My Best Attended PJ List

WRIGLEY FIELD
Chicago, IL
Fri 19 July, 2013
No Opener

Summary:
Should have been an Epic night but lightning, rain and poor decisions turned the night into disappointment in which I got to see only the first 7 songs out of a 33 song late night show. I listened to the rest of the show from the hotel on a live feed video outside the park. The question remains, was Chris or Kevin the bailer.

Attendees:
Chris, Sarah, Mandy, Ken, Forty/Angela, Tim/Allison.

Seats:
General Admission/Floor
10-15deep on Stones side.


Highlights:
Being on the field at Wrigley.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 7
I got down to Wrigley early to meet up with Nashville Dave and steadily drank until showtime. Had a good buzz going in.

Song Notables:
Opener - Release
Closer - RITFW (Small Town for me)
Best song - Release (Goosebumps)

RUPP ARENA
Lexington, Kentucky
Mon 21 April, 2003
Opener - Sparta

Summary:
Only my second show. Nothing crazy sticks out. Probably why its #22 on the list.

Attendees:
Steve

Seats:

Highlights:
Ed talking about Drinking Whisky and staying another night in Kentucky and f-ing St Louis - "What do they have to drink in St Louis, Piss?

Drunk Level (1-10) - 0
I think I had 1 beer. Had a 3-4 hour drive home so couldn't partake.

Song Notables:
Opener - Cropduster
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Song - Smile, Fucking Up, Patriot

NATIONWIDE ARENA
Columbus, OH
Thu 6 May, 2010

Summary:
The pre party was at a biker bar where Steve and I shared a table with 2 girls who we now call the pj lesbos. Was pretty drunk when we went in for the opening band Band of Horses. We ended up missing them as we met up with a friend from Cincinnati in the concourse and continued to drink. Made it in the arena for two Mike McCready solo songs. By the time the show started, we were pretty drunk.
Oceans for the first time and as an opener was fantastic. Other then than, nothing big stands out.
Best Moment - During DTE, Steve turns to me right before the Hallelujah and says we should down our beers. They were both completely full and both gone after the 2nd Hallelujah.

Attendees:
Steve

Seats:
Last row of lower level directly side stage of McCreary.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 9
Drank pretty hard with the Lezbos and continued with multiple beers in the concourse and concert. Was pretty lit after the DTE chug.

Song Notables:
Opener - Oceans
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Song - DTE, Alone
Rare Songs - McCready Solo Songs

ALPINE VALLEY MUSIC THEATRE
East Troy, Wisconsin
Sat 3 September, 2011

Summary:
The pre party was the night before and was just craziness. We got there early and left early as we were well lit.
The concert day was rainy, the traffic going in was shitty. We decided against going in early to watch the other bands and tailgated until showtime.
The show was amazing but I wasn't impressed with the Alpine Valley lawn. Very steep, sound was way to quiet and to far away. Although the Chris Cornell/Temple of the Dog stuff was awesome, it killed the momentum of the show.
Best Moment - Finally got Release live.

Attendees:
Chris, Sarah, Mandy, Forty/Angela, Tim/Allison

Seats:
Mid Lawn

Drunk Level (1-10) - 5
Tailgating was fun but perhaps I was still a bit hungover from the pre party the night before.

Song Notables:
Opener: Release
Closer: Kick Out The Jams
Best Song: Release
Rarities: In The Moonlight (1st of 2 ever)
Help Help (10 Total)
Push Me Pull Me (12 total)

FIRST NIAGARA CENTER
Buffalo, NY
Sat 12 October, 2013

Summary:
Night 2 of a double header after a great night in Pittsburgh. The pre party was at a great place in Buffalo and by was absolutely packed. The show had some of my favorites including Off He Goes, Immortality, and Present Tense but the band was a bit off. I was a bit preoccupied the first half of the show as I was trying to follow the Michigan vs Penn St game on my phone and was bummed because Michigan lost. Nothing like PJ to cheer you up. Chris and Sarah joined us behind the stage about half way through which was great.
Best Moment - Seeing a lot of my favorites and Chris and Sarah joining us.

Attendees:
Steve, Chris/Sarah, Mandy/Ken

Seats
Couple rows back behind the stage.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 6
Felt a good buzz coming on but didn't get out of hand. Don't believe I had any in the Arena.

