*** Columbia, SC Fanviews Here 6/16/2008 ***

iseulde wrote:

I was back in Section 118, so I can't say this for sure, but I don't think that was the finger he was holding up.

i was pretty close, he flipped everybody off

NC_Irie wrote:

im sorry Debbie Downer, but were you at the same show as the rest of the Columbia fans?

nicely put El Kabong and Traces of Humanity. that was certainly a bitter post for such a sweet show.

Bitter my ass- try honest!! What if I dont have something good to say dont say it?? Or share my experiance? Sorry, I could have lied and told you what you wanted to hear, but I decided to be real. Where i was at the sond was distorted - however I was up high and as i stated it was not PJ but the sound system, and anyone in the 200 level right of stage that says the majority of people in those sections were not sitting on thier asses all night long were full of shit. Great set list and I cant wait for the bootleg.

you are wrote:

i was pretty close, he flipped everybody off

yeah he did!i got that part on vid.

inmytree wrote:

One of the best shows, if not the best, I've attended...

Ditto.

heres the link to the review in the free times here in columbia.

http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=11011801074507906&ShowArticle_ID=11021606084105498

Thought you guys might like to check out the pictures I took from the show. Let me know what you think. Also if anyone has one of the Black shirts in a Large or a white tour shirt in XXL let me know we can probably work something out. After I got finished taking pics I went to go buy one and they were all out. Here is the link
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=149942175&blogID=407394976

In my mind wrote:

I was a Pearl Jam virgin the morning of June 16th. The morning of June 17th, I slipped on my “trophy T” for the trip home…a feeble attempt at silently bragging about what I had been up to the night before.

Our tickets were 10 Club, 4th row Center. Not yet being a SuperFan…my sister told me about three times, “That’s Mike….Miiiiike McCreeeeeady” I think she was sick of me calling him “Blondie.” So – Blondie is a maniac and he was directly in front of me for the majority of the show. That kid was all over his corner of the stage, making eye contact with multiple people…me being one of them. At one point, I was listening…watching…watching him play, watching him stare at me…….I thought. He stayed right where he was, for 10 seconds or so…playing, standing, staring…so, I leaned over to my sister and screamed, “Is he looking at us? I swear…I think he’s looking at us!” So – I looked back at him…he was still there staring…standing…playing…and I started laughing because he is a bit insane acting. He smiled, nodded quick, and moved on to someone else. Amazing – Uhhhhhh-mazing. Not at his ability to stare…but at his love of the band’s fans and his obvious love of the game. AND – that wasn’t the only time that happened. He is hilarious and immensely talented…and loves to play with the crowd and stare people down…and throw picks and clothes…and point at people and mumble stuff…and smile at me.

Later, I got pegged in the head with Ament’s guitar pick. My sister saw it head towards me and immediately started patting me down like I was on fire. “WHERE IS IT?” I didn’t know what the world she was talking about. ..or what it was that hit me. “Jeff’s pick hit you in the HEAD! Is it in your hair? WHERE IS IT?” I stood there, flipping my dress around…shaking everything to get that pick to fall from wherever it was…with no luck. She’s been to dozens of shows around the world and has no pick to prove it. Poor thing.

Lucky for us, when we got back to the hotel, one shake of my purse had that pick appear on the bed. It’s hers now and she didn’t say no when I gave it to her. My memory, her well deserved pick.

I can’t sing along for very long, but I could tell the fan favorites when I would look at my sister. At the start some songs, she would jump and scream, and beam……wedding day beam….…and I stopped asking after awhile, “They don’t play this a lot, do they?”

She filled me in on the drive home about the temperament of the band at shows and how this show was different and how Eddie was playing with the crowd and how you could tell the band was having a “big time”... as they say down South.

Brilliant show.

I love this band. I love my trophy-T…and I don’t even mind, too much, the ringing in my left ear. However…can anyone enlighten as to when it will stop?

great review...this reminded me of the first time i sat on mike's side. he paused and pointed at me mid DTE...amazing and an unforgettable moment. thanks mike!

uscphoto1705 wrote:

Thought you guys might like to check out the pictures I took from the show. Let me know what you think. Also if anyone has one of the Black shirts in a Large or a white tour shirt in XXL let me know we can probably work something out. After I got finished taking pics I went to go buy one and they were all out. Here is the link
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=149942175&blogID=407394976

AWESOME!!!!

hobbes wrote:

here are some of my pictures. damn bastards wouldn't stop moving around! mostly mike and ed. jeff was always blurry and stone never came over towards me.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05579.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05578.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05577.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05539.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05550.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05557.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05559.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05560.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05515.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05516.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05526.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05528.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05531.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05503.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05504.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05505.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/qtullydoyle/DSC05513.jpg

those are some really good pics!! especially the one of ed sitting on the edge of the stage!

