Let's Talk about the 2003 Tour

[Iholdthepain]

Got free tickets to the Dallas show...

They then proceeded to ignore Dallas for about ten years!

Thanks a lot, GWB!

[ridleybradout]

I find it really hard to listen to the 2003 boots - the way they've mixed/mastered Ed's voice gives me a headache

[Birds in Hell]

Yeah, I agree, but I'm not crazy about the performances from this tour either, at least compared to 2000 or 2006.

[Kevin Davis]

The 2003 tour may have been the absolute peak of my Pearl Jam fandom. The shows have their minuses but they take me back to such a happy place.

[96583UP]

i was about to say that this was probably their worst tour ever but then again what do i know

[liebzz]

I prefer this tour to 2000. I feel like the 2000 tour, save for a handful of shows, lacked spontaneity and band really didn’t do much stretching out of the songs, with the exception of Rearviewmirror which sounded great on this tour - perhaps due to the Sonic Youth influence from having them open dates on the tour?

[Norah]

yeah the 2000 RVM's definitely benefited from sonic youth's presence

[Iholdthepain]

I tend to remember them stretching out daughter into spacey jams, and wasn't it in 2000 when Black and Crazy Mary really extended out? I think in 2000, they were much tighter as a band, and in 2003 they were much more politically outspoken (which is annoying to hear again when listening to the boots).

[Norah]

yeah daughters were spacey and awesome in 2000 but crazy mary wasn't jammed out until 03 with boom

[Iholdthepain]

Oh... Well CM was awesome in Houston 2000 even if they didn't jam it out.

[EJ]

The Crazy Mary guitar solos were improvised a bit in 2000. Great tour for this song.

Unfortunately, the carnival music breakdown has been going strong since 2003.

[liebzz]

Right, except Daughter was best stretched out (other than that excellent It’s Okay tag in 2000) in the 1998 tour and even before. They’ve really have been stretching that song out since ‘93.

[Iholdthepain]

Right, except Daughter was best stretched out (other than that excellent It’s Okay tag in 2000) in the 1998 tour and even before. They’ve really have been stretching that song out since ‘93.

well yeah, but I meant the spacey stretches... That was more Sonic Youth - type stuff.

[VinylGuy]

I love the sonic youth influence on the 2000 tour.
Songs like RVM, Parting Ways, Go, Porch, Insignificance, all had that SY sound.

[liebzz]

I love the sonic youth influence on the 2000 tour.
Songs like RVM, Parting Ways, Go, Porch, Insignificance, all had that SY sound.

They should play Parting Ways a lot more often. That song is so good live.

[dimejinky99]

I got to watch daughter / it’s ok from the side of the stage in Irvine LA that tour.
Couldn’t really pay full attention. Guitar techs are cartoonishly busy people while we’re out there singing along, unaware.

[Kevin Davis]

My favorite "Crazy Mary"s are from the 2000 tour before they added the "Stairway to Heaven" outro on the second leg. Indianapolis, Boston -- that's the stuff.

I also really like the "Even Flow"s from leg 2 -- Mike's guitar is mixed really loud up front on those boots, you can really hear him tearing into those solos.

[mikejasond]

To me this tour sounds SO much better than 2000 where the band sound is really not strong to me. 98 and 03 sound great but '00 is just...ugly. it sounds like binaural which I also don't like. 2003 had a fuller sound to me, more varied, Eddie sounds much better, the band has more nuance and feeling.

[VinylGuy]

My favorite "Crazy Mary"s are from the 2000 tour before they added the "Stairway to Heaven" outro on the second leg. Indianapolis, Boston -- that's the stuff.

I also really like the "Even Flow"s from leg 2 -- Mike's guitar is mixed really loud up front on those boots, you can really hear him tearing into those solos.

oh yeah Crazy Mary from Seattle 00 is insane.

[mikejasond]

I really love the variety in setlists on this tour. It doesn't feel like 2000 to me where every show feels like it starts the same way