Booing Bushleaguer

josevolution · June 2006

Gone Stossard wrote:

I was at the show at Nassau and believe me when I say that it was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life...people who were singing all night were suddenly giving Eddie the finger and getting so pissed it was scary. Some folks up and left. The rationale that I gave it then was that it was too close to 9/11 and that the crowd was too affected and equated Bush bashing with America bashing. Now..3 years later, to hear that people booed again when Eddie mentioned Bushleaguer is just stunning to me. I was under the impression that most Pearl Jam fans were pretty liberal and 3 years later could identify and understand Eddie's point and would applaud him for taking a stand. It is kind of like being at a Dead show and having Jerry Garcia talk about smoking weed and taking LSD and having the crowd boo...I mean, WTF!
Thank God that you all feel the same way...I was getting nervous!

SO WOULDN'T YOU THINK AFTER THAT SHOW ED PROBABLY SAID NO MORE LONG ISLAND SHOWS ? THAT'S THE WAY I READ HIS EXPRESSIONS AT THE END SLAMING THE MIKE STAND .I SAT 6TH ROW DEAD CENTER BY THE WAY THE SET LIST FROM THAT NIGHT ROCKED UNTILL BUSHLEAGUER.

Pellet Gun · June 2006

I totally agree that it's dumb people booed "Bushleaguer"! It's not the best PJ song in the world, but people need to understand that Bush has totally screwed our country over. That's just my opinion right there...

josevolution · June 2006

wfdcapt wrote:

agreed, and I am a Republican and I booed last night and if asked again Saturday I will boo again.

YEAH THANKS FOR THE BUSHSHIT WE HAVE REPRESENTING US TO THE WHOLE WORLD.I'D RATHER SEE PEARL JAM IN RUSSIA THAN TO SIT AT NASSAU WITH A BUNCH OF REPUBLICAN ASSHOLES.

SpinMeRound · June 2006

Gone Stossard wrote:

I was at the show at Nassau and believe me when I say that it was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life...people who were singing all night were suddenly giving Eddie the finger and getting so pissed it was scary. Some folks up and left. The rationale that I gave it then was that it was too close to 9/11 and that the crowd was too affected and equated Bush bashing with America bashing. Now..3 years later, to hear that people booed again when Eddie mentioned Bushleaguer is just stunning to me. I was under the impression that most Pearl Jam fans were pretty liberal and 3 years later could identify and understand Eddie's point and would applaud him for taking a stand. It is kind of like being at a Dead show and having Jerry Garcia talk about smoking weed and taking LSD and having the crowd boo...I mean, WTF!
Thank God that you all feel the same way...I was getting nervous!

Taking a stand? Are you kidding me? So should I applaud Tim Robbins, George Clooney, Sean Penn, etc. for "taking a stand" every time they accept an award on stage and turn it into a political forum.

For me, personally, I don't want to hear the song because there are so many other songs that I like better that they never play live. I also feel like it insults my intelligence when Ed or anyone else tries to push their political beliefs on me because I happen to be a fan of their craft. I can make my own decisions about politics...what I cannot do is make awesome music with poetic lyrics. Pearl Jam is my outlet for that. Yes, they have every right to play any song they want. However, if Ed is going to go out of his way to ask the crowd if they want it, then he's going to meet some dissent. If he can't handle it, then he truly doesn't practice what he preaches about being accepting of other's views and the positives of healthy debate etc.

Play f'n Dirty Frank or Fatal instead. Believe me...you'll get nothing but cheers.

Flagg · June 2006

I don't care what he plays, as long as he plays it down here.

I promise I won't boo! Not that I would boo anyway.

Pearl Jam and toast · June 2006

might it have just been the crowd playing around with Ed?

'ed asked us to boo, that'll be fun" type thing?

i dunno,... the way he said it makes everything and i haven't heard it.

pjalli · June 2006

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

might it have just been the crowd playing around with Ed?

'ed asked us to boo, that'll be fun" type thing?

i dunno,... the way he said it makes everything and i haven't heard it.

no, from my perspective the crowd was intentionally booing the song, which i thought was quite shocking. and depressing really, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

pjl44 · June 2006

What's with the notion that if you don't support Bush, you should embrace this song? There's a lot of free-thinkers that don't have LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE stamped on their forehead. While I don't support Bush, the Bush-bashing is unproductive and infuriatingly moronic.

