Calgary really fluked out with this Pearl Jam set list...to touch on the highlights....
Played their new single "The Fixer" for the first time ever in concert.
Played a hit of their new, unreleased album Backspacer, "Got Some", only played once before in public (on the Late Show).
Played "Brother" for the first time ever in concert with lyrics.
Played a cover of The Who's "The Real Me" for the first time ever.
It was truley one of those "once in a lifetime" concerts. The second day was great, too. The mosh pit was insane for Billy Talent.
Ahaha I got your text but the girlfriend quickly quashed it. It looked insane though from our spot. I'm surprised...she was the one who kept on pushing forward during Pearl Jam I'm actually surprised how well they sounded live. A lot of energy.
Well geez, looking at the forums on the official pearl jam website and youtube comments, it appears it's unanimous that calgarians are bunch of ######bags, who don't know how to act at a pearl jam concert.
I thought the energy up front was awesome, and Eddie Vedder and the band seemed to feeding off of it and loving it, but according to hardcore pearl jam fans from across the world (who apparantly know better than Pearl jam), proper PJ ettiquette is to not jump and mosh along to the songs.
Oh well, Eddie seemed to be having a blast, we had a blast, so those hardcore fans that hate crowds moving and having fun to the music, and creating a better atmosphere, can cry about it, and then act "proper" when PJ comes to their city.
I thought the energy up front was awesome, and Eddie Vedder and the band seemed to feeding off of it and loving it, but according to hardcore pearl jam fans from across the world (who apparantly know better than Pearl jam), proper PJ ettiquette is to not jump and mosh along to the songs.
Probably because they know what 'Love Boat Captain' is about.
Haha, oh yeah Jar_e, you're right in the middle of the video on youtube "The Fixer" (because this was the first time it was played live, all the hardcore fans we're licking their chops to watch it) that they were all complining about. *Me, Scotty Josh and Dan02 were more to the right.
...and honestly, after watching that video a few times, I don't know why the whole pearljam community is outraged. There were a few crowd surfers, and a couple hats thrown around, but other than that it was just a bunch of happy fans, bobbing around, digging the music.
...and just to go on a mini rant for a sec here......
I'm really not a fan of all the complaining that goes on in th city towards Virgin festival (and I was even guilty of it a bit before). From music fans, from the media etc...
I mean, let's look at this realistically. They bring a festival to town, and for $140 you get to enjoy...
-One of the top bands in the word in Pearl Jam
-One of the top candian bands right now in Billy Talent
-Other great acts such as Tokyo Police Club, Metric, K-OS, Wintersleep, Arkells, Thunderheist, etc
-Two awesome days, drinking beer in the sun with thousands of other happy music fans
It's friggen great value. Calgary is a city of just over a million people, we're not Toronto or Vancouver or any other city that people often point to and say "look at their line-up, our his BS comapred to that".
IMO, getting 34000 fans out over two days should be looked at as a success, and something we should forward to again next year, and not just say "Well it's not as big as I think it should be and therefore it's stupid and an insult to our city". The alternative is to just not have a summer Rock music festival at all. I'll take some killer bands and a fun weekend over nothing any day of the week.
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Yeah the fans are uptight about it because 9 people died at a Pearl Jam concert back in 2000. That would also be why Eddie kept checking up on the moshers after every song. I see what you're saying though and it seemed to me that everything was pretty under control and that people were just having fun.
Anyway, thought the concert and the set list were both great. Tons of energy. It was awesome to see them play some new stuff for the first time in concert. There will be bootlegs available on their site for their 2009 tour but not every concert will be included, I am hoping Calgary will be there!
I think the "outrage" against the crowdsurfing was due to what happened during Pearl Jam's appearance at a festival in Denmark years ago, where 8 or 9 people in the crowd died when the crowd surged towards the stage.
I think crowdsurfing, moshing and the like is kind of passe anyways. Nothing like chilling at a show, enjoying the music, only to have some neandrathal kick you in the back of the head or land on your neck when you least expect it. It can cause injury to either the crowdsurfer or others around them, lots of people have been injured by it in the past. I am a fan of Radiohead's "no crowdsurfing" rule.
__________________
A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
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I really enjoyed how eddie managed the mosh pit. He let everyone know to be careful and people were pretty reasonable about it. And with the way the venue was set up you could see really well from everywhere so if you didn't want to get kicked in the head you could stand just behind the pit and still have an amazing unobstruted view of the stage.
The sloped venue was awsome for sight lines other then the beer garden right behind the sound booth.
...and just to go on a mini rant for a sec here......
I'm really not a fan of all the complaining that goes on in th city towards Virgin festival (and I was even guilty of it a bit before). From music fans, from the media etc...
I mean, let's look at this realistically. They bring a festival to town, and for $140 you get to enjoy...
-One of the top bands in the word in Pearl Jam
-One of the top candian bands right now in Billy Talent
-Other great acts such as Tokyo Police Club, Metric, K-OS, Wintersleep, Arkells, Thunderheist, etc
-Two awesome days, drinking beer in the sun with thousands of other happy music fans
It's friggen great value. Calgary is a city of just over a million people, we're not Toronto or Vancouver or any other city that people often point to and say "look at their line-up, our his BS comapred to that".
IMO, getting 34000 fans out over two days should be looked at as a success, and something we should forward to again next year, and not just say "Well it's not as big as I think it should be and therefore it's stupid and an insult to our city". The alternative is to just not have a summer Rock music festival at all. I'll take some killer bands and a fun weekend over nothing any day of the week.
...and in true rant fashion, I made about 10 mistakes.
in fairness, half the crowd surfers consisted of that one slutty chick who tried to get up there every 5 minutes. Colour me suprised that half way through she got up on some guys shoulders and took her top off. At that age your tits should not be sagging that much.
...and honestly, after watching that video a few times, I don't know why the whole pearljam community is outraged. There were a few crowd surfers, and a couple hats thrown around, but other than that it was just a bunch of happy fans, bobbing around, digging the music.
Yeah that wasn't me...you can see me and the gf to the right in a few seconds of the clips but its not me with those green glasses (if that's who you were thinking was me).
Yeah that wasn't me...you can see me and the gf to the right in a few seconds of the clips but its not me with those green glasses (if that's who you were thinking was me).
in fairness, half the crowd surfers consisted of that one slutty chick who tried to get up there every 5 minutes. Colour me suprised that half way through she got up on some guys shoulders and took her top off. At that age your tits should not be sagging that much.
I'm actually surprised how well they sounded live. A lot of energy.
