Live at the Gorge 05/06 [Box set]

Pearl Jam | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 7
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B000Q677KO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,670 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Perhaps it's the color scheme and imagery on the slipcase art for Live at the Gorge, recalling Roger Dean's classic 1970s-era album jackets, but this 7-disc set of live Pearl Jam feels warmly retro. Fans will concur, of course, since the 100 tracks favor Ten and Vs. And let's not kid ourselves, it'll be mostly committed fans that buy Gorge, given the sprawl and the fact that several tunes appear three times. That fact alone is retro: Fans buy live albums; generalists stay away. What fans will get--and generalists miss--here is an old-school, road-proved rock throwdown, from start to finish. Eddie Vedder's connection to fans is palpable in the between-song chatter and the Brit-style sing-a-longs (not to mention the Tom Petty goading he has going strong on the 2005 gig or the two appearances of Petty's "I Won't Back Down"). The general soundscape goes like this: The 2005 set is somber and slow-to-build, with its highlight in "I Believe in Miracles" as a show-opener. The 2006 discs, all four of them, are heated and gritty, with the final show's opening, "Severed Hand," providing a great vantage point into Pearl Jam's version of what Keith Richards calls "guitar weaving." It was a sweltering day at the Gorge (in George, Washington, no less), and the music embodies the heat. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

From the time of their spectacular arrival 17 years ago, Pearl Jam has continually earned and maitained the respect of one of popular music's most devoted followings. Live at the Gorge represents why. Weighing in at 7 1/2 hours of unparalleled, nonstop, incendiary rock 'n' roll, this box set faithfully presents an all-time legend at the height of their power.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rediscover Pearl Jam, June 21, 2008

By 

anthonious "anthonious" (Rancho Cordova, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live at the Gorge 05/06 (Audio CD)

I like Pearl Jam. When I had just graduated from high school they were the biggest thing in Rock. They were cool and more importantly back then, I was cool because I liked them. Some 18 years later, somewhere in a dusty corner of my house I have the CD's alphabetized in some kind of time capsule that my wife wishes was boxed up and out in the garage.

So last week I found myself at a music store and I came across this really cool looking box... "Pearl Jam". I picked it up and looked at the incredible amount of music contained on the discs... some titles I knew, some I had no idea about. I am 39; I have a good job, so I came home and ordered from Amazon. Well I got the package last night... I put in disc one at 11 pm and I sat up all last night listening to these songs, the new and the old, and I held the box like you do when you are 14 and music is everything. I felt transported during this musical journey and I wanted to share with you how good this group of songs is, how drawn in to the concert setting you will be. I liked Pearl Jam when it was 1991 and now in 2008 they seem so damn good, not just angry but powerful. What a find. I encourage anyone with a dusty corner in their home to relearn Pearl Jam and to enjoy the wonderful tracks that you might not even know about it you moved on after the "Vitalogy" years.

Five stars ***** Pearl Jam is the new Dead, with a better catalog. For a few hours I did not have a mortgage, car payment, and a house that needed to be cleaned... For a few hours I was Live at the Gorge with Pearl Jam... and it was a place that I had not been to for a long time, too long.

93 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 9/10, July 6, 2007

By 

Rifugium (Newtown Square, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the Gorge 05/06 (Audio CD)

Seven discs of live Pearl Jam for a reasonable price. I couldn't turn it down, even though I already own the July 22 show, which I also had the privilege of attending. It's a nice colorful box set of digipacks, the only downside being that it does not contain any liner notes or pictures of the shows.