Song Notables:
Opener: Pendulum
Closer: Indifference
Best Song: Baba
Rarities:
Swallowed Whole (1st Time ever played) 7 Total
My Father's Son (1st time played) 4 total

AIR CANADA CENTRE
Toronto, Ontario
Mon 12 September, 2011

Summary:
2nd night in Toronto, and nearly impossible to follow up the previous night. The pre party was another good one as we met some cool Canadian fans. The poster was a let down. Go to open kicks your ass especially when followed by Animal. Not a big fan of Ole.
Best Moment - My first Garden

Attendees:
Steve

Seats:
Row 12 McCready side stage

Drunk Level (1-10) - 6
Drink with our Canadian table sharers let the beer flow well but didn't get out of hand.

Song Notables:
Opener - Go
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Song - Garden, Sad
Rarities - Ole (1st time played, only played 12 total times), Cinnamon Girl (4 times)

RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER
Cincinnati, Ohio
Sun 20 August, 2000

Summary:
I thought about putting this higher as this was the show that started it all for me. Not only my 1st PJ concert but my 1st any concert. But the lack of remembering much of it keeps it lower on my list. I remember the explosion of sound and instantly being hooked. I wanted to hear Jeremy and got it. I wish I could get some of these songs like Soldier of Love and Rival again.
Best Moment - Hearing Jeremy

Attendees:
Steve and one of his coworkers and wife.

Seats:
Middle of the lawn

Drunk Level (1-10) - 0
I may have had a sip of Steve's but was only 18 at the time.

Song Notables:
Opener - Of The Girl
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Song - Jeremy, The Kids Are Alright
Rarities - Rival (20 times), Soldier of Love (21 times)

GRANT PARK
Chicago, Illinois
Sun 5 August, 2007

Summary:
We stayed at one of Chris's friends near Wrigleyville for the Weekend. Hit a Cubs game the day before. Got a Mohawk that morning. While walking into the park I had a problem with my calf cramping up and it was sore the whole night which sucked. Wasn't able to jump around much. It was extremely hot out. Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket sets before PJ were amazing. The PJ set was a best hits set. There were fireworks going off during Given To Fly.
Best Moment - Chris during DTE or Rockin in the Free World. Or the "Don't go to BP Amoco improv"

Attendees:
Chris and a bunch of his friends

Seats:
McCready side 20-30rows from stage.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 2.5
Attempted to drink but it was just to damn hot out.

Song Noteables:
Opener:Why Go
Closer: Rockin' in a Free World
Best Song: State Of Love and Trust or RITFW
Rare Tracks: Education (7 plays)
No More (19 plays)

UNITED CENTER
Chicago, Illinois
Sun 23 August, 2009

Summary:
The pre party was absolutely crazy. The were not prepared for the PJ crowd and ran out of almost every beer they had. We had seats at the bar which was good and bad. Good because it didn't take long for beer but bad because we were surrounded by people trying to get beer and couldn't fully enjoy ourselves.
Long Road opening is so good. I got to sit with my best friend Luke for the first time at a PJ show and we had a blast. The band just sound great.
Best Moment - Luke going nuts during Rata

Attendees: Steve, Luke

Seats:
Midcourt McCready side lower level

Drunk Level (1-10) - 7
Pre party was packed and crazy. Maybe to crazy. A little to chaotic but still enough to be pretty buzzed going in.

Song Notables:
Opener - Long Road
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Song - Rats, Sad
Rarities - Love Reign O'er Me (23 times), The Needle and the Damage Done (3 times), Supersonic (17 times)

UNITED CENTER
Chicago, Illinois
Mon 24 August, 2009

Summary:
The pre party restocked the beer and were well prepared this time around. We met up with a fellow PJ fan we met in Nashville for an Eddie Vender concert who we now call Nashville Dave at the pre party.
I was on the floor for the first time this show. Was able to score an extra from another pj fan from Cincy and gave Steve and Luke my Ten Club tickets which ended up being like 10 row directly behind us.
Another great opening with Hard to Imagine. A great flowing set list which included Brother. Once again the band was on Fire.
Best Moment - Brother

Attendees:
Steve, Luke, Nashville Dave

Drunk Level (1-10) - 4
Wasn't feeling the drinks this night.

