It'll be interesting to see how the Canadian shows play out.
I'm expecting the Canadian shows to be heavier on the songs from Lightning Bolt... Pearl Jam hasn't played any shows in Eastern Canada supporting this album yet!!
Post edited by derbydave on
'96: Seattle: Key Arena '98: Seattle: Memorial Stadium 1 & 2 '00: Columbus: Polaris '03: Columbus: Germain '10: Columbus: Nationwide Arena '11: East Troy: Alpine Valley - PJ20 1 & 2 + EV Detroit '12: Missoula + EV Jacksonville 1 & 2 '13: Chicago / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / Seattle '14: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Memphis / Detroit / Moline '15: New York City - Global Citizen Festival '16: Greenville / Hampton / Raleigh / Columbia / Lexington / Ottawa / Toronto 1 & 2 / Wrigley 1 & 2 '17: Brooklyn - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony '18: London 1 & 2 / Seattle 1 & 2 / Missoula / Wrigley 1 '22: Nashville / St. Louis
Phish and Widespread Panic go on 4 night runs with not one single repeat. I'm so tired of hearing that argument "no other band". You are just simply wrong my friend! I've seen Phish 45 times in the past 5 years...including most of their MSG shows, and they sure as hell have more than 54% unique songs.
Right, but the downside is that you are listening to Phish......and Widespread Panic....
Phish and Widespread Panic go on 4 night runs with not one single repeat. I'm so tired of hearing that argument "no other band". You are just simply wrong my friend! I've seen Phish 45 times in the past 5 years...including most of their MSG shows, and they sure as hell have more than 54% unique songs.
Right, but the downside is that you are listening to Phish......and Widespread Panic....
LOL!
I can't stand phish but Have you listened to Widespread Panic at all they are amazing!
Phish and Widespread Panic go on 4 night runs with not one single repeat. I'm so tired of hearing that argument "no other band". You are just simply wrong my friend! I've seen Phish 45 times in the past 5 years...including most of their MSG shows, and they sure as hell have more than 54% unique songs.
Right, but the downside is that you are listening to Phish......and Widespread Panic....
LOL!
I can't stand phish but Have you listened to Widespread Panic at all they are amazing!
I think they are both great musical talents, but just not my taste. Not a band I would choose to listen to when I'm not listening to Pearl Jam. For me, it comes down to the singer and if I like the vocal delivery and sound.
At some point in the past 5 years, they simply stopped even trying to be relevant. They went from musicians to entertainers.
That's one of the dumbest things I've read. You must be entertained at least right? Haha
Yes, I was. Just watch the Garden DVD, the honesty in the delivery of the music, they illustrated a viewpoint to a congregation of believers. As Ed said "we felt like we have a job to do". 13 years later, that job is to entertain, and they do it fantastically.
The sincerity is long gone.
i agree 100% with this. ive been trying to put my finger on the difference in pearl jam live now and from 10-15 years ago. a pearl jam concert now is more of a celebration. eddie's talking alot and smiling and having fun, mike is pointing and running around the stage, you got these huge singalongs and much more crowd interaction than there ever was, and thats fine, thats what they are now, and at this stage in their career its inevitable that happens. BUT, its a completely different vibe than before.
i was watching the pinkpop show from 2000 and its like night and day from then and now. focused. intense. TIGHT. its all about the music and performing every song on fucking point. they didnt care about "entertaining" you, there were few smiles or jokes, they were there to kick your fucking ass with precision tight intense focused playing. every song was like a piledriver. thats not their intention when they step on stage anymore, and again thats fine, im not bashing them. id still rather see pearl jam live than just about anything else. tickets are harder to come by now because theyre a "mainstream" live band now, its not just us diehards that are filling up the arenas. you got the casual fans who wanna sing along and pump their fist to alive and even flow and elderly woman and better man, and at this point in their careers pearl jam is gonna give in to that. my sister is a casual fan, knows the hits, and if she went to a show where they didnt play those songs she'd think it sucked.
theres almost too much fan interaction. i wish theyd come onstage 1 nite and eddie would say "hello. good evening. im in a bad mood,i dont feel much like talking tonite, we're just gonna play", cuz thats what pretty much every pj show was their first 15-20 years.
