Pearl Jam - Chicago, IL 06/24/2009 (mile marker 30)
EASILY one of my favorite shows I have seen of theirs. I've said it before and I will say it again...I never leave a PJ show disappointed and I always always leave a bigger fan. On the drive to Chicago, out of the blue I just looked at her and said, "I can't imagine anyone loving this band more than I do". But of course people love them AS MUCH as i do but not more. I'm positive of this. Just the thought of being at the show and seeing my favorite band brought a bit of mist to my eyes. lame? perhaps. but i don't fucking care if it is. to me, THAT is what loving music is about.
We arrived at the United Center to pick up my fan club tickets. Goddamn I have so much love for 10C. I have not been disappointed in my seats through them except for once and that was in Atlanta 2003 and it was because the venue is MASSIVE and it sold a lot of 10C tickets. But my seats never take away from my experience (like it sometimes can with Tori) because it is always about the music with them. For those that have no clue about the Ten Club - it is a PJ can club that you sign up for annually and you can "preorder" tickets through them for the shows and it's based on seniority. The longer you've been in, the better seats you get. But you never know where you are sitting until the day of the show when you pick your tickets up. So i get the tickets and i'm stoked. If I can't be in the first 10 rows, I don't want to be on the floor - so it was perfect. 6th row on the 2nd section on Stone's side of the stage. Perfect view and on the aisle.
As we were walking away another fan club member asked where we got our location at which then lead to other conversation which then led to us walking to a nearby bar that was geared to Pearl Jam fans. He shows us the bar and it's full of like 300 PJ fans. They have a silent auction going, a raffle, selling items, and a list of renamed mixed drinks catering to PJ songs. LOVED it. It was such a great atmosphere to be around these other hardcore fans. Not a single customer in the bar was not a fan. Awesome. So we ate there and tootled around before heading to the venue.
Bad Religion was opening and I have loved BR since around 1993 and unfortunately had not gotten to see them play. So I was stoked about them opening for PJ. We got to our seats and were super excited with our unobstructed 6th row view of the band.
Bad Religion @ Chicago, IL - August 24, 2009
21st century digital boy
dearly beloved
honest goodbye
a walk
man with a mission
los angeles is burning
epiphany
before you die
watching it die
generator
infected
american jesus
sorrow
They were really great live, though I would love to see them in a move intimate setting while headlining. About 5 minutes before PJ took the stage the guts behind us tapped us on the shoulder and said that they had a proposition for us. Uhhhh....? So ended up that two of their friends on the other end of the row (the end closest to the stage) wanted to trade seats with us so that they could sit with their friends (the ones sitting behind us). one row up and a whole section closer? Absofuckinglutely! So we swapped and were thrilled to do it! Even better view - great people around us all fan club people. I just felt the love already. Then the lights went down.
Pearl Jam @ Chicago, IL - August 24, 2009
hard to imagine
corduroy
in my tree
last exit
all night
nothingman
the fixer
even flow
present tense
whipping
not for you/(modern girl tag)
daughter (aBitWpII tag)
brother
gone
got some
do the evolution
alive
encore 1:
no more (ed solo)
comatose
grievance
black
the real me
porch
encore 2:
wasted reprise
better man/(save it for later tag)
crazy mary
state of love and trust
fuckin up
yellow bedbetter/(star spangled banner)
highlights (because there were no lowlights!)
-hard to imagine opener? holy god amazing. tears throughout at least half of it.
-in my tree!!!!
-somehow they make an arena show still feel intimate. I have no idea how but they do.
-standing, dancing, bouncing, singing the whole night. two and a half hours of it and i was tired and hoarse.
-the new songs sound amazing live!
-the band was in great spirits and full throttle.
-gone brought me to tears also
-the choir in evolution was phenominal
-no more was done for iraq veteran tomas young (who was the subject of the doc "Body of War") while he stood on the side of the stage with his family. ed said "when a soldier sks you to play this song, you play the fucking song".
-best black i've heard thus far. tears - yes, again. i nearly broke down when eddie did the we belong part. never tiring.
-better man was awesome with the crowd doing the begining singing and you could see on ed's face the most humble expression. i don't think he ever gets tired of that and if he does he's got one hell of a poker face!
