Best 2006 Pearl Jam shows

pauloneves · September 2006

Hi everyone,

For all the fans who listened almost the entire shows (Canada and US) , can you tell me the great ones that deserve to be in a boots collection?
Please tell me your preferences and your 5 choices.
Thanks

(I'm shore that the shows in my country, Portugal, will be awesome, next 4th and 5th September in Lisbon)

Thanks everyone

One Song Glory · September 2006

Hi and welcome to the Pit! So far, the best five shows from this tour and the Canadian tour, in my opinion, were:
(in no particular order except maybe San Diego as #1)

San Diego
Gorge 1
Gorge 2
Hamilton (05)
Ottawa (05)

pauloneves · September 2006

Thanks for your answer

iamica · September 2006

From what I've been hearing from everybody, the Gorge shows are the best, followed by the Boston shows, Grand Rapids, etc.

pauloneves · September 2006

Yes, I heard that the last 2 shows in EUA were the best ones.

Thanks

Just need more opinions

pauloneves · September 2006

Please I need more opinions
Thank you

||Release_Me|| · September 2006

I wasn't there, and i'm only half way through the bootleg, but Dublin is fantastic. In terms of sound quality, setlist, crowd singing, Ed's voice etc...all great! I recommend this boot to everyone.

vinceinhiding · September 2006

i went to 10 shows on the west coast, and i have a couple boots from the east coast leg (grand rapids and albany). I think San Diego stands out the most for me. A few others worth downloading would be Gorge 1 or 2, Grand Rapids, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles 1

Nakedeye66 · September 2006

Paulo, in case you don't recognize the "nakedeye66" name ... I'm pretty sure you'll recognize my reviews. Glad to have you aboard. From the US leg:

[1] San Francisco 3 - Band was on a mission coming out of the short shows, and the west coast stretch proves it. The third Sf night reminds me a lot of the Buffalo show near the end of '03s first leg. Second only to Sweet Jane, Watchtower is arguably the most covered song of all time. For 30 years I've been listening to boots of varying quality with this song, and I now have a new favorite. Where has Untitled been? It's back here. Why is Red Mosquito so rare? It's back here. Present Tense, Why Go, In Hiding, Light Years. This show has a unique setlist and executed to the hilt. I think I'm comfortable calling this one the best, but still in the running for my personal favorite is also ...

[2] Santa Barbara - I'm not sure how the sets were set up. That first set isn't acoustic, but it seemed an early, shorter, mellower set ... and it's great! A superbly executed show that sees rarities Oceans, the Interstellar Overdrive Intro, and U. Grand Rapids is almost universally hailed as "the show" which, in my opinion, is based almost entirely on the first encore. Which begs the question ... where's the love for SB? The first set of which is every bit as good as the GR encore and is better as an overall show. Now I've never been to the Santa Barbara Bowl, but this show also might have the very best audio quality of the whole N.America tour. This could claim the #1 spot on my list before too long (though SF3 truly is the bomb).

[3] The Gorge 1 - Dirty Frank!! They actually played it, and with a vigor that makes it sound better with each repeated listening. As a matter of personal taste, Wash as an opener always sets a special tone (and seems to be there in so many of the best recent shows). The Mamasan trilogy opens first encore with Crown Of Thorns. Since it seems to me Footsteps and Crown Of Thorns alone gave Chicago 2 it's glowing reviews (I was there), this show has so much more overall (and outdoor shows always have a built-in advantage). Finally, Daughter gets the It's OK tag, which is a big favorite of mine and leads me to ...

[4] Cleveland - My favorite show of the first leg edging out Camden 2. The '03 show here was also superb but was similarly unheralded. Forgive the ill-fated attempt to open the show with a crowd singalong. The Daughter/It's Ok here is a tour highlight, as is Immortality which has become exceedingly rare. The setlist won't floor you, but the execution is top notch. I love the Roger Waters-esque megaphone on Comatose with it's slap at Detroit. Ed's banter during this Grand Rapids-Cleveland-Detroit stretch, always ripping on the other venues and shows, is hilarious.

[5] Camden 2 - I have frequently given love to the GR-Cle-Det trio of the first leg but this show is still in the running for the best of the leg. Philly gets great shows, and Wash openers. Although Leash is no longer a rarity, Satans Bed, Wishlist and Glorified G are. Only negative is the inexcusable appearance of You Are (aka Piss Break).