Well said. Each show in itself is still amazing but going to multiple shows in a row has lost its appeal lately
I will give the band credit for not faking it, which is in the spirit of how they've always been. This is where they are now and while I may not relate to the live show anymore, it is what it is.
I do wish they would stop releasing music that further damages their sublime catalog, but that's my problem and I don't fault them for it. At least there are long gaps and they aren't hiring outside songwriters to write hits for them.
At some point in the past 5 years, they simply stopped even trying to be relevant. They went from musicians to entertainers.
That's one of the dumbest things I've read. You must be entertained at least right? Haha
Yes, I was. Just watch the Garden DVD, the honesty in the delivery of the music, they illustrated a viewpoint to a congregation of believers. As Ed said "we felt like we have a job to do". 13 years later, that job is to entertain, and they do it fantastically.
The sincerity is long gone.
i agree 100% with this. ive been trying to put my finger on the difference in pearl jam live now and from 10-15 years ago. a pearl jam concert now is more of a celebration. eddie's talking alot and smiling and having fun, mike is pointing and running around the stage, you got these huge singalongs and much more crowd interaction than there ever was, and thats fine, thats what they are now, and at this stage in their career its inevitable that happens. BUT, its a completely different vibe than before.
i was watching the pinkpop show from 2000 and its like night and day from then and now. focused. intense. TIGHT. its all about the music and performing every song on fucking point. they didnt care about "entertaining" you, there were few smiles or jokes, they were there to kick your fucking ass with precision tight intense focused playing. every song was like a piledriver. thats not their intention when they step on stage anymore, and again thats fine, im not bashing them. id still rather see pearl jam live than just about anything else. tickets are harder to come by now because theyre a "mainstream" live band now, its not just us diehards that are filling up the arenas. you got the casual fans who wanna sing along and pump their fist to alive and even flow and elderly woman and better man, and at this point in their careers pearl jam is gonna give in to that. my sister is a casual fan, knows the hits, and if she went to a show where they didnt play those songs she'd think it sucked.
theres almost too much fan interaction. i wish theyd come onstage 1 nite and eddie would say "hello. good evening. im in a bad mood,i dont feel much like talking tonite, we're just gonna play", cuz thats what pretty much every pj show was their first 15-20 years.
Well said. Each show in itself is still amazing but going to multiple shows in a row has lost its appeal lately
I think this is a very good point. The band has changed their live performance style with each decade that passes based on where they are at in their lives. I would be concerned if Ed still found stage diving and moshing to be a good idea. The band has to keep working on ways to improv or ratchet up their playing and Ed has to keep working on how to modify his range to still sing the songs he did with ease 20 years ago. I mean, it almost seemed like he was done in 95 when his voice was shredded most nights. I loved the precision of some of those 2000 shows, but there were still tech errors and lyric issues (off the top of my head - Soon Forget, Evacuation, Corduroy, Immortality) when you listen to them and they definitely didn't always deliver the songs with intense energy or punch. That also happened in 2003, 2006, 2010 and even today. I would argue that there is a stronger more consistent energetic delivery with the tours post 2010 which equate to "tight" performances and amazing energy.
The problem with a rock band like Pearl Jam is that there is almost no one else to compare them to at this point who's truly in their position. I loved Soundgarden, AIC, STP; hell I'll even add GNR to the list, but they all became defunct, lost members or became hybrid bands. How many rock acts make it past 10 years as a complete band, nonetheless 25(!) and still kick your ass live and could literally surprise you with any song from their catalog? I hate to see my favorite band keep aging, knowing that any day could be the last, but it's still an amazing experience live.
