Pearl Jam Mailed It In On Monday Night

mrpink90 · May 2016

Karts said:

rylan said:

Karts said:
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.

jordn6971 · May 2016

mrpink90 said:

Karts said:

rylan said:

Karts said:
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

derbydave · May 2016

Come Back in Black said:

derbydave said:

Lifted said:
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.

Pearl Jam also has 3 more studio albums than MMJ...
PLUS Lost Dogs which is practically 2 additional albums!!
MMJ has somewhere around 100 unique songs in their entire catalog,
and if my memory serves me correct,
other than the Eagles Of Death Metal benefit song,
they didn't do any covers on the 2015 tour at all!!
MMJ was also supporting their new album,
so of course they are going to be featuring the new songs in these shows!!
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!!

Lifted · May 2016

bootlegger10 said:
I took a look at MMJ's setlists from 2015. About ten shows. They averaged about 19 songs per show. They are a jam band so songs are longer.

Pearl Jam averages about 33 songs a night. Take away the ten repeats and you stil have more one off songs than MMJ plays in a night.

I would LOVE if Pearl Jam got more creative with their final encore though. They do have a huge traveling contingent and they have the songs to move around to move Alive to the first encore and Jeremy and Porch to the second encore every once in a while.

Ive seen MMJ over 30 times. Just to address some things that have been said in this discussion...MMJ is not a jam band, they extend some songs live, like Pearl Jam does, but it's all structured. If they were a jam band, it wouldn't be fair to compare the two, but they're not.

I can say having followed MMJ and PJ both for a long time that PJ mixes up their sets significantly better than MMJ, and it's not even close. BUT...and this is the reason I brought them up...for any multiple night stands at the same venue, MMJ always makes it a point to not repeat songs. Im just wondering why a band like Pearl Jam, who has a deeper catalog, and likely an equal percentage of fans attending multiple shows for the same venue, does not do this. They're certainly capable, and it's certainly a legitimate criticism by fans who are going to these shows.

Merkin Baller · May 2016

Philly 1 & 2 were amazing shows.

With that being said, I was a little surprised they did the extended version of RVM to close out a set both nights. I can't help but feel like that wouldn't have happened 5 or 6 years ago.

It is what it is, they still put on a kick ass show. I'm just not going to be trying to catch as many shows on future tours. This saturation point I've reached is as much on me as it is the band. (Probably more on me)

I'm looking forward to the two Fenway shows, and am not too concerned about what they play, but it definitely feels like they've changed their approach to writing setlists in recent years. (Which is 100% their prerogative)

BettrMan21 · May 2016

jordn6971 said:

Come Back in Black said:

jordn6971 said:
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.

CantKeepmedown · May 2016

Lifted said:

bootlegger10 said:
I took a look at MMJ's setlists from 2015. About ten shows. They averaged about 19 songs per show. They are a jam band so songs are longer.

Pearl Jam averages about 33 songs a night. Take away the ten repeats and you stil have more one off songs than MMJ plays in a night.

I would LOVE if Pearl Jam got more creative with their final encore though. They do have a huge traveling contingent and they have the songs to move around to move Alive to the first encore and Jeremy and Porch to the second encore every once in a while.
Ive seen MMJ over 30 times. Just to address some things that have been said in this discussion...MMJ is not a jam band, they extend some songs live, like Pearl Jam does, but it's all structured. If they were a jam band, it wouldn't be fair to compare the two, but they're not.

I can say having followed MMJ and PJ both for a long time that PJ mixes up their sets significantly better than MMJ, and it's not even close. BUT...and this is the reason I brought them up...for any multiple night stands at the same venue, MMJ always makes it a point to not repeat songs. Im just wondering why a band like Pearl Jam, who has a deeper catalog, and likely an equal percentage of fans attending multiple shows for the same venue, does not do this. They're certainly capable, and it's certainly a legitimate criticism by fans who are going to these shows.

I think it's a fair argument (repeats over 2 nights in the same city) but that percentage of fans is so small compared to the whole crowd, I don't think they are concerned about it. What percentage would you say were both at both Philly shows or MSG shows (as well as looking forward to Fenway and Wrigley)? Maybe 5%? 10%? There are a ton of casual fans going to one show who want to hear hits. Maybe they've come to terms with that (it seems so). But I just have a hard time criticizing a band that plays 30+ song/3+ hour sets every night. Long time fans have come to expect way too much. And maybe the band is partly to blame for that due to the bar that they've set over the years. It's really a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

jordn6971 · May 2016

BettrMan21 said:

jordn6971 said:

Come Back in Black said:

jordn6971 said:
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.

