04/01/03 - Pepsi Center: Denver, CO
attendance: 12,000
support act: Sleater-Kinney
set: Love Boat Captain, Hail Hail, Save You, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Thin Air, Help Help, You Are, I Am Mine, SUV improv/Green Disease, Wishlist, Better Man, Insignificance, Do The Evolution, Porch
enc 1: Thumbing My Way, Black, Bushleaguer, Daughter, Go
enc 2: Soon Forget, Crazy Mary, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Ed jokes after 'Even Flow' about how this is the opening date of their "farewell tour" in Salt Lake City and how it was good to see the support for the opening band. He says that Stone wrote the next one and the original title was "Falling in Love at 6,000 Feet." The improv before 'Green Disease' is very short and starts out with, "Don't drive me, I'm an SUV ..." Ed talks about someone who was in the armed forces during Vietnam and how Ed asked him how he felt about the current world situation. He is interrupted and says, "Did somebody say "shut up"? I don't know if you heard about this thing ... it's called freedom of speech. It's worth thinking about cuz it's going away. So in the last year of being able to use it, I'm sure as fuck going to use it." Then he continues to relate about the woes of war and how his friend didn't feel like we've evolved at all and how we need to come together in a good way, leading to 'DTE.' A bit of Sleater-Kinney's 'Dig Me Out' is worked into 'Porch.' The Bush mask takes a familiar throttling during 'Bushleaguer.' (A few people left during or after 'Bushleaguer.' The press made a huge issue of it.) Quite a lot of wine consumed and that, combined with the "shy uke" and high altitude, lead to a rough 'Soon Forget.' Ed asks if the crowd is allowed to drink and he says he feels better when they reply affirmatively ;) The lovely 'Crazy Mary' gets the wine bottle passed around and a stellar 'RITFW' closes the opener of PJ's North American tour.
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setlist scan04/03/03 - Ford Center: Oklahoma City, OK
support act: Sleater-Kinney
set: Long Road, Grievance, Jools and Jim (Pete Townshend), Corduroy, Save You, Given To Fly, Dissident, Even Flow, I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, 1/2 Full, Not For You, Off He Goes, Elderly Woman, Untitled/MFC, Happy Birthday, Drifting, Get Right, Deep!, Blood
enc 1: Better Man, Daughter/(War), Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror
enc 2: Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The ending of the Pete Townshend song 'Jools and Jim' (from the Empty Glass glass album, where Pete sings "Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, O-K") is played before 'Corduroy.' After 'Save You,' Ed speaks:"Glad you could all be with us tonight. There's a lot of "fucks" in that last song. And it's fucking great to be here. And "fuck" is a great fucking word. And it seems like ten years ago, freedom of speech, it all had to do with whether you could say "fuck" or not. Cuz it is, it's a word that's worth fighting for, ya know, ya say fuck him, fuck her, fuck me, fuck! Then great ways to say it: "That's fuckin' beautiful." Fuck. I personally can't say I ever said it this way, but I'm sure you could say, "Let's fuck." But now freedom of speech it has, uh, it has a lot to do with much bigger issues. And uh, somehow, we played a show last night and it's been misconstrued. They said, uh, 24 people left because they were upset at a, uh, anti-Bush administration remark. [crowd boos] You're booing the story, right, not me? Let's clarify that. You know you could have written that story differently and you could have said 11,972 people cheered and applauded at what the singer said ... we pledged our support and love to the troops. Ya know, how could we not be for the military? Look at this fuckin' haircut. [cheers] So, uh, no matter what it is, no matter how you feel, I think it's important for people to be able to protest, say what they feel, and put public pressure, put pressure on politicians and government just so that they will do a better job. There's nothing anti-patriotic about that. Because their job affects our families, our safety, our security, our relatives who are in the military, our friends, it affects everyone, so we have a right to be a voice and be part of that, I would think, as part of a democracy. That's all we wanted to say, this is 'Given to Fly'."
Due to technical problems ("Mike apparently blew up one of his guitar amps"), we get the uke early for 'Happy Birthday' to Chris (Ed's brother) and again for Kille instead of 'Soon Forget,' followed by a little guitar and uke noodling (including Jeff doing a 'Satan's Bed' riff). Ed says 'Drifting' was written while flying over Oklahoma. 'Deep' is a surprise; hasn't been played at a show in more than seven years. Mike's solo during '1/2 Full' is amazing. 'Elderly Woman' is dedicated to the folks in Chickasaw, which isn't that small of a town, but still a nice sentiment. Tons of windmills by Ed throughout the show and jumping up and down with Jeff. Before the 'Daughter' tag, Ed speaks of how Edwin Starr (who wrote 'War') passed away the previous day. After 'Alive,' Ed asks that the light be brought up to make sure that no one has "stormed out of the exits ... for the record." The band is very on, minus the technical problems.
encore setlist scan04/05/03 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater: Selma (San Antonio), TX
attendance: 12,219
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Of The Girl, Black, U, Animal, Jeremy
set: Of The Girl, (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Last Exit, Love Boat Captain, Cropduster, Happy Birthday, Even Flow, I Am Mine, Wishlist, Lukin/Grievance, Animal, Given To Fly, Faithfull, Black, Insignificance, Save You, Spin The Black Circle
enc 1: Last Kiss, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Crazy Mary, Happy Birthday, improv, Do The Evolution
enc 2: I Am A Patriot, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter, Baba O'Riley
notes: After 'Cropduster,' Ed tells San Antonio "howdy" and recognizes Mike's birthday, playing 'Happy Birthday' on the uke and everyone singing. Ed modifies 'Wishlist': first, "... thousands of Texans hands upraised ..." and a beautiful, extended ending:"I wish I was the radio song
the song that said whatever it wanted
this is a free country ...
you should hear what you wanna hear ...
there's nothing that you shouldn't hear
land of the free and the home of the brave, when the brave will be someone who's not afraid to say, to say, to say anything ... what he feels, and believes what he knows what he thinks who he loves what he loves and who he loves and what he loves ... I love you .. and I love this country too."The extended 'Wishlist' glides right into 'Lukin' and, with a bit of Matt's snappy drumming, transforms into 'Grievance.' The crowd helps sing 'Animal.' 'Crazy Mary' is played for their special guest, Ben. A second 'Happy Birthday' is performed for Mike, Ed calling it a "ukulele punk rock version" starting off with a 1-2-3-4 -- absolutely hilarious. Jeff smashes a birthday cake into Mike's face (and licks some off). Next is a slight improv (really more of an intro to 'DTE') with the lyrics: "Spinning, the world's spinning; clouds upon it ..." A fitting 'Patriot' is just Ed with Matt. Ed cautions "be gentle" when someone who tries to get on the stage gets hauled out by security during 'Alive.' Then it's "Kille, you know what to do" and "thank you" to all the various areas of the venue, leading to 'YL' with a verse modified quite a lot: "I'd like to see him, just looked at the photograph today; looked so good in his uniform, I remember him other ways ... and I'll never forget the phone call ..."