At this point I still feel like you never know what you're gonna get on any given night besides a certain 5 - 10 songs. I went to a U2 concert years ago and they opened and closed with the same song! It was still a great time, but c'mon.
The day Pearl Jam opens and closes a concert with Release, then maybe, maybe, I'll reconsider my stance. I just can't believe people question the passion or intensity of this band live. Whether Ed is angry, happy or hard charging a political agenda, the music still comes across raw and emotional.
I'll close on one last thing (more of a request) - Pearl Jam please come back to Minnesota and give us a back to back show. We love you here!
I dont think MMJ or Wilco would play multiple nights at the same venue and do as many repeats as PJ just did...but then again, show to show, i think PJ plays a better variety than MMJ. So theres that...
Im in the camp that thinks PJ does a great job mixing up sets considering the type of band they are, but Im agreeing with people who say their set choices at msg this year were a failure even if the shows weren't.
I know it's off topic, but felt like this needed to be said... NO ONE mixes up their setlists better than My Morning Jacket... especially when they are doing more than one show in the same city!! MMJ did a 4 show run at The Beacon last year around Thanksgiving, and I'm pretty sure they didn't repeat a single song... and they were promoting a new album!!! There were also 3 back to back nights in Chicago without repeats. I saw multiple shows in Detroit, Columbus & Minneapolis last year, and they didn't repeat a single song!!
First I'll say MMJ is great. 2nd I'll say we all know Pearl Jam is a big influence on why MMJ mix it up the way they do so respect should be given to PJ for being one of their mentors. Lastly I'll say according to setlist.FM MMJ only has 4 shows so far in 2016 so lets look at 2015. MMJ had 83 shows and played 111 unique songs over that time. So far in 2016 Pearl Jam has 13 shows and has played 134 unique songs. Drops mic.
I can say this with confidence... when you go to a MMJ show, you have absolutely no idea what songs will be played during their show, You can't really say that about a PJ show at this point in time!!
Eddie needing a handle and platform to stand on so he could swing on those lightning bolt orbs was always hilarious to me.
Now your trolling. Why are you even here? It sucks you are not a fan anymore. It's run it's course for you. You aren't getting anything out of it anymore. Best to just move on.
Bullshit I love their music still as much as anyone here. I'm just not happy with the live shows lately. The previous post was about how they are just out there to entertain. There is no spontaneity in swinging from that orb when they attatch a handle to it. Very lame.
Ed's also 50. That's much different than 30. And he's a father. I commend him for still wanting to do some onstage tricks. However, speaking as a 38 year old father, I commend him more for doing so much more safely.
It was cool the first time but then he started doing it every night.
Eddie swinging on the globe seemed forced and cheesey to me. 100% glad he stopped
What I will say is that, personally, I'm sort of over going to shows really hoping to hear a sloppy ill-conceived version of some fucked-up B-side.
See that's not fair either though. Sometimes, Insignificance, Grievance, Unemployable and Force of Nature aren't "fucked up B-sides". They are top tier PJ originals. None played in 2016 so far.
Statistically MSG2 was not a low rarities show. These are the facts: www.livefootsteps.org/setlist/?show_id=998
I don't need statistics or analytics to break down a set list for me... I personally am glad I decided not to go to MSG 2 after seeing the set list, outside of an amazing appearance by Cheap Trick and a brief cameo by Sting, I love Driven to Tears by the way, I had absolutely zero regrets skipping the show when I saw the set list because of the heavy amount of repeated "hits"
People literally came from all over the world for these two MSG shows, to think there was not a large portion of die-hard fans in the building for both shows is a mistake... I think they are capable of mixing it up better than they did at MSG... they have an amazing catalog of songs and frankly I don't give a shit about the casual fan or the crowd's reaction to an unknown song... I know when I went to my first show I loved the rarities as much as the hits, and as a matter of fact knowing they sprinkled in rarities and mixed sets is probably the reason I wanted to go back the next night, and three days later, and the next year, and every year since 2003...