Ok, this is like 4 days later, so forgive me.

Let me start that I've loved PJ for many years, from the beginning when I was a senior in HS when TEN came out. And yes I was around through No Code, Yield, and all the others as progressively all my other friends lost interest.

The only other PJ show I'd been to was the debacle in Knoxville, TN, 9-6-98. I was blown away, despite the fact that the band obviously hated being there and their energy level was, i later found out, not up to par. I loved the show and left telling everyone the PJ was the best live band one could ever see, period. All this depsite the fact that while the set list was good the show just lacked a lot. So like someone else in this thread said, I'd been waiting 10 years to wash that taste away. I tried to make shows on both the 2000 and 2003 tours, and the VFC show in Asheville, only to be stifled by my now ex-wife. Needless to say, I'm much better off now.

We drove 4+ hrs from Johnson City, TN to Columbia, checked into our hotels, and made the trip to the venue. KOL sounded great, and the whole vibe was great.

Let me backtrack a minute. The girl I sometimes date and I were standing in front of our hotel waiting on my brother and his friend to pick us up. I'd planned on wearing my Yield/Given To Fly black t-shirt I'd bought in Knoxville, at the last second I told her "wait, i'm going back to the room to put my white adidas shirt on. I don't want any kind of vibe associated with Knoxville to permeate the Colonial Center tonight." She looked at me like I was crazy, and I probably was. But I ran back and changed anyway. (those on here and on the SPIN site with Zach know my fear of getting a sub-par show especially after the monumental show at Bonnaroo was just 2 days prior, which was the show I WANTED to go to but never could get a group together to go)

We check out souvenirs, beers, and get to our seats, which I'm not a 10C member (yet) so I was in section 104, row 25 (the top row) and seats 28-31, which were at the end of the aisle, perfect for my larger than average brother and his larger than average friend. The view was PERFECT. Definately worth stressing out at the computer on April 4, buying tix on the COlonial Center website (purchased at 10:04am, thank you).

I went back to the beer line once more hoping to beat PJ to the stage after KOL. I'm 3 people away, and I hear Can't Keep start. And to Olivia, my new friend from the beer line who had only been to 2 shows before this one (Greeneville 98- one night before my Knoxville show, and Asheville 04) it was great talking with you.

Can't Keep- I LOVE this song as an opener. Didn't get to see it, but could hear it very well, and it sounded great. Ed’s voice was very powerful and emotional. Mike was really nailing those fills.

Why Go- one thing I love about this band is how they lull you in with a slower tempo opener, then whack you over the head with a rocker, and tonight they did it with one that went all the way back to TEN. I made it to my seat just as Ed started singing. Crowd sounds great singing.

All Night- False start, which earns some applause. Then it starts and I’m like “SHIT!” and pogoing away. I saw this on the ‘Roo setlist and thought I wouldn’t get to see it. And of course I’d WANTED to go to ‘Roo, and spent Sunday and Monday thinking I’d missed my chance to see this rarity. Thanks for including it guys!

Hail, Hail- ALRIGHT!!!! One of my favorites of all time, and I’m loving it. Didn’t get to see this in Knoxville 10 years ago. “HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!!!!” with the clear sirens going off was awesome to see.

Ed: Good evening, we’ve never played here before, and it’s been what, 10 years since we last played in SC??? Well, I think we have a lot of catching up to do!

How ironic. The 10 years comment. Pretty much how I felt right then and there.

Sad- 5 for 5, no repeats from Knoxville. This song is quite personal to me, and there were parts that I was on the verge of tears. At this point, they could have repeated the Knoxville setlist song for song and I wouldn’t have complained after getting to see these 5 live, especially Sad.

Severed Hand- probably my favorite from the ‘Avocado’ album. My brother and I tried to guess which song would open the show, and I’d guessed this one. I was really hoping to hear it. Awesome, just awesome.

Red Mosquito- “This song is about being stuck in a room with an insect.” I remembered they played this in Knoxville too, but not like this, not with this kind of energy. And HOLY F*CK what a setlist up to this point!!!!!

I Am Mine- I was waving my arm back and forth the whole song, in time with the music. I was the only one I could see in this section doing it. Near the end Ed briefly stopped playing, looked directly into our section, and waved his right arm once in time with the music. I swear he was looking right at me. My brother somewhat agreed.

Even Flow- Mr. Mike McCready is a bad ass. I’ve been preaching this for over 10 years now, and wow, he continues to amaze.