Song Notables:
Opener - Hard to Imagine
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner
Best Songs - Black
Rarities - Brother (8 times)

VERIZON CENTER
Washington, D.C.
Sun 22 June, 2008

Summary:
They had a section of Pennsylvania Ave blocked off for a BBQ Rib Off thingy which was delicious. This was our introduction to the Wishlist pre parties which had a PJ cover band playing before the show. Chris and I had seats way up in the upper level on the back side of the stage which wasn’t the greatest but a friend of Chris’s was behind the stage and called us down halfway through. I remember trying to keep up with Chris as he was in pretty much an all out sprint going down.
The show feature maybe my favorite RVM. They screwed up Evacuation prompting Ed to say “We’re going to Evacuate this one”. First time hearing Sad and hearing All Along the watch tower was great.

Attendee’s:
Chris, Steve, Mark

Seats:
Upper Level on back stage corner Stones side and then a couple rows back in lower level behind stage.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 9
Our introduction to the pre party and the cover band and beers in the stadium = I was very juicy.

Song Notables
Opener – Hard to Imagine
Closer – Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs – Hard to Imagine, RVM, All Along the Watchtower.
Song Rarities – All Along the Watchtower (11 times)

COPPS COLISEUM
Hamilton, Ontario
Thu 15 September, 2011

Summary:
This was my 5th show in a 2 week span.
We took the bus from our hotel to the arena which was different.
Hit up the pre party which was pretty much attached to the arena.
Chris and Forty sat in Chris’s Ten Club seats while I scored a single on the back corner of the stage on Stone’s side. The was pretty close but the people around me were not into it at all.
The band came out swinging opening with Given to Fly. Probably my favorite version of Immortality. The debut of Ole was cool but not very into that one. I remember the guy next to me trying to talk to me through all of Nothingman and me finally telling him I just want to listen to the band.
Ed’s Johnny Ramone story was pretty good followed by “I Remember You” was great.
A new tag on Betterman was fun (I wanna be your Boyfriend). Brain of J rocked it out and then a song for Detroit – Search and Destroy.
Best Moment – McCready Solo on Immortality.

Attendee’s:
Chris, Forty

Seats:
Back corner of stage in lower level, about 5 rows from front.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 7
Good seats at he pre party. Chris, Forty and I drank quite a bit. Lines were so bad for the show that I didn't have any inside.

Song Notables:
Opener – Given To Fly
Closer – Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs – Immortality, Betterman
Rarities – 1st ever Ole, I Remember You/Ramones (1 time), I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend tag (8 times), Search and Destroy/Iggy Pop (4 times)

BUDWEISER GARDENS
London, ONT
Tue 16 July, 2013

Summary:
Started off the trip with an over 1 hour delay at customs at the border.
Didn’t even attempt the pre party as it was already completely packed.
Found a small HOT little bar and stayed there until showtime.
Had a pair of tickets and 1 single on the floor that I scored a week before the show. I ended up giving the pair to Chris and Ferg and took the floor ticket. Was the closest I had ever been.
Opening with Present Tense was a huge surprise and kicked off the night well.
The improved a version on London Calling and went into an altered version of Corduroy which was cool.
The first encored featured a sit down set and the premier of the metal bird coming down which looked amazing from the front. Was very happy to get Parachutes.
Best Moment – The sit down set was very cool.

Attendee’s:
Chris, Ferg, Forty?, Tim? Wives?

Seats:
About 14 rows back from stage on McCready’s side.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 5
Probably a combination of the hot bar/outside and being very close to the stage and not wanting to miss anything.

