Looking for a bootleg recommendation.

mcgruff10 said:

I just counted, I have 185 different shows on cd. I need more! lol

That's amazing, I'm lucky to have about 20! Once you really start collecting you always want more! Do you have all the 2013 and 2014?

Portland or Spokane 2013

EnjoyBeing said:

TamaDrummer91 said:

You'll have to let me know which one you pick. If you narrow it down to top 3, I may be able to help you choose even more precisely, if you wish. I may even have a review written for it.

After looking through the setlists and skimming the reviews (of these three shows) on your site, I narrowed it to :

Vienna 2014
Detroit 2014
Winnipeg 2011

Any further thoughts? Also, is the Spectrum box set worth picking up?

Thank you.

Good choices. I just finished Vienna 14 this morning so the review hasn't been posted yet. It's hard to rank those three because they are all great, but if I personally had to rank those three I would say my favorite would be Detroit 14, then Winnipeg 11 at a VERY close second, and then Vienna 14 not too far off. For me, Winnipeg 11 and Detroit 14 have similarities because they have such an energetic flow and energy. Vienna 14 is super tight performance wise, but the encores didnt quite match the super quality of the main set (even though they were good). For the best bang for your free download, I would also argue Detroit 14 would be the way to go because it has a little bit of everything: a rarity filled setlist, lots of energy, a brisk setlist flow from song to song, a good overall performance, Ed in a really good mood,and the boot sounds warm and thick. I watched the whole show on You Tube too, and it rocked. But, if you prefer the setlist of any of the other two, go with the set you prefer because none of these three will disappoint in my view.

I am in the minority on the Philly 2009/Spectrum boxset because I bought it and listened to it once and haven't since. I thought the shows were a bit too sloppy performance wise and the 2009 bootlegs just sound too harsh and thin to my ears. The guitars are mixed too low, lack body, and Matt is often far too loud. They are iconic shows though because of history, length, and how much the band seemed to have fun (especially Philly 4). I respect them for their place in PJ history and glad they exist, but I didnt find them to be exceptional live audio recordings. They would have made for a hell of a DVD set though.

23scidoo said:

Leeds 2014

Bingo. Or Milton Keynes. A TON of energy at those two shows...

hsohi said:

After checking out the website it seems Lincoln 2014 is the way to go.

If you're referring to the Last Exit website, then I believe Ian liked that one a lot. I thought it was a good boot but not on the same level as he thought. We approach boots a little differently sometimes, which is wonderful for the blog. It gives readers two different outlooks on various shows. Some may decide they are more in line with what Ian looks for in a boot, others may find my approach more in agreement with theirs. I love the various points of view and how individuals take boots in differently. I still say St Louis is my fav 2014 boot, then Detroit right behind it. Ian and I both liked St. Louis, so we had common ground on that one.

hsohi said:

Great website.

Thank you, hsohi. It's always great to hear feedback on the site. I really love collecting boots and writing up reviews for them. I'm glad it's been useful to many fans.

SVRDhand13 said:

I was there for Philly 4 and it was great. But I'd recommend another show I attended:

http://pearljam.com/goods/product_info.php?cPath=11_13&products_id=639

Yup, I agree that MSG 2 in 2010 is the best one available.
I would warn you against Moline 2014. It's a good setlist and the idea of No Code being played in its entirety is highly appealing, but the show is actually kind of a mess, unfortunately. I got talked into downloading it myself and I was pretty disappointed with the overall performance - I will never listen to that boot again. Once was enough.

hsohi said:

TamaDrummer91 said:

hsohi said:

Great website.

Thank you, hsohi. It's always great to hear feedback on the site. I really love collecting boots and writing up reviews for them. I'm glad it's been useful to many fans.

I couldn't find Buffalo 2013. I went to that show and left feeling that it was good but listening to the boot later I wasn't too impressed. Just wondering your thoughts on Buffalo 2013 since you have reviewed so many boots.

I was also at the Buffalo 2013 show and had similar feelings. Things kinda get off the rails as they try going into a bunch of heavy hitters, but then they dialed it back and it's not bad from there. Still was way more fun in person. The redeeming aspect of the boot is the immaculate Pendulum --> Low Light intro, but that's also in the Charlotte show.

Buffalo is one of the arguments I would make for including some arena echo / crowd noise in the mix, because pristine soundboard audio often loses a bunch of energy and every single flaw is telegraphed clearly. That and Ed has been doing so much crowd participation stuff lately.

PJ_Soul said:

SVRDhand13 said:

I was there for Philly 4 and it was great. But I'd recommend another show I attended:

http://pearljam.com/goods/product_info.php?cPath=11_13&products_id=639

Yup, I agree that MSG 2 in 2010 is the best one available.
I would warn you against Moline 2014. It's a good setlist and the idea of No Code being played in its entirety is highly appealing, but the show is actually kind of a mess, unfortunately. I got talked into downloading it myself and I was pretty disappointed with the overall performance - I will never listen to that boot again. Once was enough.

I had the same thoughts on Moline 2014 from a bootleg point of view; it doesn't hold up well performance wise.

on2legs said:

That bootleg review site is fantastic!

Thank you kindly! I appreciate it. I know Ian does too, he's written countless great reviews on the site. Brandon's reviews, while not as much in quantity, are top quality as well.

YLed2 said:

You guys are nuts. The Moline boot is fantastic and in my top 10.

Nuts, I tell you.

This!