Pearl Jam - Ryman Auditorium : 2 wonderful and memorable nights
June 17, 2009
Main Set:
Walking the Cow (Daniel Johnston cover)
Sometimes w/ Brain Damage intro (Pink Floyd)
Trouble (Cat Stevens cover)
Thumbing My Way
Gone
Far Behind
No Ceiling
Guarenteed
Rise
Poor Girl (Supersucksers cover)
You're True
Driftin'
Hide Your Love Away (Beatles cover)
Betterman (slowed down, changed melody "nashville style" - brilliant!)
Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townsend cover)
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Porch
Encore 1:
Society
Throw Your Arms Around Me w/ Liam Finn (Hunters and Collectors cover)
Golden State w/ Elijah Jane (John Doe from X cover)
Believe You Me (Bad Radio - Eddie's band before PJ)/Wishlist
Arc
Encore 2:
Hard Sun w/ Liam Finn and EJ
Quick Notes:
Eddie seemed to be really enamoured with the Ryman like all musicians are when they play here. I have seen hundreds of shows in venues all over the country and this is by far my favorite venue. It has the acoustics, the history (in the past it was both a church and the old Grand Ole Opry), the age, the ambiance. It's amazing. It's awesome to watch how it affects each artist when they are there and Eddie was definately affected by it saying "because of where we are, i might try a couple of things i haven't in a while". He drank the Ryman in, even writing the setlist in calligraphy that night to "keep with the history of the room" and showed it to the people in the front.
One of the stand out songs for me was Betterman. Not the Betterman fans know and love but a different Betterman, and a better Betterman. In "Nashville tuning" withut rehearshing he launched into a completely different version of the song. Slowed down, almost an aching feeling. This is how the song should always be song - at least for me. It brought tears to my eyes and I was in complete awe of how incredibly different it was. Amazing.
Pearl Jam/Eddie is my one exception to the crowd singing. Usually I hate it but there is something about the crowd singing to Elderly Woman and Wishlist and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. Clearly Eddie is in awe of this every time I see him or the band, but he seemed to me soaking it in more - eyeing the crowd nodding in approvement, smiling and with a look of awe on his face. He makes you feel like there is a connection to each and every person there.
Arc was become this incredible loop of raw emotion and vocals. Eddie sat with a mic in hand, looping chanting vocals over and over again - moving to different microphones and rocking back and forth on his stool. By the end of it I had to wipe tears from my eyes.
June 18, 2009
Main Set:
Far Behind
Sometimes w/ Brain Damage intro (Pink Floyd)
Sometimes Reprise w/ audience
Girl From the North Country (Bob Dylan cover)
I Am Mine
I'm Open (!!!)
Man of the Hour
Dead Man Walking
No Ceiling
Gauranteed
Rise
Soon Forget
Driftin'
Hide Your Love Away (Beatles cover)
Wishlist
Lukin
Porch
Encore 1:
Society
Throw Your Arms Around Me w/ Liam Finn (Hunters and Collectors cover)
Golden State w/ Elijah Jane (John Doe from X cover)
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
The End (rumoured new song for Backspacer due in September)
Arc
Encore 2:
Hard Sun w/ Liam Finn and EJ
Notes:
Again it was a nothing riveting night at the Ryman with Eddie. I could easily see every show and still never walk away bored or disappointment. His voice sounds amazing and has great tone, range and control. He just gets better with age, really.
I'm Open! I'm Open? Totally surprised to hear this and I think a "shut up" slipped from my lips when he started it. And then the real gripping one: Dead Man Walking. Wow. There really were no words for it.
Eddie told some great stories during the evening. before Dead Man he spoke about the West Memphis 3 and how he was going to get a contact visit this time around when he went to Memphis. He's been behind this cause for ten years and is very passionate about it, to which e says "you have to be if you really believe in innocence" (totally paraphrased there).
Oh Lukin - how i really do not like you. This is one of the PJ songs that I just really don't care for. And it always seems to follow me. At least I got by with only one night of it AND it's a short song.
The End is apparently a new song that will be on Backspacer. It mentioned saying farewell in it and was really gorgeous. I can't wait to hear it properly on the cd!
Arc - again, just flawless emotion and again, yes I had to wipe the tears away.
I can't remember where it was placed, but Eddie told this great story about a place he stayed at in the country after Bonorro last year and how they taught him to shoot skee's. He used his guitar as a rifle and explained in great detail. Everyone was in stiches. Another cute story he told was one about oh he went to church "once" when he was a kid. He had been learning chords from a guitar teacher and when he was in this church he found a book that had open chords and he was like "well you can do THIS!" and since he was in the Ryman, he said "i now repent for stealing from church". Too cute.
At the end of the show he said that he had a great time in Nashville and at the Ryman and that it "be something we remember for a long time - actually the rest of our lives". He seemed very humbled by the crowds applause and love for him.