Song Notables:
Opener – Present Tense
Closer – Indifference
Best Songs – Present Tense, Parachutes
Rarities – 1st ever Mind Your Manners, Parachutes (20 times)

CONSOL ENERGY CENTER
Pittsburgh, PA
Fri 11 October, 2013

Summary:
Opening show of the tour w/ a brand new album out.
Hit up the pre party early with Steve and was joined by the rest of the group shortly after.
I remember while walking in that for a new stadium it was a pain getting in.
Won GA tickets through the Ten Club lottery and Steve and I got about 10-15 back on Stones side which was fun. The new GA format is great and you have plenty of room to jam out.
Pendulum as an opener works great, especially when followed by Of The Girl. Was excited to hear the new stuff off of Lightning Bolt.
Ed’s Franco Harris story was hilarious “everybody loved him and wanted to claim him. The African Americans as well as the Italians, because of the name Franco. Ed said this was new to him and he had just read that in Pittsburgh even the Irish claimed him but they called him Frank O’Harris.”
Footsteps was awesome.
Pirates pitcher Jason Grilli, a former Tiger, came out and made a Pirates speech and then stayed out to dance for Whipping which was pretty funny.
Stone kills Rockin in the Free World.
Best Moment – The Race – We were split up into 3 groups of 2. During the pre party, we planned on meeting up at a bar somewhere downtown. We asked around and ended up agreeing to go to a bar named Oliver Twist but instead of meeting outside the arena and going we made it a race with the last group there buying the first round of drinks. Luke and Nicky arrived first followed closely by myself and Steve. Mark and Melissa (the old folk) were last and bought the drinks. I remember the walk back to the hotel being brutal.

Attendee’s:
Steve, Luke/Nicky, Mark, Mellissa.

Seats:
GA about 10-15 back on Stones side.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 8
Got to the bar early and with 5 White Piners, the beer seemed to flow well. Steve kept buying them on the inside as well plus the after bar. Felt great.

Song Notables:
Opener – Pendulum
Closer – Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs – Of The Girl, Footsteps, RITFW
Rarities – 1st time ever played for Pendulum, Sirens, Infallible, Let the Records Play, Yellow Moon.

QUICKEN LOANS ARENA
Cleveland, OH
Sun 9 May, 2010


Summary:
Got to Cleveland a day early to watch the Tigers take on the Tribe but left early as it was extremely cold out.

Hit up the pre party which was a bit of a walk but might have been a savior. We ended up sitting and drinking with the girls we met from Columbus a couple night prior aka the lesbians. Beer was flowing, in fact, from two hands as Markie and I played Edward Oberon Hands multiple times.
The long walk in sobered me up just enough to have a good buzz for the show.
Steve and I had fairly good seats on the floor.
Wash opened and was amazing. The set list in general was fantastic and flowed great combined with a great buzz. Hell Yes. Another great Immortality, In Hiding, Johnny Guitar, Leash and Indifference to close it out.

Attendees:
Steve, Mark, Lima friends Josh/Steph

Seats:
Floor about 16 back on Stones side.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 10
The most juiced I have been for a PJ show. If it weren't for the walk in, I may have not remembered much.

Song Notables:
Opener – Wash
Closer – Indifference
Best Songs – Wash, Immortality, Leash

QUICKEN LOANS ARENA
Cleveland, OH
Sat 20 May, 2006

Summary:
Just a day trip to Cleveland for the show. Not much to drink. Not the greatest seats but good enough. Opening with Betterman shocked me and after that I was all in. This was my first time hearing songs off the self titled album and remember being blown away by Severed Hand and Comatose with the megaphone.
Porch was unreal and during the solo Ed introduces the band and then says "ladies and gentleman my name is eddie" "now let me introduce you to yourself." light shines down on him and he puts his guitar over his head and deflects the light into the crowd. [Link removed - login to see]

This was also during the NBA playoffs between Detroit and Cleveland so when introducing Jeff, Ed says "And rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jeff Ament" I Booed that causing heads to turn. Later in the night when playing Comatose, Ed switches the lyrics from "Blood on all the pistons. Running my transmission" to "Blood on all the pistons. Fucking Detroit Pistons"
I think I said one of the other shows had the best Immortality but I was wrong. This was it. I think McCready Is still holding the solo note.
Stone was jack of all trades this show, singing Don't Gimme No Lip and then swapping with Jeff and playing bass for Smile.
Finally, Daughter with Its Ok tag is a top ten PJ moment for me.
Best Moment – Daughter w/ Its Ok tag [Link removed - login to see]

Attendees:
Steve, my sisters boyfriend Marty and his brother Jeff

Seats:
Upper Deck, Stone Side.

