Stupid me, never went to a show until last year. But it was Wrigley, so it was super memorable. From standing outside all day in that 100 degree heat because we didn't have tickets, to the jubilation of standing at will call when they released a block of Field tickets at like 5:15, to hearing my first notes of Release, then the 2.5 hour storm delay while being shoved into a tiny corridor, the 2 hour adventure back to the hotel on the Red line in that sardine can of a train. Then we tried to go to Shedd aquarium and the Field museum the next day, and had to spend much of the day taking breaks on benches because we could barely walk after dancing all night. And now I have the Wrigley marquee picture on my wall so I can always remember that trip.
Wrigley was my first show, too, Jonsey! The whole experience was great! 5+ hours in the merch line on Thursday. Resting up on Friday and getting in line around 5:00, taking it all in. Crying during Release, cooling off during the rain delay, crying again through Black and CD/COT. Dancing my ass off and singing my head off! An experience I'll never forget!
Biggest regret, bailing on seeing them at the Blind Pig in 91 - I'm an idiot! Trying to make up for lost time now!
2013 Wrigley, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
2014 Cincy, Detroit, Moline, & Milwaukee
2015 Central Park
2016 Lexington, Ottawa, Toronto 1 & 2, Boston 1 & 2, Chicago 1 & 2 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2018 Seattle 1 & 2, Missoula, Chicago 1
It took years before I saw my first show, Tampa '08. It wasn't remarkable show, but you'll recall they started the lottery for rows 1, 2, 9, and 10 that tour. I figured I'd pull somewhere near the back of the floor. I grabbed my tickets from the box office and... Nope.
Front row, dead center. I was not prepared for that, and with my terrible 10C # (That has since lapsed!), still feel kinda guilty about it to this day.
Post edited by Mike D88 on
2008 Tampa - 2013 Buffalo - 2016 Tampa - 2016 Fenway II Audioslave 2005 MSG
My first was Lolla, Orlando 92. But I don't know if I even count that because they went on so early and I was so far away it seemed.
First real show was the Bayfront Center, St Pete, 94. It was unmitigated chaos, like nothing else. I don't know if those who started seeing PJ in the 2000's can even fathom what is was like back then. I'm not saying it was good, but any of the 'alt' bands from that era had shows that were really fun, but really dangerous. They totally over-sold shows back then.
I also remember it because it was my girlfriend's 21st birthday and I ditched her to go to the show. She was a little judgmental on my partying, so I didn't want anything to lame out the night. Alas, that was pretty much the end of that relationship.
If anyone has a bootleg of the St Pete show (their only visit to that city I believe), please let me know. I've never run across it.
I was at that Lolla show. What a lineup. My first show was at the Edge on 4/24/92. It was insane. Eddie seemed possessed jumping from the second floor rafters into the crowd fighting off the security guard while on the ibeam above the crowd. The energy was incredible. I have still never seen a performance from anyone that was tantamount to that night.
I was on the second level right in front of Eddie at that Edge show when that meathead bouncer put him in a headlock! Then Ed jumped into the crowd and surfed to the stage and said something like "I'm not only pissed that he did that to me...but that he would do that to any human being!"
Wish there was a bootleg or even a setlist for that night!
Post edited by PorchgirlCO on
I'll ride the wave where it takes me...
Orlando 4/24/92 & 8/23/92, Miami 3/28/94, Ft Laud 10/7/96, Alpine Valley 6/26/98, Missoula 9/30/12, EV Jax 11/24/12 & 11/25/12, Chicago (Wrigley) 7/19/13, Charlottesville 10/29/13, Charlotte 10/30/13, Tulsa 10/8/14, Lincoln 10/9/14, Denver 10/22/14, Jacksonville 4/12/16, Greenville 4/16/16, Telluride 7/9/16, Boston (Fenway) 8/5/16 & 8/7/16, Seattle (Safeco) 8/10/18, Boston (Fenway) 9/2/18 & 9/4/18, Dana Point 10/1/21 & 10/2/21, MSG 9/11/22, Denver 9/22/22, Austin 9/18/23 & 9/19/23.
20 years ago today I had the great privilege of attending my 1st Pearl Jam show. What a night. We were sitting to the right of the stage in the lower level. We were the last row of the lower level, so, about half way up the small 9K seat arena. I remember looking down at that GA floor wishing so bad that I was down there but being so grateful to just be in the building!
