Song of the Moment: Satan's Bed

[Strat]

They haven't played it right since 1994. Idiots!

They dont play the same chords in the chorus as they did in the studio

[dad]

Atlanta ‘94 and Self Pollution are great.

I liked when they played it on the 2006 tour too.

fun song.

[mikejasond]

Comparing versions of this song as I continue to try to find what it is about 2024 Pearl Jam that isn't sounding as good as it used to to me.

1. 1994
2. 2006
3. 2008
4. 2024





I will always prefer the 90s Eddie and Dave A on this song, so that one goes without saying.

But I still quite enjoyed the 2006 and 2008 takes on the song. In SOME ways it was even better, even if the feel was different.

I noticed in 2006 Mike was still playing the little guitar noodlings over the chorus. By 2008 he had stopped (Though 2008 was slower and I liked that, it might have made it an even better rendition). Eddie sounds very good in both and that really sells the song (Which isn't even a song I particularly like, but it seemed like a fun rarity to get at these shows).

But while both 2006 and 2008 were enjoyable, even without Dave A and a young Eddie.....2024 just sounds pretty awful to me and it's not JUST because of the downtuning (though it doesn't help). And I know this is fan cam but i heard the bootleg on the radio today and thought it sounded bad there too.

I dont know why it just sounds so....boring and same-y like they could be playing any song in the world? I feel like that's one of my biggest problem with late-game Pearl Jam - it feels like sometimes all their songs live bleed together, without the unique feel that makes those songs special. I think maybe it's Matt Cameron who has stopped putting any effort into giving the song its groove lol. In 2006 and 2008 he seemed to try a bit harder. And that combined with Eddie having a harder time singing in tune (and the down-tuning, though Ive found stone and mike sometimes sound flat even when they haven't downtuned). It sounds like they're rushing through and can't wait for it to be over

[stip]

every live performance of this song pales to atlanta 94. that was a perfect performance. got it in 1

[stip]

i do dig the slinky dance eddie is doing in that 08 clip

[Birds in Hell]

The downtuning is definitely an element of what you're hearing. The song sounds more 'right' at the original key and a bit 'wrong' when played lower, regardless of anything else going on.

They're generally pretty good at playing new songs and the very regular favourites (Alive, DTE, etc.) but songs that might appear once or twice a tour, like Satan's Bed, very often feel pretty rushed and under-rehearsed. That's been the case for years. I expect they're probably giving most of them a quick run through at soudcheck at most before playing them live, as opposed to songs like Setting Sun or Upper Hand where they've obviously spent time getting them right in rehearsal.

I don't think this is a signficant issue for the band just yet but they're obviously all a lot older now than in those earlier clips. I suspect there's a level of tightness and intensity they could reliably summon when they were younger that's not easily in reach now.

[coptheriotact]

the snare drum on 2024 video

[Leatherhead]

The downtuning is definitely an element of what you're hearing. The song sounds more 'right' at the original key and a bit 'wrong' when played lower, regardless of anything else going on.

They're generally pretty good at playing new songs and the very regular favourites (Alive, DTE, etc.) but songs that might appear once or twice a tour, like Satan's Bed, very often feel pretty rushed and under-rehearsed. That's been the case for years. I expect they're probably giving most of them a quick run through at soudcheck at most before playing them live, as opposed to songs like Setting Sun or Upper Hand where they've obviously spent time getting them right in rehearsal.

I don't think this is a signficant issue for the band just yet but they're obviously all a lot older now than in those earlier clips. I suspect there's a level of tightness and intensity they could reliably summon when they were younger that's not easily in reach now.

Definitely this. Also, I don't think Ed's the worst part of that Satan's Bed performance, it's lackluster and sloppy playing from the whole band.

[dprival78]

this is the down side of mixing up setlists. they play these songs once or twice in 7-8 year spans.

people get excited reading the setlists when they see a rarity pop up, but many times, the performances are kind of meh.

I’d rather they include 4-5 lesser played songs into their tour rotations and play them a few times, instead of the “OMG they played _____!” one-offs. if they played satans bed 4 times, I bet it would tighten up.

