Holy Crap, Pearl Jam Rocked!!!
 

HOLY SHIT, Pearl Jam was its usual amazing self!!! And what a freakin' AWESOME set list!!!! Here's what a can remember, haha. I'm usually pretty lame with this.

They opened with Wash and after that I think it was Hail, Hail and then fucking BRAIN OF J!!!!!! One of my most favorite PJ songs EVER! Others were Spin the Black Circle, Even Flow, GREEN DISEASE!!!!! FAITHFUL!!!!, WHIPPING, NOT FOR YOU!!!!! Given to Fly, Once, Leatherman, Better Man (during which Ed led the crowd sing the verses AND the chorus!), Nothingman and two that I didn't know that well. Could have been from the rarities or something new. Ed mentioned more than once about their working on a new album YAY!!.

Right before Faithful, Ed said they were pulling out some stuff they hadn't played in a while. He was very animated, rolling around on the stage and even doing somersaults, and generally having a great time.

The crowd was AMAZING. We were so pumped, it was beyond crazy in there. Ed said it felt like it was the last show of the tour with all the energy in the place. The crowd definitely helped them kick things up a notch. Not that they don't. PJ NEVER disappoints. They are always so on! Ed did screw up some lyrics in a song or two, even lauging through one at one point, but at least he was having fun up there.


During the first encore (yes, we got two), They did AROUND THE BEND (awesome, by the way), and Neil Young's Harvest Moon with Sleater-Kinney (more on them later, they fucking OWNED!) It was a really sweet rendition and it nearly brought me to tears. They also did Hard to Imagine, and for me, one of the freakin' highlights of the night: CROWN OF THORNS!!! Ed said they only play that one on special occasions and that tonight was definitely one of them. He thanked the crowd all night for turning out and was amazed at how fast tickets went for this show after they decided to add it. Philly freakin' LOVES PJ.

Oh, they also did Crazy Mary, but it was bizarre. About a minute into the song, either an amp blew or the mic was messed, but there was a really loud buzz for like 10 seconds and Ed got really freaked out and said he wasn't going to sing that song live again because maybe he pissed off Mary for calling her insane, hahaha, even though he said he never really called her insane. He was going to move on to the next song, but then Stone convinced him he should get back on the horse and give it another try, so they tried to start it again, but couldn't get it right so then Ed just said to start it where they'd left off. He told the crowd we'd have to sing the No L-O-I-T-E-R-I-N-G allowed part, so we did and all was well and the freakin' solos by Boom and Mike were out of this world!! I think this encore ended with Alive during which all 20,000 people screamed their lungs out. I so want this bootleg, but the bastages don't take AMEX anymore on the web site. GRRRR. Alas, maybe it will come out on CD. It was such a kick-ass show. It really should be a DVD!

During the second encore, they did Last Kiss (the only PJ song I really don't like, and it's not even theirs, haha), to the people behind the stage. Ed said, Excuse me while we go do this club show...heheh, Ed, ever the jokster. Anyway, the people in the back got a nice nod from the band.
They also did Do The Evolution, SONIC REDUCER!!!, Little Sister (an Elvis cover, I think?), Leaving Here, and Rocking in the Free World again w/Sleater Kinney. They ended with Yellow Ledbetter and a kick-ass job on geetar by Mike on that one. He does it differently every time. I love that. The house lights were up for Rockin' and Yellow Ledbetter and it was insane watching all the fists in the air and all the people clapping. People threw some Frisbees on stage and Ed and one of the women from Sleater-Kinney played them like tambourines, slapping them together, hahaha. Then they were dancing up a storm on stage during the solo/jam of Rockin' in the Free World as well.

This show ranks as one of THE best shows I have ever been to. I don't have a voice left and I expended every ounce of energy headbanging and dancing my ass off. AND I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WE GOT BRAIN OF J AND FAITHFUL!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Sleater-Kinney was freakin GREAT! I'm still getting to learn all the songs, as I just started getting into them, but they went on promptly at 7 and get this, they opened -with Ed at vocals - with Promised Land by Springsteen. Way, way, way, cool. So us early birds got a real treat. They played for about 45 minutes and did at least four of five songs off their latest album and man, were they on. They flat-out deliver vocally and musically. I would LOVE to see them again. They did some other songs I didn't know, but they had won the crowd over by the time they finished. And then they ended with Danzig's Mother, and all of PJ played with them. How cool was THAT? I so hope I get to see Sleater-Kinney again.

Man, sorry this is so long, but I'm still pumped as hell!

thanks for the great review! :) a little bummed australia will seemingly miss out on this tour although we got them for the riot act tour so i can't complain too much. i read on the pj board that ace frehley (kiss for those new to this thing called rock and roll :p ) played with them at a recent gig. i can imagine mike would have been in heaven but ed with a member of kiss?

Kerri, sounds like you guys had a blast!! Hopefully I'll be able to understand you at lunch!!! If not, I'll bring a pad and pen so you can just write to me. ;)

Great Revews...and I am GOING to see THEM TOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN DECEMBER....I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Hehe, thanks, guys. I can sort of talk a little, Teri...Hide, that was a couple of days ago in Atlantic City, N.J., near Teri's neck of the woods. That would have been cool. Blabbermouth posted a couple of pics. Apparently Ed's a big Kiss fan, too, according to that site, haha. Ana, have an AWESOME time. I know you will. PJ rocks!