Hampton Horrible

serpent boy said:

You guys, it's ok for a show to be subpar. Last night just wasn't good for many of us.

I've seen Pearl Jam 17 times and this was probably the worst (though Camden '06 and the extended "Last Kiss" with the convicts was pretty bad).

Here are some reasons why it was a weak show:
1.) Ed was sloppy. He fucked up "Sleeping By Myself" a LOT. They restarted it twice because he fucked up AND forgot the lyrics. I'm positive he hit some wrong chords on Habit and at least one other song. I've watched all 5 prior shows this tour on Periscope and this was the sloppiest.

2.) The set list wasn't good. I'm not saying a greatest hits show is bad, but the pacing didn't work. "Long Road" is an awesome song, but it felt weird midset. Following it with "Wishlist" killed all momentum. Then "Sirens" followed and really brought the show to a halt.

3.) Some songs just don't work live. "Habit" is one of my favorites on album. Live, it sucks (the same applies to my favorite song "Evacation" which of course wasn't played). "Sleeping By Myself" isn't good live either. Add that to the weak set list pacing and you've got a dead crowd. Go back and watch Ed desperately trying to get the crowd going during "Sad" and "Lightning Bolt." It was the opposite of Charlottesville '13.

4.) The Raleigh timing upset a lot of people. I saw a few near fights break out over fans arguing about the cancellation. It put a damper on the mood. People booed when Ed JOKED about it. It was just a mess of a situation.

To be clear, there were some cool moments and even a bad Pearl Jam show is better than most concerts! The audible to "In My Tree" revived the show, and the band really gave it their all in the 2nd encore. I don't mean to upset anyone who had a fun time in my hometown last night; I'm just expressing how many of us felt.

I hear ya but for me the fuck up on SBM was hilarious and the way he handled it was pure class. I think that moment lightened up the mood and brought some humor to the situation. To each his own. When you rotate over 100 songs, mistakes will happen.

mrussel1 said:

EarlWelsh said:

I think the problem here is....what the fuck is a Hampton, Virginia?

It's part of Hampton Roads VA... You know the metro area that has 1.7MM people compared to 258k in Buffalo.

Oh, so people live there. Cool. You forgot to mention it's 10x the size of Buffalo.

I don't know, I thought Sleeping By Myself was sublime at Cincy 2014

The naysayers are on crack! This was a fantastic setlist full of some of their best songs. I, personally don't like the shows that get watered down with a lot of covers and obscure titles that bring the energy level down. I was at Denver 2014, which was an unbelievable show, but I remember "Of the Earth" and "Setting Forth" and some of the less popular "Lightning Bolt" tracks took the crowd down a notch. I know it's subjective. The hits and B-Sides tracks always create fire.

Jason

Zod said:

Not the worst setlist I've seen. Quite a few songs in the encore I'd like to hear. I imagine the cancellation impact both the bands/fans. I would guess moral and moods weren't at an all time high at the show. It would definitely impact the outcome.

First, we should have all been mentally prepared for this. I was. So when it came out, I figured we had to light it up tonight to make up. It didn't bring me down for the show. I thought it was great. Loved the arena. I was 12 heads back in the center and didn't have any sound issues. Lines were short, concourse was big,. I have zero complaints.

I have been following this board since 2013 which I know is not that long but there is a something that really annoys me with these fanview threads. Why does it bother people so much that someone didn't like a show that much? Did you love it? Great! That is what we all want when we go to a show. Saying that though you are not going to convince the disappointed people that it was better then they thought it was and they are not going to convince you that it was an average/shit show.(Is there even such a think with this band?) Also if you weren't at the show why are you arguing with people if it was bad or not? You can only read so much into a setlist and even using Periscope only gives us part of the picture.

Pearl Jam has a huge catalogue that allows for people to love this band for so many different reasons. Whats good for you may not be good for me and vice versa. If someone has been to 20 shows and thought one was average/bad to that sucks for them and only them. Maybe they are too picky/hard to impress or the show was just ok. Who cares you loved the show and their opinion should have zero influence on any of your fun. Enjoy the next show and stop worrying what everyone else thinks to validate your opinion!

HughFreakingDillon said:

it's funny what a pearl jam fan considers an average set compared to all other bands' fans on the planet. my second favourite band plays barely a 90 minute set, and plays nearly the same set from show to show. so yeah, I'd say most of PJ's sets are above average to me. LOL

It's all about where you set the bar.

The show was solid with some great moments for sure. The crowd was pretty terrible with some moments of greatness as well!!

Overall it was a good set. For those that went to Greenville I will say there were too many repeats. It was long and the bad gave a lot of energy though....so a fucking fantastic concert compared to many, but just a good Pearl jam show.

I went to Greenville, met Mike, and I still drooled a little at this setlist.

mrussel1 said:

63schoefflin said:

People here just want to justify to themselves that the show they were at was one of the best, lol. I've been to many shows that I expected to great and I have no problem saying it was forgettable if it really was. The great ones stand the test of time, the others just kind of fall by the wayside.

Your assumption here is that the show actually wasn't good, but the people who loved it only want to justify it; rather than the people who didn't like it were 'wrong', or more likely, it's a difference of opinion.

I do not think he is talking about this show in particular. He is right people come here to justify there views and if someone posts something that isn't aligned with theirs then there is drama.