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  1. Originally posted by clover68:it seems to me like if an index is pointing at me hehe
    you're definetely right though

    however we're in delay of one if the pace was 2 per week ...

    I think maybe 3 a week if possible....lets see how it goes..maybe we can do more shows one week,less the next....just as long as we keep this going...
  2. I'm listening to Boston 1 now.

    My plan is to go "all in" on the first leg (16 shows) and then take a short break before resuming the listening/reviewing.
  3. Sounds good..I will have Chicago 1 up tomorrow...
  4. Chicago,IL 05.16.06 N1

    Release open's N1,in it's typical,classic emotionally charged style.Such a great way to open.During “Release”, Ed sang “Oh dear John” in place of “Oh dear Dad”. The next 4 are new tunes off PJ.Pretty good versions of the "best 3",WWS,LW and Severed Hand.Ed says “can’t talk now, got work to do” before “Comatose”.This is pushing it,as far as new material.Its's an ok tune,but Corduroy would have fit in a lot better here.

    Ed tells the crowd after that he’s “starting to feel United”, mentioning that “a lot of incredible things have happened under this roof” and that he was “honored to play this building”, home of many Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls championships.He said he “did some research, and the roof weighs 230 metric tons” and that “with your help we can raise it with you tonight.” A rocking version of Given To Fly follows.I love this tune,and Ed doesn't hold back during it.

    For some reason,the band decide to really slow things down,with the less than stellar Low Light.Its ok,but it isnt exactly Footsteps now is it.The band bring things right back up again,with Corduroy.Very good rocking version,but this makes zero sense to me,as the slow,decent acoustic number I'm Open is next.The up and down feel of this set is annoying,as there is zero flow.Right when Im getting fired up,we cool it down.When I'm chill,we bring it back up,then bring the temp back down.

    I Got Id sounds good,and is a nice way to follow up, after the slower I'm Open.The very intense Even Flow picks things up again.Wild version,as always.Mike seems more manic on this verion.Its his spot to shine,and he does.Crowd are fired up,and begging to be slammed some more.

    But,the band decide to kill the mood,and the flow once again,with the always vile Unemployable.

    As this set seems to be going slightly downhill,Ed introduces “Daughter”,saying this next song is called “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”. Perfect placement,and this is the start of the main sets only great run.Decent version,but then Ed gets all political during the “W.M.A” tag.Ed sings “Texas son” instead of “American”, “Up his nose/it comes right off” instead of “dirty his hands…”,and “President” instead of “police man”. Interesting,to say the least.Then,instead of jamming,as they usually do,the song just ends.Below average version IMO.

    After Daughter's abrupt ending,Ed comments that the many sports commemorative flags hanging from the rafters may be dampening the sound – particularly a Jordan jersey retirement banner – and that it should be "taken down", and that he would gladly "store it in his suitcase".Funny stuff.The classic Present Tense starts up.Love it,and the crowd sing along loudly during the opening chorus.Really solid version,and this is THE highlight moment of the main set.

    The rocking Do The Evolution follows.You can never go wrong with this classic.The band sound great here,as they did on PT.Ed screaming his lungs out,and the rest of the band jamming hard.

    Ed calls out a fan “Rob” in the front row (center) who came to one of PJ’s earliest shows in Chicago with “a Mother Love Bone shirt and a pair of glasses”. Ed says that he’s got a different pair of glasses and remembered he used to go to shows with his girlfriend. Ed sees his non-female companion for this show and jokes that “he’s married an older man".This is Vedder at his best,and he says "this ones for you" as the famous notes to Jeremy begin.Highlight moment # 2.The songs just builds and builds and builds.

    The crowd are screaming their heads off as Jeremy ends.4 straight classics,and PJ are killing it.But,wait,whats this ? The band decide to bust out Save You.WTF ? This is a terrible move,as the momentum built up over the last 20 min is ruined by this,below average tune,off Riot Act no less.What was Ed thinking here ? The main set is comming to a close,and your blowing the crowd away,and you play this song ? Hmm,I wont go crazy and say the band should have played Habit here (they should have), maybe Dissident ? or Once ? or Spin The Black Circle ? Believe you me,nobody would have gone home saying "Shit,I wish they would have played Save You tonight !!"

    Thankfully, Porch ends the main set.Very long version,but it's rocking,and is classic Pearl Jam.