Off He Goes- I know the song is about Ed and himself, but to me it always summed up my relationship with my best friend from high school, who as an over the road trucker is always here for awhile, then off he goes. A very personal song for me, and I can’t believe I got to see it finally. The line “At a quarter to 10…..” came at officially 9:42pm. I’m amazed at how they’re able to do this.

Small Town- the girl I attended the show with is a girl I dated in high school. We went to different high schools, and soon lost touch after the age of 19. We’re 34 now, and just “re-met” as we like to call it, almost 1 year ago exactly. When we went to Bele Chere in Asheville NC last July, we were in a bar after the Gin Blossoms concert and this song came on the system there, and I sang it to her in a drunken stupor, changing the line to ‘My God it’s been 14 years, never dreamed you’d return.” So I got to sing it to her again. J She said, “OMG, this is our song!” when it started.

Present Tense- 2nd time around with this one for me, saw it in Knoxville, and another of my all time faves.

Whipping- I remembered this one from Knoxville too. But this version kills that one. They are on FIRE tonight! And the crowd is rockin’.

I Got Shit- another intensely personal one for me. It’s now like they’re almost going down my all time favorites list of sings that have spoken to me at points in my life. Ed messed up the first bridge. I didn’t care. Thanks for even playing it!

Army Reserve- Did I mention my ex-wife is now married to a guy that’s in the Army Reserve, has been deployed once already and facing deployment again this September? For the rest of this comment, just read the first 2 lines of the above comment again.

Glorified G- I’m floored. I love this one.

Do the Evolution- yay! We got to do the dance! Stone’s solo ROCKED.

Ok, they took about a 10 minute break, we hoped they came back to play several more. I’m thinking the set list is at least as good as what I saw online thru the SPIN site Saturday night at ‘Roo.

Inside Job- At this point, I am now officially floored with the setlist. Insane.

Given to Fly- Intense.

Education- HAH!!!! How fitting being on the campus of Univ of South Carolina! Loved hearing this one. Ed is now very animated through all the songs and has been for some time. These guys are really having fun, have been all night, SOOOO much different vibe than Knoxville.

W.M.A. – I cannot believe I’m hearing this. It’s a request from the front row. And it kicks serious ass. Another one that I thought I wouldn’t get to see since I didn’t make it to ‘Roo. I’m out of my mind happy at this point.

Better Man- One of the classics. Great sing-a-long by us in the crowd. Ed even told us so!

Save You- My favorite from Riot Act. I’m speechless. I begin to think that I’ve went from watching a PJ show to witnessing something special

Porch- THEY

---

JAMMED

---

FOR

---

EVER

---

ON

---

THIS

---

ONE

Another break, I know at this point it’s gotta end soon, but I feel like I could keep watching at this insane pace forever. I’ve been standing at least 2 hours now dancing and singing. I’m covered with sweat, I barely have a voice left, and I don’t care because it’s all been too much fun.

Ed comes back out and talks about the war documentary. I know ‘No More’ is coming next. An anti-war song. I don’t share their/his point of view on these things. But I still applaud when he finishes his statements. At least we have a country where we can express these views and discuss these things, and I’ll applaud that any day.

No More- We asked them to please come play the south. They came. Ed asked us to help sing along. I did. Seems fair enough. It’s really a good song, and I applaud all they’ve done to help veterans. I put down my libertarian/conservative leanings, and gave them my voice.

Footsteps- another one from a very dark time in my life, and like Off He Goes, my interpretation is way different than what Ed intended the song to be about. Great rendition.

Alive- ah, the crowning moment! Yes, we’re all still alive! They jam out on this one for awhile too. Houselights come on near the end. Ed thanks us all….

“Stay in school, graduate, change the world! ………….Make lots of money! Give it all away!”

They leave the stage, my brother and his friend start to leave, I grab Zach and tell him, “wait, I think they’re coming back!” I can see into the backstage area below Mike’s side of the stage and Ed is talking with Jeff, and Jeff starts looking around, then grabs the stand-up bass. Ed’s already running back up the stairs to get on the stage….

Zach says, “Dammit Joshua, the house lights are on! No one ever comes back after the house lights go on. Would you….. (loud cheer goes up from the crowd) what the…..”

Indifference- ever since I’d bought the 1994 single series of the live concert from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta (back in 1994, which I still have to this day) I’d always hoped I’d get to attend a Pearl Jam show that closed like that one did: with the house lights on and the guys playing Indifference, with the crowd singing along. And yes, I did scream my lungs out until it filled that room.

Unreal. Best show I’ve ever seen. Better than any bootleg I’ve listened to (and I’ve heard MANY of them over the last 10 years), better than my high expectations, better than… well, maybe not that.

On the way out, I couldn’t help myself……
“Hey, aren’t you guys glad I left that damn Knoxville shirt back at the hotel?”