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04/06/03 - Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion: Woodlands (Houston), TX
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Breath, Rival, Leatherman (including Stone doing a couple of Ticket to Ride riffs)
set: Can't Keep, Grievance, Save You, Hail Hail, Even Flow, I Am Mine, Thumbing My Way, You Are, Whipping, Insignificance, Breath, 1/2 Full, Elderly Woman, Immortality, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Love Boat Captain, Better Man, Black, Go
enc 2: Soon Forget, Fortunate Son, Rockin' in The Free World
notes: After the first encore, that ends in the band tearing up 'Go,' Ed returns to the stage alone for the second encore. "Whoever said you were a hick town with more millionaires per square inch, it wasn't me. I just wanted to say while we're playing Houston, fuck Dallas. [big cheers] We don't really feel that way, it's just freedom of speech ... it's just fun. I think we have to come back and play Dallas (laughing)." He requests the Bill Gates mask and tell the crowd that they're going to witness what it looks like to impale something on a stick in a ritualistic manner (quoting the Denver newspaper review) and he sets the mask on the mic stand. "You gotta watch close, cause it happens fast. You go like this ... total impalement! It's an insane sick ritual that I invented cause I'm a sick fuck and a celebrity." The absurdity of the whole thing is hilarious and the crowd is laughing through much of 'Soon Forget.' All three members of Sleater-Kinney join PJ for 'Fortunate Son' and 'RITFW.' Great energy with the lyrics changed slightly on 'Fortunate Son' to "... hate me, I ain't no president's son."
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04/08/03 - UNO Lakefront Arena: New Orleans, LA
support act: Sleater-Kinney
set: Love Boat Captain, Grievance, Corduroy, Brain of J, Save You, Cropduster, Given To Fly, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, I Am Mine, Green Disease, Wishlist, Daughter, Lukin, Insignificance, I Am A Patriot, 1/2 Full, Porch
enc 1: SUV improv, Thumbing My Way, Elderly Woman, Black, Do The Evolution, Spin the Black Circle
enc 2: Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fortunate Son, Rockin' in the Free World
notes: After 'GTF,' Ed greets the crowd and talks about how a "very public figure" was staying in the same hotel as the band and that it wasn't a breach of security to say it was Dick Cheney and suggests it was he who was blasting AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' over and over. Prior to 'Wishlist,' Ed speaks of how the band has never been greedy, but the one material possession they really, really wanted to the point of embarrassment and guilt was the mirrorball. He continues that they had to bargain with Cher to get it and she threw in the shiny jacket. It is brought out and he says it is "like Mardi Gras." He spins in circles at the end of the song, like a human mirrorball. The 'Daughter' tag consists of the call and respond chanting with the crowd, including a bit of "Hey ho, let's go." 'I Am A Patriot' is another reworked version, this one slower with the full band. During '1/2 Full' Ed uses a large mirror on his head to deflect a spotlight around various spots in the crowd, asking "won't someone save the world ... you? you? you?" pausing long on a fan wearing a "Bush for Sale" shirt. At the conclusion, he notes a "Shave Your Bush in 2004," laughs and says, "That man's got a right to freedom of speech ... and we got it to and with that, I'm gonna say this ..." leading to 'Porch.' Ed has a complete lyrics blank during the second verse of 'DTE,' saying "I know this part" just before the first instrumental section ;) Ed sings a bit of 'Song X' a capella at the start of the second encore, followed by Mike playing some 'Sweet Home Alabama' licks when Ed mentions they're headed to Alabama so they may as well stay a little longer. The band seems to ponder playing it until Mike insists he doesn't know it. Sleater-Kinney again help out on 'Fortunate Son' and 'RITFW.' 'Glorified G' was on the written setlist but not played.
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setlist scan![[this show was videotaped]](5hvid.gif)
04/09/03 - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre: Pelham (Birmingham), AL
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Habit, Leaving Here, Soldier of Love
set: Go, Save You, Spin The Black Circle, Even Flow, Daughter/(Androgynous Mind), Better Man, Not For You, Elderly Woman, Love Boat Captain, Corduroy, You Are, Thumbing My Way, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Animal, Do The Evolution
enc 1: Last Kiss, Black, Alive
enc 2: Soldier of Love, Leaving Here, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Weather is very cold. Ed suggests that if people get the CD of the show and want to relive the experience, get "... three really big fans, a small chair, open the freezer and refrigerator, put your feet in a bucket of ice, put the headphones on and let it rip." After 'You Are,' Ed asks how people's health is (he seems to be sick, blowing his nose a lot). He passes a Kleenex into the crowd to see how far it gets by the end of the song. He asks for the lights and apparently there is little left; he says, "I need a bigger Kleenex," laughing. 'Wishlist' lyrics are 'I wish I was a neutron bomb and I could refuse to go off" and "I wish I was the full moon shining off your tractor's hood." Boom gets introduced ... "He's freezing his Hawaiian ass off." Ed refers to the show as the "second coldest show we've ever played." Mike tags some Hendrix on the end of 'Alive.' The second encore begins with, "If you've got the guts, we've got the action!" 'Soldier of Love' has two takes because they seriously botch the beginning. At some point during 'YL,' Stone talks to Jeff, who begins laughing and Stone is hysterical. Stone then talks to the techs and the rest of the band, still laughing. As 'YL' concludes, Mike tags a snippet of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and the band remains on stage, with Matt stretching and the band appear to be discussing the next song to play. They take their spots, there is some feedback off Mike's guitar, four clicks from Matt's sticks, a single loud chord and the band quickly waves goodbye and exits from the stage, much to the dismay of the crowd. (There was no deviation aside from omitting 'Jeremy.')
setlists scan04/11/03 - Sound Advice Amphitheater: West Palm Beach, FL
attendance: 17,000
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Last Exit, Gimme Some Truth, Nothingman, Glorified G (x2), I Am A Patriot
pre-set: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Ed solo)
set: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Animal, Save You, Given to Fly, Cropduster, Even Flow, Elderly Woman, Love Boat Captain, Ghost, Whipping, Untitled/MFC, You Are, 1/2 Full, State of Love and Trust, Alive
enc 1: Last Exit, I Am A Patriot, Better Man, Down, Glorified G, Do The Evolution
enc 2: Daughter/(Dig Me Out), Yellow Ledbetter, Baba O'Riley
notes: After the lovely 'Long Road' opener, the band just tears through the first few songs with no breaks. 'Elderly Woman' goes out to the "highest people in Florida" (referencing how someone told him that the top of the lawn is the highest peak in FL). 'Untitled' is extended and modified - quite lovely. Ed uses the mirror to reflect light into the crowd during '1/2 Full.' During 'SOL&T,' Ed sees a fan with a cell phone, he obtains it and sings a bit of the song into the cell. He sticks it in his pocket like he is going to keep it but tosses it back to the owner eventually. A powerful 'Alive' is dedicated to cancer survivor, Nick, who had lost his hair due to chemotherapy, but now has a thick head of curly hair. After 'Last Exit,' Ed notes someone holding up a flag and says, "This song's for the flag," leading to a slow, sweet 'Patriot.' A "USA" chant starts up and Ed responds, "I hear ya brother ... 'USA'. USA, it's a great fuckin' country, right? I used to work midnight shift security guard; Matt used to work at Kinkos. ... I'd say one of the greatest thing about it is you have the right to express your opinion, no matter what it is ... It's not Pizza Huts and Walmarts on every fuckin' corner. And the fact that our president, who I love ... here's a fact for you ... my opinion ..." and he talks about how the young soldiers aren't getting paid shit while the government is working on getting tax breaks for the rich. "I'm calling bullshit on that. All right, enough of that," leading to 'Better Man,' tagged at the end with: "President Bush, President Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell ... don't let us dowwwnnnnnnn!" Introduced with, "All right, here's one we haven't played for fuckin ages," 'Glorified G' is resurrected from the vault after nearly seven years. Ed changes the 'DTE' lyrics to "I keep fucking it up so I'll soon be fired." Very cool show and crowd.