[6] Detroit - Ed's voice sounds exceptionally crisp this night, and the band quickly adjusts by scrapping the bad idea of singalong openers tried in Grand Rapids and Cleveland. Long Road makes a welcome return to open the show. Nothingman (in my opinion the strongest of the "man trilogy") makes it's only US appearance. And the Why Go-Porch-Indifference-Kick Out The Jams-YL stretch is maybe the best finale to any 2006 show. Though it's pretty commonplace now, this was the first show with the Star Spangled Banner tag to YL. I was giddy to hear Kick Out The Jams in '05, but this home of the MC5 provided inspiration S.America could not.

[7] Las Vegas - This is an unorthodox pick. Ed's banter in SD ripping this show is amusing, but I fear too many people are fawning over SD and dissing this one because of that commentary ... and not from listening to the actual shows. Ed was a bit under the weather, but unlike St.Paul-Fargo-Chicago in '03 (the Nyquil Trilogy), this show does not suffer at all. Inside Job works as an opener, the Fortunate Son-Porch closer for "W's birthday" is superb and includes a Dirty Frank tease-tag. The brief Come Back tag in black is a nice twist. And though I love Boom, Benmont Tench makes this one of the better versions of the otherwise rote Better Man. Throw in Little Sister and Parachutes, and this is a unique show you should give a try.

[8] Grand Rapids - Probably the longest show of the tour and the first encore is remarkable. Those reasons alone make it worthy of top mention, but i still buck the trend and do not believe this to be "the best" show. Other than that encore, the rest of the show is fairly ordinary. I keep listening to this show to find out what I must be missing. It's enjoyable no doubt, but fails to knock me off my feet like SF3, SB, or Gorge 1.

[9] San Diego - Great show all around, but like Grand Rapids I find a gap between the hype and the listening experience. No, I'm not being contrarian for its own sake. I've listened to these repeatedly and have no agenda. Besides, SF3 is hardly an against-the-grain pick. A welcome return for Oceans. The Long Road encore opener (and story) is great. and this Rearviewmirror version is one of the best, with a Life Wasted intro and a Time Heals (Todd Rundgren) tag. Great show, and there's plenty of SD chatter on the board for those trying to get more detail.

[10] Chicago 1 - Where is the love for this show? I'll add the disclaimer that this is my hometown, but I've never hesitated to say Chicago '03 SUCKED, and at a loss to understand the Chicago 2 hype (other than for Footsteps and Crown Of Thorns). With the exception of Alpine Valley in 2003, this was the best Illinois or Wisconsin show of the 21st century (Champaign '03 probably tied with this). This long show gives a great mix of hits and rarities. There's plenty of Ten, Even Flow and Porch jams as good as any, and mellow rarities like Low Light and I'm Open. And though I like to stay away from commenting on the "crowd", it's one thing to singalong with Better Man, but the crowd here handled PRESENT TENSE so admirably that Ed continues to do this in subsequent cities. And though I'm here for the music and not the politics, Bush detractors will love the Daughter tag. this show closed on fire, particularly the back-to-back Blood/Atomic Dog and Indifference. A long, well-executed, and good sounding show despite a horrible venue acoustically (United Center).

[11] Albany - Once 30+ shows rolled in afterwards, Albany lost a bit of its luster. Too bad, because this show is excellent. And when I go back to give it some more listens it could still easily move as high as #4 on this list. The return of Rats and Satans Bed, perfectly executed, are treats. The Wasted Reprise-Life Wasted works. No Code gets a nod with rarities Red Mosquito and Off He Goes. And the Porch is mindnumbingly good. The first 75% of this show is near-perfect, but it tails off a bit at the end. For only the third show of the tour, the band sounds amazingly crisp.

[12] The Gorge 2 - A top 10 or dozen makes sense, but outside of the classic Spinal Tap scene, "11" doesn't. this show was a solid finale to the tour and, although not perfect, what a treat to hear a full Little Wing.

Nakedeye66 a/k/a mfish15

HailHailVitalogy · September 2006

I disagree with most of NakedEye66

Leg 1:
1) East Rutherford 2
2) Grand Rapids
3) Camden 1
4) Albany
5) Cleveland

Leg 2:
1) Gorge II
2) Gorge I
3) San Fran 3
4) San Diego
5) San Fran 2

As for 2005:
1) Gorge
2) Philadelphia
3) Kitchener
4) Vancouver
5) Calgary

Vancouver's sound quality sucks, but the actual show was fucking amazing!