I was just reading an article I had saved from the Plain Dealer on 2/18/94. The show was announced on that Friday at 5:30 and tickets went on sale at 6:00 and it sold out at 6:29. There was a 2 ticket minimum & obviously, there was no internet at that time.
On this wonderful anniversary of mine, I am listening to the bootleg of this show (even though it is a very poor quality & hard to listen to at times lol ) and maybe even throwing on my "Freak" shirt from the show.
I will try & post pictures of the articles I have and poster as soon as I figure out how to do it now on the new forum.
Anyone else on here at this show 20 years ago? It would be cool to hear some other stories!
SET 1 Release Go Animal Dissident Even Flow Glorified G I Won't Back Down Daughter Jeremy Why Go Alone Oceans State Of Love And Trust Black Blood Alive Porch
ENCORE 1 Rats Rearviewmirror Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town Leash Rockin' In The Free World Sheraton Gibson Indifference
3/22/94 Cleveland, OH
9/21/96 Toronto, ON
8/26/98 Cleveland, OH
5/09/10 Cleveland, OH
9/03/11 East Troy, WI PJ20
9/04/11 East Troy, WI PJ20
7/19/13 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
10/11/13 Pittsburgh, PA
10/12/13 Buffalo, NY
12/06/13 Seattle, WA
10/16/14 Detroit, MI
10/17/14 Moline, IL
8/20/16 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
8/22/16 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
My first was Lolla, Orlando 92. But I don't know if I even count that because they went on so early and I was so far away it seemed.
First real show was the Bayfront Center, St Pete, 94. It was unmitigated chaos, like nothing else. I don't know if those who started seeing PJ in the 2000's can even fathom what is was like back then. I'm not saying it was good, but any of the 'alt' bands from that era had shows that were really fun, but really dangerous. They totally over-sold shows back then.
I also remember it because it was my girlfriend's 21st birthday and I ditched her to go to the show. She was a little judgmental on my partying, so I didn't want anything to lame out the night. Alas, that was pretty much the end of that relationship.
If anyone has a bootleg of the St Pete show (their only visit to that city I believe), please let me know. I've never run across it.
I was at that Lolla show. What a lineup. My first show was at the Edge on 4/24/92. It was insane. Eddie seemed possessed jumping from the second floor rafters into the crowd fighting off the security guard while on the ibeam above the crowd. The energy was incredible. I have still never seen a performance from anyone that was tantamount to that night.
I was on the second level right in front of Eddie at that Edge show when that meathead bouncer put him in a headlock! Then Ed jumped into the crowd and surfed to the stage and said something like "I'm not only pissed that he did that to me...but that he would do that to any human being!"
Wish there was a bootleg or even a setlist for that night!
I was also on the second level, but Mike's side. A bootleg would be sweet. I forgot what he'd said when he got back to the stage. I do remember after the show the band climbed onto the awning from a window on the second floor above the exit to watch everyone leave. Then they got noticed by everyone leaving and then scooted back inside when they realized the crowd wasn't going to leave with them watching. I see you also went to the Ft. . Lauderdale show in 96. Another amazing show. As someone already said, that no code tour was exceptional.
Hyde Park, London 2010 was my first show, the most memorable thing was people telling me I'd never make it back to the front to find my friend after a piss/beer break. But I kept pressing through til I found her. Also we got lost on the way back to my brothers, I think we got in around 2. Great show, loved hearing SOLAT for the first time. Can't wait for Leeds and MK
Hyde Park 25/06/10 MEN Arena 20-21/06/12 Leeds 08/07/14 Milton Keynes 11/07/14 Mexico City 28/11/15 EV London 6-7/6/17
Wrigley was my first show also, so it was pretty memorable. Everything about the weekend was amazing. My sister and I took a flight out to Chicago from Philly on Thursday morning, and we must have had at least 20 other people wearing PJ shirts on our flight. Our hotel had even more fans and you could tell how excited everyone was. The show itself was amazing...I'll never forget tearing up when I realized they were starting with Release. I wouldn't change any part of the weekend (not even going straight from the airport with my luggage to the merch line and waiting 3 hours in the 100 degree heat).