Unless we choose to be FOR someone in 2008, we're going to wind up with another dope, be it Democrat or Republican. Not all Republicans are evil, not all Democrats are pussies.

liesandsays · June 2006

come on the problem is too many newbie fans who do not understand the band.. they think it is just hip to see them.. and then they get pissed at their politics during the show... anyone who has been to a lot of shows knows they will hear their side of politics

elevation622 · June 2006

I keep reading the words: disgusting, shocking, frustrating when it comes to Booing a crap song? I spent money at the show, I"m in an audience, I've got the right to boo something I don't like, just as PJ has a right to play what they want, but the main reason is:
People, THE SONG SUCKS!!!!!! WWS covers all the angles 1000% better than bushleager, is better written, performed and it fucking rocks. I find it more scathing than "born on third thinks he got a triple, he's a bushleaguer" THe lyrics are AWFUL! They're EMBARRASSING!!!!
I don't like Bush as president, I think he's the worst, I'd even call him 'evil' but I booed last night too, cos I think music should unite the people, not divide them(I'm the DECIDER!). And Ed keeps saying its a discussion, a debate? Then pass the fucking mic to everybody else. I respect PJ's politics, I know I'm gonna hear ramblings but THE SONG BLOWS! Play fucking Who You Are so I can sing and dance with whoever the fuck is next to me, Republican, Democrat, whatever the fuck. Enough with the CRAP song that pisses people off at a fucking CONCERT! not a debate.

pjalli · June 2006

pjl44 wrote:

What's with the notion that if you don't support Bush, you should embrace this song? There's a lot of free-thinkers that don't have LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE stamped on their forehead. While I don't support Bush, the Bush-bashing is unproductive and infuriatingly moronic.

Completely agree with the notion that you don't have to love the song just b/c you don't support Bush, but i think there's quite a difference between "not embracing" a song and actually booing the mere mention of it. At Irving, when given the chance to choose b/w SOLAT and Betterman, the crowd clearly cheered more for SOLAT, but certainly didn't boo Betterman. I guess that's a long way of saying that the people booing last night were most likely Bush supporters. And whether those people were Republicans or Libertarians or whatever, I'm surprised there were so many in that arena, just outside of NYC, with that perspective.

grjammer · June 2006

elevation622 wrote:

I keep reading the words: disgusting, shocking, frustrating when it comes to Booing a crap song? I spent money at the show, I"m in an audience, I've got the right to boo something I don't like, just as PJ has a right to play what they want, but the main reason is:
People, THE SONG SUCKS!!!!!! WWS covers all the angles 1000% better than bushleager, is better written, performed and it fucking rocks. I find it more scathing than "born on third thinks he got a triple, he's a bushleaguer" THe lyrics are AWFUL! They're EMBARRASSING!!!!
I don't like Bush as president, I think he's the worst, I'd even call him 'evil' but I booed last night too, cos I think music should unite the people, not divide them(I'm the DECIDER!). And Ed keeps saying its a discussion, a debate? Then pass the fucking mic to everybody else. I respect PJ's politics, I know I'm gonna hear ramblings but THE SONG BLOWS! Play fucking Who You Are so I can sing and dance with whoever the fuck is next to me, Republican, Democrat, whatever the fuck. Enough with the CRAP song that pisses people off at a fucking CONCERT! not a debate.

well said my fried...wws is just as "anti-bush" as bushleaguer and its actually a great rocking song...bushleaguer is a turd of a song and that is why people don't want to hear it...

pjl44 · June 2006

pjalli wrote:

Completely agree with the notion that you don't have to love the song just b/c you don't support Bush, but i think there's quite a difference between "not embracing" a song and actually booing the mere mention of it. At Irving, when given the chance to choose b/w SOLAT and Betterman, the crowd clearly cheered more for SOLAT, but certainly didn't boo Betterman. I guess that's a long way of saying that the people booing last night were most likely Bush supporters. And whether those people were Republicans or Libertarians or whatever, I'm surprised there were so many in that arena, just outside of NYC, with that perspective.

I hear ya, but, when a song smacks you in the face like that, it's bound to be divisive. Masters Of War and Worldwide Suicide are especially scathing and (to my knowledge) have never elicited a boo. I think when you reach up and punch one specific person, a lot of folks will feel as if it's piling on.

HailHailVitalogy · June 2006

After the boo they asked seriously should we play it? and everyone fuckin cheered, it was a joke

JackisBack · June 2006

1) Bu$hleaguer is an awesome song.

2) Some people were probably confused as to what Ed was asking.

3) I didn't hear any boos coming from the front sections.

4) Not surprised some people booed. It sounded like it started from the back.

5) The show was in Jersey. Please don't associate NJ with NYC.

6) If you know the New York area well...it's understandable why they booed at Uniondale. Please don't associate Uniondale with NYC.

