Pearl Jam 9/28

So on September 28th I had the chance to see my most very favorite band in the whole world live in concert! I last saw Pearl Jam in Las Vegas in 2006, it was also awesome but our seats were terrible. Before that I saw Pearl Jam in 1995 and my seats then were also terrible. This time I decided that my seats would not be terrible. I got up extra early the day that tickets went on sale and drove 40 miles to the E Center box office to get in line. I felt pretty good about my chances of getting tickets as I was 7th in line and there would be 8 lines open when tickets went on sale. What I didn't know was that the losers in the front of the line would be having their children also attempting to purchase tickets which pushed me back to like 13th and didn't allow me to purchase tickets right when they went on sale. When I finally got to the ticket agent the only tickets were nosebleeds. I bought some anyway, just because I wanted to make sure I got tickets, and then Jaime called and told me that she was able to get 25th row on the floor on the internet! Yep, I went all the way to the E Center for tickets but Jaime was able to score great seats in the comfort of her own home...oh well. Later on I decided to sell all the tickets I owned and find some better seats through a ticket agency. I was able to get 14th row on the floor and it was awesome!! Anyway, on with the story.

The concert itself was so much fun, PJ really is my most favorite band. I really enjoy other bands and the music that they make but no other band has the history and meaning for me that they do. Interestingly enough, PJ was introduced to me by my mother. For those of you new to my tragic past, my mother and I are estranged and have been for almost a decade. Anyway, it was my mother that first played PJ for me right after Ten came out and I was visiting her at her home in Boston. She became a big fan after seeing some of their more intense performances on TV and I can still remember sitting in her car as she drove and told me about how amazing this new band was and the intense emotion surrounding their music. I remember being blown away by the raw emotion, the anger and sadness...it seemed to speak right to my teen angst and I loved it!

Hearing songs like Alive, Evenflow, Jeremy, Black etc. for the first time was like nothing I had ever experienced. My favorite music up to that point was from the likes of MC Hammer and Bobby Brown, I really enjoyed what was on the radio but had never latched on to one particular band. Pearl Jam was my first.

Because I associate Pearl Jam with my mother, Black is (for me) the absolute saddest song in the universe but that is a post in and of itself.

As I got older, my obsession with Pearl Jam only deepened. I remember spending most of my money in high school on Pearl Jam bootlegs and posters from Crandall Audio in Orem, I can remember the amazement of getting Vitalogy for the first time and freaking out at the scary detail of the album artwork, I remember the weirdness of No Code and loving it nonetheless. I remember the devastation of Yield coming out right after I went into the MTC. I kid you not, I would have dreams at night while serving a mission in Russia about listening to the album and my mind would create its own version of what the songs would sound like...weird, I know.

When Jaime and I were married, I was forced to select a song to be on my portion of our wedding video. You know, there are pictures of me on the screen and some sort of 50's song is supposed to play in the background. I chose Last Kiss from Pearl Jam...

Anyway, I have tons of memories of loving Pearl Jam. Again, there are a number of bands whose music and/or lead singers I adore but none compare to PJ. OK, on to the pictures from the concert...

The man, the myth, the legend... Good seats, huh?

Mike and Stone on lead guitars, Jeff on bass and Matt on drums. So good...

So intense, my favorite music is music that makes me feel something.

Mike was on fire...

So, a couple songs into the first encore Eddie pulled a local guy up on the stage who had written him a letter and wanted to propose to his girlfriend on stage. For some reason, Eddie actually read the letter and let the guy do it! I don't know how one gets a letter to Eddie but that is so cool! Anyway, Eddie let the guy on stage and he did his thing (she said yes) then he sat them down (see picture) and sang Just Breathe off of the new album to them. So cool...

Near the end of the concert PJ had Ben Harper join them for a song. I don't get the Ben Harper obsession but it was still pretty cool.

Anyway, the concert was a surreal experience. I heard some of my very favorite songs ever and had great seats and got to attend with my favorite person.

Here is a setlist breakdown:

Set 1
Of The Girl - this was a cool random song to intro with. I could tell it would be a good night for a fan right from the start.
Breakerfall - also off of Binaural, probably the least popular PJ album but a real rocker nonetheless
Hail, Hail - holy crap I love this song! I peed a little when this one began...
Severed Hand - off of the last album, trippy but cool
The Fixer - off of the new album, "the single". Strangely happy for a PJ song, welcome to the post-Bush era
Low Light - off of Yield, such a classic!
Marker In The Sand - again, off of the last album and really solid.
Even Flow - the first real sing along of the night, hard to get excited about but still good (am I a PJ snob? Yes.)
Unthought Known - probably my favorite song off of the new album. Really, really amazing. Eddie mixed the lyrics up a little but it was still great.
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town - second sing along of the night but much better this time. HELLLLLOOOOOO!!!!
Got Some - My favorite "fast" song on the new album. This was a highlight for me.
Given To Fly - second pee instance of the night. This is one of my very favorite songs in the world.
Immortality - I was so excited to hear this live! So freakin' amazing!
Satan's Bed - a real treat. 2 songs from Vitalogy in a row!! No whip sounds but super awesome!
Amongst The Waves - a future sing along from the new album. Cool.
Do The Evolution - lots of stuff off of Yield. I love this song but Eddie mixed up the verses a little. Still fun though!
Blood - I used to sing this song during high school football games when my voice would get really hoarse. I screamed along...(scram along?)
Encore 1
Bee Girl - super rare treat here, just Eddie and Jeff.
Just Breathe - this was the one that Eddie sang to the happy new couple up on stage. This really is a beautiful song using an instrumental that Eddie wrote and put on the Into the Wild soundtrack.
Red Mosquito - with Ben Harper. Didn't care about that but I do love this song.
Daughter - not the last sing along but it was cool
Supersonic - off of the new album, about the love of music, apropos right?
Spin The Black Circle - another scream along! I think I like those more than the other types of "alongs"
Encore 2
I Believe In Miracles - so, I am not a huge Ramone's fan but I know this song from the Eddie cover on the tribute album.
Crazy Mary - this was the final pee moment for me. I loved this song live! Eddie passed a Corona around at the end.
Alive - the ultimate sing along. This one was cool because they turned the lights on and you could see 10000 people singing about how they were still alive. If you haven't seen the episode of Storytellers with PJ where Eddie explains about how the crowd has changed the meaning of this song for him you definitely should!
Yellow Ledbetter - the closer. Pretty dang cool, unintelligible lyrics and all. Near the end the crowd rushed the stage so Jaime and I left a couple minutes early to avoid the potential riot...I hated being those people but there were way too many drunk people in da house.

Well, that is pretty exhaustive, as all my posts tend to be. Can you imagine trying to live with someone who just goes on and on like this all the time!? Sorry Jaime...

Peace, I'm outta here.