2013: Wrigley Field, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn 1, Brooklyn 2, Philly 1, Philly 2, Baltimore
2014: Cincinnati
2015: Global Citizen Festival
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2, MSG 1, MSG 2, Fenway 1, Fenway 2, Wrigley 1, Wrigley 2
2017: Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Induction 2018: Krakow, Chicago 1, Chicago 2, Boston 1, Boston 2
My first was Bridge School 2010. I had never heard PJ before, didn't know any of their songs (except "Last Kiss"). It was my first time at Bridge School, and I was mainly excited to see Uncle Neil, who I am a HUGE fan of. Well, when PJ started to play, that was it for me! (funny thing is, the first song was "Last Kiss"!)
3-10-94, 20 years old, soph in college. Liked PJ, considered them "heavy enough" for my tastes as I was a metal head, huge Metallica fan, like a lot of hair metal,G N'R, Crue, Tesla etc..... Went to the show after 2 years of listening to ten, likng the album a lot, Vs. had just come outish, camped out at my first midnight sale for the CD, GO and Animal were my alternative metal dreams...Indifference was a mind blower since first listen,Blood seemed like the heaviest song I had ever heard at times.....Loved the rage in Ed at the time. So my sis got us nosebleeds at the last show ever in Chicago Stadium, the house MJ/Pi/Grant/Phil built out of relevance into the future called the United Center (booooo). Nose bleed seats as tickets were in demand more than ever(tickets are hard to get now because we have so many TC members who travel, back then they were the thing so it was damn near impossible). Literally last row by the concession stand, but a nice view from the west of stage. Jeff's b-day, Ed and his hometown....from the second I heard release live I was done, it was all Pearl Jam everyihtng Pearl jam from that moment on. No cares or worries for posters, just wanted a shirt! That freak shirt may be the ugliest thing I own, but I have worn holes into it. Ed was like a pied piper for me tat day, him talking about growing up in the area...when he sang the Empire Carpet song, a jingle to the local carpet place- 588-2300 Empireeeeeeeee to prove his roots I was convinced this is the coolest band ever. No bands I saw before them ever had a connection with me and where I grew up, and Ed was that. Loved the Jordan action figures on the fat stacks, the cake fight, watching the Frogs and going what the fuck is with the dragon suit dude, Urge being pretty solid......but Release into Go...that was just unreal. New songs like Not For You and Tremor Christ, STBC....Tom Petty cover I won't back down. What a great night, and man was that place loud.
Now if I had known then what I know now......didn;t even know about the New Regal show FUCKKKKKK, and I was still new to the live band and had scored in the lottery to the West Lafayette show at Purdue where I was at college....gave my tickets to my roommate and best friend so they could have a chance to see them (never again!) missed WASH and a bomb threat.
But with 95 came Soldier Field, Milwaukee, then the 96 cluster fuck which led to the priority list and front row center to Alpine 98.........man what a trip 20 pluse shows after the first.
2003: Buffalo, Toronto
2004: Boston (x2), Toledo, Grand Rapids
2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
2006: Toronto (x2), Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit
2008: New York City (x2), Hartford, Boston II
2010: Buffalo, Newark, New York City (x2), Nijmegen, Berlin, Werchter
2011: Alpine Valley I, Alpine Valley II, Montreal, Toronto (x2), Ottawa, Hamilton
2012: Amsterdam (x2), Berlin (x2)
2013: London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Brooklyn (x2)
2014: Detroit
2016: Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto (x2), Chicago (x2) 2018: Amsterdam (x2), Padua, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona 2022: San Diego, Los Angeles (x2), Oakland (x2), Fresno, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto 2023: Fort Worth (x2), Austin (x2)
It was 2003, I was 12 years old. My dad's friends backed out on him last minute so he decided to take me and my brother to the show. The only song I wanted to hear was Do the Evolution. I wanted to hear that song more than any other song cause that was my favorite PJ song when I was 12. I really didn't know the other songs. They opened with wash, I turned to my dad "what song is this?". The answer was not Evolution. I wasn't disappointed but I tried to see the video screens over the people in front of us while waiting for the next song. This continued through out the whole set.
My first show was Holmdel 2003. I was completely oblivious about the songs being played in 'album order'. I didn't know the names of most songs, nevermind what albums they were on.
Then the encore starts. Ed tells some story about Bruce and plays a song (Growin Up). I didn't know how rare that song was at the time, but then it happens. The unmistakable opening riff of DTE. And that's when I became an addicted PJ fan. I don't remember how I 'rocked out' as a 12 year old, but I'm sure it looked rediculous. Next was Daughter, a song I actually knew because it was my mom's favorite song at the time! And next Alive, a third song I knew, (probably the only other one I knew ha).
