Customer Reviews

9/1/00 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Disclaimer: Owner of all 72 official PJ bootlegs. After slowly collecting all of the PJ bootlegs and absorbing each and every one of them, I have finally determined that this first Philadelphia show is my favorite in the entire series. A personal choice of course, but this is clearly one of the tightest, most energetic, and most flawless performances of the tour. The guys are in a fun mood, Eddie is having fun with the audience, and errors are nearly non-existent.

While Eddie Vedder will always get the most attention at any PJ show, I have found that Mike McCready is the real lightning rod in this band. In some shows Mike sounds bored and disinterested, and these shows end up being below average for everyone involved. But on nights when Mike really gets his heart into it, you get some of the best PJ shows possible. And in this particular gig, Mike is absolutely WAILING. Who knows what was up his butt that night, but don't complain, and prepare to be blown away by Mike's righteous jams instead. Thus we have killer renditions of the McCready classics "Red Mosquito" and "Present Tense" (personal favorites that I wish were played much more often during this tour), not to mention the inevitable solos in "Even Flow" and "Black" which Mike has turned into his personal showcases throughout the tour.

But don't let me dismiss the rest of the band, as everybody is straight-on and gaff-free. Of special note in this show is the only appearance in the entire tour of "Breath." It sounds like they're winging it a little on this song, but the tune is so powerful that it doesn't matter, and you and the crowd are bowled over by the song. "Breath" then segues immediately into "Tremor Christ," another rarity in the tour, with another powerhouse performance of this dark and creepy song. The first five songs ("Sometimes" through "Grievance") make up one of the most effective opening sequences of the tour, and you can't argue with the closing couplet of "Porch" into "Yellow Ledbetter."

Pearl Jam's performance in NJ on the first of Septemeber is about as good a PJ concert as your going to get. This concert is almost flawless (except for "Breath" in which Eddie forgets one of the lines, so he just repeats the previous line - but who could blame him) and each track has a great feel. With virtually no mistakes, PJ delivers a great (if not the best of the 72) "Betterman" with an extended jam at the end which includes the "Save it for later" tag. The "Sometimes" on this disc is the best of the tour, and leading into a scorching version of "Last Exit" adds a nice dynamic. "Animal" is awesome, followed by a near perfect version of "Red Mosquito." The "Present Tense" from this show is the best I've ever heard! Also, "Corduroy", even though it was played often on this 72 show tour, shines brightly as one of the best takes of the tour. What can I say? This disc is almost like a best of live. The second disc has some highlights as well, including great versions of "Insignificance," "GO," and "Tremor Christ." This version of "Jeremy" is still my favourite to date (including older PJ versions, i.e.1992). If you are going to buy only one of these 72 shows, this is definitely the one.

This 9/1/00 Pearl Jam show actually took place in Camden, NJ and it is a superb set. Eddie Vedder is in good spirits and the band plays like a well-oiled machine. The do a ripping version of "Go", a great version of "Tremor Christ" and "Jeremy" still sends chills down your spine. "Breath" is one of their great lost songs from the Singles soundtrack and it is a nice treat to hear it live.

I was lucky enough to be at this Pearl Jam concert, just one of the stops on their long summer tour (and just one of the double disc sets from said tour... over 70 in all).

So why buy this one? First and foremost, the audio qaulity on the U.S. 'bootlegs' has improved from the previously released European tour cds. The sound is so much more full, with great bass and a nice balance of instruments.

Secondly, this was a fantastic show, featuring their first performance of "Breath" in years (not only that, but it's a song they've only played live no more than a dozen times, to my knowledge). Other great songs include "Grievance", "Crazy Mary," "Tremor Christ" and an 8 minute version of "Betterman" with a nice long take on "Save it for Later" tagged on at the end.

Buy a few of these PJ boot cds, because they're definitely worth the money. I'd recommend the soon-to-be released 3cd Seattle show, too.

This show easily ranks in my personal top ten of the so-called "official bootlegs." It's long even for these guys, who routinely play eight or more songs for the encore, and it has a nice mix of rarities (Tremor Christ, Breath!) and set list regulars (Given to Fly, Grievance). The quality is really good -- clean, immediate, and bright -- and the band sounds fantastic. Here are the highlights according to me:

This version of "Red Mosquito" is one of the best of the whole tour. Gorgeous, gorgeous guitar; warm, expressive...lovely. As my sweetie said at the show we saw, "Mike doesn't say anything onstage, but he doesn't *have* to."

For those of you following the "Will Ed remember all the words to 'Wishlist'?" saga, he flubs "messenger" a smidge this time but otherwise nails them. :-)

"Betterman" has an extra-long "Save It For Later" tag, featuring a whole verse I haven't heard in any of the other shows, and some spiffy improvisational interplay.

Listen to "Present Tense" as loud as you can stand to. And then say "wow." You'll want to, trust me. It's a taut, intense version, and the instrumental bit at the end is especially nice.

The inclusion of "Breath" is a pleasant surprise. A fair bit less rare, but still treats: "Dissident" and "Crazy Mary."

And, of course, "Porch" leading into "Ledbetter" is a great way to close out the show.

If you were one of the folks who was there, you already know how good this show was. If, like me, you weren't that lucky, you get to enjoy the music anyway. And that's worthy of a "Yay!"

I was there and the opening show of the Philly (actually Camden, New Jersey) stand was incredible.

The stand-out songs here are Whipping, Red Mosquito, Present Tense, Porch and the encore opening of Go --> Breath --> Tremor Christ --> Once.

An interesting note for this show is that this was the only show of the tour (Europe & U.S.) that featured Breath. It was an audience request and the band nailed it.

The only performance of Breath on this tour makes this a 5 star alone... now add to that some other great versions of Present Tense, Whipping and a very very cool BetterMan and the decision about adding this to your collection becomes a no-brainer. If you are only going to pick up a handful of these 'official bootlegs' do yourself a favor and make this one of them.

Pearl Jam is an amazing live band. I know personally because i was at this concert in philly. It was amazing. The best ever and this CD captures it all perfectly even when we requested Breath and they were hesitant to play it but did. They are amazing. If you were at the sellout concert it is a must have and if you werent you should get it anyway. Cant wait till they come back!

Lucky as I was to have attended both Philadelphia Pearl Jam shows on this tour, saying which is the best of the two is a tough call. First I must give credit where credit is due. Don't let the CD titles fool you: both shows were actually held across the river in a sound-enhancing amphitheater in Camden, NJ. That said, this night marginally beats out the second night. For me, its the heavier content of TEN material that pushes this show ahead. Sure, you won't hear Alive on the US leg of the tour due to the European tragedy, but you have solid renditions of Black, Even Flow, Jeremy, Once and Porch to remind you why the band's debut remains so groundbreaking--a decade later. Other highlights: Crazy Mary and Yellow Ledbetter as the finale. One final comment: the first thing I noticed when I played this CD is its superior sound quality over the European bootlegs. Enjoy!

I bought this one because of the great reviews on amazon and allmusic. And I am glad I did. Pearl Jam at their best. Mike is on this night. And so is Eddy. Fantastic show. "Breath" taking!