Drunk Level (1-10) – 0
Didn’t drink at all.

Song Notables:
Opener – Betterman
Closer – Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs – Immortality, Daughter, Porch, Smile
Rarities –

ALPINE VALLEY MUSIC THEATRE
East Troy, Wisconsin
Sun 4 September, 2011

Summary:
Night 2 of the PJ20 festival went a lot better. It was a beautiful day out. Tailgating was great. Beer was great.
I got shut out on Ten Club tickets for both shows and Chris had pavilion seats for this nights show. I ended up upgrading mine and Mandy’s from lawn tickets to pavilion seats about a week before the show. Then Sarah and I switched so Chris and I sat together about 30 rows back on Stones side. Being in the pavilion made such a difference as we were a lot closer and the sound was so much better.
Wash as an opener for the second time. Liam Finn came out and did Habit and nailed it. Daughter w/ It’s Ok tag again. Julian Casablancas from The Strokes came out for Red Mosquito and was great. McCready running around stage for Spin The Black Circle. Ed sang an improve song about making it this far that was very heartfelt. Ed coercing Stone into playing No Way.
Night 2 like night 1 featured Chris Cornell singing some with the band doing some Temple of the Dogs songs. While it was amazing seeing this again, it absolutely killed the momentum of the show and probably kept it out of my top 5. That being said, Reach Down with Ed, Liam Finn, Glen Hansard, and Dhani Harrison doing back up was crazy good.
RITFW was with all the earlier bands on stage jamming with them.
Best Moment – Reach Down

Attendees:
Chris/Sarah, Mandy, Forty/Angela, Tim/Allison

Seats:
About 30 rows back on Stones side.

Drunk Level (1-10) – 8
Started tailgating early and drank up until show plus a couple inside. Felt great.

Song Highlights:
Opener: Wash
Closer: Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs:
Red Mosquito
Reach Down
Spin the Black Circle.
Rarities: All Night (21 Total)
Pilate (22 Total)
The New World (11)
No Way (11)
Public Image (6)
Hunger Strike w/Cornell

AIR CANADA CENTRE
Toronto, Ontario
Sun 11 September, 2011

Summary:
My first trip to Toronto for the 1st of two shows. Hit up the pre party that was in the down stairs portion of the bar but was too packed to get a table so we just stayed and drank with another local until showtime.
10 Club tickets were side stage. There were a couple of Buckeye fans right behind us. That started some pre-show banter back and forth but once the show started they knew to shut up.
3rd time seeing Long Road as an opener but fit well being the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
The band had so much energy this night.
It was really the 2nd half of the show that did this one for me. Off He Goes into Daughter w It’s OK tag is one of my favorite back to back song combinations and Porch a couple songs later to finish out the main set.
Encore 1 we get the man trio (Nothingman, Betterman, Leatherman) Mike then shreds Black and RVM.
They come out for the next Encore and Ed says that they are going to try something they have never tried before and plays the full version of Chloe Dancer before Crown of Thorns.
Alive next gives a bitter sweet feeling as you know things are gonna end soon but it’s so good live.
½ way through alive my brother nudges me and points over to the tunnel on Stones side in which there is a silhouette of what looks like could be Neil Young which immediately got us thinking.
When they started Rockin in the Free World we hoped and then it happened.
All of McCready's guitars operate on the same wireless transmitter frequency, so after he handed Neil his guitar he was left to operate his pedalboard for Neil as he couldn't pick up another one of his guitars...until it dawned on him that he could pick up Ed's guitar and join in. Ed appeared to be awestruck and in partial disbelief that Neil was actually there and joining them on stage. The song lasted almost 13 minutes and could have easily continued for another 10 minutes.
Best Moment – Neil Jam!! A top 10 PJ moment.

Attendees:
Steve

Seats:
Row 11 McCready side stage.

Drunk Level (1-10) – 7.5
Steve just kept buying beers.

