I have started this, by the way...

I'm only pulling from the 2014 shows

And yes, I agree that two discs is a bit much. Trying to limit to one makes for some tough decisions, though...

Just picked up the Moline show. Excellent stuff so far

Attention: Lowlight79

We finally have a definitive version of My Father's Son. The Denver performance is fanfuckingtastic.

Thank you, that is all.

B.

Listening to Denver. Ed sounds fantastic on Low Light, particularly when holding the notes in the outro.

It has been noted on my pad of pearl jam insanity. I am editing some tracks already.Listened to Moline, skipped around, I got 4 shows left and the work will be in full mode!

Moline is a great show, it's not perfect, but great crowd, band is a good mood and fantastic versions of Habit, In My Tree, Present Tense and Garden.

Here is an interesting Tidbit, The version of porch I picked did not come from 2013 or 2014. It's from 2011 and it's a beast

Denver is fucking legit, folks. I know it felt special being there. Like classic era pj doing what it does. So far the boot absolutely confirms that. Im actually kind of surprised.

Excellent.

I don't know, guys. Despite plenty of enthusiasm, I've found virtually all of the shows since Lightning Bolt's release kind of a thankless slog. I just don't seem to find much enjoyment in them, even when the band are playing well and Ed's not spacing out. There's something crucial missing for me and I can't quite pinpoint what it is, even the shows from the Backspacer tour seem much closer to what I want from the band than what they've been doing recently.

Take my advice and pull out of Pearl Jam bootleg-land while you're still sane. I've been sober since 2009.

It's called getting old and rich... and comfortable in their own skin.

The 2014 shows are a refreshing listen, to me, considering the debacle of 2013.

I keep downloading them, hoping for the best and then:



The old shows sound as great as they ever did so it's not as though I'm sick of the songs, there's just something not quite right about the shows in the last few years for me.

For one, Ed talks too damn much now, and sounds like an idiot when he does so.

For me it was obvious something was horribly wrong when I saw them at the Spectrum. There was a weird disconnect there that is hard to explain. There was none of the tightness and chemistry/magic that they had displayed in 2005. It wasn't what I was used to from Pearl Jam, it was something else, something tedious to sit through. Nothing I have heard since then has changed my opinion. For me, the end of the Avocado tour is the cutoff point. After that something seriously changed. What that change actually was, I'm not sure. Maybe they are not really into their new music? Maybe they hate each other's guts and don't like playing together anymore? Who knows. But something happened.

Jeez, I really like the shows from this year. I share a lot of the same reservations as you guys about shows over the last 5 years but there are a lot of really good shows this year (and some from last year too). There are several shows from this year that I like way more than anything they've done since 2006. Leeds is already one of my favorite shows ever.

If I go and listen to these shows you guys are raving about, and they blow, you will all have your asses handed to you.

I do trust Spenno's opinion though. He's a sound bloke.

I think there's still a genuine mateship and enjoyment playing together, helped by the fact that they now set their own agenda and do shorter tours where they want (hence more frequent Europe and SA trips, usually with family in tow). What's changed is Ed's metamorphosis from introverted semi-reluctant frontman to extroverted ringmaster whose main job is to 'get the party started' and make sure that everyone from the casual fan to the diehard has a 'rockin' good time'. It's been discussed before that the seeds for this were sown on the 2003 tour, and the transformation was definitely complete by the 2008 tour.


I hear ya buddy, though for me I think it's just bootleg fatigue. I'm sure the 3-hour 'Evening with Pearl Jam' shows can be a blast in person, but they can be hard-going to listen to start-to-finish (especially with such predictable Encore 2's, at which point I usually lose interest anyway). But hey, no one's asking me to listen to them - it's easy to forget how spoit we are these days when thinking back to the 90's days of expensive crap-quality illegal boots.

That all said, there are some top notch performances from the last few years as Lowlight's upcoming mix will reveal, so I think compilations is how I'll probably get my PJ live fix in coming years.

At least with Brett Eliason at the helm we're no longer complaining about the mixing of the boots

They aren't perfect, but if you can't enjoy at least Leeds, then I doubt you'll enjoy anything they ever do again.

Yes indeed. I usually find myself listening to the first set and then skipping tracks from that point on. I don't have the time to get through a 3 hour show unless I was there. Plus, one thing I've noticed about their shows now: Ed is making a concerted effort to growl / scream as much as he can during the main set, and his voice is completely trashed by the second encore. I've noticed this on quite a few shows over the past few years. There are a lot of main sets with great vocal performances.

thats what i do!

i just listen to the mixes...

ph.

I'm a dying breed - I listen to all shows, completely in a single listen.