[stip]

that's a good point

[GreenMosquito1996]

Yes, they could tighten some songs.

Rarities for specific tours are great. Leash got a proper revival on the 2006 tour after a ten years absence, isn't it ? Some songs could be great for the Dark Matter " era ". But I don't really think Satan's bed is one of those songs.

[96583UP]

They dont play the same chords in the chorus as they did in the studio

this is a big deal

wtf

[daft twat]

Was it okay at PJ20 or was I just happy to finally see it?

[Leatherhead]

For lesser played songs, they should stick to mostly Binaural and later songs. It seems to me Ed can sing those tunes better nowadays than he can something like Last Exit or In Hiding.

[Birds in Hell]

They dont play the same chords in the chorus as they did in the studio

this is a big deal

wtf

Is that true?

I thought they were just banging out C G D A.

[digster]

I think part of it is also that, with some exceptions, they're really playing these songs the same way, with the same arrangements, as 30 years ago (other than something like downtuning to account for Ed's range). That's a pretty difficult task to accomplish, asking the band (and particularly Ed) to stick to a script they wrote that may be far more physically challenging than it was back then. It's hard for performances not to suffer in direct comparison.

I wouldn't say that's unique to PJ; someone like Springsteen is still capable of a fantastic show, but song-for-song, I don't know if I would put the typical 2010s performance of a song against a version from the 70s and 80s. This isn't always the case...sometimes a band is able to find a new way into a song that redirects the performance from highlighting their weaknesses into highlighting their strengths, but I don't think that's particularly easy or common.

[Kevin Davis]

I think it would be hard for PJ to reinvent songs onstage the way someone like Dylan or even Springsteen has, because in a lot of cases the riffs and arrangements are completely baked into the compositions. They don't have a lot of flexibility to just start playing songs in a completely different style, the way Dylan might with a song that was originally just a solo acoustic number, or a 12-bar blues. They've tried to do this a few times in the past, and the arrangements turned out to be novelties at best ("Corduroy," "Jeremy") and messy at worst ("In My Tree," "Garden").

Although, unquestionably, I'd take that rearranged "Corduroy" eight days a week over the new call-response version.

[mikejasond]

I think part of it is also that, with some exceptions, they're really playing these songs the same way, with the same arrangements, as 30 years ago (other than something like downtuning to account for Ed's range). That's a pretty difficult task to accomplish, asking the band (and particularly Ed) to stick to a script they wrote that may be far more physically challenging than it was back then. It's hard for performances not to suffer in direct comparison.

But I don't think it's just that.....it's like....they barely seem like they're trying. The 2008 version of Satan's Bed did manage to capture a feel, but in 2024 it just feels like they are playing it lazily without trying to make it stand out as Satan's Bed. It's like sometimes they just stop trying to give each song it's unique aspects that make it stand out. It used to be that they often enhanced those aspects live, so when you hear it you feel like you got a special song. But now it's like let's just play "Pearl Jam" and barrel through.

[oasisfan35]

I think it would be hard for PJ to reinvent songs onstage the way someone like Dylan or even Springsteen has, because in a lot of cases the riffs and arrangements are completely baked into the compositions. They don't have a lot of flexibility to just start playing songs in a completely different style, the way Dylan might with a song that was originally just a solo acoustic number, or a 12-bar blues. They've tried to do this a few times in the past, and the arrangements turned out to be novelties at best ("Corduroy," "Jeremy") and messy at worst ("In My Tree," "Garden").

Although, unquestionably, I'd take that rearranged "Corduroy" eight days a week over the new call-response version.

I think the bold is 100% it, it sounds terrible to say "hey, we have to put this one on the shelf" but yeah, it may be time.

[Tj]

I'm not sure. In Climate Pledge in the moment this was a blast. I could tell it wasn't perfect but it was good honest entertainment. I think the boot concept changes things. Imagine if boots of every Hendrix show were available. I think alot is being made about nothing.