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setlists scan04/12/03 - House of Blues: Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), FL
attendance: 2,000
soundcheck: Deep, Green Disease, Fuckin' Up, Sleight of Hand, Know Your Rights, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Ed solo), Soon Forget (Ed solo), You're True (Ed solo), Can't Keep (Ed solo)
set: Can't Keep, Save You, Get Right, Even Flow, Faithfull, Habit, I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, Green Disease, Sleight of Hand, Thumbing My Way, 1/2 Full, Deep, improv/Insignificance, Once, Alive
enc 1: Spin the Black Circle, Go, Do The Evolution, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Blue Red Grey, Rearviewmirror
enc 2: Glorified G, Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fuckin' Up
enc 3: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: This club show at the House of Blues was added after the tour dates were announced and tickets were only available via radio station contests. Ed says, "Well, we don't know what you did to get in tonight but we're glad you did." He notes the many cameras and explains that those are there for people at home watching the show on their computers. He later jokes of how they are the "house band." The improv before 'Insignificance' includes the lyrics: "There's no karma in the afterlife ... but there's a price to pay in this one here .... be good ..." During the encore, Ed comments on how his uke is nicknamed "Carry On" (short for 'Carry On My Wayward Son') and he says that he isn't going to play the song but wishes that Mike would. Mike steps up with guitar and Ed says that if Mike knows how to play it, he'll sing it. Mike plays the lead riffs and stops, with Ed saying it is a good thing that Mike only knows the instrumental section or Ed would be in big trouble. This leads to Ed playing 'Blue Red Grey', a Who song (see The Who By Numbers) that Pete penned and plays the ukulele on; it is undoubtedly the inspiration for 'Soon Forget' and Ed plays the uke on it as well. (The entire show was webcast two days later and was aired again May 7.)
setlists scan04/13/03 - St. Pete Times Forum: Tampa, FL
support act: Sleater-Kinney
preset: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Ed solo)
set: Elderly Woman, Grievance, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Save You, Dissident, Given To Fly, Off He Goes, Love Boat Captain, Thin Air, Wishlist, Even Flow, Better Man, Daughter, 1/2 Full, I Am A Patriot, MFC, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Last Kiss, Do The Evolution, Black, Alive
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter, Rockin' In the Free World
notes: For the 'Daughter' tag, Ed leads the crowd in spelling out P-E-A-C-E. Sleater-Kinney again help out on 'RITFW.'04/15/03 - Alltel Pavilion Walnut Creek: Raleigh, NC
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Habit, Sometimes, Gimme Some Truth Mankind (x3)
preset: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Ed solo)
set: Release, Even Flow, Save You, Help Help, Given To Fly, Cropduster, I Am Mine, Lukin/Not For You, Corduroy, I Got Shit, You Are, Elderly Woman, Insignificance, Alive, Porch, Blood
enc 1: Gimme Some Truth, Love Boat Captain, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Glorified G, Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror
enc 2: Fortunate Son, Rockin' in the Free World
notes: Not much chat but a blazing setlist. Before 'I Got Shit,' Ed mentions that Mike is looking relaxed. He discusses how they aren't getting much attention from music television anymore so the band hired a fashion consultant to work with their image and that they suggested Mike wear sandals, but that they have duct tape on them and that's what makes them "edgy ... relaxed, but edgy." 'Elderly Woman' is dedicated to "everybody in the back ... you are your own small town yourself, there's enough of you." 'Insignificance' is introduced as "another song about a small town just south of Seattle where they got the Boeing plant where they make the airplanes ... the war planes ..." After 'Porch,' Ed walks backwards from the edge of the stage and takes a nasty spill over a monitor. It seems as if the band is prepared to play 'Daughter,' but Ed speaks to Stone, Stone changes guitar and they play 'Blood.' Ed is sporting a "What Would Jesus Bomb" t-shirt and works the words into 'DTE' (as well as, "I bomb what I want to irresponsibly"). Ed uses the mirror and spotlight to highlight areas of the crowd during 'RVM.' Sleater-Kinney again help out on 'Fortunate Son' and 'RITFW.' Before 'Fortunate Son,' Ed encourages the crowd to "educate yourself ... if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, and I see that happening a lot these days." Very energetic crowd with lots of clapping beats and singalongs. Very energetic band, with several jumps, including Jeff's four- or five-foot leap at the end of 'RITFW.'
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04/16/03 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater: Charlotte, NC
attendance: 9,392
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: In Hiding, Sonic Reducer, Light Years, Breath, Drifting (Ed Solo)
preset: Drifting (Ed solo)
set: Sometimes, Last Exit, Save You, Animal, Jeremy, Nothing As it Seems, In Hiding, Even Flow, SUV improv, Green Disease, Corduroy, Immortality, Nothingman, Better Man, Leatherman, Grievance, Do The Evolution, Breath, Go
enc 1: Love Boat Captain, Black, Down, Alive
enc 2: Sonic Reducer, Leaving Here, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Ed makes a reference to Creed toward the start of 'Green Disease' and then gets lost and sings "la la la." Later he spells out "C-R-E-E-D" rather than "G-R-E-E-D." After 'Jeremy,' Ed says good evening to those on the lawn ("high on grass in the back"). 'Nothingman' is introduced with, "... we're gonna play three songs. Each has the word "man" in it. They're all written from a female perspective." After 'Grievance,' Ed speaks of how he can't imagine living somewhere where you couldn't sing what you wanted to sing or say want you wanted to say, but that it feels like that lately. Being the day after tax day, he speaks of paying taxes and how 50% of tax money funds the military to "keep ourselves safe." He mentions how ironic it is that the soldiers are only getting paid just above minimum wage. "At the same time we're giving $90 billion to fight this war ..." (Someone interrupts, shouting, "Which we won!") Ed continues, "It's not over yet, my friend ... and it's not all about winning and losing ... it's about what step are we taking next and where are we going with this thing ... if we're in control, we'd better do it responsibly. And if we're the people, we'd better make sure our leaders do it responsibly because it's our ass they're putting on the line, not theirs." He speaks of the $20 billion being taken from the Veterans' Administration and how we should get congress to support the troops, leading to 'DTE.' The rest of the band applaud Mike after an amazing 'Black' solo. Ed sings the "you're still alive, she said" line from 'Alive' seated on the edge of the stage. Sleater-Kinney sing the 'Leaving Here' chorus with Ed and also help out on 'RITFW.' 'RITFW' is very wild with jumps from amps by Ed and Mike, plus Mike and Jeff exchanging guitars and Jeff pretending that he is going to smash Mike's at the end. Ed taunts the crowd by almost giving away the "23" Michael Jordan jersey on Jeff's amp. He grins and runs off the stage. Great energy, tight setlist, stellar crowd (Sleater-Kinney commented that it was the best crowd they'd seen all tour). During the final jam of 'RITFW,' Eddie and Corin from S-K each took a tambourine and went to the far, opposite corners of the stage and helped the crowd clap/sing along.
