2016-05-12: Toronto, Ontario

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[PHATJ]

why is Encore #2 always a pile of shit?

Classic rawk

They should have closed the show with something more like this:

I GOT SHIT
YOU ARE
LAST EXIT
RVM
LEASH
IMMORTALITY
ALIVE (or JEREMY)
LEDBETTER

[Birds in Hell]

If I were at a show that opened with Why Go, they'd spend the next three hours trying to win me back over and probably failing.

I had almost this experience exactly last time I saw the band.

Then they played It's OK and it was, more or less, all over.

[Birds in Hell]

I also don't have any problem with a run of hits in encore 2, I like that it's become somewhat traditional to close out the show with those songs.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[LetMeSleep]

I also don't have any problem with a run of hits in encore 2, I like that it's become somewhat traditional to close out the show with those songs.

No problem here at all. I do still like the idea of an album themed encore 1 so you could get 7-8 tracks from RA and Bsides.

[PHATJ]

why is Encore #2 always a pile of shit?

Classic rawk

They should have closed the show with something more like this:

I GOT SHIT
YOU ARE
LAST EXIT
RVM
LEASH
IMMORTALITY
ALIVE (or JEREMY)
LEDBETTER

Epic.

I know. I listened to a these songs on some old boots today and really loved it. Sometimes I forget how amazing Ed sounded in th early to mid '90s. The Orphium vault boot was pretty fucking awesome. Immortality, glorified G, Blood, Release, Animal... The band was in top form and Ed was blowing the roof off. An encore like this performed with the '94 energy would be incredible.

[Fuzzcharger]

I also don't have any problem with a run of hits in encore 2, I like that it's become somewhat traditional to close out the show with those songs.

I think it makes sense to finish with the well known closers at the end of the night. You want to finish on a big note with something that pulls the crowd together.

[Bammer]

*generic bitching about how each Pearl Jam setlist sucks worst than the last*

[96583UP]

Other than the 2nd encore, pretty great setlist. These second encores have been really hits heavy, huh?

They're geared specifically for mikejasond's friend.

mikejasond's friend is basically the new dimitrsipearljam

[Bi_3]

I also don't have any problem with a run of hits in encore 2, I like that it's become somewhat traditional to close out the show with those songs.

I think it makes sense to finish with the well known closers at the end of the night. You want to finish on a big note with something that pulls the crowd together.

You can finish strong using a "hits" structure without being repetitive show after show. For example, they could close with Alive vs RITFW/YL/Indiff. I don't really mind somewhat set second encores anyway... The two things that I think would be neat to change would be to extend the sit down back to 4 songs like in 2013/2014 and to shake up the set closers. We don't need RVM and Porch closing the sets every night.

[Chris_H_2]

Whatever happened to blood closing a set?

[CopperTom]

It did in Toronto. It closed Encore 1 in Ottawa. Blood and Comatose are tough on Eddie.

[matt reeder]

Whatever happened to blood closing a set?

The performances of "Blood" on this tour will make you want to un-hear them. That song needs to be permanently retired because Ed couldn't sing it unless it was the only song they played that night.

I also hate "Why Go" as an opener. It just doesn't work. The only hard / fast song they should ever open with is "Go" (or "Breakerfall", but that probably won't happen again). All the others are pretenders that don't work in that slot. I knew the fourth Spectrum was going to be a letdown for me right from the opening song, which of course was "Why Go". It just doesn't work.

As for the complaints about the encores being full of hits - I'm fine with that. Not everybody is a superfan, and it means a lot to people seeing their first or second show to hear those songs. It's a great moment to sing along. The problem is the predictable closers. I miss "Porch" as a show closer. It was so common back in the 90s but at this point I think it's been 10 years since they last used it as a closer. They also need to play "Fuckin' Up" a lot more. I'd love to see them do "Release" as a closer and walk off the stage to "Master/Slave", but that probably isn't ever going to happen.

[AndySlash]

i like why go as a fast opener. *shrug* it was perfect at lollapalooza in '07.

[mikejasond]

Whatever happened to blood closing a set?

The performances of "Blood" on this tour will make you want to un-hear them. That song needs to be permanently retired because Ed couldn't sing it unless it was the only song they played that night.

I also hate "Why Go" as an opener. It just doesn't work. The only hard / fast song they should ever open with is "Go" (or "Breakerfall", but that probably won't happen again). All the others are pretenders that don't work in that slot. I knew the fourth Spectrum was going to be a letdown for me right from the opening song, which of course was "Why Go". It just doesn't work.

As for the complaints about the encores being full of hits - I'm fine with that. Not everybody is a superfan, and it means a lot to people seeing their first or second show to hear those songs. It's a great moment to sing along. The problem is the predictable closers. I miss "Porch" as a show closer. It was so common back in the 90s but at this point I think it's been 10 years since they last used it as a closer. They also need to play "Fuckin' Up" a lot more. I'd love to see them do "Release" as a closer and walk off the stage to "Master/Slave", but that probably isn't ever going to happen.

I like the slow openers a lot. But I got Corduroy at MSG2 and thought it worked well. Hearing those opening notes cut through the quiet gets you really hyped up at a concert

[b_i_revisited]

Whatever happened to blood closing a set?

The performances of "Blood" on this tour will make you want to un-hear them. That song needs to be permanently retired because Ed couldn't sing it unless it was the only song they played that night.

This. Listen to the Brooklyn/Philly shows from 2013 for a great example of a single performance of Blood wrecking havoc for days.

[MattA75]

Whatever happened to blood closing a set?

The performances of "Blood" on this tour will make you want to un-hear them. That song needs to be permanently retired because Ed couldn't sing it unless it was the only song they played that night.

I also hate "Why Go" as an opener. It just doesn't work. The only hard / fast song they should ever open with is "Go" (or "Breakerfall", but that probably won't happen again). All the others are pretenders that don't work in that slot. I knew the fourth Spectrum was going to be a letdown for me right from the opening song, which of course was "Why Go". It just doesn't work.

As for the complaints about the encores being full of hits - I'm fine with that. Not everybody is a superfan, and it means a lot to people seeing their first or second show to hear those songs. It's a great moment to sing along. The problem is the predictable closers. I miss "Porch" as a show closer. It was so common back in the 90s but at this point I think it's been 10 years since they last used it as a closer. They also need to play "Fuckin' Up" a lot more. I'd love to see them do "Release" as a closer and walk off the stage to "Master/Slave", but that probably isn't ever going to happen.

Agreed with a lot of what you said, though I would add Corduroy to the list of good hard/fast openers...and Once seemed to work well in Philly, a lot better than Why Go

[VinylGuy]

Blood was way better last year...but yeah, at this point Ed needs to figure it out more if he wants to sing that one...i remember hearing a version from 2008 i think that was cringeworthy.

[Leatherhead]

I've heard some pretty decent "Blood" performances from the last few years. I don't know, maybe I'm more forgiving of Ed's current voice than a lot of people.