 I had convinced them we needed to move the blanket into the hot sun, down the hill and make our way to the main stage to set-up for day. For the most part- the people I encountered were from one end the spectrum (friendly- good spirits with a great vibe and attitude) to the other (obnoxiously rude and barbaric in nature). The latter, being less frequent- thank goodness!
Mid-way through Luda’s performance, my husband decided he was going to go take his last bathroom break. We were so fortunate to meet such a nice group of people camped out next to us. One very sweet young lady next to me helped me stand ground to save a spot for his return… I never thought he’d make it back but luckily Mike was missing from the other group. We all chanted “Michael- Michael” trying to steer him back to us and as clever as he was- he came back carrying a bag full of garbage as well as drinks for the group. He “posed” as clean-up crew and picked up trash on his way back to us with my hubby in-tow behind! Thanks Mike!! And BIG thanks to the people that let them pass back to the rest of us in front, especially since it was 10 minutes until Florence came on to perform and the crowd was growing by the minute.
My only complaint was the sound…I can’t understand what happened to it? During Ludacris & Florence’s sets it seemed fine but for PJ- the bass was completely over-whelming at times. Oh! Also…. during the end of Black- when Eddie came back on stage – “We belong… We belong… Together! Together!” He was singing it but I couldn’t hear it! Did my ears deceive me… did anyone in the middle or back hear him and I’m losing it!? ughk! Killed me
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOvOgNbBNUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QDyHRC ... e=youtu.be
I would stand in the sun for another 8 hours getting (at times) pushed, shoved & elbowed all over again. They were amazing- I had a fantastic time and came across some very nice people. I was dying (& hoping to hear) Indifference & Blood and it kills me Just Breathe was on the set list and not played. Either way- I loved every last minute of it and would do it all over again but skipping the $700 speeding ticket we got in Georgia to get there! :fp:
...and to the dude who ripped the guitar pick out of my hand and ran with it... :nono: karma is a bitch buddy!
pics of the festival here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1044 ... 5743447137
Peidmont park was beautiful- very relaxed atmosphere, for the most part. They do need to figure out a better lay out of the bathrooms/food/drink/beer vendors though! Also, being from New Orleans, I evidently don't know how to walk on hills and almost wiped out coming up and down the hills several times...and no, it was not the vodka lemonaid I was drinking
Garbage sounded pretty good, Ludacris did his thing- actually really got the crowd pumped, while I pretended to know the words. Florence the Machine surprised me in a good way, as they almost put me to sleep at Jazz Fest last year! As she was winding down, my sister and I left our non Pearl Jam friends to try to get a bit closer to the stage. I was amazed at the hoards of people that were leaving after Flo finished to head on over to the one other stage to see Girl Talk. Of course, this mad me extremely happy as I was able to get about 50 people back on Mike's far side. The crowd around me was pretty tame, and the majority of people I talked to had never seen Pearl Jam, weren't really here for Pearl Jam (what?!?!) and were just enjoying the fest. As the hour passed and it got closer to nine, the crowd got tighter and tighter...a line of people kept trying to elbow there way up front, and that got a bit ridiculous. At one point we had a crumped up blanket at our feet, and we kept on telling people to "WATCH THE BABY!!!" if they tried to make their way through. The look on those people's face were priceless.
Anyhoo, we were right in front of the monitor, which was great for me as I am quite short and so could not see the stage at all..my sister is tall, and I will post some of her pictures once she sends them to me!
I had a feeling they were going to open up with Why Go, and was so pumped up when they did. I couldn't help myself, jumping up and down and singing at the top of my lungs the entire concert. The crowd around me probably thought I was crazy, as most of them were casual listeners, and didn't seem to have
too much energy. But, friendly people none-the-less
I never had any issues with the sound, but after the show I did hear some comments from the people who were waaaaaaay in the back; seems that last year they had another set of speakers set up midway down the stage area, and this year they didn't for some reason? But like I said, everything sounded good from my vantage point.
