*** Portland, OR Fanviews Here 5.10.24 ***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44aV7K7NzzQ

A little Jealous you all got Waiting for Stevie, my favourite song on the album, but we didn't get it in Vancouver :(

Not to be maudlin or melodramatic, but to preface this post with a brief story:

I saw Petty and the Heartbreakers play about a dozen times or so, that last of which being one of the 2017 shows in Berkeley, CA. I took my wife, who had never seen the band before. During American Girl, I asked if she wanted to head for the exit, just to get a few minutes' start on leaving (we were staying within walking distance of the gig). She said, "Absolutely not. How many more times are we going to see Tom Petty?" At the time I'm sure I was probably like, "another dozen, I hope" or something. Obviously, that did not turn out to be the case.

I've been seeing Pearl Jam shows since I was 13 years old (30 years ago). If all goes well, by the end of the September run, I'll have seen them 50 times. Saw them with my dad, who is no longer with us; seen them alone; seen them with friends; seen them with partners. Last night's Portland gig is among my favorites. My metrics for a good show are pretty simple:

Did the band play well? (Yes)
Was the crowd any good? (Definitely)
Did it seem like both longtime fans and first-timers were enjoying themselves? (Yep)
Did I personally enjoy the show? (I did!)

Pretty simple equation for me. Band sounded great; tight but not robotic. Ed's voice, to me, sounded stronger than it has the last couple tours. Their energy seemed great, and the crowd's enthusiasm didn't seem to wane much during the new tunes. I'm really not sure what more you could ask for from a group of 60 year old dudes, 30 years into their career. They're still writing great songs. They're still great live; inarguably still among the best live bands on the planet. I get that if you're passionate enough about the band to follow them around the world then you're likely passionate enough to notice and care about setlist variation and a song showing up in the third spot in the encore set three nights in a row, and whether some of the show's pacing and arrangement is due to visuals etc etc etc. I get that. But, man, that all starts to feel pretty nitpicky to me when I consider that I'm still able to go see my favorite band play, thirty years on, and they're still a great band. They haven't turned into some embarrassing caricature; they're not playing casinos and county fairs (no disrespect intended to any of the acts who are on those circuits); they're not playing to empty houses; there are still people weeping openly at songs that mean the world to them; still people seeing the band for the first time and coming away euphoric. If you're seriously so upset by the setlist that you're going to stop following the band that meant enough to you for you to start following them around the in the first place, that sounds like your issue, not theirs.

A couple of show-specific notes:

- Backing vocals at the end of Wreckage sound better live than on the record. They sound absolutely fine on the record but, at least to my ear, having the BVs in the same register as Ed was an interesting production choice. If you've got a group of capable singers in the studio — and they did — having those layered vocals in a higher register than the primary voice would give that section a bit more of a lift. That dynamic/lift is kind of accomplished in the live mix, at least in the house. 

- "Seven O'Clock" felt to me like the only time in the set the crowd energy dipped a bit. Great tune but I think folks were just collectively expecting something else in a slot that was a request. 

- Ed mentioned they'd never played "Release" in Portland before, which had not even occurred to me. Strange that it wasn't in the set the first couple times they played here, prior to the '93 gig with Neil. 

- They really do seem to get a lift out of playing the new tunes, which is cool to see. The band's enthusiasm about the new record is infectious and I'm glad it's getting as much play during the set as it is. Upper Hand and Stevie both stood out but all the new tunes sounded great. Setting Sun is a beautiful, perfect show closer. I hope it sticks around in that slot longer than this year's gigs.

 

I really like seven o’clock but it doesn’t seem to translate well live, I don’t know why. I think the studio version is great.

I’m looking forward to the LA shows. 

Another fun show. "Last Exit" was a surprise, but it was also shambolic from the start. Ed was about fifteen feet from the microphone when it was time to sing the first line. Shout-out to Mike from Denver who sat next to me but had to leave at 11:30 p.m. to catch a 12:50 a.m. flight home for his kid's flag-football game at 8 a.m. Saturday. I also had an early-morning flight-- but not that early-- and spent the night from 1:30 a.m. until takeoff in the terminal at the Portland Airport, which was a surprisingly nice experience. They have a 24-hour shop, and TSA will screen you at all hours. You know, just in case there's another lunatic out there who wants to do what I did the next time PJ plays Portland.

BF25394 said:

Another fun show. "Last Exit" was a surprise, but it was also shambolic from the start. Ed was about fifteen feet from the microphone when it was time to sing the first line. Shout-out to Mike from Denver who sat next to me but had to leave at 11:30 p.m. to catch a 12:50 a.m. flight home for his kid's flag-football game at 8 a.m. Saturday. I also had an early-morning flight-- but not that early-- and spent the night from 1:30 a.m. until takeoff in the terminal at the Portland Airport, which was a surprisingly nice experience. They have a 24-hour shop, and TSA will screen you at all hours. You know, just in case there's another lunatic out there who wants to do what I did the next time PJ plays Portland.

PDX is a great airport, possibly my favorite. Shops are priced the same as they would be elsewhere in town, you can walk to the car rental center, and course there’s the carpet. 😍

”Last Exit” was kind of off-kilter, I agree.

My first GA experience in a venue that wasn't a baseball park and I was stoked.

Getting 3 bands for the price of 2 was an amazing experience. I would wish this for everyone who is still to see the tour but Ed mentioned this was a one time only event. What a shame.

I was on Mike's side and it was so much fun seeing him up close without the help of the video screen. It was certainly an experience I'll never forget and maybe one day will get to repeat.

High energy show and every song was a winner. I'm not a fan of seven o'clock so that was a bit of an energy drainer but that really was just a minor blip.

Enjoyed the conversations with people who came over to talk about The Tragically Hip. And thank you to the gentleman who offered me a Seattle N2 GA ticket. We never got to exchange phone numbers but I appreciate the thoughtfulness. PJ fans are the greatest!!

At the PDX shop I mentioned, they were selling Sony earbuds for $9.99. At the San Jose airport where I connected back to Burbank, the same headphones were selling for $22.99.

The carpet was nice, especially since I was trying to sleep on the floor at one point. Ultimately, there were these really comfy chairs at the end of the E gates that leaned back and had ottomanish tables you could put your feet up on. I slept surprisingly well on those.

There's usually a good PDX-BUR flight on Alaska if you want to avoid that connection in the future. And yes, PDX airport is terrific--little in the way of lounge access outside of Alaska, but incredibly easy to find a comfortable place to hang out while you wait for a flight.

MK24544 said:

Thanks for listing the setlist and timeline for the Portland 5/10 show. Crazy question: Does anyone know what the two songs that were being played at the arena before they headed onstage? The crowd was super- charged! I was so blessed to be there and they opened with "Release"! That was the first time I ever heard them play my absolute fave! Still have a "fun- hangover" from the show!

Grace and Peace,

Michael

Lebanon Oregon

I think I've been hearing War, but a cover version not the original. I'm not sure of the other(s).