Pearl Jam Discussion

[Eulogy]

pearl jam, phish, and pitchfork all outside yesterday

before yesterday the forecast had called for rain basically from 3 p.m. through the night. so it could have been much worse.

[sppunk]

Phish I read cancelled, what did Pitchfork do? PJ had an 1:45 delay and came back out and played til 2 am. I bet that curfew fine is massive!

[Eulogy]

bjork closed out pitchfork and the set just ended 15-20 minutes early

[Andy /]

Originally Posted by sppunk

So Slash, how was that clusterfuck at Wrigley last night? I listened via a webcam ha.

it wasn't anywhere close to as bad as it could have been. all things considered, everything went as well as could be expected. some people complained about the lack of communication during the delay, which was legit- the only news that went out was via the pearl jam twitter (which did state they intended to do the show) so i can understand not everyone knew to check for a status there.

wrigley was the most unique pearl jam show experience i've had. the ladyfriend fainted from the heat/dehydration during release, and we spent the remainder of the first set of songs and most of the 2:45 min rain delay in the first aid room. safe to say we had no issues with the show being delayed. we were back out there for the restart with no worries.

it was my first time in wrigley and i made sure to enjoy the moments i had to look around and soak in the view from centerfield. the band were as practiced and focused as i can recall ever seeing them, and they mixed up the set well to cater to every type of fan in attendance. if the weather didn't shit on the night, i'm confident this would have been an all-time great show in their history. it'll have to settle for being one of the most unique and memorable.

[Andy /]

definitive highlight of the show, imo:

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by AndySlash

if the weather didn't shit on the night, i'm confident this would have been an all-time great show in their history. it'll have to settle for being one of the most unique and memorable.

Totally agree - I was there too, and this about sums it up. By the time they got back out there, I was just beyond tired, and didn't want to stand in line for an energy drink or something and start missing stuff.

Agree - Chloe Dancer was a really great moment. Also loved "All Night". Leatherman is a weird little song, but I've always dug it, so was cool to hear that live.

You battle the merch lines? I tried for 5 hours day of show and came up with nothing. Beyond frustrating, as I really could have gone for one of those Cracker Jack posters or the Ames one - even the Munk One isn't horrible, albeit not frame worthy.

[Andy /]

i stayed as far away from the merch stuff as i possibly could. the lines (and attitudes often displayed in them) are absurd and it kind of disgusts me, to be honest. the trading cards looked kind of neat, though.

all night is a great song.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by AndySlash

i stayed as far away from the merch stuff as i possibly could. the lines (and attitudes often displayed in them) are absurd and it kind of disgusts me, to be honest. the trading cards looked kind of neat, though.

all night is a great song.

Dude, I think you're onto something with that mentality. While I really applaud the effort that PJ puts into merch - as it's always quality stuff - man, it breeds a part of the PJ fan that I just don't get. The line for the stuff was just absolutely insane, which bred all sorts of "well, I made it to the front, better buy tons of shit and resell it" mentality, which just sucks. Then there are four poster designs, and for some reason, they let people buy two of EACH design for a total of 8 per...?! Just lame.

Trading Cards seemed ridiculous when I saw them in the email, but those have somehow turned out to be one of the most ebay-able things from the booth, which kinda blows my mind. But they were well done, so I get it.

All Night freaking rules, man. It didn't dawn on me until Fallon a year or whatever ago just how strong that song is, both musically and lyrically. Was a blast to get that one at Wrigley.

[sppunk]

Got really good Philly tix this morning, pleasantly surprised. Not having to use Ticketmaster was a godsend.

[Raskolnikov]

Right on, man - glad to hear it. You did luck out not having to use Ticketmaster... usually it works well enough for me, but this time it totally choked on me. Got to the very last step in the process and was given an "error" screen and lost some pretty solid tickets to one of the LA shows.

Still kicking myself for missing the 10 Club presale, which I just flat-out forgot about.

[Raskolnikov]

So - thoughts on Lightning Bolt, comrades?

[emotionalfriend]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

So - thoughts on Lightning Bolt, comrades?

I like four songs. Getaway (sadly, not a Mark Cherry cover), Infallible, Pendulum and Yellow Moon. The rest I can do without. Especially Future Days, which sounds like a graduation song.

That said, the fact that I like four songs means I enjoyed it much more than Backspacer.

