The sound thing was not just a problem at the Perth show. It appears it was an issue at all Big Day Out shows especially if you were on Stone's side. I had the same problem at the Gold Coast show. Was excited to get a spot at the front barrier on Stone's side but could barely hear Mike all night. So disappointing but I didn't want to lose my good spot so put up with it. It paid off in the end with Mike coming down and running down along the barrier, then stopping to play for a while. It's a shame the Perth show ended sooner that it was supposed to, especially with it being Pearl Jam's VERY LAST show on Australian soil and who knows when they'll be back again. >:P
Was a great gig. Having spent the kids inheritance following all of the big day out shows, I was a little disappointed that the Perth gig ended so abruptly. We all stood there a bit bemused at the front for a while afterwards wishing for the band to come out and say Hi. All the same, great setlist and energy - some of the set didn't make it up onto stage, maybe delayed from Adelaide, but arguably that gave the band more space to play. Highlight of the Perth gig? I'd probably have to say Deep.
Regarding missing songs from the setlist, if they didn't play some extended instrumentals on Porch etc they may have squeezed a few in!! I would say that the council were the culprits though, in Sydney they played for two and three-quarter hours, and two and a half in Melbourne and Adelaide. Who knows if moving it from Claremont was the best thing to do (THE best thing to do would have been a proper PJ tour).
Exhausted but very satisfied with the three weeks exploits. Hoping for a return soon. As Eddie isn't coming to Adelaide (Hmph), I don't have a reasonable excuse to go to another...
London, Wembley Arena, Jun 18th 2007
London, O2 Arena, Aug 18th 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide Thebarton Theatre, Mar 2011 Show 1&2
Auckland, Western Springs, Jan 17th 2014
Gold Coast, Metricon Stadium, Jan 19th 2014
Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse, Jan 24th 2014
Sydney Show Grounds, Jan 26th 2014
Adelaide, Bonython Park, Jan 31st 2014
Perth, Arena Joondalup, Feb 2nd 2014
Finally, after 23 years of waiting I got to a PJ show. Up at 5am & drove the 400km's with my best mate to make it in time. All the guys were awesome, Ed seemed in high spirits & enjoying being in WA. Stoked with the songs they did play - though a little disappointing several songs were missing from Ed's intended setlist. Also seemed the show was cut short (wouldn't surprise me if council decisions caused that - typical WA bureaucracy), was waiting for the group bow & goodbyes.
Stoked to hear some of my faves like Go, Given to Fly, Satans Bed, Rearveiw Mirror & especially Corduroy. Plus a huge bonus seeing them perform Throw Your Arms Around Me & Rockin in the Free World.
The crowd were generally pretty good, except some chick that was threatening my friend because she wanted to push her way to the front halfway through the show. I've been a fan since '91 & although I would've loved to have been closer to the front (I managed middle of the stage about 20 meters back), I was just so damn happy to finally live my dream of seeing PJ live. To sum up - awesome show. Best Sunday night of my life & cheers to my hubby for staying home to look after our kids & be there to get them off to school the next morning cos Mum was still 400km's away.
Much love & genuine Thanks to Ed, Stone, Jeff, Mike, Matt & Boom (plus all their crew). "Always Faithful" PS - Happy Birthday Boom.
I stood back for all shows but Perth, being on Stone's side at the front did mean that I barely heard Mike - in fact the only time I really heard him is when Eddie asked Mike 'what's this rock n roll thing all about' and he gave us a blues lick! It was awesome though listening to Stone, he played great.
The sound thing was not just a problem at the Perth show. It appears it was an issue at all Big Day Out shows especially if you were on Stone's side. I had the same problem at the Gold Coast show. Was excited to get a spot at the front barrier on Stone's side but could barely hear Mike all night. So disappointing but I didn't want to lose my good spot so put up with it. It paid off in the end with Mike coming down and running down along the barrier, then stopping to play for a while. It's a shame the Perth show ended sooner that it was supposed to, especially with it being Pearl Jam's VERY LAST show on Australian soil and who knows when they'll be back again. >:P
London, Wembley Arena, Jun 18th 2007
London, O2 Arena, Aug 18th 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide Thebarton Theatre, Mar 2011 Show 1&2
Auckland, Western Springs, Jan 17th 2014
Gold Coast, Metricon Stadium, Jan 19th 2014
Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse, Jan 24th 2014
Sydney Show Grounds, Jan 26th 2014
Adelaide, Bonython Park, Jan 31st 2014
Perth, Arena Joondalup, Feb 2nd 2014
Black came on, I nearly hyperventilated, and I had to leave my mates and try for a better sound spot. I found a huge open pocket about 20 metres back centre of stage. The sound was a bit better, but again noticed the crowd not really getting into it. Everyone was a casual Pearl Jam fan, and waiting for songs like Betterman. The small contingent of full on PJ fans down the front looked like they were enjoying it, but although the band were giving 110% the crowd seemed to be engaged. Ed even asked if the crowd wanted to go home to get the crowd revved up, and it seemed the only cheers were only coming from down the front.