Nakedeye66 · September 2006

HailHailVitalogy wrote:

I disagree with most of NakedEye66
As for 2005:
1) Gorge
2) Philadelphia
3) Kitchener
4) Vancouver
5) Calgary

HailHailVitalogy misses the point that my Portugese friend who knows me well is seeking. These message boards are filled with rankings and insults to others' having done so. I could care less if anyone agrees with me. What I try to do is provide at least a little bit of info about the shows beyond the typical raw rankings, setlists, and the "I was there, it rocked, and it was the best because I was there!" stuff you see. For people trying to decide what shows to buy, my comments might be informative in leading them to make selections. They may end up disagreeing, but at least I give them something to go on.

If you are trying to help fans decide, tell 'em a little something about those shows you rank so high ... and why I am wrong. At the end of the day, our fellow fans will benefit from having more INFO from all of us at their fingertips and not be mere spectators to a pissing match.

BTW, Canada '05, Ottawa and Philly ... nothing else comes close. But my extended commentary, for now, is limited to '06. I think at some point either here or on the RM board I talked about the Canada shows (which, absent the overrated Gorge opener, was flat tour for the first 7-8 shows then got pretty good for the eastern dates ... and the South America shows are fair. Yes, loud crowd, but unremarkable shows)

Restless Soul · September 2006

Nakedeye66 wrote:

HailHailVitalogy misses the point that my Portugese friend who knows me well is seeking. These message boards are filled with rankings and insults to others' having done so. I could care less if anyone agrees with me. What I try to do is provide at least a little bit of info about the shows beyond the typical raw rankings, setlists, and the "I was there, it rocked, and it was the best because I was there!" stuff you see. For people trying to decide what shows to buy, my comments might be informative in leading them to make selections. They may end up disagreeing, but at least I give them something to go on.

If you are trying to help fans decide, tell 'em a little something about those shows you rank so high ... and why I am wrong. At the end of the day, our fellow fans will benefit from having more INFO from all of us at their fingertips and not be mere spectators to a pissing match.

BTW, Canada '05, Ottawa and Philly ... nothing else comes close. But my extended commentary, for now, is limited to '06. I think at some point either here or on the RM board I talked about the Canada shows (which, absent the overrated Gorge opener, was flat tour for the first 7-8 shows then got pretty good for the eastern dates ... and the South America shows are fair. Yes, loud crowd, but unremarkable shows)

Thanks for your commentaries. I've been in the same boat as pauloneves about trying to decide which shows to get apart from Dublin and the UK ones. This is useful stuff, thanks!

Olivavu · September 2006

Reading was fantastic!

Really looking forward to Paris next week

)

Evvo · September 2006

From the ones that I have

1. Santa Barbara - wow! "Mini-Gorge" acoustic first set. My favourite version of Hard To Imagine of all time, and Waiting On A Friend is a real treat. Excellent opener with Oceans, as well as Intersetellar/Corduroy. I got Id and You. Band was on fire this night. Recomended highly.

2. Boston 2 - They dropped the Leash, and the crowds response is phenomenal. Low Light, i Got ID, SOLAT, Garden, Smile, the live debut of Parachutes. PJ always bring it in Boston, and this shows it.

3. Boston 1 - Further proof they always bring it in Boston. The whole crowd screaming "Release Meeeee...." is a treat for the ears. Standout versions of Inside Job and Alive. Two Bob Dylan covers, with a killers Masters of War. Agressive 2nd Encore of STBC, Whipping, Rats, Comatose and DTE with an awesome RITFW to close. Fantastic.

4. San Diego - Hell of a show. Live debut of Big Wave. Great versions of Satans Bed and Not For You. Moving performance and story of Long Road. They also have Leash nailed at this point. Very good show

5. LA 2 - Haven't listened to this fully yet, but I like what I heard. WWS to open > Brain of J. Awesome combo. Off he Goes, Reverse Mamasan and an 'X' cover songs. Good show

6. Albany - The return of Satans Bed and Rats. Good stuff considering it is the 3rd show of the tour. Rockin version of Even Flow.