I completely understand the need to make sure it is a great show for everyone from the casual fan to the diehard fan, from the people in the front to the people all the way in the back in the top of the arena, but I think they could pull that off without using so many repeated songs... Maybe that is me having too much confidence in the best band on the planet? Maybe that is me just loving their entire catalog, especially some of the songs that are rarely or never played... Personally I think most of their best songs are NOT the hits...
To be completely honest I am now not going to add Fenway 2 to my trip to Boston because frankly I can see that they are going to cater to a lot of casual fans and will again repeat many of the hits for both nights, especially since they are two nights apart... So for me it is not worth the cost of adding the 2nd show
This does not mean they are not the best band on the planet, they are absolutely the best band on the f****** planet... I also believe they are the best live band on the planet without question... In my opinion they also have the best catalog of any band on the planet and I would like them to celebrate the entire catalog, not just the hits from the 90s... especially at back-to-back shows at such a special Arena where so many people traveled from far and wide
Statistically MSG2 was not a low rarities show. These are the facts: www.livefootsteps.org/setlist/?show_id=998
I don't need statistics or analytics to break down a set list for me... I personally am glad I decided not to go to MSG 2 after seeing the set list, outside of an amazing appearance by Cheap Trick and a brief Cameo by Sting, I love Driven to Tears by the way, I had absolutely zero regrets skipping the show when I saw the set list because of the heavy amount of repeated "hits"
People literally came from all over the world for these two MSG shows, to think there was not a large portion of die-hard fans in the building for both shows is a mistake... I think they are capable of mixing it up better than they did at MSG... they have an amazing catalog of songs and frankly I don't give a shit about the casual fan or the crowd's reaction to an unknown song... I know when I went to my first show I loved the rarities as much as the hits, and as a matter of fact knowing they sprinkled in rarities and mixed sets is probably the reason I wanted to go back the next night, and three days later, and the next year, and every year since 2003...
I completely understand the need to make sure it is a great show for everyone from the casual fan to the diehard fan, from the people in the front to the people all the way in the back in the top of the arena, but I think they could pull that off without using so many repeated songs... Maybe that is me having too much confidence in the best band on the planet? Maybe that is me just loving their entire catalog, especially some of the songs that are rarely or never played... Personally I think most of their best songs are NOT the hits...
To be completely honest I am now not going to add Fenway 2 to my trip to Boston because frankly I can see that they are going to cater to a lot of casual fans and will again repeat many of the hits for both nights, especially since they are two nights apart... So for me it is not worth the cost of adding the 2nd show
This does not mean they are not the best band on the planet, they are absolutely the best band on the f****** planet... I also believe they are the best live band on the planet without question... In my opinion they also have the best catalogue of any band on the planet and I would like them to celebrate the entire catalog, not just the hits from the 90s... especially at back-to-back shows at such a special Arena where so many people traveled from far and wide
Well said unlike most of the posts with a similar idea that just come off as condescending. I , however, would have been bummed if I missed night 2. Garden, Deep, leash, man trilogy, present tense, breath. All up there for me.
Quebec City setlist should've been MSG2. It also has 11 songs in common with MSG1 (the same ones that MSG2 has with MSG1) but it feels so much more different and fresher! What a difference including songs from "ignored" albums can make!!!
Binaural > Vs > No Code > Yield = Riot Act > Vitalogy > Ten > Pearl Jam > Dark Matter > Gigaton > Lightning Bolt > Backspacer
Statistically MSG2 was not a low rarities show. These are the facts: www.livefootsteps.org/setlist/?show_id=998
I don't need statistics or analytics to break down a set list for me... I personally am glad I decided not to go to MSG 2 after seeing the set list, outside of an amazing appearance by Cheap Trick and a brief Cameo by Sting, I love Driven to Tears by the way, I had absolutely zero regrets skipping the show when I saw the set list because of the heavy amount of repeated "hits"
People literally came from all over the world for these two MSG shows, to think there was not a large portion of die-hard fans in the building for both shows is a mistake... I think they are capable of mixing it up better than they did at MSG... they have an amazing catalog of songs and frankly I don't give a shit about the casual fan or the crowd's reaction to an unknown song... I know when I went to my first show I loved the rarities as much as the hits, and as a matter of fact knowing they sprinkled in rarities and mixed sets is probably the reason I wanted to go back the next night, and three days later, and the next year, and every year since 2003...
