*** Buffalo Fanviews Here 10/12/13 ***

Greetings from Kentucky!

Hey guys, we were talking about the show and the GA experience and figured we'd check the forum to see if anyone we met in line had posted. It's great to hear that everybody enjoyed the show! This was our first GA show, so we weren't sure what to expect. We rolled in Friday afternoon ready to set up our tent on the sidewalk and weather the cold overnight or until we were arrested or asked to leave (haha!). Admittedly, we were somewhat relieved to be able to sleep in a bed! We got back to the arena a little before 6 am, just in time to see the tour buses roll in. That in itself made the early arrival worth it - really cool to see! A three-word summary of predawn Buffalo in October: really, really cold! As you guys have already commented, the early morning GA line folks were all great; you guys made us glad to be a part of this and proud to call ourselves fans of this band. It really was like a brotherhood. We were blown away by the positivity, comradery, and commitment among all of us. Having had the privilege to meet and hang out with you guys all day really made the experience special for us. We did get some negative vibe from some folks who showed up later and informed security of their plans to beat us to the floor "no matter what" and going so far as to inform my wife that they didn't care how long we'd been in line and so forth, at one point saying these types of things loudly enough to be sure we heard them. While they did make good on their promise with some elbowing and shoving when the mad dash began (yeah, that probably could've been handled better by the venue), we did make it to the rail right in front of Mr. McCready and had the privilege of watching him wail up close for the duration of the show. As I picked up a guitar myself as a kid after hearing "Alive" for the first time, it was really a tremendous experience. I officially had my face melted from my skull during the "Immortality" solo!

We actually cheered the loudest when we saw our man from the GA line get a tambourine from Ed - the look on your face made the evening! I craned my neck to see if I could get a look your way when the band kicked off "Present Tense." To see this guy teary-eyed and visibly exhasted after the show reaffirmed my love of this band and singlehandedly confirms their continued relevancy to its fans. Thanks to all you guys for making this an experience we will never forget and to the band for a great set. This was our gift to each other for our second anniversary and was my wife's first Pearl Jam show after waiting 20 years for the opportunity. While some things could've been different from a logistical standpoint, we have absolutely no complaints and truly feel lucky to have been there all day with some great people and to have heard some great music. Again, thanks to all!

zbarnett wrote:

Greetings from Kentucky!

Hey guys, we were talking about the show and the GA experience and figured we'd check the forum to see if anyone we met in line had posted. It's great to hear that everybody enjoyed the show! This was our first GA show, so we weren't sure what to expect. We rolled in Friday afternoon ready to set up our tent on the sidewalk and weather the cold overnight or until we were arrested or asked to leave (haha!). Admittedly, we were somewhat relieved to be able to sleep in a bed! We got back to the arena a little before 6 am, just in time to see the tour buses roll in. That in itself made the early arrival worth it - really cool to see! A three-word summary of predawn Buffalo in October: really, really cold! As you guys have already commented, the early morning GA line folks were all great; you guys made us glad to be a part of this and proud to call ourselves fans of this band. It really was like a brotherhood. We were blown away by the positivity, comradery, and commitment among all of us. Having had the privilege to meet and hang out with you guys all day really made the experience special for us. We did get some negative vibe from some folks who showed up later and informed security of their plans to beat us to the floor "no matter what" and going so far as to inform my wife that they didn't care how long we'd been in line and so forth, at one point saying these types of things loudly enough to be sure we heard them. While they did make good on their promise with some elbowing and shoving when the mad dash began (yeah, that probably could've been handled better by the venue), we did make it to the rail right in front of Mr. McCready and had the privilege of watching him wail up close for the duration of the show. As I picked up a guitar myself as a kid after hearing "Alive" for the first time, it was really a tremendous experience. I officially had my face melted from my skull during the "Immortality" solo!

