Your Top 3 Moments of Being a Fan

Hurls15 · January 3

1- Toronto CNE 1993- along with Neil, Soundgarden and others. First PJ concert. Intense energy with new tracks Go and Animal right off the top. Learned the power of the live experience.

2- Atlanta Fox Theatre 1994- I was not there (I wish), but it is still a great memory that sticks out in my mind to this day. Close friends gathered around a nice stereo, hanging on every note playing. Going to school the next day and everyone talking about what they heard the night before. It was a remember where you were event. Sadly I don't think that kids today have as many of those communal music experiences.

3- so many great concerts over the years with old friends and new. Tough choice. 2005 Canadian tour shows, up front in GA in Hamilton 2022 and Austin 2023 shows get honourable mentions. The Toronto 9/11/11 show alongside the PJ20 film release at Toronto film festival gets the nod. Amazing show.

maverick · January 3

The five shows in Italia 2006 backpacking around a beautiful country I knew I would want to return to again and again. Release in Verona in the rain. Go in Milano (my favorite version). Avocado front to back in Torino. Black in Torino and Pistoia. On the rail in Bologna for #50. So so hot in there.

Randall’s Island night 2, 1996. First PJ concert. Didn’t realize at the time how it would affect my life. Decades and 100+ shows later, having met and maintained meaningful friendships with people from anll around the world. Have been to so many cool places. Lifelong memories.

The crowds at Philly 3, 2009 and MSG 2, 2010. My hearing is not what it once was, but those were the two most memorable loud crowds / incredible shows I’ve been fortunate to attend. Nothingman MSG and In Hiding Philly Spectrum stand out in my memory.

London 2018. Ed handing me his guitar pick after playing a song he wrote about his divorce (Parting Ways) when I was in the midst of mine, on my then wife’s birthday. You can’t make that shit up.

The 3 shows at the Gorge and hearing Hard To Imagine (favorite song) for the first time at the 2005 show. The Gorge and Arena di Verona are my two favorite venues.

Hampton 2016. Had my stepson on rail in front of Mike (per his request) and Mike handing me his guitar pick at the end of RVM. Mike was on the little block between the stage and rail just in front of me. When the jam at the end of RVM started, I just closed my eyes and got lost in the music while he was a foot or two in front of me. When the song ended I opened my eyes and he put it into my hand I think saying this is for you.

BrainofBGA · January 3

1. Light Years - Melbourne Night 2 2024
Took a chance and made a request via the forum for the band to play Light Years for a great friend’s Mum who had recently passed. The request was for night one (they were at the show) but they played it a show late as mentioned by Ed at the show. Anyway, they played the request and my mate and his family still to this day can’t believe they actually played it. Immortalised on the boot.

The set was great and for a Monday night the crowd was huge! The second of two memorable nights. I didn’t think night one (after 10 years) could be topped but it was.

2. Listening to Melbourne (show 3) 1998 Triple J radio broadcast.

Back when they broadcast shows on the radio. This will go down as one of their best and often bootlegged. I recorded it to cassette and played it in the car until I wore out the tape. My favourite Immortality was played at this show along with great versions of In My Tree, Faithful, I Got ID, DTE, StBC, Even Flow…amongst many others.

3. Melbourne (show 1) 1998
My first ever show. Had a pretty good seat up on Stone’s side. A great set, a great crowd. I’ll never forget the pit bouncing up and down during DTE and Animal after a beautiful Long Road to open.

Frogmen invade Melbourne Park! I was sold and have never looked back.

Thank you!

RatherStarved · January 3

I am sure there are more than three but here are three:

Miami 2016 - Corduroy opener - instantly transforms the arena into a ball of energy

Wrigley Two 2018 - Immortality into Daughter/It’s OK into Unthought Known into Jeremy

Asbury Park 2021 - DOTC opener - first show in 3 years as well as first show post Covid (or during Covid as the case may be!) - was surreal to be at a PJ show after all the shutdowns made it seem like we may never get another show

lastexitlondon · January 3

There are way too many.
Thanks o p , got me off in dream world of reminiscing. A place I welcome more than ever.

HailHailVitalogy · January 3

I think my favorite moments of being a fan are the moments that transcend my admiration of the band. I’ve had moments where they’ve disappointed me. But every single time they come back and blow me away. The other moments are the verbal interactions, hand gestures, and eye contact with the band members especially Ed. I had a few moments this past tour that mean the world to me.

But the clear defining moment as a fan for me was….

MSG 2 2010 - Shows #21 and #22 for me and my first shows going solo. I was 21 years old and had friends making fun of me for liking PJ so much in HS and college. I always thought, they didn’t get it. The spectrum shows in 2009 were out of control, but I was coming off Bristow 2010 and skipping Boston for a college final (biggest regret). I was starting to lose interest in the band. Last time they played MSG wasn’t so great. Am I forcing myself to like Backspacer? Why was I going by myself to sit in the 300s? After the first night I thought to myself, this is the band I remember!

