Pearl Jam - C or D?

they closed with a cover of “baba o Riley” in honor of The Who playing Cincinnati for the first time since 79

haaha, I was there too. I'd only seen Pearl Jam once before, opening for the Stones (in Oakland, which Eddie mentioned last night too) and this blew that out of the water. So fun with the different drummers.

I couldn't believe how old Mccready and Gossard look (Gossard looks like a project manager for Microsoft now). Granted I haven't really paid attention to what these guys look like in a hundred years but Mccready is only six years older than me and looks like John Slattery.

Pearl Jam was in Oakland last night and their drummer tested positive for COVID but the show went on and they invited a local kid to sit in with them and it looks like he did an amazing job pic.twitter.com/0ifIek4Iwj

— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@WUTangKids) May 14, 2022

this was also the largest collecton of drunk meatheads I've been around in many years. Heading to BART a woman had pissed herself and was holding up her husband who was so drunk I honestly thought at first he had a disability or something.

we were at the 1st oakland show the night before, which was more of a greatest hits playlist - incredible how they just threw everything at the wall to try & do the show anyway - and the crowd was so happy to have them back that it went over like gangbusters. definitely once in a lifetime show.

that 2nd night setlist gave me serious FOMO though lol

the local drum teacher = richard stuverud who has played in all of Ament’s sideprojects, played drums on the ‘nothingman’ demo for Vitalogy; i think he was in the Fastbacks for a couple of years (?). seems like a cool guy + total mensch <3

also watching Eddie doing more “host” duties to fill the lulls between all the constant changeovers was kinda funny to see, lots of stories & interaction with the crowd, they must have all been so stressed out <3

A pal of mine is friends w/klinghoffer and went to a recent show to support him; he didn’t really know what to expect from the band (he only knows the first few PJ albums) but said they were really great.

you never really know what you're going to get.

one week I went to two different cities to see them over a span of three days. one night I got a cover of "Sonic Reducer" and a bunch of mid-to-late era stuff, the other night it was basically Ten-Vitalogy material for the most part.

I feel like I got two great distinct shows.

yeah there’s pretty much nothing they can’t do as a band, especially with Cameron on the kit. fans are kinda spoiled with the richness in their setlists

every show i see makes me want to see 5 more

but $150 face value (!) for the Sacto show means i will not be seeing them in my hometown which sucks

I really wish they didn't look so middle management. I've assumed for a while their "aging rock star" aesthetic is influenced by The Who in the 80s/90s but imo it does not look cool at all. But yea I love them dearly.

a total noob observation here but I LOVE Eddie’s move where he smoothly flips the mike stand back up with his foot after knocking it down

what’s wrong w their look? they look like old skater dads. i like it.

the mike kick trick gets funnier as he gets drunker - at our show he was a wine bottle deep, tried the kick flip twice & eventually had to bend down & stand it up lol

haha that's good

never listen to pj at home but have seen them live 3 or 4 times, they rock

so cool for that drummer kid sitting in!

oof Ament tested positive now too, so cancelling some shows.

I saw them back in 2000, the tour when they were releasing CDs of every show. They were good, not great, but tbf I had shitty seats.

I was working in Tower Records when Ten came out. Total classic. They've shown flashes of brilliance since then, but imho the only album that comes close as an entire album to their debut is Yield. So, on balance, one classic album, the rest good to great. Near classic?

so bummed about Jeff

we rolled the dice on keeping our Oakland tix vs swapping for Sacramento, which we decided not to do in the end. kinda lucky we got to see them

xpost also OMG jimbeaux i disagree on so many levels! Avocado, No Code, Gigaton, all qualify as legit great albums. in this TED talk I will…

LOL No Code is pretty solid.

Ten isn't even in my top three lol

As a debut, it was smashing. In 1991-92, I played it more than I played Nevermind.

well sure, in the absence of other pj albums i played it all the time too lol

vitalogy >>>>>>

vitalogy is great, i love all the full length songs so much but man those interlude songs still annoy the fuck out of me. HAYFOXYMOPHANDLEMAMA is still very triggering

It has its moments--"Better Man" and "Corduroy" are stone classics--but a lot of it is just self-indulgent wankery (literally, if you read the liner notes).

no way dude - besides which corduroy is the most lyrically self indulgent song on there lol (it’s great too, i agree)

Stupid Mop

vitalogy >>>>>>

Looking back at the playlist for that 2000 show, I gotta say it was incredibly good.

Release
Corduroy
Insignificance
Animal
Hail Hail
Nothing as It Seems
Rival
Given to Fly
Light Years
Do the Evolution
Even Flow
In Hiding
Daughter
Better Man
Nothingman
Leatherman
Grievance
Rearviewmirror

Encore:
Once
Breakerfall
Immortality
Crazy Mary
(Victoria Williams cover)
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Porch
Fuckin' Up
(Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)

Encore 2:
Yellow Ledbetter

Sonic Youth opened.

lol I saw that tour too, in Tampa FL. my first Pearl Jam show.

we got State of Love and Trust and Soldier of Love.

also registered to vote at that show. so I could waste my vote on Nader months later.

i like those 00’s shows, the binaural tracks sound so great live esp Insignificance

I was working in Tower Records when Ten came out. Total classic. They've shown flashes of brilliance since then, but imho the only album that comes close as an entire album to their debut is Yield. So, on balance, one classic album, the rest good to great. Near classic?

I'd say No Code is their best, and is an incredible record, and that Yield, Vs and Vitalogy are just behind it. Gigaton is excellent, too, and I don't think they've put out a bad or even average album, though I wasn't sold on Lightning Bolt.

love it when they play Fuckin' Up

Binaural is a great album; I'm a Tchad Blake fan though so the weird flange and reverb effects on the drums are like a warm blanket to me. I'm sure some people hate it the way people hate Froom.

I thought Binaural was their weakest album up to that point.

i didnt take to it at first, and it was one i didnt play much for a long time, but it has held up so well, there’s really not a bad song on the whole thing, and wuite a few tracks are faves now. Thin Air is so good, and i love Sleight of Hand

I went back and listened to the show I attended. It sounds much better than I remembered. I really did have shitty seats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm7y856TES0

video blocked :(

by PEARL JAM

Even if you click through?

It's the first of the two Oakland gigs without Cameron.

Oh, I was thrown off for a second. Like, Cameron is still out, is he OK? But now I understand.

oh well then i dont need to watch BECUZ I WUZ THERE BABY :D

The channel does a really nice job actually, they locate multiple filmers, edit and sync them up to soundboard recordings, they're really watchable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwOcGqP9xRI

Oakland second night^

oh nice, this is the show I was at.

The show tonight was great, honestly one of the best shows I've seen in a long time, totally celebratory, encored with "Surrender."

i just saw that on the setlist they posted!
lucky dog

Lots of Eddie all over the soundtrack to the Bear, I've noticed, and great use of Animal in the final (or maybe penultimate) episode.