2013 Official Bootlegs

[Monkey_Driven]

This isn't "breaking news" to anyone here, but man, after listening to a 2013 boot (Charlottesville) I am so glad that I never invested any $$ into purchasing boots from the post 2003 era. Clearly, Ed had it going on from '98 to '03. And there's still some '95 shows and early shows (Unplugged) that I'll forever love.

Ed just does not have it in a live format anymore. There are a few exceptions, but in general, all the screeching and failing to reach the high notes was cringe worthy. "Go" sounds like a 15-year-old's voice changing during puberty.

I'd much rather see the band all but eliminate the tours, and just concentrate on cranking out new records, where Ed sounds good because of the studio magic or whatever.

On the plus side, aside from playing everything too fast, drums, bass, guitar all sound great. And having a nice live version of Pendulum will be good moving forward.

I'm with your for the most part but I would put it at every bootleg after the '06 tour. Ed sounds great on some tunes now but others (i.e. Alive) are cringeworthy.

[Coach]

This isn't "breaking news" to anyone here, but man, after listening to a 2013 boot (Charlottesville) I am so glad that I never invested any $$ into purchasing boots from the post 2003 era. Clearly, Ed had it going on from '98 to '03. And there's still some '95 shows and early shows (Unplugged) that I'll forever love.

Ed just does not have it in a live format anymore. There are a few exceptions, but in general, all the screeching and failing to reach the high notes was cringe worthy. "Go" sounds like a 15-year-old's voice changing during puberty.

I'd much rather see the band all but eliminate the tours, and just concentrate on cranking out new records, where Ed sounds good because of the studio magic or whatever.

On the plus side, aside from playing everything too fast, drums, bass, guitar all sound great. And having a nice live version of Pendulum will be good moving forward.

I'm with your for the most part but I would put it at every bootleg after the '06 tour. Ed sounds great on some tunes now but others (i.e. Alive) are cringeworthy.

Yeah, I couldn't remember the exact year where things started going off the rails, but I'd be fine with stating that as "after '06."

I must have listened to something around then - "the modern Ed" - and I just told myself that for now on I'd keep my bootleg listening to the prime years. But, I was curious about how the new LB songs would sound live, and YouTube wasn't doing it for me.

I'd say my purchase was still worth it because of Pendulum. That's about it.

[WaitingForBluey]

'06 still remains my fav set of boots, but '03 is a close second

'13 is good for what's it worth, a chance to hear the new songs mixed in with the rest of the catalog

[CopperTom]

Box set not shipping until after the 2014 boots are released. As a thank you for our patience, we got MP3 download codes. These would have been appreciated, you know, months ago.

[matt reeder]

Box set not shipping until after the 2014 boots are released. As a thank you for our patience, we got MP3 download codes. These would have been appreciated, you know, months ago.

And the beat rolls on...

[Monkey_Driven]

This isn't "breaking news" to anyone here, but man, after listening to a 2013 boot (Charlottesville) I am so glad that I never invested any $$ into purchasing boots from the post 2003 era. Clearly, Ed had it going on from '98 to '03. And there's still some '95 shows and early shows (Unplugged) that I'll forever love.

Ed just does not have it in a live format anymore. There are a few exceptions, but in general, all the screeching and failing to reach the high notes was cringe worthy. "Go" sounds like a 15-year-old's voice changing during puberty.

I'd much rather see the band all but eliminate the tours, and just concentrate on cranking out new records, where Ed sounds good because of the studio magic or whatever.

On the plus side, aside from playing everything too fast, drums, bass, guitar all sound great. And having a nice live version of Pendulum will be good moving forward.

I'm with your for the most part but I would put it at every bootleg after the '06 tour. Ed sounds great on some tunes now but others (i.e. Alive) are cringeworthy.

Yeah, I couldn't remember the exact year where things started going off the rails, but I'd be fine with stating that as "after '06."

I must have listened to something around then - "the modern Ed" - and I just told myself that for now on I'd keep my bootleg listening to the prime years. But, I was curious about how the new LB songs would sound live, and YouTube wasn't doing it for me.

I'd say my purchase was still worth it because of Pendulum. That's about it.

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

[WaitingForBluey]

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

this

[Monkey_Driven]

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

this

I don't know if it is because the band is excited to mix in new material or what but it seems like they are "on" more consistently. Just wish they toured more than the coasts and festivals.

[Chest Rockwell]

I downloaded the Oakland show last week and don't know if it was the venue or the band (or both) but this recording really does leave something to be desired. I remember being at the show and thinking how quiet the band sounded compared to Ed's vocals and figured they were doing it so he didn't scream himself hoarse, but I'm kinda blown away by how much Ed is NOT singing these days.

Some real sloppy playing too. Still had fun at the show, but as someone who's been seeing PJ live since '91, oh how times have changed.....

[Birds in Hell]

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

this

I don't know if it is because the band is excited to mix in new material or what but it seems like they are "on" more consistently.

For what it's worth, this hasn't been my experience at all.

I think the 2013 shows are the most consistently underwhelming Pearl Jam performances I've heard.

[hlniv]

I downloaded the Oakland show last week and don't know if it was the venue or the band (or both) but this recording really does leave something to be desired. I remember being at the show and thinking how quiet the band sounded compared to Ed's vocals and figured they were doing it so he didn't scream himself hoarse, but I'm kinda blown away by how much Ed is NOT singing these days.