    Encore 1

    Before “You Got To Hide Your Love Away”,Ed spoke of how United Center was “like no other place”,and while he was proud to be in a band from Seattle," for better or worse – I think it’s better,I'll always be a kid from Chicago”. He mentions The Beatles,then "Yoko",the crowd boo of course,and Ed says "You just don't know yet.You will come around"....great stuff.

    Better Man starts up,crowd love it,and take over of course.Perfect spot here for this classic.Nice organ by Boom.No tag,still a very solid version.

    But,the encore now gets a curve ball,with Come Back.You can actually feel the audience sag,as the first notes fill the building.Its a decent enough song,but it has no business being played during the encore.IMO,Come Back is simply not strong enough to be placed after the great Better Man, and the absolute classics that proceed it.Small Town anyone ?????

    SOLAT knocks the crowd out.A fantastic early tune,that has never lost its punch.

    Black is perfect (as always),and IMO,its PJ best tune hands down.This version shows why I feel this way.As it's ending,Ed softly sings "We Belong Together"......just fantastic sounding.

    Alive still sounds fresh to me.IMO,put it in the middle of the main set.

    Encore 2

    Ed says "So,this is how you beg and plead,when you dont want someone to leave".Go kicks things right into overdrive.Love it,solid rocking version.

    The rare classic Blood keeps it going.I would have been mighty impressed here.Mike going off,simply shredding his solos,Matt bashing the hell out of his drums,Ed screaming,Jeffs bass dancing,Stone rocking out.....love it. Atomic Dog tag sounds great...this is what Pearl Jam are all about.

    The band cool things off with Indifference,another favorite of mine.This 3 song run would have had my pants wet.Listen as the crowd loudly sing 'I will scream my lungs out,til it fills this room !!!!!"...awesome.

    Baba O'Riley continues and sounds great.Ed can sing the Who like no other singer.Heck,most bands wouldn't touch the Who.

    Yellow Ledbetter end's what is just classic 2nd encore.


    4 1/2 stars

    The main set was very good.IMO,having 4 below average songs (Comatose,Low Light,Unemployable,Save You) played during the main set,dropped the main sets overall rating to just barely 4 stars.The placement of songs were off,and the flow was interrupted many times.Also,as I mentioned,Come Back is a decent song.I like it,but it should be played during this show's main set,not during that fantastic encore (5 stars).

    Highlights : Release,Present Tense,Jeremy,SOLAT,Black and all of encore 2.
  5. 2006-05-16 United Center - Chicago, IL

    Chicago this night, Cubs boy has his roots here and standout gigs usually sorts out since the early years .. so this is quite promising …
    Expectations grow high as soon as Stoney drops down the lines of Release .. i see the world feel the chill … Eddie completely in since the first verse and crowd already in since the first “release me” .. very good start.

    Next the “due” moment for promoting the new album at the beginning of the tour .. the usual solid block of 3 to rock the house down .. all of them well done with the right biting they need.
    I said for the first show Comatose would have been better than Marker at this place and here they go .. it comes out from the encore and its honest work is fulfill confirming what was my thought.

    Time to slow down a bit and give the show wings to fly raising the roof like Eddie intends .. Mike step in with his chords for what is a classic part of the set .. Given To Fly .. lovely.
    Low Light is the choice to breathe easy; it never had a special place in my preferences at all but I have to say that this has surprised me .. catchy and quite good atmosphere created.

    A classic is needed, Eddie knows it well, takes his who-tribute guitar and Corduroy is dropped on the face of the audience.
    Everything has chains, absolutely nothing’s changed … this song is one of the sure things that will never change .. top song and always one top moment of the concert .. Chicago is not an exception!

    Last concert saw a surprising fishing opened the encores and if possible even more surprisingly I’m Open is repeated .. cool 2 time in a life and in a row moreover. In the middle of main set this time introing I Got Shit … a nice pair .. this last always has its sense.

    Relaxed? Rested? Ready? Ok lets go now … Even Flow! Mike not only raise the roof, he completely blow it up .. 1 2 and the loud crowd verses fly up to the sky! Wonderful.

    After this explosion Unemployable shouldn’t have been there … at least it’s as an alternative to Marker. Lets pass on to Daughter .. WMA tag .. jeez Matt not-C will be piss off hehe .. I like it though and I would love an extended full version.
    Sweet No Code ballad now .. Present Tense and audience don’t miss the chance to “take the mic”. Love this song and love the usual ride in the “bridge” .. awesome Jeff there.

