Red Mosquito

I imagine that you and your friends discuss music solely in terms numbers of stars, so please relay his experiences to us in those terms. We don't need your interpretations. We can take it.

The shows are definitely a different thing these days. Ive heard good things about the 13 tour (I missed it unfortunately) but the boots definitely suggest otherwise. It's a matter of preference at this point. I enjoyed this type of atmosphere for a couple years but now its kind of tiresome and I think the band is better than what they give us. Chud talked about it in the live forum but the way they write/record music and present it to the fans with this supposed live show experience, it has stilted their growth as a band.

Ill always have fun but the shows never feel as important anymore. That makes me sad. Instead of life changing, they are merely "fun".

Strat wrote:Missoula was the first PJ Show I walked out not impressed or believing ti was fantastic. That was a very powerful moment for Strat.

Even though I've been underwhelmed by their recent studio efforts, I genuinely never thought I'd not enjoy a Pearl Jam show in person until it happened at the show I saw in January.

I'd still like to think it may have been a particularly off night but the recent live recordings have left me similarly unimpressed in a way that even Backspacer-era shows didn't. I loved the 2009 show I saw despite not being crazy about the record, the band's performance that night was excellent.

I'm not saying I don't believe there are plenty of people out there who still think they're amazing live, I just find it very hard to believe that it's a near universal response at this point. I actually can't think of a single person in my life at this point who if you asked them "What was the best concert Matt ever took you to see/you ever went to with Matt?" would say "Pearl Jam," with the possible exception of my brother (who I started taking to see them in 2003).

I know one person who went to a show this year for the first time, and he didn't think it was that good. That being said, I don't know too many people going to PJ shows that aren't already all in at this point. It's harder to find casual fans of PJ, or people that like the records and see one show every few years, than any other band I enjoy that I can think of. Most people who have gone to PJ shows that I've come into contact with are pretty diehard.

Lament wrote:

Iholdthepain wrote:they're far better than most of the mainstream shit that's marketed to us.

Umm, Pearl Jam is the mainstream shit that's marketed to us.

No shit! It's better than most of the OTHER mainstream music. Their concerts are more likely to have 'train wreck' moments now... And YES, one person's train wreck may be another person's great time... I'm basing the performances now (post-2006, to be very liberal) with their earlier live shows, and I'm correct, because it's my opinion.

McParadigm wrote:I imagine that you and your friends discuss music solely in terms numbers of stars, so please relay his experiences to us in those terms. We don't need your interpretations. We can take it.

God gave us stars when there just isn't time for full sentences.

Iholdthepain wrote:and I'm correct, because it's my opinion.

Lament wrote:

Iholdthepain wrote:and I'm correct, because it's my opinion.

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I should actually be applauding you for summing up everything that is wrong with the internet in one very concise statement.

Iholdthepain wrote:

Lament wrote:

Iholdthepain wrote:and I'm correct, because it's my opinion.

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The pearl jam live show experience is still amazing, which is almost universally the reaction people have when they talk about the shows immediately after attending them. The fact that they are not at their peak doesn't change that.

Agreed. I took 3 people with me to the Portland show, all of whom had never seen Pearl Jam live. None of them are big PJ fans, let alone a PJ addict like me, so one could imagine they would be giving a somewhat objective analysis. All of them were blown away by how good the show was.

I've never been a huge bootleg guy in the first place. For me the definitive versions of songs are almost always the studio versions, especially for PJ. The whole point of the live show is to be there. Bootlegs have rarely if ever captured that energy and experience. Even when they were at their best.

Yeah, for me it's hard to justify owning bootlegs for shows that I didn't attend. I want the bootleg to remind me of the experience I had.

I'll always have fun but the shows never feel as important anymore. That makes me sad. Instead of life changing, they are merely "fun".

For what it's worth, I've seen Pearl Jam seven times spanning across their entire career, and I've never had as joyous/excited a moment as I did in Portland last year after the Sirens sing-along and epic Even Flow. Part of it was that I had never seen a drum solo during a PJ song. But I was bonkers crazy pumped after that.

aurynsdad wrote:

I'll always have fun but the shows never feel as important anymore. That makes me sad. Instead of life changing, they are merely "fun".

For what it's worth, I've seen Pearl Jam seven times spanning across their entire career, and I've never had as joyous/excited a moment as I did in Portland last year after the Sirens sing-along and epic Even Flow. Part of it was that I had never seen a drum solo during a PJ song. But I was bonkers crazy pumped after that.

sure, yea, that is fun. But its been quite a few years where ive sat there speechless on my ass because the most intense and goddamn beautiful Sleight of hand was just presented to me.

I don't think anyone's arguing that there aren't people who still really enjoy, even to "woah, dude!" levels, Pearl Jam shows.

My point is that I think they're playing worse now, from a musical perspective, than they have at any other time in their career. I don't think that's really debatable. The Australian shows from 2003 are probably the previous low-point but at least Ed's voice was in considerably better shape then.

It's been a long time since a Pearl Jam show felt like anything other than an alright to pretty good time. I used to try to see them as much as possible on any given tour because I knew I'd have an experience that couldn't be replaced by just going to see another band I liked. Now that's not the case. I'll still see them if they come near me, but I don't see the point in seeing them multiple times per tour or travelling solely to see them. The experience of seeing them over the past several years is no different than that of seeing any band I like. They've fallen hard from the ranks of the transcendent for me. I've seen plenty of shows that wrecked me and blew my mind over the past 7-8 years, but none of them were Pearl Jam.

i think ed's voice is far worse live than anything the band does. even when they speed everything up.

warehouse wrote:i think ed's voice is far worse live than anything the band does. even when they speed everything up.

Yeah, though I don't think the band are playing exceptionally well, Ed's voice is certainly the most obvious shortcoming they currently have.

I tend to think the band's loose playing is largely attributable to Ed's insistence on playing such a varied setlist anyway, I hardly think it's from any lack of ability on their part.

I'd hate to give serious thought to how many hours of my life I've spent listening to live recordings of Pearl Jam.