The set list was expected for a festival, but they played the hell out of everything. Mike was on FIRE.
My one complaint is that I wish they could have had more time!!! Jeff seemed to be grinning the whole time, Stone moved/jumped around more than I've seen in a while, and Eddie was magic. Matt rocked it as usual, and of course Boom nailed his crazy mary solo . (And sometimes I think the organ/keyboard solo in Crazy Mary gets a bit whiny but last night it wasn't:)
A few songs in I realized Mike was wearing a Team Gleason shirt. I couldn't believe it, and when EV dedicated GTF to Steve Gleason, I was so touched and cheered my heart out..a rude girl next to us yelled "shut up" for some reason; evidently she has a thing against New Orleans or former Saints players with ALS? She didn't faze me though, and when they brought out Gleason in his wheelchair for the last few songs I had tears n my eyes and sang all the more loudly.
If you are interested, here is the someof the back story on Gleason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSS10h0BKig
Fantastic time, best birthday present ever, just wish it hadn't ended so soon. Can't wait for the 2013 tour!!! Thank you Pearl Jam and Atlanta!
"If I had this guy's voice, you could all kiss my ass."
--
MSG 1 '98 - MSG 1+2 '03 - Reading,PA '04 - Borgata 1 '05 - Continental Arena 1+2 '06 - Lollapalooza Chicago,IL '07-MSG 1+2 08, Mansfield 1 08, Beacon Theatre 08. MSG 1 10,PJ20 Alpine Valley, Atlanta 2012, Brooklyn 1+2 2013, Hartford 2013, Seattle 2013, Memphis 2014
but
holy crap mike looked insane. he was going for it. the whole band was really.
and the sound kicked my ass. sounded amazing. so happy i was able to go.
thanks pj
I was content with the spot we had near the sound board during Florence & the Machine's set, but it was great that so many people took off for the other stage when they finished. I kept following my wife, who was great at spotting empty spaces. Her final move was to bribe someone with the full beer that I'd just purchased so we could get down to the aforementioned spot near the Easter Bunny.
Despite it being a "greatest hits" type of show, I still managed to catch four songs I'd never seen them play live before.
As for the other bands, Joan Jett, Avett Brothers and Florence & the Machine were all great.
Ludacris... not so much.
That being said, I getting fuckin old for crowds like that!! No more festivals or even general ad shows for me!! Give me a seat in the second level and I'll leave the bravehearts the rest!!
Also, first time on Stone's side...kicked ASS!!
oh, my new Ohio-Va friends John, Matt, etc...hit me up!! Had a blast w u all!! peace!!
Great show, met some really great people in the crowd. We stood there forever waiting to see the boys. I've seen them at the garden, boston, camden, montreal, etc... but never this close. It was actually surreal. When you are going crazy in the crowd, its a much different experience. Being this close to the band, I just stood there in awe. Here is the band that has had a profound impact in my life and there they are, right in front of me. Mike came out to take pics of florence and the machine and I think he was surprised when we all knew it was him (he wore sunglasses and pretended to be a photographer), sorry buddy, you're going to have to do better than that. I think he was a little embarassed to pull some attention away from Florence because he said hello and left shortly afterward. Is it strange that the older we get, the more appreciation I have for the Mike?
Eddie walked by us and I'd be lying if I didn't say I froze. It might be worth mentioning that I'm a married 34 year old man, with adult responsibilities - who was completely starstruck when his favorite rock star was within arms reach.
I'd be lying if I said it was the greatest show I've ever been too because there is no doubt in my mind that Atlanta had all the makings of one of those 3 hour odysseys... you could tell the band knew what they had out there and were disappointed they couldn't say "fuck it" and play through the deadline....think Garden '03 or the Spectrum. The problem was that the city had a hard stop on each band. One of the opening bands (Civil Twilight - who was actually great) tried to go over their allotted limit and some weird guys came over and threatened to turn off their mics. I saw it with my own eyes. That being said, it was a solid set list and I appreciated how frantic Pearl Jam was to get an extra song in at the end. Although, one piece of advise would be to skip the whole encore thing in those scenarios. There were 62 thousand maniacs out there that were saying "no f'ing way" when they tried to leave. If I were them, I would have played through.