setlist scan04/18/03 - Am South Amphitheater: Antioch (Nashville), TN
support act: Sleater-Kinney
soundcheck: Parting Ways, Oceans, Present Tense (several times)
preset: Throw Your Arms Around Me (Ed solo)
set: Oceans, Love Boat Captain, Breakerfall, Gods' Dice, Save You, Do The Evolution, Cropduster, Light Years, MFC, Deep, Even Flow, Daughter/(ABitW)/(Androgynous Mind), Insignificance, Parting Ways, Better Man/(Wild Thing), Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Free Jazz, Elderly Woman, Know Your Rights, Bushleaguer, Alive, Sonic Reducer
enc 2: Leaving Here, Fortunate Son, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Opening with 'Oceans' and then totally just hammering it in with hard rocking out songs and amazing high energy from everyone. Ed feeds off the crowd a lot, in very high spirits. 'Light Years' is dedicated to someone that recently passed way that was close to someone they know -- simply beautiful. Before 'Even Flow,' Ed says, "I know this next song so well I could have a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit and mow the lawn all at the same time while singing it. I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version," and he puts a cig in his mouth but has no lighter. He motions for one of the crew for a lighter, but no one helps him. Suddenly approx. 10 lighters fly out of the crowd. Ed catches one ("All right, we got enough!"), lights the smoke and throws it right back to the guy that tossed it up to him. The 'Wild Thing' (a 60s song by The Troggs) tag on 'Better Man' is totally random and the crowd loves it. Before 'Free Jazz,' Ed says, "We're gonna try this one out, this is a new song on our next album," and they play this out of tune session with Ed snapping his fingers out of rhythm. At the"scream HELLO" part of 'Elderly Woman,' the crowd does a loud "Hello!" but it is super loud and Ed says, "Jesus Christ" right after it. 'Bushleaguer' finally returns after the Denver outcry. Ed takes the stage wearing the silver glitter jacket and the Bush mask. When he removes it, he goes to set it on the stand and says something about not violently putting it down: "see?" During the song, Ed sticks his fingers through the back of the mask into the mouth part to look like a tongue hanging out and he wiggles them around. At the end, he caresses the dubya mask's "hair" and then dips it into a kiss, getting quite a few boos and a lot of screams. 'Sonic Reducer' is performed with Cheetah Chrome, the guitarist for the Dead Boys who penned the song and lives in Nashville. Sleater-Kinney help out on the last three songs and this is their last night opening. Steve Earle plays on 'Fortunate Son.' Ed does a lot of silly dancing and Mike has goofy moves ... the whole band is very tight.
04/19/03 - Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater: Atlanta, GA
support act: Sparta
set: Love Boat Captain, Corduroy, Save You, Hail Hail, Grievance, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, 1/2 Full, Thumbing My Way, I Am Mine, Insignificance, Glorified G, Present Tense, Animal, State of Love and Trust, Blood
enc 1: Crown Of Thorns, Black, Alive, Porch
enc 2: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Crazy Mary, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: 'Corduroy' has a lyric change to "Can't buy what I want because it's PEACE." 'Grievance' lyric changes are "I would like to taste every Georgian I see" and “I want my free speech.”
Before 'Elderly Woman,' Ed mentions fond memories of Atlanta and how they had been looking forward to this show. He says they got a call on a cell phone from the people behind the large American flag that folks in the crowd are holding up ... "it's not that they are being unpatriotic; they just can't see anything ... they're being blinded by the flag if you know what I mean." 'You Are' is attempted twice after 'Thumbing My Way,' but Stone has technical problems with the sound and says, "We'll see if we can get that one sorted out," but it never resurfaces. Ed says, "That song we just attempted to play is a love song written by Matt Cameron; this one was written by me. When Matt writes a love song it's about someone else. When I write a love song I write it about myself. This song's about claiming your own personal space and that that's okay," leading to 'I Am Mine.' Before 'Glorified G,' Ed notes, "This is another song in the Pearl Jam catalog that has to do with weaponry." 'Present Tense' is introduced as "a song we haven't played for a long, long time. We're gonna give it a try." Amazing. At the top of the first encore, Ed thanks Atlanta and refers to 'Olympic Platinum' (from the '96 fan club single): "We didn't know if you'd let us back after that one." He says they are making it up as they go, leading to 'Crown of Thorns,' with Brendan O'Brien on keyboards and a nice jam in the middle. Stone hits a wrong note at the start of 'Alive,' causing the band to create a little crazy musical dissonance before going into a proper version of 'Alive.' Four guys in the crowd wearing Bush masks are noticed by Mike and they are pointed out with a security flashlight. During 'Porch,' they are brought up on stage, each individually introduced as "George Bush Jr. and friends of Ed's. Ed says, "We're all looking for support, we all want support" and the four boost Ed up above their heads and the band returns from the 'Porch' jam to "hear my name, take a good look ..." with Ed being held high with the four "Bush's." Hilarious! After the encore break, Ed says, "I probably shouldn't tell you this because it's an issue of national security, but the Bush's are partying backstage, pretty heavy. It's historical. It's the first time we've ever had cocaine backstage at a Pearl Jam show ... You know it's nice to be supported by our government, that felt good." Ed continues about cutting the Veteran's Administration Fund. "I support the troops. I want them to stay alive. I want them to be well paid. And I want them to get their healthcare paid for. Their kid's education paid for. While we're at it, let's pay teachers more. They're on the forefront. I'd say an education is pretty good ammunition to face the world with. We weren't even going to say anything tonight, but someone brought the flag and a few other things. That's freedom of speech there. We're all just practicing freedom of speech. It seems to be working out all right, let's just keep it alive." Ed's lovely solo version of 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' is followed by the 'Crazy Mary,' 'Baba O'Riley,' 'Yellow Ledbetter' punch, with the band having a great time. The last half of the show is full of extended rocking jams and crowd interaction. "Thank you, Georgia. Atlanta rocks!"