    What comes to go through the end of main set? The Evolution first in a quite unusual position, still great wherever you put it … Jeremy, no words needed it speaks by itself in class and everywhere … Save You, love the album and love one of its main tune, love Stoney riff and mainly the persisting lines by Jeff; new entry in the tour and well welcome by me … Porch to take its place closing this pack, usual long jam to leave the stage for a while, nice War Pigs hints here and not in Alive this time?. Great long ride to the end of main set in my opinion.

    Encores time now .. Eddie starting the first with his acoustic style warming the vocal cords of people with the Beatles cover, warm-up for the usual next sing along … Better Man … nice they could do better though.
    Huge simple herald of sweet sad emotions thinking to whoever you wish to Come Back…

    Unmistakable legendary riff thrown to start a threesome that simply is CLASSIC …
    State of Love and Trust – Black –Alive! .. really!!! We’re on Olympus now .. what started being a nice encore fly high up to a different level.
    War Pigs hint doubled during Mikey’s solo in Alive; he loves the Sabbath a lot hehe. I preferred the Even Flow though.
    I pretend Black to make its return to Forum!!! it deserves the treatment it always has under that roof .. sigh sigh!

    Classic second part of 1st encore and classic come back for the second … Go –Blood .. devastating right-left … not easy for Eddie the latter nowadays but he behaves quite well I’d say .. love the beating in the middle .. love the roughness of the song.
    They can’t go on like this, can they? So we’re surrounded by the swinging groove and delicate singing of Indifference, the best closer for me. Awesome version; huge Boom in the background.
    But after that 1st encore they can’t close just with 3 songs so Mike start the synth-intro replied on guitar to Baba .. loved cover by everyone Eddie the band the fans.

    Yellow Ledbetter to lead to the end; the high expectations has been fulfill. It’s a great concert that with some fine tunings, in the main set and the first part of encore 1, could strive for being epic. A wilder audience would have helped in that.
    Nevertheless not bad at all for being a N1

    Highlights: Even Flow - Release – Blood – Indifference – Save You

    Rating: 4 1/2
  6. Nice review, Ron.

    I think it's safe to say this is the best show so far????
  7. i guess so ...
    1- Chicago N1
    2- Toronto N2
    by now for me
  8. Eddie and Glenn Hansard recorded some new songs last year that seem to be released later this year
    grungereport
  10. Too soon?

    Chicago 2 (2006-05-17)

    I will admit that it’s been a few days since I listened to this show but have no intention of re-listening to it (aside from a few samples) before I write this review.

    We’ve discussed in the past that Night 2’s are usually better than Night 1’s during a two-show stint. However, how do you top a five-star Night 1? Well, you often don’t...because you can’t.

    The band is back to starting with “Severed Hand,” “World Wide Suicide,” and “Life Wasted.” I know that I’ve already stated that I think this is a great way to show confidence in a new album. They are, in my opinion, the best three songs on the album. However, when listening to ALL of the shows almost seven years later, it’s starting to lose its allure. It makes me wonder how individuals (much like you, Ed) were able to attend multiple U2 shows in a row on pretty much any of their tours. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s fun but with the lack of variety for pretty much an ENTIRE SHOW, the luster must somewhat diminish, no?

    A weak version of “Animal” follows. I love this song but it doesn’t have the “oomph” from the other night in Hartford (or from previous tours). “Marker in the Sand” follows – obligatory, I supposed. “Do the Evolution” is next seems to pick the energy up a bit which is carried into “Whipping.”

    I’m glad at this point they haven’t forgotten about Riot Act and they break into “Half Full.” However, I have heard much better versions of this one from 2003 or more recent tours. I think the group is feeling the effects from the previous night and needs to slow down. They do so by playing a nice rendition of “I Am Mine.” Maybe they could have played a few slower ones?

    “Even Flow” is next – no complaints....MM jams a bit as it clocks in at over 7 minutes.

    The now-underplayed (never-played) “Gone” comes next. Good spot for it. It is followed by an interesting speech about why he left Chicago – to “change.” It’s somewhat inspiring and something I can sort of relate to. The whole poetic idea of it all is somewhat tarnished as he talks about ending up in Seattle where they make bombs and the band breaks into “Insignificance.” It’s one of my preferred songs off Binaural but I felt it got a bit too much love during the 2003 tour – it was played a lot. Fortunately, this is its tour debut.