7. Toronto 1 - the First night of the tour. Not the best start, as they seem to hit you over the head with the new stuff. SH > WWS > LW > MITS. A classic combo of GTF > Betterman > Even Flow is good. Nothing particularly standout about the show, but solid none the less.

solat1973 · September 2006

I went to 10 shows this tour and I would have to say Pittsburgh had the best sound Quaulity, but for great show I would say Camden night 1.

azwyldcats · September 2006

Sf 1
Sf 2
Sf 3

cutz · September 2006

Nakedeye66 wrote:

HailHailVitalogy misses the point that my Portugese friend who knows me well is seeking. These message boards are filled with rankings and insults to others' having done so. I could care less if anyone agrees with me. What I try to do is provide at least a little bit of info about the shows beyond the typical raw rankings, setlists, and the "I was there, it rocked, and it was the best because I was there!" stuff you see. For people trying to decide what shows to buy, my comments might be informative in leading them to make selections. They may end up disagreeing, but at least I give them something to go on.

If you are trying to help fans decide, tell 'em a little something about those shows you rank so high ... and why I am wrong. At the end of the day, our fellow fans will benefit from having more INFO from all of us at their fingertips and not be mere spectators to a pissing match.

BTW, Canada '05, Ottawa and Philly ... nothing else comes close. But my extended commentary, for now, is limited to '06. I think at some point either here or on the RM board I talked about the Canada shows (which, absent the overrated Gorge opener, was flat tour for the first 7-8 shows then got pretty good for the eastern dates ... and the South America shows are fair. Yes, loud crowd, but unremarkable shows)

NAKEDEYE66....I appreciate your honest opinions on the shows that you've heard on the BOOTS. I was glad that PAULONEVES asked that question. You gave a great review, with great detail. While not being BIASED on some of the shows,"because you were there." I understand fully, that you're just giving us some INFO to go by, which is KOOL.

Yes, you have gave me something to go on with your rankings of the shows that you like. I wrote down a list of 5(one was from '05 Tour) that i was THINKING about buying. Basically the only bases i had was the set-list, but with your detailed review, i have alot more to go by now. And as it turns out, i wrote down the TOP 3 shows that you ranked(SAN FRAN 3, SANTA BARBRA, THE GORGE 2), and i may buy those now.The other was SAN DIEGO. I especially like how you said, that the sound quality from the Santa Barbra show may be the very best on the N. American tour. Quality is what i listen for myself. I know that i bought a Boot from a show that i went to, and i thought the sound quality was just OK, even though it was one of the best shows i've seen Pearl Jam play.

I too, think that the '05 PHILLY show is really good. The '05 OTTAWA and EDMONTON shows aren't bad either. Thanks for your input...........CUTZ

TrophyMan · September 2006

i could write a bunch of shit but im too tired now...
top 5 in random order:

Cleveland
Portland
Grand Rapids
Boston
Geroge I

pauloneves · September 2006

Thanks everyone for all your opinions

UKDave · September 2006

I can't believe no-one mentioned Toronto 2, that rocked!!!

Chicago 2 would have been much better without that annoying whistler too, great set list....

yosi1 · September 2006

For a killer crowd and awesome setlist I'd go with either Boston show. Both were amazing with incredible versions of Alive and Rockin' in the Free World both nights. First Parachutes and the Leash was dropped. Just incredible sound to both shows. I'd also give a mention to Camden II which had an incredible set, but the sound quality and crowd are not quite as good as either of the Boston shows. I think this is due to the open venue in Philly when compared to the closed venue of the Boston Garden.

fafane45 · November 2022

1/ Gorge 1
2/ Newcastle 2006
3/ Marseille 2006

Get_Right · November 2022

Grand Rapids and Albany.

nurse34 · November 2022

Gorge

BlueLedbetter · November 2022

Astoria first euro show for 6 years and in a very small venue. Atmosphere was incredible

trees · December 2022

HAMILTON.CANDA CLEVELAND Ohio..Pittsburgh. Philadelphia

Tremorman · December 2022

A top 2-3 tour year for bootleg listens for me. I think I read somewhere Stone referred to one of the SF shows as the best show PJ had ever played (at least at the time of the interview). Wish I could find it somewhere.

Pap · December 2022

1. Honolulu
2. Pistoia
3. San Fransisco II
4. Gorge I
5. Athens
6. Santa Barbara

Great tour with some many awesome shows!

Robbert · December 2022

Berlin

Best 2006 Pearl Jam shows

Comments