Hunger Strike -> NO CLUE how special that was.
The rest of my memories from the show are from listening to the bootleg about 1000 times since then. I had a 1 CD portable played with headphones that I would take on car rides. I can still sing all the guitar parts for almost the entire Porch solo.
So maybe I guess my first show was memorable, even if I don't remember living most of it 'in the moment'.
2003: 7/14 NJ ... 2006: 6/1 NJ, 6/3 NJ ... 2007: 8/5 IL ... 2008: 6/24 NY, 6/25 NY, 8/7 EV NJ ... 2009: 10/27 PA, 10/28 PA, 10/30 PA, 10/31 PA 2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD 2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
I remember it very well, but it was the least memorable show I saw that week honestly. That's only because I had just seen Iron Maiden at MSG like 2-3 nights prior and again like a day later in Camden with the Powerslave stage set up and such a classic setlist and it was really hard to compete with that, especially with how obsessed I was with Maiden at that time. I definitely liked it a lot. Enough to get tickets to 3 out of 4 nights of the Spectrum shows (didn't get a ticket to the 30th till after the show on the 28th and was actually just given a ticket to that show for free by an unbelievably generous ten clubber), but it wasn't till the Philly 09 run that I became obsessed.
Post edited by wall05 on
2008 - Camden, NJ 1
2009 - Philadelphia, PA x4
2010 - Newark, NJ, New York City, NY x2
2012 - Philadelphia, PA
2013 - Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA x2, Hartford, CT 2016 - Philadelphia, PA x2, New York City, NY 2, Fenway 2
Denver 4-1-2003, who could forget that one. Loved the Eddie rant and Bu$hleager episode. My friend threw the "Weapon of Mass Illumination" from the upper deck that Eddie was referring to if you get a chance to hear the boot. Feel bad for the poor foolish souls that walked out on the band, the maybe 50 out of 15,000. Plus the best version of Black I have heard to date in my opinion, (not that I've even come close to hearing them all).
Wasn't great. Seated at the very back of Wembley Arena in 1996 night 2. No Code was a great album that I was really into at the time, but the show and that feeling of not being connected, mixed with the let down of impossibly high expectations not being met actually put me off the band for a few years. I was very spoilt with some amazing gigs by other bands around then and PJ just didn't compete that night.
very...September 17, 1995.... Mike smashed his guitar to pieces, Eddie smashed his mike stand and Ed and Joey Ramone dueted on Sonic Reducer. It later appeared on the 1995 fan club single. All in all I would say it was very memorable. my top show of all time to this day.
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
My first show was definitely memorable, in that I was alternating between thinking I was going to die and thinking it was the best show ever. Manchester 2000. It's still one of my favourite boots (first and only time I've heard Light Years, loved Timeless Melody). I posted this in the first show poll thread:
Wasn't a big fan at the time, but went with someone who was a PJ nut. Was in the pit just to the left of Ed and I thought I was going to die. The pit was packed in so tight, there was no space to move at my own free will. If people around me were jumping, I was jumping too. And for some reason, the only spot for my head was right by the shoulder of some middle-aged dude I didn't know, so I think I may have rested my head on his shoulder a few times during the show LOL.
Then we missed the last train back to London and slept in the train station in our soaking-wet clothes.
I think I loved most of the show, except the bits that I thought I was going to die! I definitely remember being mesmerized by Ed.
My first show was very memorable when it happened. Twenty years later...not so much. :-)
Yes, exactly that!
I've found 2 things re: how people remember concerts of a band they are very passionate about:
1) A week later, some people will remember every single detail; others will remember feelings and maybe some details; and others still will just remember "it rawked!" (or it didn't rawk).
2) 20 years later, fewer people will remember every detail but there are those that will; others will remember feelings and maybe some details; and still others will just remember that "it rawked!" (or it didn't rawk).
So in other words... "memorable-ness" is all in the eyes of the experiencer, and is also in their innate capacity to remember or not remember. There are shows I don't really remember hardly anything about that were brilliant and that others remember which songs were played, how they were played, things that were said, etc. Doesn't mean the show was or was not memorable, it's just all about the individual and their experience and memory.