-solat! always a favorite
I didn't want the show to end. It was just incredible. I ended up buying the sticker pack with 5 stickers in it, one of which is black and in white says: "I saw Pearl Jam". Indeed I did.
hahahah loved this guy's shirt! even ed noticed it, pointed at him and laughed then said something after the song. too funny.
not that we needed it, but there was a megatron screen on each side of the stage. it's always good to see ed that close, really. so beautiful.
enjoying mike's ledbetter solo
We arrived at the United Center to pick up my fan club tickets. Goddamn I have so much love for 10C. I have not been disappointed in my seats through them except for once and that was in Atlanta 2003 and it was because the venue is MASSIVE and it sold a lot of 10C tickets. But my seats never take away from my experience (like it sometimes can with Tori) because it is always about the music with them. For those that have no clue about the Ten Club - it is a PJ can club that you sign up for annually and you can "preorder" tickets through them for the shows and it's based on seniority. The longer you've been in, the better seats you get. But you never know where you are sitting until the day of the show when you pick your tickets up. So i get the tickets and i'm stoked. If I can't be in the first 10 rows, I don't want to be on the floor - so it was perfect. 6th row on the 2nd section on Stone's side of the stage. Perfect view and on the aisle.
As we were walking away another fan club member asked where we got our location at which then lead to other conversation which then led to us walking to a nearby bar that was geared to Pearl Jam fans. He shows us the bar and it's full of like 300 PJ fans. They have a silent auction going, a raffle, selling items, and a list of renamed mixed drinks catering to PJ songs. LOVED it. It was such a great atmosphere to be around these other hardcore fans. Not a single customer in the bar was not a fan. Awesome. So we ate there and tootled around before heading to the venue.
Bad Religion was opening and I have loved BR since around 1993 and unfortunately had not gotten to see them play. So I was stoked about them opening for PJ. We got to our seats and were super excited with our unobstructed 6th row view of the band.
Bad Religion @ Chicago, IL - August 24, 2009
21st century digital boy
dearly beloved
honest goodbye
a walk
man with a mission
los angeles is burning
epiphany
before you die
watching it die
generator
infected
american jesus
sorrow
They were really great live, though I would love to see them in a move intimate setting while headlining. About 5 minutes before PJ took the stage the guts behind us tapped us on the shoulder and said that they had a proposition for us. Uhhhh....? So ended up that two of their friends on the other end of the row (the end closest to the stage) wanted to trade seats with us so that they could sit with their friends (the ones sitting behind us). one row up and a whole section closer? Absofuckinglutely! So we swapped and were thrilled to do it! Even better view - great people around us all fan club people. I just felt the love already. Then the lights went down.
Pearl Jam @ Chicago, IL - August 24, 2009
hard to imagine
corduroy
in my tree
last exit
all night
nothingman
the fixer
even flow
present tense
whipping
not for you/(modern girl tag)
daughter (aBitWpII tag)
brother
gone
got some
do the evolution
alive
encore 1:
no more (ed solo)
comatose
grievance
black
the real me
porch
encore 2:
wasted reprise
better man/(save it for later tag)
crazy mary
state of love and trust
fuckin up
yellow bedbetter/(star spangled banner)
highlights (because there were no lowlights!)
-hard to imagine opener? holy god amazing. tears throughout at least half of it.
-in my tree!!!!
-somehow they make an arena show still feel intimate. I have no idea how but they do.
-standing, dancing, bouncing, singing the whole night. two and a half hours of it and i was tired and hoarse.
-the new songs sound amazing live!
-the band was in great spirits and full throttle.
-gone brought me to tears also
-the choir in evolution was phenominal
-no more was done for iraq veteran tomas young (who was the subject of the doc "Body of War") while he stood on the side of the stage with his family. ed said "when a soldier sks you to play this song, you play the fucking song".
-best black i've heard thus far. tears - yes, again. i nearly broke down when eddie did the we belong part. never tiring.
-better man was awesome with the crowd doing the begining singing and you could see on ed's face the most humble expression. i don't think he ever gets tired of that and if he does he's got one hell of a poker face!
-solat! always a favorite
I didn't want the show to end. It was just incredible. I ended up buying the sticker pack with 5 stickers in it, one of which is black and in white says: "I saw Pearl Jam". Indeed I did.
hahahah loved this guy's shirt! even ed noticed it, pointed at him and laughed then said something after the song. too funny.
not that we needed it, but there was a megatron screen on each side of the stage. it's always good to see ed that close, really. so beautiful.
enjoying mike's ledbetter solo