Pearl Jam
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 08:39amThe Pearl Jam show was much fun. Although now I am spoiled and from today forward I will refuse to attend a show at MSG unless it’s in a luxury box. Free dinner, free booze, and a private bathroom. Even our own t-shirt vendor. I loved it. Although we were up quite high, we were center stage and could really feel the energy of the crowd. In fact, at some points we could feel it so much that we thought the stadium might implode.
Here’s our view from the box:
My other photos didn’t really come out, so I’m not going to bother posting them. So, the luxury box experience was pretty sweet. Besides Al, Susie, the geekboy and me, there were some colleagues and clients of Al as well. Twelve of us total. Everyone was very nice. There was this group of guys, BOYS really, who showed up straight from a soccer game and ready to party. Oh, they were so funny. Susie dubbed them The Triplets, as three of them looked exactly alike. I think they were all Dutch, and they were incredibly pretty. Unbelievably pretty little manchildren. Watching them chug back beers, hoot and holler and continually take photos of themselves, I kept remembering they probably make complicated financial decisions every day. It made me giggle.
As for the show itself, I really enjoyed myself. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists kicked things off to a mostly empty stadium, which was sad. But they were LOUDLOUDLOUD and played their faces off. Pearl Jam took the stage next with a ton of energy and the fans just went bananas. Here’s the setlist:
Hard To Imagine
Save You
Why Go
All Night
Corduroy
Faithfull
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Down
Unemployable
Given To Fly
Who You Are
Whipping
1/2 Full
Even Flow
Present Tense
Daughter
Do The Evolution (dedicated to George Carlin)
Encore 1: Love Reign O’er Me, W.M.A., Leash, Spin The Black Circle, Wasted Reprise, Porch
Encore 2: No More, Crazy Mary, Comatose, I Believe In Miracles, Alive
Encore 3: All Along The Watchtower, Indifference
Highlights for me were definitely Given To Fly and Crazy Mary. Given To Fly is just one of those perfect songs that builds and soars and feels like it was made to be played in a stadium. It gives me goosebumps. Crazy Mary is one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs — a cover of a song by Victoria Williams, of whom I’m also a fan.
Here’s Victoria Williams doing Crazy Mary:
Another treat for us New York area people? CJ Ramone guesting on I Believe in Miracles. A RAMONE! Even if you missed Eddie’s intro, as soon as you saw him start playing, you knew he was a Ramone.
Here’s some video from last night with CJ:
All in all, a great night. Although I can no longer hear All Along The Watchtower without looking over my shoulder for Cylons.
Michael on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:00 am
There was this group of guys, BOYS really, who showed up straight from a soccer game and ready to party. Oh, they were so funny. Susie dubbed them The Triplets, as three of them looked exactly alike. I think they were all Dutch, and they were incredibly pretty. Unbelievably pretty little manchildren. Watching them chug back beers, hoot and holler and continually take photos of themselves…..
Dude.
GeekBoy on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:04 am
Try to control yourself, Michael.
freakgirl on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:07 am
Michael, I even said to Susie, “Man, if Michael were here, he’d lose his mind.”
Stephanie on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:17 am
I am so jealous. My highschool crush on eddie has been renewed. I may even go check out their newer stuff… It’s a shame more people didn’t see Ted, Leo…I love them!
Megan on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:20 am
Sounds like a great show (perhaps I’ll look into a luxury box next time around…I just can’t stand for 3 hours).
Also, major kudos to you for sticking through the third encore. We didn’t last through the second. Boy were we pathetic old farts.
chuck on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:21 am
Seriously. Somebody needs to get a large spatula and peel Michael off the floor.
I’ve had a couple of luxury box experiences for sporting events. It’s always nice. And free. And drunk.
freakgirl on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:23 am
We couldn’t get drunk, as the manchildren drank all the beer. In fact, I think at one point they actually left and went down to the stadium to get more. I did enjoy a couple glasses of Chardonnay, though.
Susie on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:26 am
It’s true. That’s what she said.
Susie on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:27 am
I mean about Michael losing his mind.
chuck on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:37 am
I’m trying to imagine a scenario that would have made this better for Michael, had he been there. The best I could come up with - maybe halfway through the show, the pretty Dutch manchildren decided they needed to do a little light construction work on the luxury box. Shirtless.
Michael on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:40 am
Well, c’mon. That was like the start of a Penthouse Forum letter for homos.
So how was the crowd? All ages?
Michael on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:41 am
Oh, I can think of better scenarios, Chuck, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s both here and there, actually.
freakgirl on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 9:52 am
Oh dear.
The crowd was mixed. I read that there were some issues with drunk people down on the floor (one girl mentioned the guy behind her whipping out his dick and pissing on the floor, wtf is wrong with people), but we didn’t notice any big issues. There were people of all ages and during some songs, it felt like the entire building was jumping up and down. Unnerving, but as I told Susie, it was mild compared to the time I saw the Pixies at Hammerstein and was positive the balcony was going to collapse with the way people (including us) were carrying on.
chuck on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:11 am
I saw Public Enemy on their Apocalypse ‘91 tour at a club in Atlanta that was formerly an old wood mill. Rickity doesn’t begin to describe it. There are several floors with different things going on - PE was on the top floor. There was the obligatory “jump around” moment and I was CONVINCED the floor was going to give. I stood still for a moment and it was sagging three or four inches with each beat.
Man, am I street or what?!?!
freakgirl on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:13 am
Totally street. That sounds terrifying.
chuck on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:28 am
Racist.
freakgirl on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:42 am
Ha!
chuck on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:47 am
cin on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Awesome set list :0) You even got to hear/see Given to Fly!! Last time I’ll say it- wish I could’ve been there too!