All that said, I should look around for a boot of my first show 21 yrs ago, it would be cool to hear it. I guarantee you I'd feel like I wasn't even there, because I really just remember a few details but almost none of the music.
3-10-94, 20 years old, soph in college. Liked PJ, considered them "heavy enough" for my tastes as I was a metal head, huge Metallica fan, like a lot of hair metal,G N'R, Crue, Tesla etc..... Went to the show after 2 years of listening to ten, likng the album a lot, Vs. had just come outish, camped out at my first midnight sale for the CD, GO and Animal were my alternative metal dreams...Indifference was a mind blower since first listen,Blood seemed like the heaviest song I had ever heard at times.....Loved the rage in Ed at the time. So my sis got us nosebleeds at the last show ever in Chicago Stadium, the house MJ/Pi/Grant/Phil built out of relevance into the future called the United Center (booooo). Nose bleed seats as tickets were in demand more than ever(tickets are hard to get now because we have so many TC members who travel, back then they were the thing so it was damn near impossible). Literally last row by the concession stand, but a nice view from the west of stage. Jeff's b-day, Ed and his hometown....from the second I heard release live I was done, it was all Pearl Jam everyihtng Pearl jam from that moment on. No cares or worries for posters, just wanted a shirt! That freak shirt may be the ugliest thing I own, but I have worn holes into it. Ed was like a pied piper for me tat day, him talking about growing up in the area...when he sang the Empire Carpet song, a jingle to the local carpet place- 588-2300 Empireeeeeeeee to prove his roots I was convinced this is the coolest band ever. No bands I saw before them ever had a connection with me and where I grew up, and Ed was that. Loved the Jordan action figures on the fat stacks, the cake fight, watching the Frogs and going what the fuck is with the dragon suit dude, Urge being pretty solid......but Release into Go...that was just unreal. New songs like Not For You and Tremor Christ, STBC....Tom Petty cover I won't back down. What a great night, and man was that place loud.
Now if I had known then what I know now......didn;t even know about the New Regal show FUCKKKKKK, and I was still new to the live band and had scored in the lottery to the West Lafayette show at Purdue where I was at college....gave my tickets to my roommate and best friend so they could have a chance to see them (never again!) missed WASH and a bomb threat.
But with 95 came Soldier Field, Milwaukee, then the 96 cluster fuck which led to the priority list and front row center to Alpine 98.........man what a trip 20 pluse shows after the first.
So cool that you remember that level of detail. Really enjoyed reading that, thanks! And yes, now you know: "Good friends don't give their good friends their PJ tix, they keep them for themselves!" LOL!
Travelled across the country, into sweltering heat, on the edge of a mountain, to see my favorite band perform a great set that closed their US tour. Severed Hand, a song I was obsessed with at the time and is my username, opened the show. Best performance of Crazy Mary I've ever heard. First Little WIng with lyrics. EV climbed the soundbooth that was close behind me to play Given to Fly in the encore.
A night I will never forget.
I remember that Crazy Mary, we were on the rail and got the wind bottle passed to us. That really is some GOOOOD wine! I also went to the bathroom before GTF and wasn't allowed back down the the front and was like "WTF? Why not?" and then the spotlight went to the top of the soundbooth and I got it "Oh, that's why!" Eventually they let people back in the aisles again.
My first show was very memorable if for no other reason of how you had to get tickets.
It was the January 15th, 1995 show at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., which was the second of those back-to-back "Voters for Choice" shows with Neil Young, L7, etc.
Remember, this was at a time when they were coming off the cancelled 94 tour and had just done the Self Pollution Radio broadcast the week before. The interest and demand for these shows were off the charts. You had to mail in postcards to enter a drawing for the right to buy a pair of tickets. I went to my post office the day of the deadline and bought the last 19 postcards they had on the rack and filled them out. A week or so later my mom calls me at work and tells me I got a phone call about it and was able to call someone back to secure a pair of tickets.
More remarkably, there was a friend of my family willing to drive me and my girlfriend the 3 1/2 hours or so to D.C. because she had friends up there. I didn't have my own car and had never driven to D.C. before so it was like all these things just fell into place.
There were hundreds of thousands of entries for these shows and people from all over the world were there. Tickets were being scalped for upwards of $1000 outside. Even though I had to pay $50 for 2 tickets, I knew I had won something huge.
Looking back on the show from a setlist perspective, given the timeframe it was a fairly standard set. Getting Release as my first song was incredible. Neil had to leave the venue as soon as his set with Crazy Horse ended so there was no "NeilJam" like the night before, but getting "Satan's Bed" in it's prime was nice.
The fact that there was a proper "unofficial" bootleg made of this show was awesome, and the whole show is on YouTube as well, even though it's not of the greatest quality. There is a cool clip at the end of the video showing the MTV News report on the show and what you had to do to get tickets.
My first show would of been at lolla '92 in Vancouver. I don't seem to remember a lot about it. I don't think I knew a lot of their music before that show. I know that show is what brought my attention to Pearl Jam but I only remember bits and pieces (I think I remember Eddie starting to climb stuff). I seem to remember my 2nd show a lot better (Missoula '98). That was my first actual Pearl Jam show (not a festival). I remember the big storm that blew in a day or two before the show and mildly flooded missoula. I remember the merch booth was outside and I bought my first poster. I remember the cool hill behind the stadium where many people were watching (which I'm assuming they missed out on tickets). I remember they let a guy on stage to propose to his g/f. I remember there was a kid who jumped out of the seats and ran straight into the pit. The security guard was so pissed he didn't catch him, they he kept an eye on the kid and tackled him as soon as he left the pit.. lol. (it was reserved seating, GA floor). They played Pilate which was awesome because I spun the GTF single so many times before yield came out. I remember crowd surfing to yellow ledbetter and found my friend (who I hadn't seen since I ran into the pit during the opening song.. corduroy) and he was also surfing. Great way to end the show.
Why do I remember that show so much better than lolla. haha.
Denver 4-1-2003, who could forget that one. Loved the Eddie rant and Bu$hleager episode. My friend threw the "Weapon of Mass Illumination" from the upper deck that Eddie was referring to if you get a chance to hear the boot. Feel bad for the poor foolish souls that walked out on the band, the maybe 50 out of 15,000. Plus the best version of Black I have heard to date in my opinion, (not that I've even come close to hearing them all).
That was my second show. I had no clue about people being upset about Bu$hleaguer until I saw it on the news the next day. I took as Ed put the mask on the mic stand to sing to it and pour it some wine. Impaling Bush's head on a stake was the furthest thing from my mind when it happened.
My first show was in 98 at Fiddler's Green. Always hated that place. Long Road opener, Leaving Here, which was the one song I was hoping for since I'm a huge Who fan, and a post set Patriot.
Oh, it was great. I was down in Florida in March of '94, visiting parents, in-laws & friends. We went down to St. Pete @ the Bayfront Center & started looking for scalpers. My friend, living there knew to wait b/c they were asking $125 just for any seat. For some reason we were right by the box office when this older dude walked up to us & asked if wanted tickets. Of course !!! So, he tells us just get on this line right where we were standing & that they would be putting seats on sale for face value. There were @ 20 people ahead of us that were also lucky. We got seats on Stone's side of the stage, maybe 10 rows up from the floor.
St. Pete 3/29/1994
Jones Beach 8/24/2000
Uniondale 4/30/2003
New York 7/8/2003
New York 7/9/2003
New York 6/24/2008
New York 6/25/2008
New York 5/20/2010
New York 5/21/2010
Brooklyn 10/18/2013
Wrigley 8/22/2016
My first show was memorable in that it took us 6 hours to drive the 3 hours it was supposed to take. I lost my brother along the way who was riding up with someone else and had to walk in from the highway to the amphitheater venue due to the horrible traffic. This was before cell phones and I was his ride back after the show. How he managed to find me out on the lawn in all those GA attendees, I'll never know. He snuck up and threw his arms around me about 3 songs before the boys sang "Throw Your Arms Around Me"....dedicated to Eddie's brother who was there that night.
The only people we should try to get even with...
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Comments
Love boat captain
Take the reigns,.. steer us towards the clear.
M.Y.T.H. is
Belief in the game controls that keeps us in a box of fear
Biggest regret, bailing on seeing them at the Blind Pig in 91 - I'm an idiot! Trying to make up for lost time now!
2014 Cincy, Detroit, Moline, & Milwaukee
2015 Central Park
2016 Lexington, Ottawa, Toronto 1 & 2, Boston 1 & 2, Chicago 1 & 2
2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2018 Seattle 1 & 2, Missoula, Chicago 1
Front row, dead center. I was not prepared for that, and with my terrible 10C # (That has since lapsed!), still feel kinda guilty about it to this day.