After reading so many awesome reviews, I was really excited for this show as I know PJ deliver quality. I really like Lightning Bolt, so was looking forward to hearing the new songs live. But for me this was missing that usual quality Pearl Jam sound and atmosphere, and was certainly the worst Pearl Jam gig I've been too. Unlike the tour poster, it failed to impress.
Pearl Jam at the Big Day Out ten or so years ago would have been a dream come true but like the BDO, full on PJ fans have aged a bit and are a bit too old for a festival. I know ALOT of fans who would normally see PJ but didn't go as they were turned off by the expensive all day festival thing.
When you come back, and let us all pray it's very soon, please consider the new Perth Arena. Amazing venue, especially acoustic wise, you will sound amazing.
Wally, you must have been quite close to where I was. Totally agree with u about the fairly muted crowd. I felt I was surrounded by people who either weren't very enthused PJ fans or just BDO goers (not bagging them for being there, but wouldve been better atmosphere being around more like-minded people). There was one guy next to me 2nd half of the show who after saying 'respect' to me & sharing a knowing nod, made me feel like I wasnt the only one in the middle of the crowd who knew all the songs & wasnt afraid to go a bit crazy with the cheering, singing, fist pumping & so on.
Being that Ive never had the chance to see PJ live before & therefore cant make a comparison, I was truly happy no matter what & determined to enjoy it - which I did. Having said that, I still couldn't help but feel I was one of the few true, long time fans amongst a group of onlookers just going thru the motions. After the guys left the stage, a couple of younger girls behind me were winging that it was a rip off cos PJ were already finished and didn't play Betterman or Jeremy. I soon informed them that Jeremy had been played to which they just scoffed at me saying ' yeah right' and left while continuing to whinge.
I do hope PJ come back to WA again & opt for the standard concert instead of the festival. I'll be there for sure, and hopefully so will more of us long-time genuine fans. It would make for an awesome atmosphere. Please guys, dont let the lack of crowd support at BDO make you think there arent enough true fans here to make it worth while.
Just regarding the earlier than expected finish - I contacted the council and the venue to find out if there were any restrictions. Both said that a curfew of 10.30pm had been set and that it was Pearl Jam who chose to finish early on the night. Maybe this means that Pearl Jam felt the crowd were a bit disinterested and didn't deserve the extra songs? That sux if true, but it was a pretty lame crowd. I was about 20 metres directly in front of Mike and couldn't see anyone around me getting into it. My wife and I were singing our lungs out and jumping around, but we were surrounded by statues. Disappointing really, but that's what you get when you play a festival on a Sunday night in the middle of nowhere (no offense to those living in the far northern suburbs, I'm a southy is all!!).
Like a few others have said, fingers crossed for a Perth Arena show next time. Hopefully Eddie checks out Bruce's show on Wednesday and thinks "damn, we should have played here!" Anyway, I had a great time and really enjoyed the show. They always leave me wanting more, more, more!!!!
The sound thing was not just a problem at the Perth show. It appears it was an issue at all Big Day Out shows especially if you were on Stone's side. I had the same problem at the Gold Coast show. Was excited to get a spot at the front barrier on Stone's side but could barely hear Mike all night. So disappointing but I didn't want to lose my good spot so put up with it. It paid off in the end with Mike coming down and running down along the barrier, then stopping to play for a while. It's a shame the Perth show ended sooner that it was supposed to, especially with it being Pearl Jam's VERY LAST show on Australian soil and who knows when they'll be back again. >:P
The sound thing was not just a problem at the Perth show. It appears it was an issue at all Big Day Out shows especially if you were on Stone's side. I had the same problem at the Gold Coast show. Was excited to get a spot at the front barrier on Stone's side but could barely hear Mike all night. So disappointing but I didn't want to lose my good spot so put up with it. It paid off in the end with Mike coming down and running down along the barrier, then stopping to play for a while. It's a shame the Perth show ended sooner that it was supposed to, especially with it being Pearl Jam's VERY LAST show on Australian soil and who knows when they'll be back again. >:P
It's a festival.