Song Highlights:
Opener – Long Road
Closer – RITFW w/ Neil Young
Best Songs – RITFW, Chloe/Crown of Thorns, Daughter
Rarities – Neil Young w/ Pearl Jam

US BANK ARENA
Cincinnati, Ohio
Sat 24 June, 2006

Summary:
I originally had this at 7 but when I started reviewing each one, this day was one of the most fun days ever.
I had gotten tickets that were pretty much as far as you can get in the back in the upper level and then Chris score tickets like a week or two before the show that were just off the side of the stage in the first row of the upper level so I gave Luke my ticket and teamed up with Chris.
The day started with Chris driving down from Detroit to Lima (about 2 hours north of Cincy) We then drove down to my parents house who live in between Cincy and Dayton. (Maybe 1/2 hour to the arena).
We got to my parents in the early afternoon and basically drank hard while swimming in the pool all day waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. We played a ball catching game for hours and then made a killer whirlpool.
The rest of the group showed up and hung out for awhile and by the time we were ready to go, I was pretty much juiced.
We went straight into the show. Before for the opener came out, Ed came out and sang The Kids Alright, a Who cover.
The show started with Long Road and you could tell right away there was a lot of energy in the building. This probably jumped around more for this show then any other. The band was on fire and the crowd matched them every step of the way.
After Baba O'Riley was over they started setting up Jeff's sit down base and looked like a 3rd encore was coming but then the "its over" music came on and people started tearing down the set. We later found out that they wanted to come back out and end with Indifference but the cops shut them down and the show was over.
The ride home was interesting and I probably shouldn't have even been driving but I do remember someone being on the phone with the 2nd car and them telling us to make sure to allow them to follow us because Luke didn't know where to go. I think we lost them within the first block.

Attendee's:
Chris, Steve, Luke, Mark, Alex?, Mitch

Seats: Stage right about 5 rows deep upper level 1st row. Smaller arena, didn't feel that far.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 9.5
A day of drinking and couple inside. My 2nd juiciest show.

Highlights:
Opener - Long Road
Closer - Baba O'Riley
Highlights:
- Sing-a-long to Present Tense
- The Rolling Stones Magazine Story (Ed - "I'm wiping my ass with Rolling Stones magazine, actually, I'm wiping my self off with, myself")
- The guy hold the "Play the Kids are Alright" sign. Ed - "We played it asshole" and threw the Rolling Stones magazine at him.
- Leash "Ann Coulter, FUCK YOU"
- Wishlist - I wish I was the president tag
- Green Disease/Not for You
- Crazy Mary - Boom and McCready duel

WACHOVIA SPECTRUM ARENA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fri 30 October, 2009

Summary:
This was the 3rd show of 4 at the Legendary Spectrum Arena. These four shows were the last events ever at this building so the boys came to blow the roof off.
We made the drive out from Ohio with a coworker Josh and his wife Stephanie from Lima and arrived late the night before. We hit up the city the day of the show and got ourselves some cheesesteaks and visited the Liberty Bell.
The pre party was at the bar attached to the Phillies baseball stadium and the Phillies were actually in NYC playing in the World Series so it was quite packed. We sat in the outside section and it was a little chilly but the beer drinking kept us busy. Josh and Steve both were very drunk going in.
As we walked down to our seats on the floor, Steve tripped on like the 4th stair from the bottom and fell down but popped right up and gave the "did anyone see me look" which was hilarious and somehow managed to not spill a drop of beer.

When the lights went down there was a short Spectrum video. Then the boys entered onto the stage to the Rocky song.
Like Cincy, the band came out swinging with new opener Gonna See My Friend, The Fixer, In My Tree and Given To Fly. The crowd was right with them all the way. The crowd really sang hard for In Hiding which Ed acknowledged afterwards. I finally got one of my favorites in Off He Goes. We also got the "mama son" trilogy in Footsteps/Once/Alive. Baba O'Reilly finished off an incredible night.
After the show we found out that Josh got sick during the opening act and spent the whole opening act in the bathroom but I don't believe he missed any of PJ.

Attendees:
Steve, Josh/Stephanie

Seats:
20-25 rows back on stones side on the floor.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 8.5
We drank quite a bit before the show. I imagine Steve and Josh were a little higher.

Song Highlights:
Opener - Gonna See My Friend
Closer - Baba O'Reilly
Best Moments - In Hiding, Untitled/MFC, Tremor Christ, Hold On, Off He Goes.