2008 Tampa - 2013 Buffalo - 2016 Tampa - 2016 Fenway II
Audioslave 2005 MSG
Wish there was a bootleg or even a setlist for that night!
20 years ago today I had the great privilege of attending my 1st Pearl Jam show. What a night. We were sitting to the right of the stage in the lower level. We were the last row of the lower level, so, about half way up the small 9K seat arena. I remember looking down at that GA floor wishing so bad that I was down there but being so grateful to just be in the building!
I was just reading an article I had saved from the Plain Dealer on 2/18/94. The show was announced on that Friday at 5:30 and tickets went on sale at 6:00 and it sold out at 6:29. There was a 2 ticket minimum & obviously, there was no internet at that time.
On this wonderful anniversary of mine, I am listening to the bootleg of this show (even though it is a very poor quality & hard to listen to at times lol ) and maybe even throwing on my "Freak" shirt from the show.
I will try & post pictures of the articles I have and poster as soon as I figure out how to do it now on the new forum.
Anyone else on here at this show 20 years ago? It would be cool to hear some other stories!
SET 1
Release
Go
Animal
Dissident
Even Flow
Glorified G
I Won't Back Down
Daughter
Jeremy
Why Go
Alone
Oceans
State Of Love And Trust
Black
Blood
Alive
Porch
ENCORE 1
Rats
Rearviewmirror
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Leash
Rockin' In The Free World
Sheraton Gibson
Indifference
9/21/96 Toronto, ON
8/26/98 Cleveland, OH
5/09/10 Cleveland, OH
9/03/11 East Troy, WI PJ20
9/04/11 East Troy, WI PJ20
7/19/13 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
10/11/13 Pittsburgh, PA
10/12/13 Buffalo, NY
12/06/13 Seattle, WA
10/16/14 Detroit, MI
10/17/14 Moline, IL
8/20/16 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
8/22/16 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
Great show, loved hearing SOLAT for the first time. Can't wait for Leeds and MK
MEN Arena 20-21/06/12
Leeds 08/07/14
Milton Keynes 11/07/14
Mexico City 28/11/15
EV London 6-7/6/17
2014: Cincinnati
2015: Global Citizen Festival
2016: Philly 1, Philly 2, MSG 1, MSG 2, Fenway 1, Fenway 2, Wrigley 1, Wrigley 2
2017: Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Induction
2018: Krakow, Chicago 1, Chicago 2, Boston 1, Boston 2
Now if I had known then what I know now......didn;t even know about the New Regal show FUCKKKKKK, and I was still new to the live band and had scored in the lottery to the West Lafayette show at Purdue where I was at college....gave my tickets to my roommate and best friend so they could have a chance to see them (never again!) missed WASH and a bomb threat.
But with 95 came Soldier Field, Milwaukee, then the 96 cluster fuck which led to the priority list and front row center to Alpine 98.........man what a trip 20 pluse shows after the first.
http://youtu.be/KA0kD7MIBWc
2004: Boston (x2), Toledo, Grand Rapids
2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
2006: Toronto (x2), Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit
2008: New York City (x2), Hartford, Boston II
2010: Buffalo, Newark, New York City (x2), Nijmegen, Berlin, Werchter
2011: Alpine Valley I, Alpine Valley II, Montreal, Toronto (x2), Ottawa, Hamilton
2012: Amsterdam (x2), Berlin (x2)
2013: London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Brooklyn (x2)
2014: Detroit
2016: Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto (x2), Chicago (x2)
2018: Amsterdam (x2), Padua, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona
2022: San Diego, Los Angeles (x2), Oakland (x2), Fresno, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto
2023: Fort Worth (x2), Austin (x2)
2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD
2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
I will never forget being in that pit. Crazy!
I remember it very well, but it was the least memorable show I saw that week honestly. That's only because I had just seen Iron Maiden at MSG like 2-3 nights prior and again like a day later in Camden with the Powerslave stage set up and such a classic setlist and it was really hard to compete with that, especially with how obsessed I was with Maiden at that time. I definitely liked it a lot. Enough to get tickets to 3 out of 4 nights of the Spectrum shows (didn't get a ticket to the 30th till after the show on the 28th and was actually just given a ticket to that show for free by an unbelievably generous ten clubber), but it wasn't till the Philly 09 run that I became obsessed.