Lifted · May 2016

CantKeepmedown said:

Lifted said:

bootlegger10 said:
I took a look at MMJ's setlists from 2015. About ten shows. They averaged about 19 songs per show. They are a jam band so songs are longer.

Pearl Jam averages about 33 songs a night. Take away the ten repeats and you stil have more one off songs than MMJ plays in a night.

I would LOVE if Pearl Jam got more creative with their final encore though. They do have a huge traveling contingent and they have the songs to move around to move Alive to the first encore and Jeremy and Porch to the second encore every once in a while.
Ive seen MMJ over 30 times. Just to address some things that have been said in this discussion...MMJ is not a jam band, they extend some songs live, like Pearl Jam does, but it's all structured. If they were a jam band, it wouldn't be fair to compare the two, but they're not.

I can say having followed MMJ and PJ both for a long time that PJ mixes up their sets significantly better than MMJ, and it's not even close. BUT...and this is the reason I brought them up...for any multiple night stands at the same venue, MMJ always makes it a point to not repeat songs. Im just wondering why a band like Pearl Jam, who has a deeper catalog, and likely an equal percentage of fans attending multiple shows for the same venue, does not do this. They're certainly capable, and it's certainly a legitimate criticism by fans who are going to these shows.
I think it's a fair argument (repeats over 2 nights in the same city) but that percentage of fans is so small compared to the whole crowd, I don't think they are concerned about it. What percentage would you say were both at both Philly shows or MSG shows (as well as looking forward to Fenway and Wrigley)? Maybe 5%? 10%? There are a ton of casual fans going to one show who want to hear hits. Maybe they've come to terms with that (it seems so). But I just have a hard time criticizing a band that plays 30+ song/3+ hour sets every night. Long time fans have come to expect way too much. And maybe the band is partly to blame for that due to the bar that they've set over the years. It's really a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

I hear you. I see both sides of the argument. I just think PJ has a big enough catalog and enough hits to do a two night stand with zero repeats. Spread the hits out...

Night 1

Alive
Jeremy
Black
Small town
Evolution
Why go
Breath
Ledbetter
Release
I got shit

Night 2

Even flow
Corduroy
Betterman
Given to fly
Porch
Love and trust
Rearviewmirror
Leash
Daughter
Not for you

There's 20 songs i would consider crowd favorites/ hits. Dont see why it's not possible to play for the casual fan each night and not repeat any songs. It is.

Definitely the choice of the band, and that's fine. Shows are still great. But i think it's a fair criticism, and not in vein. The band often listens to the desires of the fans.

CantKeepmedown · May 2016

That would work too.

It'll be interesting to see how the Canadian shows play out.

derbydave · May 2016

CantKeepmedown said:
That would work too.

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!!

tbergs · May 2016

seanwon said:

Bdog10 said:
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!

jordn6971 · May 2016

tbergs said:

seanwon said:

Bdog10 said:
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!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO_7bbEPo-4

tbergs · May 2016

jordn6971 said:

tbergs said:

seanwon said:

Bdog10 said:
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!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO_7bbEPo-4

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.

Karts · May 2016

jordn6971 said:

mrpink90 said:

Karts said:

rylan said:

Karts said:
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.

tbergs · May 2016

jordn6971 said:

mrpink90 said:

Karts said:

rylan said:

Karts said:
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!

HesCalledDyer · May 2016

^I would love a two-night stand in Minnesota! Would give me a good reason to visit my friends again.

Hawk123 · May 2016

HesCalledDyer said:
^I would love a two-night stand in Minnesota! Would give me a good reason to visit my friends again.

Why bother, they just mail it in now anyways

moses562 · May 2016

MayDay10 said:
what is worse?

Mailing it in?

or

Phoning it in?

I think texting it in is worse!!

my2hands · May 2016

derbydave said:

Come Back in Black said:

derbydave said:

Lifted said:
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!!

Pearl Jam Mailed It In On Monday Night

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