[Andy /]

-for better or worse lightning bolt seems to be their most commercially accessible record yet. it's all over the place with seemingly something for everyone. but unlike backspacer, i do feel they somewhat challenged themselves on this one, though they also sound influenced by (or ripped off, if you prefer) more bands than on any of their other records.
-sirens and future days are atrocious and will no doubt be my piss break/beer run songs going forward.
-i'm not really a lyrics person, but there's a lot of cringeworthy stuff throughout the album. ed seems to be choosing the more direct path these days.
-there's a lot of "embellishments" on this album that just seem out of place on a pearl jam record (2:40 on lightning bolt, for example).
-as with most pearl jam records, this one is front loaded. the opening trio is pretty decent (despite the opening of getaway sounding exactly like something me and my buddies would "jam" on in the basement), and then sirens drops a turd on everything.
-jeff ament is the mvp of the album.
-it's probably better than backspacer, but after several spins i don't see myself putting it above any other record in the near future.
-top 3 in no order would probably be my father's son, lightning bolt, and pendulum (loooooove the moody stuff. pendulum would fit on binaural/riot act just fine). let the records play and mind your manners might find their way up there.

[sppunk]

lLet the records play might be my least-favorite PJ song ever.

[noyen]

i need to listen to more pj. it seems like i love atleast one song off every album. a lot of peoples i know be talking about this album.

also, seeing 'SPUNK' replying to pearl jam discussion made me giggle because JIZZ LOBBING.

[Raskolnikov]

I'm not anti-Backspacer, and nor am I anti much on this new one. Their direction has wildly changed from the old stuff of course, but at least it's remained (for the most part) pretty solid. [Insert anti-Oceania comment here]

Anyways, I agree with some of the comments: Pendulum and it's major shift in tone/style is very much appreciated, and is one of my favorites on the album for that reason: it's just different. So many of the old PJ albums had those tracks that stuck out like sore thumbs, and the rocky nature of things is what kept it interesting. While I don't hate any particular Backspacer track, it really does gel and feel the same top to bottom.

"Let the Records Play" isn't horrible, but isn't my favorite either.

Why the anti-Sirens talk, Slash? Just because it's so polished sounding and commercial-ish?

Currently, favorite by a longshot is Getaway, which is just a totally classic Ed song. Love it.

[wounded]

i actually liked backspacer for the most part, especially unthought unknown. Haven't had a chance to really listen to the new album just yet, but I saw them in Pitt last friday. opened with "Pendulum" which was a great opener then lead into "of a girl." it was a nice transition. Still a pretty dominant live act.

I remember thinking "Lightning Bolt" the song sounded super cheesy. And lets be honest, what a shitty album title.

[Andy /]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Why the anti-Sirens talk, Slash? Just because it's so polished sounding and commercial-ish?

no- you could argue that applies to most of the album. but sirens and future days are lifetime movies in a diverse catalog of action and drama flicks. to me they stick out, and badly. this isn't the type of music i want from this band. some people will love these songs, though, so more power to 'em for putting them out there.

[Andy /]

and lightning bolt IS a shitty album title.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by AndySlash

no- you could argue that applies to most of the album. but sirens and future days are lifetime movies in a diverse catalog of action and drama flicks. to me they stick out, and badly. this isn't the type of music i want from this band. some people will love these songs, though, so more power to 'em for putting them out there.

Understood. I agree. It's not my favorite song on the album, not by a longshot.

[pavementtune]

Originally Posted by AndySlash

and lightning bolt IS a shitty album title.

And goes well with the ugly album cover.

However I didn't even expect to find more than one song I'd like on it, so it's a pleasant surprise.

[Adult Head]

[slunken]

i saw an old no-code era pearl jam single at a local shop and thought for a minute about starting to collect pearl jam singles

[slunken]

dang this band really sounds like bruce springsteen huh?

[pavementtune]

Does anyone have the '94 box set? I bought it for less than US $40 when it came out, now it's listed on ebay for $599.





Love the box design, gray velvet.

[Adult Head]

listened to the lyrics to even flow today for the first time ever
so it's about a homeless person. hm.

[Adult Head]

aka first meeting jeff ament, amirite?

[Adult Head]

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by pavementtune

Does anyone have the '94 box set? I bought it for less than US $40 when it came out, now it's listed on ebay for $599.

Super cool. Is it like a "Aeroplane Flies Lower" thing where they just rounded up the singles, made a box, and tossed them all in there, and thus made a killing... or is that an official release?

[pavementtune]

Originally Posted by Adult Head

Is that his dive at Pinkpop? Edit: No, different shirt.

2013: