T-11 and counting...
I'm going to suck at work today

This is what popcorn is for.

Any indication of what the visuals will be ?

Or how the audio will be different with the theater sound system ?

In some interview Eddie only requested the visuals be abstract and not representative/real (like for Gigaton).

Audio is surround sound and I don't know how many channels. Greater than 5.1
Really depends on the theater but theaters will be using the "DOLBY ATMOS IMMERSIVE MIX" that you can get with the CD/blueray version of the album. That one's been mixed by Josh Evans.

Abstract visuals on a surround sound Josh Evans mix. Sounds entertaining to me - hope the vibe's not too weird in the theater lol. Bunch of middle aged stoned dudes half embarrassed to be there.

Me in the theatre scrutinising the drum sound

I'm not going to review the album. I'm just going to review the visuals and how often they repeat.

I hope the ball/text lands perfectly in the corner at least 3 times during your screening.

I understood this reference

However I consider Eddie a much better performer than Michael Scarn the Rapper

I would laugh, but that's fully what I'm expecting.

so i'm most certainly going to hear this tonight at the theater

but i can't decide if sitting there in the dark with a bunch of other pearl jam dudes would be worst than being subjected to 45 minutes of "abstract" visuals

We *are* the Pearl Jam dudes

And you’d be right!

Thank God no one bought the seat next to me. The front row is couches, not recliners. I would have had to share a couch with someone. I forgot that. It's probably why my wife and I liked it so much.

I wasn’t going to do this, but eff it. I’m going to the movies.

Damn you Wotman

I hit up my local showing last night.

The initial music only playthrough was pretty underwhelming, although the really stellar songs still stood out.

The second visualiser playthrough was much more enjoyable, thanks to the lyrics onscreen.

Waiting For Stevie, Setting Sun and Upper Hand were extremely good.

I walked out of the cinema glad that I could connect with current day PJ. I haven't been heavily engaged with a new PJ album since Riot Act, so it was nice to be moved by their art again.

That was very, very cool. Awkward Jeff intro for the win. I need this album blasting in my car right now.

song thoughts? if you were listening to the phone leaks how did they translate?

Hey zeb

You've picked a great time to re-engage with latter-day PJ. I really liked Gigaton but this album is a step up. I'll reserve judgement on Watt's production until I have a headphone listen, but he's managed to capture the band with everyone playing to their absolute strengths, and finally showcasing the live chemistry they have on stage on record.

The VMax audio mix wasn't great at my showing last night - very trebbly and hard to make out Matt and Jeff in particular. I agree the visualiser playthrough was better, but it was helped by having just heard the songs through once before engaging with the lyrics, which I think are some of Ed's strongest in years - I didn't notice any clunkers that usually pepper latter-day PJ albums. What impressed me most was Ed's seemingly endless well of sublime vocal melodies. It's like he got all his cringeworthy melodies out of the way on Earthling (think 'Long Way'). Even Wreckage and Something Special which on the surface could veer into corny territory are saved from this fate by some thoughtful artistic choices.

Scared of Fear is my early fave (I agree with the Who Ever Said comparisons which I ).

It really feels like a record made by 6 (7 counting Josh K?) music fanantics - as others have said there are elements of Petty, Pink Floyd, Ramones, but also a lot of U2 - in the soaring/chiming guitar parts, the Where the Street Have No Name style intro to Won't Tell, and Ed's elevation (pun not-intended) of songs in their second half.

Hate to finish on a down note but I hope the visualisations they are planning for the tour are more interesting than some of the screensaver-esque ones used here. One last thing that never ceases to astround/annoy me is the band's lack of attention to detail. The visualisation for Got To Give was missing lyrics for the first half of the song, and there were a handful of typos and clear lyrical errors in other songs (which will also be present in the liner notes of the album no doubt).