^ agreed, outdoors with that wind, it just carries the sound away. And rewatching the end, I guess not really that abrupt, i think time slots do not mean a thing and Rockin is a common last song, coupled with 10000 thank yous to everyone. People were probably just clock watching with the expecation of a 1030 end becase "bdo said so". It's Peal Jam, when do they follow rules!
Agree with the comments on sound - we were on Stone's side and could hardly hear Mike noodling ! I wasn't up the front but thought the crowd around us was getting into it. I think Eddie had given the wine a fair nudge hence the early finish !
I was at the front in front of Jeff and I thought the sound was good, and the crowd was well into it. The band was in a good mood so there's no way they would have finished early because of a lackluster crowd.
Can confirm Eddie was at Cat Power tonight. I know this because he sat in the seat directly infront of me and my wife (she took a sneaky shot). So he sat there for 2 hours infront of us totally incognito. My wife had written a note on the back of her business card asking if we could meet after the gig (she was going to place it on the vacant seat next to Eddie) but it was too late because before she put it there Ed was called upon stage for the last 2 songs 'Tonight you belong to me' and 'Needle and the Damage done' After that we had no chance as several people rushed towards him as he exited through the side door.
So disappointed I didn't tap him the shoulder and show him my tattoo on my leg. Would've bee a subtle gesture saying thank you. I love your band!
Hard call to make cos you don't want annoy him because he was enjoying the show. Was nice when i recognised the intro to 'the greatest' and whispered that to my wife and Eddie overheard and turned with an expression of 'Yes! Great song!'
^ agreed, outdoors with that wind, it just carries the sound away. And rewatching the end, I guess not really that abrupt, i think time slots do not mean a thing and Rockin is a common last song, coupled with 10000 thank yous to everyone. People were probably just clock watching with the expecation of a 1030 end becase "bdo said so". It's Peal Jam, when do they follow rules!
No wind at all on the night of the Gold Coast show..wish there had been, it would have made things cooler.
Anyway you're right, they probably just felt like finishing up early.
Ed is talking a lot on this video, basically saying goodbye and thanking everyone in Australia.
I was on the left side of stage, between Mike and the big screen ... Sound there was pretty good for a festival. No problem with hearing either Mike or Stone, both came through loud and clear.
Great post wally!!!!! As u can see by the numba of posts I'm not really a post type of guy but I will share my experience. My wife and I took our 9 year old daughter to her first pearl jam show She sat up on my shoulders and rocked her little heart out I looked at my wife and smiled. She whispered in my ear "Hard to imagine " Our daughter Evelyn second generation pearl jam fan.
Great post wally!!!!! As u can see by the numba of posts I'm not really a post type of guy but I will share my experience. My wife and I took our 9 year old daughter to her first pearl jam show She sat up on my shoulders and rocked her little heart out I looked at my wife and smiled. She whispered in my ear "Hard to imagine " Our daughter Evelyn second generation pearl jam fan.
Oh that's just brilliant crazy m!!!!!
"In fact, punk rock means exemplary manners to your fellow human being. Fuck being an arsehole" - Joe Strummer.
Great post wally!!!!! As u can see by the numba of posts I'm not really a post type of guy but I will share my experience. My wife and I took our 9 year old daughter to her first pearl jam show She sat up on my shoulders and rocked her little heart out I looked at my wife and smiled. She whispered in my ear "Hard to imagine " Our daughter Evelyn second generation pearl jam fan.
So good to see the next gen of fans coming up. My daughter is a mad PJ fan (6 yrs old) and was devastated when I told her I couldn't take her. But after seeing the crowd & how there was no violence or much shoving I wish I did take her. I still bought her a t-shirt & have promised she will be coming with me when PJ return to Aus.
Wally,.....love your post....appreciate you took the time to share your thoughts.... and the biggest part I'm in agreement with you on is the money.... its sad how expensive these fest shows have become...and they wonder why so few come... its a big prob here in the states as well....many fests are hit an miss...with attendance that is... and they dump so much money in all the extra curricular crap to do there.... sorry, I'm there for the music and I don't need all the extra side show crap... but hey, I'm prob in the minority and many others love the other extras , etc etc... I paid like $225 for the Deluna Fest a few years ago....had to buy the 3 day pass, knowing we were only going to one day... and then closer to the show,...they start selling the $100 daily pass's....