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04/21/03 - Rupp Arena: Lexington, KY
support act: Sparta
set: Cropduster, Given To Fly, Corduroy, Last Exit, Save You, Daughter, Immortality, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, 1/2 Full, Can't Keep, You Are, Do The Evolution, Blood, Thumbing My Way, Jeremy, Black
enc 1: I Am A Patriot, Go, Glorified G, Breath, Better Man, Alive
enc 2: Smile, Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Unusual 'Cropduster' opener. This was clearly Mike's night with his solos invoking massive uproars from the crowd. Ed shines the spotlight across the crowd with his mirror at the end of '1/2 Full.' He didn't actually address the crowd until after 'Blood,' thanking them and saying that the band had decided to cancel the show the next day ... "Fuck it, we'll stay right here! It's Tuesday: Whiskey Drinking Day, right?" He laughs and says, "It's called 'pandering to the audience 101' ... what is there to drink in St. Louis, piss?" He says the content of the next song would make the lesser person want to lose themselves in the bottle, leading to 'Thumbing My Way.'. The crowd in the first two sections are jumping so much during 'Jeremy' that Ed and Mike take notice and get everyone involved. Ed and Matt open the first encore with 'I Am A Patriot.' "I'm just gonna reload for this next one," introduces 'Glorified G.' Ed sings the second verse of 'Breath' first and catches himself twice, laughing as the crowd helps out. Next he baubles 'Better Man,' but the crowd is singing and he says, "You know it better than I." At the start of the second encore, Ed introduces the band and jokes about what it must feel like to be Mike's guitar, leading to 'Smile.' A crew member tosses Ed about seven tambourines during 'Fuckin Up,' as Ed breaks them and liberally gives them away.
04/22/03 - Savvis Center: St. Louis, MO
support act: Sparta
soundcheck: Faithfull, Green Disease, Save You, Present Tense
set: Present Tense, Save You, Animal, Green Disease, Grievance, Faithfull, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Sleight Of Hand, You Are, Elderly Woman, Not For You/Love Boat Captain, Wishlist, Help Help, Do The Evolution, Alive
enc 1: Go, State Of Love And Trust, Black, Improv/Rearviewmirror
enc 2: Soon Forget, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Daughter, Indifference
notes: A fairly dark stage with Mike playing the first notes of 'Present Tense' to open and the crowd going nuts. The high energy continues through the next few songs, with 'Animal' and 'Even Flow' reminiscent of ten years past, Ed's eyes rolling back in his head and menacing grin; Mike spinning in circles, running everywhere like an uncaged animal and never missing a note. Drenched in sweat, Ed looks up at the Stanley Cup banners (Savvis Center is the home of the St. Louis Blues) and says that the flags help the acoustic out but that the crowd's feet must be freezing, leading to 'Sleight Of Hand,' backed nicely by 'You Are' with effectively dramatic lighting. There is an amusing exchange before 'Elderly Woman.' Ed is ready to start the song and Stone is switching guitars and getting a drink, causing Ed to wait. It was one of those "you go" ... "no you go ahead" type things and they bantered back and forth a bit with big grins on their faces. An intense 'Not For You' with a lyric change to "small my table, seats saint Lou" getting a huge response from the crowd. The main set closes with an energetic 'DTE' (Jeff's bass line rules!) and 'Alive,' with Ed swinging the mic around Daltrey style during the Mike's solo. Ed creeps behind one of the suit and tie security guards below Mike, goofing on him in a crouching "scary" pose like he is going to pounce on him, but the guard is so serious that he won't look up, causing the band to crack up. A rather lengthy improv follows a deliberately slow 'Black.' The improv's lyrical theme revolves around "I don't know where, I wanna go, I just know I need to go. ... get me the fuck outta here," and later "when I feel that regime change, starts at home, starts at home, take me home, let's go." There are a lot of percussive and animal-like vocal sounds from Ed. The improv eventually wraps up, leading into a tight 'RVM' featuring a very extended bridge section underneath Kille's beautiful lighting to close the encore. Ed returns with the wine bottle ("A toast to you, St. Lou. A toast to Dead Moon, who you've never heard of."), thanks Sparta, jokes about the hockey score and picks up the uke giving a lyrically flawless 'Soon Forget,' the crowd not clapping along, but enjoying the song. He concludes the song holding a note forever, then doing a variety of jumps and windmills with the uke. Ed asks the crowd to take the first verse and the audience obliges singing 'Better Man,' putting on a good show and Ed picking up the lyrics at the first chorus, tagged at the end with a very slow 'SIFL.' 'Daughter' is next, with no tag, but a very, very extended jam with Ed trying a variety of different solos with the harmonica. Then he uses the mirror and spotlight to reflect a beam of light around the audience for a few minutes with great Ed/crowd interaction. Ed speaks about communicating and "just not fighting," finishing the night with a beautiful performance of 'Indifference.'
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setlist scan04/23/03 - University of Illinois Assembly Center: Champaign, IL
attendance: 10,435
support act: Sparta
soundcheck: Driven To Tears (x6), U, Deep
set: Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Save You, Deep, Dissident, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, Jeremy, Thumbing My Way, You Are, I Am Mine, Habit, Untitled/MFC, Given To Fly, Nothingman, Blood, Porch
enc 1: Driven To Tears, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fortunate Son
enc 2: Blue Red Grey, Black, Alive, Baba O'Riley
notes: Ed says a quick, "All right ... let's go!" and PJ opens with a slamming 'DTE' in this smallish venue shaped like a UFO. The sold out Illinois crowd is more than receptive to Pearl Jam, especially with this ferocious opener great Stone solos throughout. The fast pace continues through a welcome 'Deep' with killer Mike solos and Ed's intense lyrical delivery. While changing instruments, Ed greets Champaign and says he feels like a lion in a cage and asks if there are any Christians who want to be eaten tonight. He dedicates 'Elderly Woman' to towns like Gurnee, Rockton and Kankakee. Someone yells out "Cuba!" which amuses him. Big response from the audience, who promptly lights up the place with their lighters and the crowd sings the "hearts and thoughts" section. During 'Even Flow,' a fan tosses a camera to Ed, who takes a photo of Mike soloing and then tosses the camera back. 'Jeremy' is well-received and worth the price of admission simply to watch Stone pogo while yelling out the whole "ooh, ooh, ooh" section with a huge grin on his face in unison with the crowd. This show is having the feel of stepping back in time about 10 years. 'Habit' is dedicated to those high on crystal meth and there is no "speaking as ..." tag. As usual, Ed plays around with the lyrics to 'Untitled' ("Lets get to Chicago, get drunk and talk politics ..."; Assembly Hall is on campus and no alcohol is served) leading to a high energy 'MFC' with Mike running all around the stage. 'Blood' gets an insane response; this is the first time it's been played in the midwest since Soldier Field. Band is animated, Ed is thrusting the mic stand like the old days and the stage is bathed in red lights. 'Porch' follows as the perfect closer after 'Blood.' While it isn't the 12-minute Atlanta 94 version, it has great solos from Mike and Stone, plus Ed leading the crowd in a call/response of noises and phrases during the bridge. Ed goes to Stone's side and he picks up a cable, swinging it as if he would catch it over the rafters and climb (quite amusing). When the band hits the stage again, Ed says, "We don't have class tomorrow ... do you?" The crowd yells, "no!" and Ed says, "Class my ass is what you're saying" and an enthusiastic "Stone" chant gets going. Matt starts the drum beat that would become The Police's 'Driven To Tears,' which has even the die-hard fans in total shock. After 'Crazy Mary,' "OK class ... a bit of history," introduces a searing ' Know Your Rights,' with Ed jumping all over his monitor wedges making hand gestures. The audience is in a state of bewilderment, and it exploded as the band went into 'Fortunate Son,' giving the song an amazing response. A very strange, high energy encore! Ed returns, standing motionless, then looking around shrugging as if "where's the band?" Fans are screaming out songs. Ed responds, "We're proponents of open honest debate ... the ballots are closed ... I am your leader!" He starts talking about 'Soon Forget' and how it was "stolen off a song off Who By Numbers. Some one interrupts yelling "Yellow Ledbetter" and Ed responds, "Hold your horses, shut the fuck up; cause you see we were gonna and now we won't and that's just how we are ... you're not helping matters at all." (And it WAS on the setlist and it WASN'T played ... lesson learned: don't interrupt.) He continues that Pete Townshend is his hero and loves Chicago and plays, 'Blue, Red, Grey' ... another huge surprise. The crowd sings the second verse of 'Black' when Ed points the mic to the crowd. Ed backs up and ends up leaning against Stone. Alive' has the crowd singing note for note, pogoing and chanting the "yeah" section. By the end of the song, the crowd is ready to blow the roof off of the place, and that's exactly what happens when the house lights come up, the band starts 'Baba,' and the whole place just goes completely, clinically insane, the band included. Mike, Jeff and Stone are pogoing and running around like wild animals, doing strange dances, Boom grinning his ass off, flailing his hair around and Matt attacks his drums. Ed goes through at least five tambourines. Pearl Jam at it's best.