I completely understand the need to make sure it is a great show for everyone from the casual fan to the diehard fan, from the people in the front to the people all the way in the back in the top of the arena, but I think they could pull that off without using so many repeated songs... Maybe that is me having too much confidence in the best band on the planet? Maybe that is me just loving their entire catalog, especially some of the songs that are rarely or never played... Personally I think most of their best songs are NOT the hits...
To be completely honest I am now not going to add Fenway 2 to my trip to Boston because frankly I can see that they are going to cater to a lot of casual fans and will again repeat many of the hits for both nights, especially since they are two nights apart... So for me it is not worth the cost of adding the 2nd show
This does not mean they are not the best band on the planet, they are absolutely the best band on the f****** planet... I also believe they are the best live band on the planet without question... In my opinion they also have the best catalogue of any band on the planet and I would like them to celebrate the entire catalog, not just the hits from the 90s... especially at back-to-back shows at such a special Arena where so many people traveled from far and wide
I , however, would have been bummed if I missed night 2. Garden, Deep, leash, man trilogy, present tense, breath. All up there for me.
I agree that there were some great gems at MSG 2, which would be a completely amazing stand alone show, especially with the guest appearances on the great covers... but because I was in the building the night before I would have been disappointed to hear 11 repeats 24 hours later in the same building, 8 of which were in the 1st set (I REALLY don't understand that)... especially with the cost and effort of going to NYC for 2 shows... I can just imagine myself standing there in the 1st set being underwhelmed hearing so many repeats from just 24 hours before...
the other problem I have with all of the repeats, 9 of them were all written 18 years ago or longer... which reeks of a nostalgia act to me, and I NEVER want PJ to settle into being a nostalgia act... they have written some amazing songs since 1998 and I don't think they need to be largely ignored just because those albums didn't sell 5 million copies and the drunk guy in the top level wont know them... maybe some fans are happy to move into the nostalgia years and want to hear the same 15 hits written 20 years ago every night, but that is definitely not me at this point...
I can now assume with confidence that 90% of the songs below will be repeated at both nights for Fenway & Wrigley... while at the same time almost completely ignoring No Code, Binaural, Riot Act, Avocado, and Backspacer... which is fine, i love those old songs, I just think they continued to write great songs after 1998 and would love to hear them...
Alive Even Flow Jeremy Black Porch Small Town Rearviewmirror Daughter Corduroy Betterman Given To Fly Do The Evolution Mind Your Manners Lightning Bolt
Glad I didn't go to these shows either. Did Philly instead and very happy about it.
Awesome. I hope these last 2 shows got rid of a lot of people who would go to the garden. It'll make it easier to get tickets.
As long as scalpers are still at it, a big market city like that will still be tough.... Sadly.
Sadly you're correct. It's a shame but something that'll probably never go away. It seems every other show , including Philly, dropped in price as the the date got closer. MSG went up! Ridiculous. Just lucky I scored on TM and 10c.
I agree with the OP to an extent. I wasn't at the shiw, but did watch it on periscope. About 10 songs in I thought, this seems to be a greatest hits show. But you know something, im ok with it I wouldn't say they mailed it in. Even though we've heard solat 1000 times, I still get psyched every time I hear it.
will myself to find a home, a home within myself we will find a way, we will find our place
I do get what people are saying. Grievance, habit, insignificance, comfortably numb, and Blood would have been preferable over Jeremy and friends. No doubt. You would think that a 2-show 'set' like this may be treated as one huge show in a way. Especially without an album or singles fresh on the airwaves and shelves.