WACHOVIA SPECTRUM ARENA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sat 31 October, 2009

Summary:
The fact that this is number 3 should tell you how good #1 and #2 are.
The final event ever at the legendary Spectrum Arena didn't disappoint. Had floor seats at the very back of the front floor sections so not to bad. It was also Halloween night so there were a lot of costumes everywhere which was fun.
Like night 3, there was a video montage and then the boys walked out to the Rocky song, but this time Ed was wearing boxing gloves and dancing around. Then Why Go starts and he rips them off and throws them into the crowd and it was on.
There were so many rumors of special guests making appearances but it was just Pearl Jam. And 3-1/2 hours of them.
This was my 10th show and I saw 11 songs I have never seen yet.
The show started fairly normal but by the middle you just didn't know what to expect. The first set had a streak of Johnny Guitar, Rats, I'm Open , I Got Shit, Glorified G and OUT OF MY MIND for the first time ever.
The 1st encore started slow with them playing with the string quartet and then it happened, BUGS. The whole building was in shock as Eddie stood up there playing a organ. He screwed up and was about to give in but the crowd wasn't having that.
The first set ended with my favorite version of Porch. When Ed went to sing the first words he hit his mouth hard on the mike and ended up backing away but crowd filled. Then Mike killed it on the solo.
At that point I thought we saw it all but they come back out in full Devo gear and cover the hit song Whip It.
At this point, you just looked around and everyone was just in awe as to what was going on. What else could they possibly have up their sleeves. Then, my first Crown of Thorns, Satans Bed, a short little break and Ed turning the mike over to.... not Stone.... but... Jeff!! and we get the first ever SWEET LEW. Unreal. They then ramp it back up with Do The Evolution, Better Man/Save it For Later, Smile, Alive and Rockin In The Free World. During RITFW the let the balloons go from the sealing and shot confetti everywhere. Just an amazing sight with everyone dancing around, hitting balloons and jamming.
The night ended with Yellow Ledbetter w/ a great Star Spangled Banner.

Attendee's:
Steve, Josh/Stephanie

Seats:
Last row of front section on the floor in the middle.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 6
Still hurting from the previous night I took it a little easier. When the concert started, I didn't want to miss anything.

Song Highlighs:
Opener - Why Go
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner
Best Moments:
Bugs, Sweet Lew, RITFW, Out Of My Mind, Whip It, Porch.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
New York, New York
Thu 20 May, 2010

Summary:
Very narrowly beating out Philly 09 Night 4.
I've have always heard that MSG shows are the best and boy were they right.
Took off from Ohio late Wed. night. Met up with Chris, Sarah, Mandy and Luke around the Akron area and drove throughout the night. I remember having the walkey talkeys between the two cars and playing some kind of name association game.
On the way in we ditched one of the cars outside of Jersey. I was pretty nervous driving into the city. Traffic was nuts. Chris was navigating me to the hotel/parking garage. We ended up driving by it and next thing we know we are driving in times square. We finally found a place to pull off so we could find a parking garage.
We got an awesome deal on the hotel (Thanks Mandy) and got up to our room with the intention of getting some quick rest. The room only had 1 bed and was maybe the smallest hotel room ever. But it was well worth it.
We went to the Wishlist Pre-party and I ordered our first round of drinks, 5 Long Island Ice Teas, which only cost me about 60 some bucks.
I had ten club tickets to the show and remember picking them up and seeing I was on the floor and being really excited. Although they were about 3/4 of the way back on the floor, the fact that I was on the floor at one of, in not the most famous arena in the world was surreal. And having my best friend Luke right next to me even made it better.
There was a young kid (16 or 17) and his dad next to us and I think it was the kids first show.
The show started with a new one for me in Sometimes. Ed angrily belted out the end and that seemed to set the tone for the night. I got another new one 3 song later with Animal. At this point the young kid switch places with his dad so he could jump around with us. You could tell right away that we were in for something special. The band was absolutely on fire and the crowd belted every word with them.
The main set ended with one of my favorite live song combo of Unthought Known and Do The Evolution. By the end of those two, I really did need a little break.
The band came back out slow with string quartet. They then broke out a new cover for me in Love, Reign O'er Me. Porch closed out the first encore.
The came right back out and nailed Jeremy and next was Leash.
Its always fun hearing Stone sing - Mankind.
When alive is played you know the night is coming to an end which usually means your getting Yellow Ledbetter but they went with Indifference this night and it was absolutely EPIC.
After a couple of notes I recognized what it was and nudged Luke to be ready to sing and when it was our turn, we "Screamed Our Lungs Out Till It Filled The Room" Watch the video or listen to the boot and you hear greatness.
[Link removed - login to see] - 3:25...
This is in my top 2 PJ moments ever.