We actually cheered the loudest when we saw our man from the GA line get a tambourine from Ed - the look on your face made the evening! I craned my neck to see if I could get a look your way when the band kicked off "Present Tense." To see this guy teary-eyed and visibly exhasted after the show reaffirmed my love of this band and singlehandedly confirms their continued relevancy to its fans. Thanks to all you guys for making this an experience we will never forget and to the band for a great set. This was our gift to each other for our second anniversary and was my wife's first Pearl Jam show after waiting 20 years for the opportunity. While some things could've been different from a logistical standpoint, we have absolutely no complaints and truly feel lucky to have been there all day with some great people and to have heard some great music. Again, thanks to all!

^^^THIS^^^ to me is the Pearl Jam Experience!! Classy fanview, Kentucky!

zbarnett wrote:

Greetings from Kentucky!

Hey guys, we were talking about the show and the GA experience and figured we'd check the forum to see if anyone we met in line had posted. It's great to hear that everybody enjoyed the show! This was our first GA show, so we weren't sure what to expect. We rolled in Friday afternoon ready to set up our tent on the sidewalk and weather the cold overnight or until we were arrested or asked to leave (haha!). Admittedly, we were somewhat relieved to be able to sleep in a bed! We got back to the arena a little before 6 am, just in time to see the tour buses roll in. That in itself made the early arrival worth it - really cool to see! A three-word summary of predawn Buffalo in October: really, really cold! As you guys have already commented, the early morning GA line folks were all great; you guys made us glad to be a part of this and proud to call ourselves fans of this band. It really was like a brotherhood. We were blown away by the positivity, comradery, and commitment among all of us. Having had the privilege to meet and hang out with you guys all day really made the experience special for us. We did get some negative vibe from some folks who showed up later and informed security of their plans to beat us to the floor "no matter what" and going so far as to inform my wife that they didn't care how long we'd been in line and so forth, at one point saying these types of things loudly enough to be sure we heard them. While they did make good on their promise with some elbowing and shoving when the mad dash began (yeah, that probably could've been handled better by the venue), we did make it to the rail right in front of Mr. McCready and had the privilege of watching him wail up close for the duration of the show. As I picked up a guitar myself as a kid after hearing "Alive" for the first time, it was really a tremendous experience. I officially had my face melted from my skull during the "Immortality" solo!

We actually cheered the loudest when we saw our man from the GA line get a tambourine from Ed - the look on your face made the evening! I craned my neck to see if I could get a look your way when the band kicked off "Present Tense." To see this guy teary-eyed and visibly exhasted after the show reaffirmed my love of this band and singlehandedly confirms their continued relevancy to its fans. Thanks to all you guys for making this an experience we will never forget and to the band for a great set. This was our gift to each other for our second anniversary and was my wife's first Pearl Jam show after waiting 20 years for the opportunity. While some things could've been different from a logistical standpoint, we have absolutely no complaints and truly feel lucky to have been there all day with some great people and to have heard some great music. Again, thanks to all!

That's me. My buddy and I were #9 and #10 in line. I still want you to know how guilty I felt that we got front and center in front of Ed, but to know that the concert was very good for everyone who lined up before us is relieving. After I Got Shit, Ed put a guitar pick in my hand. I took my shirt off for Alive, and Ed thumped his chest when he saw my stickman tattoo. I really didn't need the tambourine . . . the guitar pick was enough. There was a really cool woman with her daughter that we met in Pittsburgh the night before at the Wishlist pre-party that was from Ohio, who had Crohn's Disease like me and recently had a stroke. She was roughly 4/5 of the way through her Bar Examination when she had the stroke, and months upon months of 12-hour-a-day study sessions was all for naught, because now she has to do the whole thing over again. She could stand and walk a little, but for the most part he daughter had to push her around in a wheelchair. Anyway, it was just another one of those organic experiences where you meet a stranger at a PJ show and you walk away from it with a really good friend. I gave her the tambourine, because I didn't need the guitar pick and the tambourine, and Rich (the wookie from Buffalo) said before the show if I catch one, and I'm a heterosexual male, I need to either give it to a child or woman. She was so taken back after the show when I gave it to her, she offered to buy us dinner at Pearl St. Grille, and Michigan tagged along, which was really cool. I will never, ever, ever forget this show, and you and everyone else who I met while standing in line are all a plurality of that memory.