To add, MSG has a certain majesty for PJ shows (most of which is undue hype IMO) and people's expectations are off the charts... especially coming off the Tensylvania 2 show. I admit, walking in, I was expecting an 'historic' night in store for MSG II.
But, with that said, you just never know. They hold things back, then bring them out. Sometimes you get a great show in a random place (Moline, Charlottesville, Quebec City), a great show where expected (Boston 2010, Philly 2), and sometimes shows are just 'average' (in the scale of PJ) There was a time Riot Act was panned by many fans, now it is considered a dark, awesome pocket of tracks. I used to hate cropduster. Now I love it. Insignificance was played at many shows and taken for granted. Now it would blow the roof off. Leash was begged for many years, then became 'common'... and now basically a 'secondary' song played somewhat frequently. If every single show was amazing (by our standards), then nothing would really be.
At MSG 2, I made a bunch of new friends and created memories that will last a lifetime (not even being corny, for real). I enjoyed the concert while it was happening... We also got a few 'signature' moments with the special guests that the show will always stand out by. It was awesome, I enjoyed it, and i realize that there is a finite number of times I will be able to do this again (could even be the last you never know). Those were the songs the band played. Maybe they wanted to, maybe they picked it out of a hat, maybe they let Dennis Rodman create the set list. I dont know, but its nothing I control.
was there a lot of sing alongs at MSG2? I thought I read somewhere that his voice wasn't the greatest, maybe they wrote in the singalongs to "rest" this voice?
No complaints about msg shows, sure I wish they played some different songs. But for sure overall both philly shows blew both msg shows out of the water
No question that MSG2 wasn't the setlist of my dreams (damn you Quebec City ) but I would not have traded the shows for the world. MSG2 gave us the ultimate fan moment, the stuff we all dream about. It was the culmination of so many years of being a loyal fan and even though it did not happen to me, the moment was still every bit as glorious. I tear up with joy every time I look at this picture. I'm sure most of you have already seen it but I'm going to post it again. Because I can and because every Pearl Jam fan needs to see it.
Comments
Pearl Jam hasn't played any shows in Eastern Canada supporting this album yet!!
'98: Seattle: Memorial Stadium 1 & 2
'00: Columbus: Polaris
'03: Columbus: Germain
'10: Columbus: Nationwide Arena
'11: East Troy: Alpine Valley - PJ20 1 & 2 + EV Detroit
'12: Missoula + EV Jacksonville 1 & 2
'13: Chicago / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / Seattle
'14: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Memphis / Detroit / Moline
'15: New York City - Global Citizen Festival
'16: Greenville / Hampton / Raleigh / Columbia / Lexington / Ottawa / Toronto 1 & 2 / Wrigley 1 & 2
'17: Brooklyn - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
'18: London 1 & 2 / Seattle 1 & 2 / Missoula / Wrigley 1
'22: Nashville / St. Louis
http://www.livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=170
I do wish they would stop releasing music that further damages their sublime catalog, but that's my problem and I don't fault them for it. At least there are long gaps and they aren't hiring outside songwriters to write hits for them.
The problem with a rock band like Pearl Jam is that there is almost no one else to compare them to at this point who's truly in their position. I loved Soundgarden, AIC, STP; hell I'll even add GNR to the list, but they all became defunct, lost members or became hybrid bands. How many rock acts make it past 10 years as a complete band, nonetheless 25(!) and still kick your ass live and could literally surprise you with any song from their catalog? I hate to see my favorite band keep aging, knowing that any day could be the last, but it's still an amazing experience live.
At this point I still feel like you never know what you're gonna get on any given night besides a certain 5 - 10 songs. I went to a U2 concert years ago and they opened and closed with the same song! It was still a great time, but c'mon.
The day Pearl Jam opens and closes a concert with Release, then maybe, maybe, I'll reconsider my stance. I just can't believe people question the passion or intensity of this band live. Whether Ed is angry, happy or hard charging a political agenda, the music still comes across raw and emotional.
