Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Live can't be much Livelier, September 10, 2004
I've been an on and off fan of Pearl Jam since their first album. I've had mixed feelings from previous live recordings, and one thing has become obvious... Pearl Jam is a group that feeds off their audience and emotions. That being said, Live at Benaroya is not only the best Pearl Jam performance I've heard, but perhaps the best ever by anyone I've heard.
I love live albums, and I love groups who show the talent to be able to play live. Pearl Jam does it all including mixing in covers, and playing more than just the standard favorites. I love what they've done here. They put in some great Pearl Jam classics such as Daughter, Black, Yellow Ledbetter, some covers such as 25 minutes to go and Crazy Mary, and mixed it in with some less popular but still awesome songs... All of this, and it is done acoustically.
It isn't the easiest thing to go acoustically, and one can often see how talented a group truly is. This album shows not only how talented Pearl Jam is, but when looked at with Nirvana's Unplugged album, how talented these "grunge" artist are/were.
I really enjoy the energy here. You get the energy from the audience with songs like Black, and you get it from the band such as 25 minutes to Go. As a side note, this has to be the first time I've ever heard someone sing the FULL lyrics to 25 minutes to go. This isn't just a cover of Johnny Cash's classic (he never sang the full 25), it is a tribute to Shel Silverstein who wrote it.
Thank you Pearl Jam for giving one of the best live performances I've ever heard...
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece Performance, Audiophile Sound, July 28, 2004
This is a mostly acoustic performance of an entire benefit show. While Pearl Jam has released their entire 2000 tour in stores, and 2003 tour from a website (5 shows in stores), this one is very different. Rather than adapting hard rocking songs to an acoustic format, they dug deep into their large catalog of slower songs and either played them close to the original, or took an acoustic approach.
The spread of the 24 songs across their albums is as follows... Binaural(5), Yield(1), Riot Act(3), Lost Dogs(4), Originals not on an album(1), Vitalogy(1), No Code(3), Covers(4), Ten(1), Vs.(1).
Sound Quality... The 2000 bootlegs were pretty poor by today's standards, the 2003 bootlegs were much much better. Benaroya is incredible. Partly because it is acoustic, mostly due to the fact that Benaroya Hall is a orchestra hall specifically designed for sound. That, plus better recording and mixing equipment, and adequate time to master. There is a lot of bass, and kickdrum. The room ambience is clearly felt upon playback. Put away the Windex, the reason you can't see through your mirror isn't dirt, it is vibrating. Clear separation of the instruments, and vocals are clear and forward. Really good soundstage. When used, electric guitar is mixed fairly low and not oppressive.
Songs... Of the girl is close to the original with great coloration with the electric guitar. A masterful performance. Low Light is rarely played, and in the past sounded tentative. Best version I've heard. Thumbing my way was perfect and very close to the original. Thin air sounds strong but contains a blunder in a transitional guitar piece. Band jokes after which makes it funny. First ever performance of Fatal. Sounds much better than the Lost Dogs version. Stronger. Rousing rendition of Nothing as it seems. Mike is on fire. Man of the hour only days old, band makes a rousing performance. Marred by microphone feedback. Immortality, and the acoustic solo and jam is a concert highlight which will send chills down your spine. Off he goes features Mike McCready really stepping out adding electric coloration. Way better than the album version. Around the bend played for the 1st time in 5 years. Really nice guitar and piano. I believe in miracles(Ramones) reengineered for acoustic. Very well done. Sleight of hand- one of the best performances. Expose of band's talent and overall sound quality of this recording. All or none features a rousing solo by Mike McCready. Lukin features the band joking about acoustic performances as they play it as original. Parting Ways done acoustically features Eddie Vedder's talents and is better than the original. Down is exactly like the original but acoustic. Sounds like a Tom Petty song. Can't Keep is Ed alone with a ukulele. Very rousing. Dead Man is also Ed solo but electric. Almost identical with the version on Lost Dogs. And then, out of nowhere, comes Dylan's Masters of War (Freewheeling). This is angry and spinechilling. Ed's voice goes full range. This is a highlight as this is gripping. Then comes the best version of Black I've ever heard. Acoustic does this justice. The crowd sings the climax and McCready does one of the most appropriate solos of his career. With the sound quality, you capture that magical moment in your home. Crazy Mary features Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar on organ. That's not booing at the end, the crowd is cheering for Boom. 25 Minutes to go features Ed's vocals and the band's diversity. A true show highlight. Daughter was done in the typical live fashion. Stone used a real acoustic guitar rather than an acoustic effect on electric. Made it sound much better this way. Yellow Ledbetter was done in the usual live fashion except, with the superior sound quality of this venue, it grips you.
If you like this one... here are some other recommendations:
Binaural - 5 songs from Binaural played here and others are very good
Lost Dogs - If you like mellower Pearl Jam, disk 2 is full of it
No Code - Very diverse, mellower
Mansfield 7/11/03 - Disk 1 is an acoustic set like this one, some overlap but many others not in Benaroya.
Man of the hour (Amazon exclusive) - Track 1 is the song, Track 2 is the original demo.
Merkinball - 2 Songs, Long Road is similar to Benaroya's "ambience".
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning, July 27, 2004
There's a reason this performance was put out on CD, and that was because even before the announcement of its release, it was a legendary performance, or at least as legendary as a performance that was less than a year ago can be. They did an acoustic set before the full show in Boston last summer, but this is the first fully acoustic show the band has released. Except for the partly-electric 'Yellow Ledbetter,' all of the songs are toned down to the acoustic format -- even 'Lukin,' a song that many wouldn't think could be toned down. It makes for a beautiful and emotional set, and I'm so glad we can have it on CD now. Some of the highlights are 'Thumbing My Way' (one that I personally love); the first ever performance of 'Man of the Hour,' from the Big Fish soundtrack; the one-two punch of 'Off He Goes' and 'Around the Bend,' two of my favorite softer PJ songs; 'Black,' which features a crowd singalong; and of course, the closer 'Yellow Ledbetter,' which is always a highlight.
In short, if you're a Pearl Jam fan, this is a must-own. Some feel overwhelmed with the selection of bootlegs available for sale, and don't know which live performances to buy. Start with this one -- it's absolutely breathtaking. It shows why Pearl Jam are a band with an ever-loyal following and why they still hold people's interest and touch people's hearts. It shows why they are simply the best band recording music today.
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