2014-10-17: Moline, IL

[Norah]

I see there's an audience recording. Is it available in FLAC?

[knee tunes]

As for releasing it as bonus material for the No Code / Yield reissues, idk. As amazing as it was, it wasn't without flubs/struggles, especially Mankind and Around The Bend.

Well, it is 2014.

and it is also who gives a fuck

[Birds in Hell]

I see there's an audience recording. Is it available in FLAC?

It's up at The Trader's Den, I'm downloading it now.

[Norah]

I see there's an audience recording. Is it available in FLAC?

It's up at The Trader's Den, I'm downloading it now.

I'll stop downloading this one from we got shit then.

[Birds in Hell]

It'd be nice if they did this for Mark R the next time they play Newcastle.

No Code or No No Code, I am totally coming up for the next Newy show, whenever that may be.

I just hope we get another arena tour at some point, it's been way too long.

[LetMeSleep]

And I hope I not only have the dosh, but the home-credits to get in some other cities.

November 2015 would be good.

[knee tunes]

This couldn't have happened to a nicer album.

This is probably the quote that best sums up the show last night.

[Birds in Hell]

And I hope I not only have the dosh, but the home-credits to get in some other cities.

November 2015 would be good.

Same here, man.

[LetMeSleep]

And I hope I not only have the dosh, but the home-credits to get in some other cities.

November 2015 would be good.

Same here, man.

It'd be a grand way to enter my 40's.

[Norah]

These moron Pearl Jam fans did the fast clap thing in hail hail way too early.

[Kaius]

There was some pretty awful clapping in the pit at St. Louis as well.

[Norah]

Pearl Jam fans are the worst.

[Norah]

You know what would make this better? Jack Irons.

[96583UP]

wish Ed did the full lyrics to I'm open.... little bit of a cop out

I love Around the Bend on No Code, and in the Showbox 96 boot

but this version suffers from Matt Cameron's PJ tempo disease

slow the fuck down Matt

this isn't supposed to be a samba

it's a lullaby

[Kaius]

but this version suffers from Matt Cameron's PJ tempo disease

slow the fuck down Matt

this isn't supposed to be a samba

[Kevin Davis]

I think Ed sets the tempo for "Around the Bend," not Matt.

[Chris_H_2]

These moron Pearl Jam fans did the fast clap thing in hail hail way too early.

Ed did it and everyone followed

[warehouse]

but lets list the other 50 bands we'd rather see than pearl jam lol

Seriously dude, what is your fucking problem? You seem to be the only one butthurt enough to keep talking about this. Get the fuck over it. I'm sorry my opinions don't match yours.


Wait, actually I'm not, you're the dude who is super into DMB.

lol yes im the one who is butthurt. and dmb is awesome.

im kinda torn on them releasing this. if its for a no code reissue its awesome b/c that means they will probably do yield next, but I dont wanna wait that long for the bootleg.

[Kevin Davis]

It was a great show but I'm not sure it would quite qualify as "official release"-worthy -- the flubs were minimal by modern standards but there were still a few trip-ups and rough edges. The bootleg will be a blast to listen to but I think something from 1996 would be a much better choice, and more consistent with how the previous reissues have been arranged. Plus if they used this show the entire second half of the concert wouldn't make any sense as part of the reissue package, and I definitely don't want them to cut it.

[@SkitchP]

Spoiler: show

COOL.


Starting with "Small Town" is a bit of a headscratcher though

Most likely it was a way of putting a familiar song out there as sensitivity to the general-interest folks who were unknowingly waiting to be subjected to a full 13 song record of non-hits. I've never really understood "Elderly Woman" as an opener but in person it doesn't feel as weird as it does on bootlegs, favor though I do the subtler show openers.

The "No Code" thing felt like a dream -- somehow it managed to feel less and less believable the clearer it became that they were actually doing it. I would have been overcome sufficiently with emotion just to have heard "Who You Are," a song that during the critical years of my PJ fandom it was genuinely believed would never be played again. And up until that point it felt like they may have just been employing tactful sequencing, but once they started "In My Tree" there definitely seemed to be a collective sense of, "Oh shit, they are really doing this." Before the show I was talking with one of the guys in my section and I asked him if there was anything he was hoping to hear, and he said, "Anything off 'No Code' would be awesome -- it's my favorite album. And 'In Hiding.'" This man was in pure ecstasy all night. It's easy to knock the vacuity of the "high-fiving your bros in the bleachers" thing (and God knows I have) but there is definitely enjoyment to be had in seeing other people enjoy a special moment, provided they're not obnoxious about it.

The "No Code" stuff was really well-performed too -- this is definitely the niche of material that 50 year-old Eddie's voice is most suited to, and Mike's guitar playing -- especially on "Off He Goes," "Red Mosquito," and "Around the Bend" -- was melodic and soulful. It takes a relatively shred-free program of material to make you remember what a great guitarist he can be, coming up with lines that are cohesive and tactful rather than just flashy and fast. Eddie had a few momentary slip-ups that were quickly righted (I think we got a "call man's your neighbor/call it behavior" during "RM"), but no blank spots. He couldn't remember the first line to "Around the Bend," so he discreetly scanned the audience until someone prompted him, and then proceeded to deliver a flawless version. In fact, I might go so far as to say that this "Around the Bend" was the single best Pearl Jam performance that I have witnessed in person. The band played it just how I like them best -- loose, but in the pocket, with committed phrasing from Eddie, restrained drumming from Matt, and tasteful soloing from Mike. I hope it sounds as good on the recording.

Other highlights for me were "Brain of J," "In Hiding," "Bee Girl," and "Fuckin' Up," probably my favorite of the late-set Young/Who covers. "Gone" always pleasantly surprises me in its live incarnation -- great singing from Ed, right in the sweet spot of his range. And I didn't think "Infallible" dragged at all -- the guitars pack a lot more wallop when stripped of their studio polish. Again, the low point for me was "Imagine" -- just an insipid cover choice, especially with the projector cameras zooming in on all the weepy-faced girls singing along and crying. And though the gesture was nice, I was ambivalent about the Moline song.

But really, this night was about "No Code"; everything else was lagniappe. If the St. Louis show was a wild night of partying and vandalizing your neighborhood with your closest friends, this was the night where you and those same people stay up until 4am and tell each other your most intimate secrets. The decision to do "No Code" -- the record that essentially signaled the moment at which fans decided they were going to stick with or ditch the band -- felt like a very deliberate gesture of gratitude, and it wasn't garish or sentimental. It was just the band's very best music being played for a room full of people who knew it was special.

Spoiler: show

Was this the most Kevin Davis post of all time?