I'll close on one last thing (more of a request) - Pearl Jam please come back to Minnesota and give us a back to back show. We love you here!
People literally came from all over the world for these two MSG shows, to think there was not a large portion of die-hard fans in the building for both shows is a mistake... I think they are capable of mixing it up better than they did at MSG... they have an amazing catalog of songs and frankly I don't give a shit about the casual fan or the crowd's reaction to an unknown song... I know when I went to my first show I loved the rarities as much as the hits, and as a matter of fact knowing they sprinkled in rarities and mixed sets is probably the reason I wanted to go back the next night, and three days later, and the next year, and every year since 2003...
I completely understand the need to make sure it is a great show for everyone from the casual fan to the diehard fan, from the people in the front to the people all the way in the back in the top of the arena, but I think they could pull that off without using so many repeated songs... Maybe that is me having too much confidence in the best band on the planet? Maybe that is me just loving their entire catalog, especially some of the songs that are rarely or never played... Personally I think most of their best songs are NOT the hits...
To be completely honest I am now not going to add Fenway 2 to my trip to Boston because frankly I can see that they are going to cater to a lot of casual fans and will again repeat many of the hits for both nights, especially since they are two nights apart... So for me it is not worth the cost of adding the 2nd show
This does not mean they are not the best band on the planet, they are absolutely the best band on the f****** planet... I also believe they are the best live band on the planet without question... In my opinion they also have the best catalog of any band on the planet and I would like them to celebrate the entire catalog, not just the hits from the 90s... especially at back-to-back shows at such a special Arena where so many people traveled from far and wide
What a difference including songs from "ignored" albums can make!!!
the other problem I have with all of the repeats, 9 of them were all written 18 years ago or longer... which reeks of a nostalgia act to me, and I NEVER want PJ to settle into being a nostalgia act... they have written some amazing songs since 1998 and I don't think they need to be largely ignored just because those albums didn't sell 5 million copies and the drunk guy in the top level wont know them... maybe some fans are happy to move into the nostalgia years and want to hear the same 15 hits written 20 years ago every night, but that is definitely not me at this point...
I can now assume with confidence that 90% of the songs below will be repeated at both nights for Fenway & Wrigley... while at the same time almost completely ignoring No Code, Binaural, Riot Act, Avocado, and Backspacer... which is fine, i love those old songs, I just think they continued to write great songs after 1998 and would love to hear them...
Alive
Even Flow
Jeremy
Black
Porch
Small Town
Rearviewmirror
Daughter
Corduroy
Betterman
Given To Fly
Do The Evolution
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
we will find a way, we will find our place
To add, MSG has a certain majesty for PJ shows (most of which is undue hype IMO) and people's expectations are off the charts... especially coming off the Tensylvania 2 show. I admit, walking in, I was expecting an 'historic' night in store for MSG II.
But, with that said, you just never know. They hold things back, then bring them out. Sometimes you get a great show in a random place (Moline, Charlottesville, Quebec City), a great show where expected (Boston 2010, Philly 2), and sometimes shows are just 'average' (in the scale of PJ) There was a time Riot Act was panned by many fans, now it is considered a dark, awesome pocket of tracks. I used to hate cropduster. Now I love it. Insignificance was played at many shows and taken for granted. Now it would blow the roof off. Leash was begged for many years, then became 'common'... and now basically a 'secondary' song played somewhat frequently. If every single show was amazing (by our standards), then nothing would really be.
At MSG 2, I made a bunch of new friends and created memories that will last a lifetime (not even being corny, for real). I enjoyed the concert while it was happening... We also got a few 'signature' moments with the special guests that the show will always stand out by. It was awesome, I enjoyed it, and i realize that there is a finite number of times I will be able to do this again (could even be the last you never know). Those were the songs the band played. Maybe they wanted to, maybe they picked it out of a hat, maybe they let Dennis Rodman create the set list. I dont know, but its nothing I control.