I was staying at a friend’s house on the Island. We had plans for weeks to go party the next night. Broke the news to him that I had a ticket for the next night. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go, but the first night made me want to go. Man, the rest of that night and the morning after everyone was just giving me shit for going to see PJ again.

Night 2 happens. Out of body experience for me and everyone in that building. Only a few shows have given me that feeling. Some shows have had those moments, but this was from start to finish. As a huge Rangers fan, I never felt the building move like that. I agreed with Ed, who’s skinning cats? Forget how loud the crowd was, and the atmosphere from another galaxy….the performance by the band was incredible. I felt so bad for anyone who didn’t have this in their lives. This wasn’t the band I remembered. This was the best band to ever fucking do it.

My resume is pretty good…but THAT was the moment that got me to where I am today 😆

PS:
Top 5(6) shows - MSG 2 2010, Gorge 2005, Krakow 2018, Philly 3 2009, MSG 1&2 2003

Zod · January 3

1) Missoula '98. My first headlining real Pearl Jam show (I had seen them once before at Lolla in Vancouver '92). That was the old days without cell phones and mosh pits. If you went with a buddy you had to make a meeting point to reconnect as pits were a bit chaotic. Anyways some how I ended up crowd surfing at the very end to yellow ledbetter, then spotted my buddy doing same thing, and we surfed up to the rail together. Lol. I so wish that show got released on soundboard.

2) Gorge 2005. My all time favourite PJ show of all the PJ shows I've attended. So fucking good.

3) The Binaural Tour. It's the only time I've really followed the band around for a few dates. Usually it's Vancouver and/or Seattle. This time we had added on portlant to both seattle shows, it got cancelled, we moved our fan club tickets to Boise, then Portland was reannounced so we bought those too, and followed the band for the last 4 shows of the tour. Boise was my absolutely most favourite PJ show until 2005.

Honourable Mentions:

Seattle 2018: For some reason when they kicked into Nothingman, I knew we were in for a special evening. I had this feeling come over me, like holy shit their bringing their AAA game tonight. Not sure why a song not entirely uncommon gave me that feeling, but I knew we were in for a ride. What a fucking show.

Commodore 2000: This was the only time I saw them play in a bar. Won tickets of the radio after excessively trying. The commodore's floor, it was specially made with some kind of layer underneath which was rumoured to be tennis balls, that gives the floor extra bounce. Damn, that was a good time.

lastexitlondon · January 3

Going solo to shows in g.a is something I wish I did earlier.
It gave me so many friends and so much excitement without having to worry about who I was meant to be with .
A freedom I recommend

Spunkie · January 3

1. Getting lostexitlondon into the London pre-album release listening party to smuggle out Dark Matter lyrics. -"Holy shitballs spunkie! It is king of diamonds!"

2. Glowgirl getting a harp. Did you hum us all a new tune, yet?

3. Befriending the ever gracious and geniusly humourous Hedo; meeting 10C friends Down Under and feeling part of this unique community; when 100Pacer got me GA for Jeff's showcase last year (even tho I couldn't go); and when Chadwick stuck up for me threatening manslaughter

4. Getting in the ring for a catfight back in the day when this new board forum changed around '04. Shave my eyebrows when I sleep, you say? I'm going to pull out your pussy hairs one by one!

5. Ohana 21: RITFW lyrical amendment by Corin Tucker to promote women's freedom of reproductive rights. Plus my kid felt pretty damn special rocking along with the tambo. Plus the Vedders charity for EB released that footage. Plus after the lockdown rocking in a free world had a whole new meaning.

Honourable mention: When Ed passed me his pick after his first ever live Dark Matter set, there was a little more than magic in that touch.

It's already been sung but it can't be said enough: All you need is love.

Robbert · January 3

lastexitlondon said:

Going solo to shows in g.a is something I wish I did earlier.
It gave me so many friends and so much excitement without having to worry about who I was meant to be with .
A freedom I recommend

Exactly

Spunkie · January 3

100 Pacer said:

In chronological order:

1. 2003 Benaroya Hall
2. 2006 Grand Rapids
3. 2007 Vic Theatre

Then I guess you heard Ed's joke about Mike McCready wanting to rock and roll all night and part of everyday!

DM282158 · January 3

1. Opening 3 tracks of Worcester 1 in 2013. (Release, Long Road, Elderly Woman). That 2013 tour was insane. Since becoming a fan in 2005ish, my opinion is that 2013 has been their best over the last 20 years since I started seeing shows and listening to bootlegs.

2. Fort Lauderdale 2016. First time in GA. What an experience.

3. Closing with Alive in Mansfield 2008. My second show, and I noticed how people had come down from the lawn and upper seating area to crowd the aisles. It’s what first captured the “ah-ha, this is what it’s about” I.e. the PJ community/fandom.

4. (Honorable mention). My first show, Boston 1 in 2006, when Eddie came out solo to play Porch before My Morning Jacket came out. I was like “oh that’s a cool routine they do”. Years later I realized how special that was. Also, they walked on stage to Master/Slave which, again, I realized years later how cool that was.