2009 - Philadelphia, PA x4
2010 - Newark, NJ, New York City, NY x2
2012 - Philadelphia, PA
2013 - Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA x2, Hartford, CT
2016 - Philadelphia, PA x2, New York City, NY 2, Fenway 2
Now days they're insanely good live of course.
livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446
1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
1996- Charleston, SC
1998- Atlanta, GA: Birmingham, AL: Greenville, SC: Knoxville, TN
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore
Wasn't a big fan at the time, but went with someone who was a PJ nut. Was in the pit just to the left of Ed and I thought I was going to die. The pit was packed in so tight, there was no space to move at my own free will. If people around me were jumping, I was jumping too. And for some reason, the only spot for my head was right by the shoulder of some middle-aged dude I didn't know, so I think I may have rested my head on his shoulder a few times during the show LOL.
Then we missed the last train back to London and slept in the train station in our soaking-wet clothes.
I think I loved most of the show, except the bits that I thought I was going to die! I definitely remember being mesmerized by Ed.
I've found 2 things re: how people remember concerts of a band they are very passionate about:
1) A week later, some people will remember every single detail; others will remember feelings and maybe some details; and others still will just remember "it rawked!" (or it didn't rawk).
2) 20 years later, fewer people will remember every detail but there are those that will; others will remember feelings and maybe some details; and still others will just remember that "it rawked!" (or it didn't rawk).
So in other words... "memorable-ness" is all in the eyes of the experiencer, and is also in their innate capacity to remember or not remember. There are shows I don't really remember hardly anything about that were brilliant and that others remember which songs were played, how they were played, things that were said, etc. Doesn't mean the show was or was not memorable, it's just all about the individual and their experience and memory.
All that said, I should look around for a boot of my first show 21 yrs ago, it would be cool to hear it. I guarantee you I'd feel like I wasn't even there, because I really just remember a few details but almost none of the music.
Soldier Field was not only my first PJ concert, but my first concert, period.
Changed my life, and now, 70 PJ shows later...
Posters for Sale: http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/117469/posters-for-sale
T-Shirts for Sale: http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/149289/pj-t-shirt-trade-or-sale
It was the January 15th, 1995 show at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., which was the second of those back-to-back "Voters for Choice" shows with Neil Young, L7, etc.
Remember, this was at a time when they were coming off the cancelled 94 tour and had just done the Self Pollution Radio broadcast the week before. The interest and demand for these shows were off the charts. You had to mail in postcards to enter a drawing for the right to buy a pair of tickets. I went to my post office the day of the deadline and bought the last 19 postcards they had on the rack and filled them out. A week or so later my mom calls me at work and tells me I got a phone call about it and was able to call someone back to secure a pair of tickets.
More remarkably, there was a friend of my family willing to drive me and my girlfriend the 3 1/2 hours or so to D.C. because she had friends up there. I didn't have my own car and had never driven to D.C. before so it was like all these things just fell into place.
There were hundreds of thousands of entries for these shows and people from all over the world were there. Tickets were being scalped for upwards of $1000 outside. Even though I had to pay $50 for 2 tickets, I knew I had won something huge.
Looking back on the show from a setlist perspective, given the timeframe it was a fairly standard set. Getting Release as my first song was incredible. Neil had to leave the venue as soon as his set with Crazy Horse ended so there was no "NeilJam" like the night before, but getting "Satan's Bed" in it's prime was nice.
The fact that there was a proper "unofficial" bootleg made of this show was awesome, and the whole show is on YouTube as well, even though it's not of the greatest quality. There is a cool clip at the end of the video showing the MTV News report on the show and what you had to do to get tickets.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sz0METOgjYA
I would love to know if anyone else on here was at either of these shows whether it was your first or not.
Why do I remember that show so much better than lolla. haha.
My first show was in 98 at Fiddler's Green. Always hated that place. Long Road opener, Leaving Here, which was the one song I was hoping for since I'm a huge Who fan, and a post set Patriot.
Jones Beach 8/24/2000
Uniondale 4/30/2003
New York 7/8/2003
New York 7/9/2003
New York 6/24/2008
New York 6/25/2008
New York 5/20/2010
New York 5/21/2010
Brooklyn 10/18/2013
Wrigley 8/22/2016
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.