Some real sloppy playing too. Still had fun at the show, but as someone who's been seeing PJ live since '91, oh how times have changed.....

Welcome to RM, and welcome to modern day PJ

[Chest Rockwell]

Welcome to RM, and welcome to modern day PJ

Thanks - longtime lurker who had a RM account a while back but never posted much.

As previously mentioned in some posts a few pages back, I agree that the bubble PJ has built around themselves has begun to work against them. What protected them in the late 90s/early 00s now has insulated them from innovation. It would do them some good to not work with Brendan O'Brien, not record in Seattle/LA, etc. and shake things up.

I get it. The band is in their late 40s/early 50s. They have families and the bank accounts are looking good so the drive and inspiration is going to take a hit no matter what. They really should take a cue from their mentor Neil Young and take some artistic risks and if it doesn't work out, so what, move on to the next thing. The real audience will follow.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

I remember being at the show and thinking how quiet the band sounded compared to Ed's vocals and figured they were doing it so he didn't scream himself hoarse, but I'm kinda blown away by how much Ed is NOT singing these days.

One thing I've always noticed at PJ shows is that their PA system is really quiet and weak, and in acoustically unstable buildings (like Spectrum) they just sound like a distant wash of echo unless you're right up in the front. In person, they have none of the up-front power that you hear on the bootlegs. You could claim that we are spoiled by the bootlegs, but I've never enjoyed any live concert experience where I couldn't hear the band.

[Coach]

This isn't "breaking news" to anyone here, but man, after listening to a 2013 boot (Charlottesville) I am so glad that I never invested any $$ into purchasing boots from the post 2003 era. Clearly, Ed had it going on from '98 to '03. And there's still some '95 shows and early shows (Unplugged) that I'll forever love.

Ed just does not have it in a live format anymore. There are a few exceptions, but in general, all the screeching and failing to reach the high notes was cringe worthy. "Go" sounds like a 15-year-old's voice changing during puberty.

I'd much rather see the band all but eliminate the tours, and just concentrate on cranking out new records, where Ed sounds good because of the studio magic or whatever.

On the plus side, aside from playing everything too fast, drums, bass, guitar all sound great. And having a nice live version of Pendulum will be good moving forward.

I'm with your for the most part but I would put it at every bootleg after the '06 tour. Ed sounds great on some tunes now but others (i.e. Alive) are cringeworthy.

Yeah, I couldn't remember the exact year where things started going off the rails, but I'd be fine with stating that as "after '06."

I must have listened to something around then - "the modern Ed" - and I just told myself that for now on I'd keep my bootleg listening to the prime years. But, I was curious about how the new LB songs would sound live, and YouTube wasn't doing it for me.

I'd say my purchase was still worth it because of Pendulum. That's about it.

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

Less warbling, but much more screeching. Lots of moments where he tries to sing, and the words just can't come out, too.

The songs that call for the deep baritone are still fine, but even with those there's something missing.

[hlniv]

I remember being at the show and thinking how quiet the band sounded compared to Ed's vocals and figured they were doing it so he didn't scream himself hoarse, but I'm kinda blown away by how much Ed is NOT singing these days.

One thing I've always noticed at PJ shows is that their PA system is really quiet and weak, and in acoustically unstable buildings (like Spectrum) they just sound like a distant wash of echo unless you're right up in the front. In person, they have none of the up-front power that you hear on the bootlegs. You could claim that we are spoiled by the bootlegs, but I've never enjoyed any live concert experience where I couldn't hear the band.

I echo this sentiment.

Case in point - I went to both Worcester shows last October.

Night 1, I had a floor seat near the back, behind GA. Sound was terrible back there, I really thought something had gone wrong. Maybe it was the venue, maybe it was the system, whatever. I found myself drifting, looking around, not really paying attention. A couple songs started, and I wasn't even sure what they were, couldn't hear it very well. I wasn't engaged, and as it turns out, it was a killer show. Maybe they hadn't hit their groove yet, but the boot sounds great, it's one of the better Leg 1 performances.

On the flip side, Night 2 was a terrible performance. On the boot, there are miscues through the whole night. It ended up a sing-a-long hit-a-thon in the end. However, I had GA tickets for Night 2 and placed myself right in the middle of the venue. The sound was dead nuts on, fucking perfect. I thought they were on fire, I had so much energy running through me, I started jumping around, having a blast with some Euro dudes. I walked out of there thinking it was one of the better PJ experiences I have had. But when you see the setlist, and hear the bootleg, the show was horrible.

[hlniv]

dupe

[lowlight79]

Threw in OKC today on my way to work. Got through 5 tracks in the car. Wash sounds pretty good here.

[WaitingForBluey]

I'm thinking I might put Philly 1 right up there with Hartford and Charlottesville as my favorite East Coast boots. Great setlist, great energy. Once again, I picked the wrong night to go, as Philly 2 was basically just a repeat of Brooklyn 2.

[Monkey_Driven]

I will say the boots from the '13 tour I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio are better than the last several tours. Ed seems to be warbling less as well.

this

I don't know if it is because the band is excited to mix in new material or what but it seems like they are "on" more consistently.

For what it's worth, this hasn't been my experience at all.

I think the 2013 shows are the most consistently underwhelming Pearl Jam performances I've heard.

I'm basing this entirely on the select songs I've heard on Pearl Jam Radio. I haven't listened to an entire show from last year's tour.

[hlniv]

I'm working my way through Vancouver.

So far through Even Flow, this one is very good.