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To my ears the band has three clear performance "peaks": March/April '94, US leg 2 2000, and Europe/Australia '06. These are extended runs of performances where the band is just completely firing on all cylinders -- note-precise band performances, excellent, conditioned singing from Ed, with almost every show a highlight. There are a lot of lesser peaks throughout their career but these really take the cake for me.
1998 and 2000 are probably the best full years of sustained performance. I like the overall vibe of '98 better, but 2000's song selection might push it over the top. 2003 is probably the best cutoff point in terms of catalog (2006 was a strong performance year but very hits- and "S/T"-heavy from night to night), but the performances are somewhat inconsistent and the excessive cover material docks it a notch.
1994 and 1998 are probably the only realistic answers to be found on RM. Honorable mention to the 2000 tour for the audiophiles.
It might be a little more interesting to divide this into pre- and post-official bootleg eras, then you would get some good debates such as 2003 -v- 2006, etc.
As a fan who got serious around 2002 and became a fan because of the 2000 bootleg series, it's really easy for me to look at the evolution of the official boots and back-calculate so that the Yield your becomes the pinnacle of the band's tours, especially when considering the combination of song performance/setlists/Eddie's stage behavior/Roskilde/personal shit. And that's even before listening to a bunch of good audience recordings from that tour and going "yes, that."
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:04 pm Posts: 37156 Location: September 2020 Poster of the Month
Kevin Davis wrote:
To my ears the band has three clear performance "peaks": March/April '94, US leg 2 2000, and Europe/Australia '06. These are extended runs of performances where the band is just completely firing on all cylinders -- note-precise band performances, excellent, conditioned singing from Ed, with almost every show a highlight. There are a lot of lesser peaks throughout their career but these really take the cake for me.
1998 and 2000 are probably the best full years of sustained performance. I like the overall vibe of '98 better, but 2000's song selection might push it over the top. 2003 is probably the best cutoff point in terms of catalog (2006 was a strong performance year but very hits- and "S/T"-heavy from night to night), but the performances are somewhat inconsistent and the excessive cover material docks it a notch.
I stop reading when March 1998 isn't listed as a peak.
March '98 is great, and in a lot of ways I prefer the sound of those shows to any of the eras I listed. But overall, I think the band were playing at a level of intensity and technical precision during those three eras that is unmatched elsewhere in their career.
It has long been determined here that March 1998 was the peak of the Pearl Jams
Probably this. 1998 was peak PJ for sure.
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For me, the 2000 tour is tops. I love Binaural, and the setlists are great. Add in Ed's ability to be subtle when needed and tear his throat up the next moment makes this time frame for Ed his best. Add in the emotions the band is carrying around with them (Eds divorce, Roskilde) it made for some emotional performances, albeit at times subdued.
I will say if we had great recordings of all the 98 shows, I may change my mind, but missing all of the Binaural songs would make that hard.
For sake of redundancy I will also say 1998. There was a run of songs at Fenway that felt like a 98 tour show and it just felt like old times. It felt good. Then they played something from Lightning Bolt. I have collected pretty much every live show that is out there up until about 2012. I really enjoy the 1994 tour, 95 has very unique covers and improvs and 98 is my favorite because Yield is pretty much my go to Pearl Jam album. Things get diluted after that. There are some great shows sprinkled throughout the 2000s for sure, but even most of 2003 is sloppy despite the "classic" Boston and Penn State shows. The "unpredictable" setlists have gotten predictable and endlessly touring on Lightning Bolt has taken its toll. All that said, Fenway 2016 shows were still fulfilling.
For sake of redundancy I will also say 1998. There was a run of songs at Fenway that felt like a 98 tour show and it just felt like old times. It felt good. Then they played something from Lightning Bolt. I have collected pretty much every live show that is out there up until about 2012. I really enjoy the 1994 tour, 95 has very unique covers and improvs and 98 is my favorite because Yield is pretty much my go to Pearl Jam album. Things get diluted after that. There are some great shows sprinkled throughout the 2000s for sure, but even most of 2003 is sloppy despite the "classic" Boston and Penn State shows. The "unpredictable" setlists have gotten predictable and endlessly touring on Lightning Bolt has taken its toll. All that said, Fenway 2016 shows were still fulfilling.
Decent points. 1998 PJ was the right mix of catalog size/mix and performance skill. And Fenway was the best 2 night stand in a while.
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Joined: Thu January 31, 2013 7:03 am Posts: 4448 Location: by the ocean
Ledbetterdays wrote:
even most of 2003 is sloppy despite the "classic" Boston and Penn State shows.
most of them? no way. there's a couple of duds here and there but most of the shows are some of their best ever. melbourne 1, perth, all the japan shows, bonner springs, uniondale, msg, buffalo, st louis, champaign, little rock, both irvine shows, san diego, hershey, holmdel to name a few classics off the top of my head. maybe you should go back and listen again if you think boston and penn state are the only good shows. the lows are lower than in 98 and 00 but i think the highs are higher.
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those were the days
Quote:
03/28/94 - Bayfront Amphitheater: Miami, FL [120m] attendance: capacity=8,000; attendance approx. 24,000! support act: King's X soundcheck: jam, Not For You, Animal, Daughter set: Release, Go, Animal, Dissident, Even Flow, State of Love and Trust, Glorified G, Daughter/(ABitW-II)/(WMA), Jeremy, Deep, Rats, Blood, Black, Alive, Porch/(The Real Me)/(Monkey Gone to Heaven), Rearviewmirror, Not for You, Elderly Woman (song stopped), Garden, Rockin' in the Free World/Improv, Indifference notes: Beneath a full moon, this crowd at an outdoor park in downtown Miami became unruly, breaking through a metal fence. Ed practices crowd control: "We're all in one big boat tonight ... don't let it go down." He dedicates 'Even Flow' to some homeless people under a bridge nearby. Later, Dave (!) pulls a troublemaker from the crowd when prompted by Ed saying, "One of you guys up front is hitting people. This guy right here ... get him out. Pull him out. We don't wanna see him anymore. How can we accomplish a lot by showing these people who think we're all a bunch of fucking losers and we don't have a life, that we can get along? Scare the shit out of them and make them think this generation might actually accomplish something." 'Not for You' is dedicated to "all those fuckers who were charging more than $18 for your fucking ticket." A rain storm breaks out at the start of 'Garden.' King's X joins PJ for 'RitFW.'
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