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setlist scan
encore setlist scan04/25/03 - Gund Arena: Cleveland, OH
support act: Sparta
soundcheck: Driven To Tears, Soldier Of Love
set: Can't Keep, Corduroy, Grievance, Save You, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman, Love Boat Captain, I Am Mine, Even Flow, Present Tense, Jeremy, Lukin/Not For You, Thumbing My Way, Spin The Black Circle, Alive
enc 1: You Are, Animal, Daughter/(WMA)/(People Have the Power), State Of Love And Trust, Black
enc 2: I Am A Patriot, Driven To Tears, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Sonic Reducer, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: A fairly straight on show with not a lot of chat. Fun 'Daughter' tag integrating 'WMA,' chanting and the 'People Have The Power' ("... we have the power to wrestle the world from fools, we have the power, combined we have the power ... it's decreed the people rule ..."), getting the crowd to repeat the words. "It's the ultimate goal (making the peace sign); good singing!" Some in the crowd seem confused since the lighting make it difficult to see that he is making a peace sign, so Ed says, "This is not a fuck you to the troops. One finger makes a big difference, just to clarify." The show closes with a energetic 'RITFW' with everyone singing and Ed breaking and tossing the tambourines. While stepping across and back to the stage, he falls into a gap. After a minute or so, he comes back up on stage, with big cheers from the crowd. Ed holds his hands together as if praying.
04/26/03 - Mellon Arena: Pittsburgh, PA
support act: Sparta
soundcheck: Footsteps, Once (x2), Gimme Some Truth
set: Elderly Woman, Hail Hail, Save You, Corduroy, Insignificance, Cropduster, Daughter, Even Flow, Faithfull, Whipping, Immortality, Blood, Down, Love Boat Captain, Wishlist, Better Man, Go
enc 1: Last Kiss, Breakerfall, Once, Alive, Footsteps, Rearviewmirror
enc 2: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Know Your Rights, Do The Evolution, Porch, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Ed does a cool slide intro to 'Corduroy.' Ed greets the crowd before 'Daughter' with: "Steeltown, Saturday night." Mike runs across the stage during his 'Even Flow' solo and Ed leans against him. 'Blood' has a bit of a jam in the middle, with Matt's added drum fills at the end. Ed says, "Normally that song is at the end of a set because it is pretty hard to sing anything after that ..." (pointing at his throat) and he acts like that is the end of the show. "I'm just kidding; this throat's made of steel. It came from Pittsburgh ... We've got steel vocal chords and iron tempo. You can't beat that! And then Mike and Stone listen to a lot of metal so we're pretty galvanized here. Give us a little "Nitro," Mike. Mike proceeds to play about 10 seconds of speed metal which is hysterical. This leads to introducing 'Down' as a song written by Mike. After screwing up the second line of 'Wishlist,' Ed says, "I've sabotaged myself already." For the outro, Ed sings, "I wish I controlled the TV. I wish I controlled the newspapers. I wish I controlled the media, so I could put forth the truth," and then continues with a lovely tag along the lines of "the truth is all we need; give us the truth; we can handle the truth ... let us be free; the truth will set you free." The audience sings the entire first verse of 'Better Man' with Ed pausing before the chorus because of the deafening cheers. For the encore, Ed points to the crowd behind the stage and says the next song is for those who can understand the body language of the song, leading to 'Last Kiss' and the whole band turns around to play. Stone plays a quick AC/DC riff before 'Once,' followed by 'Alive' with Ed using the mirror to illuminate the audience. He notices the skyboxes, where people have been turning the lights on and off, creating a strobe. He laughs, says it's good to see the people in the skyboxes have a little creativity and that Jeff has said it looks like the "Hollywood Squares" up there. 'Footsteps' is played full band, with Ed on harmonica, thus the trilogy (out of order). 'RVM,' with a huge, long jam closes the second set. Ed returns for the second encore to perform 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away,' explaining again how it has taken on a new meaning about freedom of speech. 'Porch' also has an amazing bridge with a long Mike solo. 'YL' closes with the band jumping, lots of wine, great crowd in a good arena.
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04/28/03 - First Union Spectrum Arena: Philadelphia, PA
attendance: 15,259
support act: Sparta
set: Crazy Mary, Spin The Black Circle, Hail Hail, Save You, Green Disease, Elderly Woman, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, Insignificance, Given To Fly, You Are, 1/2 Full, Daughter/(WMA)/(Androgynous Mind), Corduroy, Love Boat Captain, Black, Do The Evolution
enc 1: Animal, Go, Glorified G, Better Man, Alive
enc 2: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Soon Forget, Jeremy, Fortunate Son, Rockin' in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: A terrific performance with the energy in the building absolutely astounding. Ed spews one appreciative word after another and enlists the crowd's vocal help often. Ed talks about the Amber Alert and the rider attached to it with respect to doing drugs at events. The highlight of the night has to be the stirring performance of 'Better Man' during the first encore which Ed dedicates to his friend "Peter." Ed lets the crowd sing a full three or four stanzas during the first part of the song. He tags it with a message to Peter: "I've known you for a few years now. I see you when I come to town. And you're growing up good, you're growing up strong, you're growing up with the people you belong with, and I feel that I belong, too. Some people gotta be strong. We all gotta be strong. But some people gotta be strong when they're young. They can be so strong when they're young. And I just wanna say, that knowing you and knowing how strong you are and knowing how I can be loved has been ... you say I'm important to you. Know you're important to me ... love, love, love ... and I won't let you down." (Peter is a 12-year-old with Cerebral Palsy facing surgery who the band had met and befriended in two prior visits who is sitting up on the stage.) Eddie returns alone to start the second encore, taking a ceremonious drink of wine for sections all over the arena, including a group holding a large Argentinean flag who Eddie mistakenly referred to as Brazilians. He mentions how touched the band is by the opportunity to play in the historical Spectrum, referring to Dr. J's playing days in that venue, and telling the crowd: "To put it into perspective, just to take a piss in the Spectrum was very important to us (laughing). And to take a shit backstage at the Spectrum would have probably been the ultimate, but it bordered the line of disrespect!" He tell how he and Jeff got to meet Dr. J several years ago and how cool he is. This leads to 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' being dedicated to anyone confident enough to express themselves in any way. The band closes with 'YL' with Ed introducing it as, "Here's Mike McCready, it's the least we could do" and giving a tambourine to Peter.