And for the record, there was a physical pain in my chest for three days following the show, from what I can only guess was the result of screaming my lungs out. :shock:

Here's the photo we took after the show:



Thanks so much for everything, guys. Happy anniversary to the both of you.

SALLYROO wrote:

Well I will never forget Oct 12th for two reasons. My first being the Pearl Jam show, which was fantastic. A long time fan, but my first opportunity to see them live. I really tried to not have high expectations, hearing about how awesome they are. They didn't disappoint! I certainly can't critique this particular show like people who have been to lots of shows can. But I had listened to the album the week prior to the show, wanting to get familiar with all the songs, knowing many would be debuted on the tour. And if I'm correct looking back now, it appears the Buffalo show got a pretty hefty number of new songs. I'd also watched the interviews promoting the album, so by the time I was at the show, I knew I loved the entire album, and had enjoyed listening to the interviews discussing the themes of mortality and embracing life that run through the lyrics of Lightning Bolt.

Well, my boyfriend and I drove to/from Toronto to attend the show, listening to the Judd Apatow interview again on our way there, and as you can imagine, on a high on the entire drive back (which we knew would happen, making it easy to drive all the way back the same evening).

Before going to bed I picked up a message for my Mum (I've lived in Canada for 20 years, but I'm from Australia and my immediate family all live there). Called her back and she notified me that her stage IV breast cancer (that she's successfully battled for 12 years) is back, and she'd just gotten results that she has tumours in her spine and hip bones. Wow, talk about going from one extreme to another with my emotions! Instead of spending Canadian thanksgiving weekend on a post PJ concert high, I was a bit of a mess.

All I can say is, the happy memories from the show, and this fabulous new album have been cathartic during this last few weeks, while I'm in touch with family back home while she starts chemo, knowing I may have to go there shortly. Oh sure, I have my long time favourite bands (including PJ) and songs for these types of situations, but having a new collection of songs, that largely deal with mortality (and not taking life for granted), do pull on my heart strings right now and I think that's just what the doctor ordered

I've loved reading fan views from all the other shows on this tour, and I have to say it's probably a good thing I wasn't at the show in Charlottesville, VA, because that setlist would have had me a blubbering mess.

Not sure why I just felt compelled to share this, but I figure this forum will understand way more than my friends/family who aren't die hard PJ fans

I just read this and I hope you are doing ok...life is a fragile thing. I hope you grab hold of the positives from the show and that night to help with some tough times ahead. Cheers

I had such a great time at this show....was not able to post about it til now, because my computer access is limited. I had GA Ten Club Tickets!!! (Thanks Ten Club!!) My Hubby and I were able to get to like the 4th row of GA floor. The vibe was awesome and most of the people around us were doubly awesome. There were of course a couple of jerks who were jumping right in front of my 5ft tall self, bragging about being at the PA show the night before ect....but thankfully I found a very nice chicki who was also around my height and we spent the evening looking out for each other. Thank you, you brunette beauty...I won't forget your kindness! (We were about 4th row out in front of the awesomely talented Mike)--he was entertainment enough let me tell you! So other than being vertically challenged (damn my genes) there was nothing to complain about. I did however find the need to scream/sing as loud as possible to all of the songs that I know in the tall person's ear in front of me. Just guessing by the way that my hair and t-shirt were vibrating from the soundwaves....I doubt my effort to sing into one(s) ear was successful, but it felt soooo good anyway! I will forever remember this awesome performance, and I truly can't wait to get a chance to see PJ again! :o3