    Next comes “Better Man” – as solid version that ends rather soon. A strange thing happens next...from scratch, they play a rather lengthy version of “Save it For Later.” It’s not a tag of “Better Man.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the energy that so many direct segues have so even though it’s longer than usual, it’s a bit of a let down for me.

    The main set ends with “Down” (nice song but overplayed at this point in PJ’s history for a b-side), “Garden” (great song, weak version), “Inside Job” (glad they still bring it out once in a while nowadays), “Lukin” (fast and fun), and “Why Go” (it’s hard to believe they barely played it at all for almost a DECADE because it’s back in a bad (well, good) way now.

    Before I move on to the (somewhat) better portion of the show, I will say I wasn’t too thrilled with the show at this point – three starts at best so far.

    Encore 1 does the “Wasted Reprise” into “Man of the Hour” pairing – like Toronto #2. I like both of the songs but not together. However, the Mamma Son triad of “Footsteps” (always a treat in an encore), “Once,” and “Alive” end it and give this show some four-star hope....

    ....which is completely lost when they begin encore 2 with a god-awful performance of “Last Kiss.” What a mess! Fortunately, “Last Exit puts a band aid on the debacle and is played quite nicely. I’m a fan of the next two Vs songs (“Glorified G” and “Small Town”) but neither worked very well in this position on this night. “GG” sounds a bit forced (maybe I was just losing patience) and “Small Town” has no business being in the second encore. It’s a sing-along that works nicely near the start (but not AT the start – more on that in my next review) of a show.

    The crowd seems to be quite pleased that “Crown of Thorns” is played for the first time – ever – in Chicago. Nice song. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t realize how “special” them playing it at Toronto, 2011-09-11 was until after the fact.

    The show ends with “RITFW” and “YLB.”

    Highlights – Footsteps, Once, Alive, Last Exit, Crown of Thorns
    Lowlight – Last Kiss (man, that was BAD)

    Rating – Three Stars.
  11. from an interview with Stone on an italian magazine

    Eddie Vedder said that you are half work ...
    "More or less so. We prepared five songs. We will prepare more over the coming three to four months. And who knows at summertime the disc is not done. "

    How it play? Or how would you like it to sound?
    "We are at a stage too backward to hypothesize. There is not an idea of albums for discussion yet, speculations would not help. Do not want to think about: First I want to do it. Obviously I hope it will be a great record. I hope that sounds fresh in the ears of the people. Interesting. Different. They are intangible qualities: you know you have them captured only after you did it. "

    english->italian by journalist
    italian-> english by me ... so .... hehe

    nice thing, at least for me, is that Brad are collecting fans request to fill the setlists
  12. Ok,so...after 3 yrs this record if half done......unreal.....Stone seems a little put off,as Jeff did during that breif interview a few months ago....."who knows ?" Seems to be a dig at Eddie,who obviously seems more into his solo acoustic material.Ed should just pursue it full time,as he has since the last 2 years.... he isn't 100% commited to PJ,and he hasn't been since 2006.I wish he felt as strongly as Bono does,about the whole band concept.I'm sure the Edge could tour solo,and play small theatre's like the Beacon, here in NYC..maybe play Love Is Blindness,as he did on From the Sky Down.....but,he's too commited to U2 for that nonsense,they are a band first and foremost.

    Also,I can't wait for the announcement of this years latest 2 week tour...maybe they will play Alive during the encore ?? and close 1 or 2 shows with Ledbetter ??? ..or the festivals in South America in March,instead of going in the studio...yeah......of course there will be zero new material debut at these festival shows...maybe PJ will do a 2 week tour of N.America ? And ,of course,I won't be able to get tickets from the 10 club,as their "system" will no doubt break down as it always does.....

    The fact that I didn't take the short drive to Philly,in Sept,from Manhattan speaks volumes on how my opinions on this "band" have changed since 2006.If I'm going to see them,I will travel to Europe,and make a short trip out of it....as I did this past June.

    I'm glad we are covering the 2006 tour gentlemen,not only was this Pearl Jams last proper tour,they just seemed to be more of a BAND then,so its good to look back and reflect...what bothers me most,is the band still have it,as they showed Europe in June...that just makes me more frustrated and pissed at EV......just my opinions of course.....

    Anyhow.............. I listened to Chicago 2 on both wed and thurs morning,during my jog.I'm listening to Grand Rapids now......I have always loved the fire of this one...

    Carry on..........
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U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.
U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.
U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.