04/29/03 - Pepsi Arena: Albany, NY
support act: Sparta
set: I Am Mine, Whipping, Last Exit, Blood, Cropduster, Daughter/(Song X)/(ABitW)/(Androgynous Mind), Even Flow, Ghost, Elderly Woman, Love Boat Captain, Wishlist/(improv), Save You, Once, Corduroy, Better Man, Porch
enc: People Have The Power, improv, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, All Or None, Alive, Baba O'Riley
notes: Crowd is very, very involved, singing throughout both sets. The band comes out to a thunderous ovation and the energy did not wane. After 'I Am Mine,' the band kicks it right into high gear with 'Whipping,' 'Last Exit' and 'Blood' revving things into high gear. 'Elderly Woman' is dedicated to people from Utica, Ithaca and Boston (biggest cheer). 'Wishlist' includes "lucky as Albany" and "Charger's hood." The improv tagged on 'Wishlist' is a very extended outro with Ed leading the way on guitar. During 'Porch,' Ed escorts Mike around the stage to play to the people in the back, and does a call-response thing toward the end of the song. When the band take the stage for the encore, several people in the Ten Club sections hold white signs with peace signs on them and the band flashes the peace sign back. Ed selects a young woman holding a sign with a peace sign on it out of the front row (Rachel) to be his "human music stand," holding the lyrics to 'People Have The Power.' She shakes hands with everyone, except Stone who gets a huge hug. He takes a photo of himself and Rachel with her disposable camera; then Stone takes a shot of Ed and Rachel. Ed then photographs Rachel with the rest of the band. 'People' is followed by a short improv for Rachael:
"Oh Rachel was a girl, she sat in the front row,
Next thing that you know, she's part of the fuckin' show,
Rachel was a girl, she wished peace on the world,
She came all dressed in white, he said, "Hey man that's right,"
'Cause peace is the way, peace could be the way,
Peace is not far away, if you believe it today.
Rachel!"
It is believed that a curfew at Albany kept the show short, with Ed checking his watch during the encore. Ed introduces 'All Or None' as "a quiet number from our last album that we wanted to try." The version is nearly flawless (unlike the Showbox 12/5/02 version), with Ed nailing the lyrics and the changing vocal inflections from verse to verse, and Mike's wailing solo gradually slowing to a mournful close. They rip into a fierce 'Baba' with Ed running in big circles all the way around the stage, tossing a tambourine into the crowd in the back, ending a short but razor-sharp show. After 'Baba,' Mike grabs another guitar to continue, but is told there isn't enough time to play another song. A barn burner of a show ... they brought the place down and the band seemed to be in good spirits, with lots of jumps from Jeff, dancing and jumping around from Ed, but not a lot of chat.
poster04/30/03 - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: Uniondale, NY
support act: Sparta
set: Long Road, Rearviewmirror, Animal, Save You, Get Right, I Am Mine, Corduroy, Present Tense, In Hiding, Even Flow, Elderly Woman, Jeremy, You Are, I Am A Patriot, Blood, Not For You, Better Man, Porch
enc 1: Last Kiss, Thumbing My Way, Crazy Mary, Down, Do The Evolution, Daughter/(WMA), Alive
enc 2: Bushleaguer, Know Your Rights, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: A solid, intense show, that gets crazy during the second encore. Some rude members of the crowd start booing during 'Bushleaguer.' Ed's response: "I busted out the nice suit for you, yeah? Ahhhhh, yeah. You didn't like that one. I don't understand. Maybe you like him cuz he's gonna give you a tax cut. Maybe you like him because he is a real guy, that relates to you, because he is so down home." Crowd starts chanting: "USA, USA, USA!" Ed responds: "I'm with you. USA. I just think that all of us in this room should have a voice in how the USA is represented. And he didn't allow us our voice. That's all I'm saying. We love America. I am standing on a stage in front of a big crowd. I worked in a good damn drug store. I love America, right? (Some people are yelling "play some fucking rock and roll!") This is good, this is open, honest debate, and that's what it should be. If you keep this back and forth ... good things will happen. If you don't say anything, you don't know what will happen. Cause we are on a brink of forever. And if we don't participate on where this thing is going, when where we are the number one super power in the world, you want to have a part in it and make sure it is a good thing, yeah? Plus or minus, be active. This is a good thing." The band continues with a searing 'Know Your Rights' followed by 'RITFW,' during which some in the crowd are flipping the bird and throwing projectiles.) Ed repeats the "U-S-A" chant a few times, says "Thank you, good night," and slams the mic stand down. The band is obviously upset and they leave the stage. 'Smile,' 'Indifference' and 'Soldier Of Love' were on the setlist and not played.
Note: Approx. one hour before the PJ show in Buffalo, local Buffalo radio station (103.3 The Edge) interviewed Mike. Mike said that due to the reactions of fans during the tour while "Bushleaguer" was being performed (Mike cited the boos received at the Uniondale show) that the band has reached a decision and the song will no longer be played live. He said that the one thing they don't want to do is alienate their fans, and that they (the band) are as American as anyone and hopes that people won't misunderstand the meaning behind the song.
05/02/03 - HSBC Arena: Buffalo, NY [164m]
support act: Sparta
preset: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Ed solo)
set: Love Boat Captain, Brain Of J, Hail Hail, Save You, Corduroy, Elderly Woman, I Got Shit, Even Flow, Faithfull, Deep, Given To Fly, Spin The Black Circle, Wishlist, Green Disease, Insignificance, Black, Go
enc 1: Free Jazz, Driven To Tears, Better Man, Crazy Mary, Do The Evolution, Alive
enc 2: Soon Forget, Smile, Fortunate Son, Sonic Reducer, People Have The Power
enc 3: Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: During 'Hail Hail,' Ed forgets the next line after, "I get the words and then I get to thinking ..." and says "What's the next line, I always forget," not missing a beat. No talk until after 'I Got Shit': "Here it is, the second-to-last night of the tour of this leg ... going home for a while after this and watch the world turn round ... You'd always think that ... you'd want to see a band on their last night ... that's when they'd really let it all hang out ... but being in the band, we realize it's different ... it's really the second-to-last show" [that is the special one]. 'Faithfull' is subbed into the setlist in response to a sign on Mike's side, gets off to a bad start and is restarted. 'GTF' is dedicated to Buffalo filmmaker Vincent Gallo. Wishlist' is stretched to 9 minutes and contains a lovely tag, including:
"... I wish that I was a disease, a disease called love and peace
and I wish that I could spread, to every person in the land
and I know that eventually, and I hope that eventually
and I feel, I feel, feel; that it wont happen without you and me
it'll take you and me, it'll take you and me
and more than me, it'll take you
and more than me, it starts with two
and then becomes ten; and then becomes ten thousand
and then becomes ten million; and then becomes ... the truth
the truth, the future, and the truth
send home those troops, come on troops
seek more troops ..."