Attendee's:
Luke, Chris/Sarah, Mandy

Seats:
3/4 way back on the floor.

Drunk Level (1-10) - 8
The long island iced teas set the pace for a lot of beer.

Song Notables:
Opener - Sometimes
Closer - Indifference
Best Songs:
Sometimes, Unthought Known, DTE, Indifference
Sometimes/Indifference is my favorite Opener/Closer combo of any show.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
New York, New York
Fri 21 May, 2010

Summary:
First a story:
Hungover from last night, Luke and I decide to go to ESPN Zone to eat while Chris and the girls do some sight-seeing. We are waiting for a table and then we end up with two of the recliners in front of the TV's eating our food. We decide our next move would be to find a carryout store and get some beers and head back to the hotel and start drinking before the show. When we get there we immediately crack open and start. Next thing we know we are Edward Double Beer handing it (cant drop either hands beer until they are both gone).
All of a sudden, a knock on the hotel door "House Keeping" We needed towels and Luke is closest to the door. I quickly remind him he cant drop his beers. He looks at both hands and gives me a shrug and moves towards the door. He somehow manages to open the door and there he stands with a beer in each hand asking the maid for towels. He put his forearms together and the maid lays them over the beers and onto his arms. I then yell in the background as I am lmao "we need toilet paper to" Luke panics and doesn't know where to put them so he tells her just to put one on each of the bottle necks of the beer and turns around and shuts the door which was followed by about 15 minutes of laughter. Chris and the girls came back and joined us a little after.

Now, If you have made it this far you know that the previous night is #2 in this list and at that point I didn't think it could be topped.
I was wrong.
The energy of night 1 carried over plus some.
I didn't have 10 club seats for this one but Chris did. He was set to sit with Luke and his seats ended up being in the section behind the floor. I had gotten 3 tickets together off of Ticketmaster that were just off the back corner of the stage in the first row of 2nd level on Mikes side. I entered with Sarah and Mandy, they took off to watch the opener with Chris and Luke and then switched tickets so Chris, Luke and I could all be together. This added to the energy of the night as this the only time the 3 of us have been together.
Ed comes out and says "And Away We Go" and punches us in the face with Corduroy to open.
The building was just so electric and so many of my favorites are from this show.
Nothingman - Ed says "let make this like a campfire song" Crowd sings very loud.
Push Me, Pull Me
Not for You - Love it
Daughter with W.M.A. Tag
The first encore started slow again with the String Quartet. The End, Just Breathe, Epic Slow Version of Lukin, A couple of Rarities with Black Red Yellow and the 2nd playing ever of Sweet Lew which Jeff sings and Ed dribbles a basket ball to the beat.
And then...
My favorite Pearl Jam moment ever - Given To Fly.
Something about the songs leading up to it and then going into this. The place was absolutely crazy. I think everyone in the building was jumping. It was amazing watching it.
Another top 5 moment happens a couple songs later when they play Better Man. The crowd sings the first verse, very loudly I will say, and there is a gap between the first section and the second section where the crowd cheers for a bit and it seems like it just get louder and louder. Ed looked like he was holding back tears. Then the crowd continues to sing. The Save It For Later tag was fantastic also.
Ben from Band of Horses comes out and does a great job with Hunger Strike and Yellow Ledbetter finishes off the night.
I would say your hard pressed to find a Pearl Jam fan that was at this show and doesn't have it in their top 3-5 songs.
EPIC is the word.

Attendee's:
Luke, Chris/Sarah, Mandy

Seats:
Stage left a little behind the stage (Mike's side)

Drunk Level (1-10) - 9
Edward Beer Hands, a good story, why not.

Song Notables:
Opener - Corduroy
Closer - Yellow Ledbetter
Best Songs - See Above