Spunkie · January 3

Collecting up the forget-me-nots!

13. Eddie poem

JimmyV · January 3

Three of many, but these were the first that came to mind...

1) The Better Man ovation, 2008, Mansfield 1

The usual opening verse sing-along was followed by a prolonged and raucous standing ovation that actually stopped the show for a few moments. You could tell the band was taken aback and by the end was cheering the crowd. Incredible moment in a venue where they have had a bunch.

2) Pearl Jam opens for Pearl Jam, 2009 Toronto

Opening act Ted Leo couldn't cross the border, so fans were treated to a special preset featuring Ed solo, Mike solo, Stone solo, Ed and Jeff, and finally Ed and Mike with the Pharmacists. Look up some of the videos on YouTube. An absolutely beautiful night outdoors on Lake Ontario.

3) Finally Fenway, 2016 Fenway 2

They finally did it. My bucket list venue to see them for years finally saw a two night stand, and was closed out by what might be the best of all the ballpark shows. Absolute perfection.

SVRDhand13 · January 3

lastexitlondon said:

There are way too many.
Thanks o p , got me off in dream world of reminiscing. A place I welcome more than ever.

Felt the new year was a good time to reflect. I am now realizing my answer didn’t include Ten in its entirety… this band brings endless epic moments!

Merkin Baller · January 3

Far too many favorite moments to list, and amazingly, the list keeps growing.
Off the top of my head:

Randomly going to Hartford '10 w/ my now wife then getting a last minute single for Boston two nights later... those concerts left me determined to see them as much as possible in whatever years they had left... thankfully there's been many since then.
Elderly Woman & Last Exit to start Montreal '11.
Hartford '13
Denver '14
Fenway 2 '16
Philly 1 '24
Dublin '24 - seeing them in Ireland was a bucket list event for me... the energy in the crowd more than made up for the setlist... that was one hell of a night.
The people I've met & friends I've mad both here in the forum and traveling for shows... there's some great people in this community..
TOTD in Philadelphia, 2016 - PJ adjacent enough to rank in my favorite PJ related memories.

KN219077 · January 3

1. Randomly picking up Live in Tokyo and Lost Dogs off the shelf to see why people often listed PJ as a top tier live band. Previously my thoughts of the band were that they were only Alive, Even Flow, and Jeremy. I was dead wrong and discovered a band with incredible depth and multiple dimensions. My next purchase was benaroya hall and it firmly cemented my love of the band.

2. Fortunate Son, Missoula 2012. The building was exploding with energy, my first show and it looked and felt like the crowd was moving as one. Coming off of an amazing sit down run of Man of The Hour and Off He Goes it lit the place back up 🔥

3. Bee Girl/Fatal, Missoula 2018. Having been introduced to the band through Lost Dogs, this combo was just perfect and exactly the kind of songs that made love the band in the first place. Fatal was exceptionally played.

Honorable mentions from my 3 Missoula concerts:
Hard To Imagine- 2024
In My Tree-2018
Know Your Rights-2012

DM282158 · January 3

JimmyV said:

Three of many, but these were the first that came to mind...

1) The Better Man ovation, 2008, Mansfield 1

The usual opening verse sing-along was followed by a prolonged and raucous standing ovation that actually stopped the show for a few moments. You could tell the band was taken aback and by the end was cheering the crowd. Incredible moment in a venue where they have had a bunch.

2) Pearl Jam opens for Pearl Jam, 2009 Toronto

Opening act Ted Leo couldn't cross the border, so fans were treated to a special preset featuring Ed solo, Mike solo, Stone solo, Ed and Jeff, and finally Ed and Mike with the Pharmacists. Look up some of the videos on YouTube. An absolutely beautiful night outdoors on Lake Ontario.

3) Finally Fenway, 2016 Fenway 2

They finally did it. My bucket list venue to see them for years finally saw a two night stand, and was closed out by what might be the best of all the ballpark shows. Absolute perfection.

That ovation was crazy! I remember banging my hands against the seat in front of me to be as loud as possible. Band was blown away

Weston1283 · January 3

1) Philly Night 2, 2016

2) Having where I was at in life in regards to free time match up perfectly with the barnburner era of 2013-2016, allowing me to see many, many shows during this time

3) Telluride 2016, purely based on venue

4) The months of hype and buzz leading up to the Wrigley 2013 show along with being excited for the new album/single (MYM and LB)

JimmyV · January 3

Weston1283 said:

1) Philly Night 2, 2016

2) Having where I was at in life in regards to free time match up perfectly with the barnburner era of 2013-2016, allowing me to see many, many shows during this time

3) Telluride 2016, purely based on venue

4) The months of hype and buzz leading up to the Wrigley 2013 show along with being excited for the new album/single (MYM and LB)

Wrigley 2013 was such an experience. The buzz and excitement leading up to it, like you pointed out, was incredible. And then the opening sing-along during Release was unreal. So special.

Your Top 3 Moments of Being a Fan

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