I've even got a lot of friends whom quit going to shows nowadays cause they are such a rip.... $50 bucks is a good price to see a band but $100 ++ ....that's plain sad...and I know pj really has no control over it... or at least that's what I've been told... Peace out there in Australia....and enjoy the Ed Solo shows.....I've caught a few and they are amazing.... Curly
Comments
Regarding missing songs from the setlist, if they didn't play some extended instrumentals on Porch etc they may have squeezed a few in!! I would say that the council were the culprits though, in Sydney they played for two and three-quarter hours, and two and a half in Melbourne and Adelaide. Who knows if moving it from Claremont was the best thing to do (THE best thing to do would have been a proper PJ tour).
Exhausted but very satisfied with the three weeks exploits. Hoping for a return soon. As Eddie isn't coming to Adelaide (Hmph), I don't have a reasonable excuse to go to another...
Stoked to hear some of my faves like Go, Given to Fly, Satans Bed, Rearveiw Mirror & especially Corduroy. Plus a huge bonus seeing them perform Throw Your Arms Around Me & Rockin in the Free World.
The crowd were generally pretty good, except some chick that was threatening my friend because she wanted to push her way to the front halfway through the show. I've been a fan since '91 & although I would've loved to have been closer to the front (I managed middle of the stage about 20 meters back), I was just so damn happy to finally live my dream of seeing PJ live.
To sum up - awesome show. Best Sunday night of my life & cheers to my hubby for staying home to look after our kids & be there to get them off to school the next morning cos Mum was still 400km's away.
Much love & genuine Thanks to Ed, Stone, Jeff, Mike, Matt & Boom (plus all their crew).
"Always Faithful"
PS - Happy Birthday Boom.
Being that Ive never had the chance to see PJ live before & therefore cant make a comparison, I was truly happy no matter what & determined to enjoy it - which I did. Having said that, I still couldn't help but feel I was one of the few true, long time fans amongst a group of onlookers just going thru the motions. After the guys left the stage, a couple of younger girls behind me were winging that it was a rip off cos PJ were already finished and didn't play Betterman or Jeremy. I soon informed them that Jeremy had been played to which they just scoffed at me saying ' yeah right' and left while continuing to whinge.
I do hope PJ come back to WA again & opt for the standard concert instead of the festival. I'll be there for sure, and hopefully so will more of us long-time genuine fans. It would make for an awesome atmosphere. Please guys, dont let the lack of crowd support at BDO make you think there arent enough true fans here to make it worth while.
Like a few others have said, fingers crossed for a Perth Arena show next time. Hopefully Eddie checks out Bruce's show on Wednesday and thinks "damn, we should have played here!" Anyway, I had a great time and really enjoyed the show. They always leave me wanting more, more, more!!!!
So he sat there for 2 hours infront of us totally incognito. My wife had written a note on the back of her business card asking if we could meet after the gig (she was going to place it on the vacant seat next to Eddie) but it was too late because before she put it there Ed was called upon stage for the last 2 songs 'Tonight you belong to me' and 'Needle and the Damage done'
After that we had no chance as several people rushed towards him as he exited through the side door.
So disappointed I didn't tap him the shoulder and show him my tattoo on my leg. Would've bee a subtle gesture saying thank you. I love your band!
Hard call to make cos you don't want annoy him because he was enjoying the show.
Was nice when i recognised the intro to 'the greatest' and whispered that to my wife and Eddie overheard and turned with an expression of 'Yes! Great song!'
Anyway you're right, they probably just felt like finishing up early.
Ed is talking a lot on this video, basically saying goodbye and thanking everyone in Australia.
As u can see by the numba of posts I'm not really a post type of guy but I will share my experience.
My wife and I took our 9 year old daughter to her first pearl jam show
She sat up on my shoulders and rocked her little heart out
I looked at my wife and smiled. She whispered in my ear
"Hard to imagine "
Our daughter Evelyn second generation pearl jam fan.
Oh that's just brilliant crazy m!!!!!
Instagram: pipingroller
Facebook: Eden Sandwell
and the biggest part I'm in agreement with you on is the money....
its sad how expensive these fest shows have become...and they wonder why so few come...
its a big prob here in the states as well....many fests are hit an miss...with attendance that is...
and they dump so much money in all the extra curricular crap to do there....
sorry, I'm there for the music and I don't need all the extra side show crap...
but hey, I'm prob in the minority and many others love the other extras , etc etc...
I paid like $225 for the Deluna Fest a few years ago....had to buy the 3 day pass, knowing we were only going to one day...
and then closer to the show,...they start selling the $100 daily pass's....
I've even got a lot of friends whom quit going to shows nowadays cause they are such a rip....
$50 bucks is a good price to see a band but $100 ++ ....that's plain sad...and I know pj really has no control over it...
or at least that's what I've been told...
Peace out there in Australia....and enjoy the Ed Solo shows.....I've caught a few and they are amazing....
Curly