Returning for the encore, the band seems to have trouble getting started and go into 'Free Jazz,' with Mike yelling "jazz jazz jazz ... experimental jazz!" until they find their way to the start of 'Driven To Tears.' At the start of the second encore, Ed notes toasts Buffalo, noting that they make the best Mozzarella in the world and he observes that venues such as the HSBC Arena often have curfews, and that breaking them costs bands lots of money. As people start booing, he says, "Mike McCready is gonna pay the fine tonight," (prompting a "Mike" chant). He then introduces Luke the uke and plops a Bill Gates mask atop the mic stand. Ed is confused whether the crowd is saying "Luuuuke" or booing. "Are you angry that it's black and white and not red, white and blue?" He talks about the mask, commenting, "He's a skinny little guy ... note the size of his penis," (or lack of same, as he sizes up the mic stand) leading to 'Soon Forget.' 'Smile' is played by request for a group of friends who attended the Uniondale show and held up various signs and towels with 'Smile' written on them. (After the Bushleaguer incident, Ed sees the 'Smile' signs and says to the group, "tomorrow night, tomorrow night, next show," and the band delivers.) For 'People Have the Power,' Ed invites a young lady ("Nana, from the heart of Buffalo") on stage to hold the lyrics up for him. At first she seems nervous, but as the song progresses, she is more confident and by the end, is rocking right out. Great singalong and a long, impassioned, powerful version with the crowd chanting back the chorus, Eddie yelling "let's hear you!!" and asking, "It's the ultimate goal, yeah?" Ed and Nana do a back-to-back lean, and Nana helps sing the closing chorus into the mic. At the song's end, Ed gives her a great, dramatic dip. This version is so good that most thought it was the close of the show and are stunned when the band returns for the third encore. When they come back to the stage, Ed says, "We had a democratic vote backstage and the verdict was: It's Friday night ... what the fuck." At the beginning of 'Baba,' the house lights are turned up and people from the stands rush the floor area as security give up trying to control the crowd as the band and the audience go crazy. Classic show.05/03/03 - Bryce Jordan Center: University Park (State College), PA
support act: Sparta
set: Release, Save You, Animal, Corduroy, Cropduster, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, Grievance, I Am Mine, Improv, Rearviewmirror, Nothingman, Daughter/(Highway To Hell)/(ABitW), Lukin, Whipping, MFC, Jeremy, Improv, Blood
enc 1: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Gimme Some Truth, Breath, Do The Evolution, Black, Alive
enc 2: Last Exit, Mankind, Down, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Satan's Bed, Leaving Here
enc 3: Crazy Mary, Porch, Fortunate Son, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Huge fan club contingent with incredible energy and great singalongs all night long. Before 'Cropduster,' Ed notes how he didn't realize State College was Penn State until that morning on the bus ride in. "It's nice to be here among the highly educated." A very polished improv song/ includes: "I wanna go where there are no roads, I wanna go where the truth can be told ... I wanna go where the teachers told me I can't go. I wanna fly high, I wanna go free. I wanna be everything my dad told me I couldn't be ..." and leads into 'RVM.' The 'Daughter' tag includes a modified "We're on a highway to hell," as a call/respond chant, followed by a "hell, no we won't go" chant and finishing with 'Another Brick In The Wall.' This leads nicely into the staccato 'Lukin,' 'Whipping,' 'MFC' trio. Returning for the encore, Ed offers 'Hide Your Love Away' as an "acoustic bit for the Amish." An "Eddie" chant breaks out and he responds, "yeah yeah yeah" and goes into a talk about Nader and how people need to vote. "Make your voice be heard." 'Breath' is for a girl who had been bringing a sign to the past dozen shows and to which the band had been "smiling condescendingly." A fan tosses Ed his Dr. J 76ers jersey during 'Alive' and Ed wears it for the duration. At the start of the second encore, Ed talks about how they will be going home after this show and says, "If you guys wanna stick around, we're willing to make this the longest Pearl Jam show that ever has been played ... we'll play some jazz ... we might even have to play 'Bushleaguer' ... just to keep the debate open, without letting it hurt anybody's feelings. Song selection for the second encore seems totally spur of the moment. 'Last Exit' is followed with Stone's statement, "Every once in a while, I get the call," leading to 'Mankind,' which has a bad start and gets restarted after Stone asks, "Are you guys ready for me to try this again?" After 'Better Man,' Ed says,"We hereby open the floor for requests," creating pandemonium. He begins to scan signs and shout outs. "Don't know that one. Used to know that one, put it away. Uh, kinda know that one. See, this democratic thing can get really, (someone throws a shirt on stage) really messy. All right, if this has a song on it, we'll have to play it. If it says, "Fuck Me, Eddie" I'm not gonna do it. And the winner is, "Thanks for the music, please fuck me." I said I wasn't gonna do that. Some people they just always want a little bit more. Wait, wait. Before I say no I should see what he looks like." After a brief conference with the band members and some guitar noodling, Pearl Jam busts into the first live attempt at 'Satan's Bed' since 10/7/96. The version is disjointed, with Ed really remembering only two lines of lyrics ("Model role model, roll some models in blood," "You'd know it if I had, that shit don't come off," and "already in love" and the song ends with Ed droning, "I'll never suck ... Satan's coooock," but the crowd loves it. To start the third encore, Ed drinks some wine saying, "This is the best bottle of wine there's been all tour and we're not gonna leave until it's finished," leading to 'Crazy Mary.' Another legendary version of 'Porch,' during which Ed again picks up the mirror, reflecting one of the stage lights onto every single member of the audience. He speaks to the power in the room during 'Porch': "Even when we leave, all of you are still a power to be reckoned with. Beautiful. It's easy to feel otherwise, there's so many issues and so many things that make you feel otherwise, right? Like you got no power, like you got no strength, like if you say something, it's not gonna be heard ... together, there's a force to be reckoned with, so keep it together." Again, the line in 'RITFW' is changed from "homeless man" to "soldier man." The crowd takes over the song singing the original lyrics, but Ed stops the song to do the "We're a thousand points of light, for the soldier man, want him to come home soon, come home while they can ..." "It might sound trite ... but what's happening here tonight is really beautiful ..." He thanks the crew and everyone who supports the tour and includes Sarge, a member of their lighting crew, who has gone to Iraq. "Sarge, come back and see us on the next tour." 'YL' closes, with Mike sneaking in a quick, subtle 'Bushleaguer' tiff near the very end. A very long show with the band seeming to want to play until they dropped ... an unforgettable close to this leg of the tour.
order the official live cd from amazonMay 15, 2003 - The Rockfords play a benefit for the Chrohn's and Colitis Foundation at Sunset Tavern in Seattle. Show features Mike McCready, Carrie Akre, Chris Friel, Danny Newcomb, Rick Friel (The Rockfords) with a special appearance of UFO (Mike McCready, Gary Westlake, Rock Tim DiJulio, Kelly Van Camp and Paul Pasterelli), Kim
Virant opened and there was a Shadow reunion of sorts.
Copyright © 2003-2004 Jean Bruns, All Rights Reserved