7) If Pearl Jam had played MSG, then the cheers would've completely drowned out the very few boos.

BluntManGuy · June 2006

Bu$hleaguer should be played 24/7 in front of the gate at the White House until we get a new President...but that's just IMO.

GirlInRed · June 2006

Cheguevara6 wrote:

your assertion that NY and NJ are liberal is right on. I remember a recent Gallup Zogby poll and something like more than half of New Yorkers thought Bush knew about 9/11 before it happened, and deliberately lied and failed to react.

The fact that these same people boo Bushleaguer is stunning. How can they love and hate Bush at the same time?

my son swears Bush CAUSED 9/11. there's a conspiracy doc @ loosechange.com that explians it all. very convincing

GirlInRed · June 2006

Stoney wrote:

Eddie's shirt was a Plasmatics (indie band?) shirt and on the back was a swastica with a red line through it. The words said something to the effect of stamp out gestapo tactics. I was at the Uniondale show and it was an amazing show until bushleager was played. While I love the song and its message, nassau county is too close to the World Trade Center and it was not far enough removed from 9-11. Yes a good deal of Long Island leans right and many people in the region felt the effects of 9-11 more so than most of the country. It was harder to deal with because many people knew someone that was affected by the attacks. The shows energy turned so quickly it was amazing. I have never seen anything like it at a rock concert and I have been to many. It was one of the better shows I have been to and this kind of killed the good vibe and energy it had built up. I am fairly sure ed got hit by something (quarter?). After bushleager, they played a blistering version of know your rights which seemed to me like ed was giving the crowd the big fuck you. Unfortunately, they cut a few songs out of the set and finished with rockin in the free world which was also amazing. It was a great show, but could have been better if not for the assholes that threw shit. I am fairly sure ed would not have cared about being booed but once shit gets thrown at them, it crossed the line. I do not think they will ever play nassau county again. This is too bad because I live about 5 min from both the nassau col and Jones beach. That being said, they should never play anywhere but MSG when they come to this area. It is the most amazing place to see a show. The crowd energy is amazing.

the plasmatics are a punk band from the early 80's

pghas · June 2006

1. The message of Bushleaguer is excellent. It is NOT an excellent song, it is a horrible one. Maybe some of you would rather hear it just because its a rarity, but get over the novelty of it - if played on an even remotely routine basis, it would become a piss break song.

2. If, in Uniondale, the band had simply played the song and NOT done the whole mask routine, Im sure people wouldn't have enjoyed the song (because it disrupts the flow os a good show), but I also seriously doubt that the disturbing incidents that ensued would have occurred. It isn't the song, its the act accompanying it that frankly offends even people who dont like Bush. Honestly I think its one of those songs that should never have been performed live - its a satirical rant that's filler on an otherwise very solid record. There's something about going out to catch some killer rock n' roll, having a total blast and then feeling like the person that's guiding you is suddenly - on a certain level - burning a flag. AND it was an extremely sensitive time for out country. Let the song protest, Ed.

3. Not to mention, as many have pointed out, the new album is way better at illuminating our country's current woes, and does so through the eyes of individual people's stories in a way that Ed and the boys are so damn good at. I think that's why people hate political speeches from Bono and EDd and the likke at rock concerts. i dont know that they dont want to hear it, I think people want to know what makes these guys any more qualified to stand there and lecture me on politics than any other person. And the answer to tghat is nothing, they're using their fame as a pulpit. However, people really relate to or at least arent bothered by an awesome song that makes a statement - that is something Ed and PJ are certainly well-qulaified to do.

3. All of that said, last night, all the boos came from the outer, upper deck. All of us on the floor were completely stunned and flabbergasted that there was as much booing as there was. Personally, I think Ed asked the question because he was certain there would be very few boos as Bush's approval ratings are so low. Why so many people booed is beyond me. In fact, I was yelling for him to play it because it kinda seemed like he wanted to.

4. Fact is, I cant condone booing the boys in any way. I feel like I'm a huge fan, and they've given me a ton, and Im certainly going to support their dersire to express what they want regarless of whether or not I agree with their politics. Im not gonna fucking boo them. When you buy a ticket, you do have the right to boo. In my opinion, booing should be hapening when the band sucks ass, or shows up too bombed to play. Otherwise, in my book, you're paying to listen to what they wanna say. you dont do that and say "never mind, shut up."

CJMST3K · June 2006

slightofjeff wrote:

maybe they were saying "Booooooooom!"

...they were saying Booo... ...urns. Right, Smithers?

Booing Bushleaguer

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