One great advantage to this show than to the other ones I've been to recently was the posters. Holy hell, me and my friend each got one. At PJ20, none were to be found. Best part is that I left them at the gate in Atlanta - FML.
To Jeremy and the crew from Canada and Colorado - do you have any kings? (nothing better than playing go fish between acts).
https://picasaweb.google.com/101703101212909286110/PearlJamAtlanta2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink
That was my sign
Also during the first encore break I folded up my other sign into a paper airplane and threw it on stage when they were coming back out before Crazy Mary. It landed right in front of Eddie and during the intro to Alive he picked it up and threw it off the side of the stage! It was pretty wicked!!
9/4/2011 East Troy, WI
9/22/2012 Atlanta, GA
7/16/2013 London, ON
7/19/2013 Chicago, IL
10/11/2013 Pittsburgh, PA
10/12/2013 Buffalo, NY
10/16/2014 Detroit, MI
10/17/2014 Moline, IL
10/19/2014 St. Paul, MN
10/20/2014 Milwaukee, WI
I had a great time at the show and it was such a great quick getaway. My best friend and I went straight from the airport to the park and waited in line for two hours before the gates opened. We got rail directly right in front of Mike and my girl met up with us later in the day and was between me and the rail with Mike right in front of us melting our faces. The show was absolutely great - they killed it. I only wish they had more time to play because you could tell they were loving the energy from the crowd and their energy was off the charts. Myself, my buddy, and my girl all caught picks from Mike. I could have 2 or 3 more, but I dropped them and Mike hit a security guard in the back of the head when he was trying to throw me one.
Beautiful park, great city, good people, and just a great show and time. I wish we had more time to check out downtown Atlanta because it really does look like a very cool city and place to live. Seems like the show was a year ago and it went by way too quick. I will remember this weekend and the show for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the good times.
East Troy, WI - 9.3.11
East Troy, WI - 9.4.11
Atlanta, GA - 9.22.12
Las Vegas, NV - 10.31.12 (EV)
Las Vegas, NV - 11.1.12 (EV)
Chicago, IL - 7.19.13
Dallas, TX - 11.15.13
Oklahoma City, OK - 11.16.13
Seattle, WA - 12.6.13
Lincoln, NE - 10.9.14
Moline, IL - 10.17.14
St. Paul, MN - 10.19.14
Milwaukee, WI - 10.20.14
New York, NY - 5.1.16
New York, NY - 5.2.16
Boston, MA - 8.5.16
Boston, MA - 8.7.16
Chicago, IL - 8.20.16
LOL I was directly behind you guys, thought I had a legit shot at that tambourine when Ed saw my arm in my plastic sleeve but alas at least the girl that got it enjoyed it. I met someone from the forum on Friday as I was buying my first beer just after 4pm, can't recall who it was. Some pics from the festival:
Special thanks going out to the guy from Brazil that messed up this epic shot...Doh LOL
And did anyone else catch the shake weight "lady" on the way out? :shock:
Anyone know if there will be a good sounding bootleg of this concert? I'd love to have it. Jay
Yeah I'm with alot of people no more festivals. Don't think my body (or wallet) can handle that again.
Looking forward to a tour next year.
I have posted an album on facebook for your enjoyment. (It's photos from the whole weekend, but the last half of the photos are all Pearl Jam). Here's the link...I hope it works. I am not too familiar on how to share albums and such online...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100727319657585.2566209.21403573&type=1&l=3701b0cfe7
The festival was a lot better than anticipated. I was with a group of friends and we actually missed out on a good portion of Friday's performances due to our flight being delayed for 4 hours but it's whatever.
Kind of sucked with the strict sound ordinance that Atlanta has but I just love how Eddie and Co. said screw it and played over the time that allotted to them. Anyways hope you enjoy the pics!