But packaging aside, here is some vital information I assembled that might be useful to some of you who may be indecisive as to whether or not to acquire this box. I did a tally of all the songs and arranged them by era, based on the studio albums, so you can quickly see how many songs you're getting from whatever albums you love. Non-LP songs include b-sides and session songs. (Yeah, I was bored at work.) So here are the album-eras of Pearl Jam, followed by the number of songs performed live in this box set:

Ten ......... 12 (eight LP, four non-LP)
Vs. .......... 11 (nine LP, two non-LP)
Vitalogy .... 7
No Code .... 3
Yield ......... 5
Binaural .... 3 (two LP, one non-LP)
Riot Act .... 6 (four LP, two non-LP)
Pearl Jam ... 12
Covers ...... 8
Other ........ 3

Amidst the three long shows, totaling exactly 100 tracks (there are tracks not listed on Amazon for some reason), there are five threepeated songs (Evenflow, Alive, Corduroy, Given to Fly, and Yellow Ledbetter). As you can tell from the tally, it's a good mix of material; not entirely representative of every album, but most likely representative of the albums that the majority of people want to hear (i.e. Ten and Vs.). But all the performances are spot-on and well done by the band, and of course there's a lot of mid-song banter that gives that "realness" to the shows, and makes you feel like you were there even if you weren't. So if you're a fan, there's really no reason not to pick this up.

A couple of side notes: Among the "other" songs is a dual performance of Mother Love Bone's "Crown of Thorns," which they have been playing fairly often in the past few years. I didn't think it fair to consider that a cover song. Also included in the later versions of Yellow Ledbetter is a Hendrix tribute that McCready has been squeezing in in recent shows, which includes excerpts from "Little Wing" and "The Star-spangled Banner," the former of which is covered as a separate track on the last disc.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pearl Jam rewards their fans again, July 13, 2007

By 

M. Choma (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Gorge 05/06 (Audio CD)

Pearl Jam is the most important band to emerge in the early 90's and really the only one that has stood the test of time. That is a huge testament to quality of their music, and the best showcase for their music has always been their live performances. Fortunately for us fans, a few years ago the band decided to start releasing their live performances and ever since we have had a wealth of live Pearl Jam to enjoy. Some fans may have already downloaded one or more of the shows included in this set (as I had), but this box set still remains a worthwhile investment, even if you have downloaded the shows. It provides that tactile feel that is missing from downloaded music (although kudos to PJ for including pictures and artwork with the downloads). Plus the sound quality tends to be better. The packaging is similar to the 03 bootlegs with tri-fold cardboard cases containing each of the three shows. The artwork is nice, with the outer covers giving a sense of the natural environment of the Gorge, with the inside containing what appear to be images of the Gorge under construction (?).

The 05 show is contained on Discs 1 - 3. Disc 1 is an acoustic set, similar to the Mansfield set from 03. This particular set list is not as strong as the Mansfield acoustic set, but is still enjoyable and includes Hard to Imagine. Discs 2 and 3 contain the remainder of the show, and a number of rarities including Alone, Sad and Undone. Other notable songs include Dissident, MFC, Not for You, and In My Tree. The only downside of this show is that the attempts to annoy Tom Petty occasionally take away from the music, in my opinion.

Discs 4 and 5 contain the first 06 show and this show is the highlight of the entire box set. A great set list is highlighted by Wash, great performances of Corduroy and Hail Hail, Down, Daughter/It's OK, and Blood. But it is the first encore (Disc 5) that really shines. The band plays through Footsteps, Once, Alive, State of Love and Trust, Crown of Thorns, Leash and Porch without stopping. This is a real treat for fans of older Pearl Jam as these are all classics - but the best is yet to come when they play the rarely played Dirty Frank in the closing set.

Discs 6 and 7 contain the second 06 show and again fans are treated to some gems including God's Dice, In Hiding, Green Disease, Betterman/Save it for Later, the re-worked Garden, Rats, and Whipping. They close with Yellow Ledbetter, to which Mike adds the Star Spangled Banner. Those familiar with the 06 tour know that Mike frequently played the Star Spangled Banner during Yellow Ledbetter, and together with Eddie's vaguely anti-war lyrics, this classic song has taken on a whole new meaning, one that is especially relevant given the current state of affairs in the world.

In summary, Pearl Jam continues to reward their fans by making their live shows available, in one format or another, for reasonable prices. This set is no exception and it highlights the greatest band doing what they do best. A great mix of classic songs, new versions of songs, and rare songs make this set especially attractive. This is a must have.