Forgive my ramblings here but...

I am beginning to wonder if "pearl jam fans" (generally speaking) even give two shits about the music anymore. Can they even distance themselves from their obsession to figure out what they are actually listening to? It seems, after reading about the vic, listening to the show, being at lollapalooza...that fans (some not all, mainly fans on synergy?) are more obsessed with the image of the band they created in their minds than the actual music. Im all for being obsessed with the music, and yea ill admit, im a bit obsessed with the band as well, but it all boils down to the music for me. being at lollapalooza it seemed more people were interested in getting as close as they can get to the stage. Why? whats the point? Why are peoples opinions on shows usually directly related to these two things:

1) how close they are/get
2) rarities played

It seems to me that its not even aboutthe music anymore but being part of an elite group of some sorts. People dont shut up about the songs theyve seen, shows theyve been at and how close they get. Do some of these people even like the music anymore or are they so overwhelmed by the sight of eddie vedder and the band that they loose all control of themselves and act retarded?

Watching this video is disgusting...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PGbojGSokus

Trouble from the vic theatre. First song of the night and fucking beautiful. this is a fan club show, so most people there have probably seen the band numerous times, yet they spend all their times looking through their camera lens snapping photos of eddie. Listen to the fucking song idiots.

He seemed annoyed ,and yea he made a joke about it, but its not like he's going to sit and scream at the fanclub. Although he should...

he doesnt like reporters in his face snapping photos, why would he like the fans doing? especially when its suppose to be ABOUT THE MUSIC.

end rant.


good evening.

preach on brother strat!

what just happened?

did i just "blog" ?

Great rant.

I think for many it's about being the elite few. This is why I don't give a shit about rarities or an ever changing setlist. Just deliver the goods with passion. If that means changing the setlist then change the setlist. But some rarities are added only to make the fans happy and not delivered withthe passion that makes Pearl Jam great. Example, find me a truly great Leash or Dirty Frank from the past 2 years. This is why I love Mike McCready on a good night, he zones in and puts it on the line. And as much as I'm not a huge fan of Matt's studio work and songwriting he does have his moments during the night when he's in the zone.

im sorry, i had too...

thats pretty much what got the wheels moving on this masterpiece.

have you read the story on how she got said picture taken with ed?

I'm sure im better off not knowing.

What? Leash is a great moment in the concert i was at. I could care less about why they play it

but was it a great moment b/c they played it great? or just b/c they played it at all?

Yeah, and in addition to agreeing with you, let me point your attention to the little orange banner which says "forum rules". yes, with your post, this forum rules.

word.

and poop, that picture is scaring the poop out of me.

Yeah, exactly; as cool as it is that they're into pleasing their fans, if they didn't want to play Leash anymore I wish they'd just never brought it back.

I'd rather hear them give their all to a song they really want to be playing rather than one to make fanboys get wet. I don't want Pearl Jam to turn into a cabaret act.

The constant one-upmanship about how many rarities you've seen makes me feel a bit queasy...it's not a competition folks, there's no prize at the end. I think you know you've lost the plot when you complain about hearing DTE, Better Man or Even Flow at a show. Seriously, people look at a setlist and say "no rarities? lame!" - uh...because Dirty Frank is a better song than Do The Evolution?!...hmm.

I understand your point, but i really think that the band have enjoyed it the times they've played it recently. The band are really going fot it, and Eddie's singing it with some passion (now he's changed the perspective of the song slightly with the end lyric change etc). I bet if you asked the band how fun playing that song felt, and then asked them the same question after a Corduroy performance, at least 4 of the members would say they preferred the former.

I think it's really great that you've brought this thread up Strat...i've been thinking about it a lot lately. What IS cool about the whole fandom thing, is people generally excited about seeing multiple shows, and travelling across Europe or Canada in vans etc...What really saddens me is when people feel like they're owed so much more than every other music consumer, just because their fav band is PJ. And by this i mean people who over criticise and over analyse every band decision. The most recent example i can think of, is the new PIAF dvd. I don't see how you can be upset of your favourite band putting out a music dvd, regardless of how much potential it could of had - just be grateful. If bob dylan released a new dvd of selected live performances of his greatest hits or something, i'd still get a little bit of a stiffy when i saw it in a shop.

I guess that concludes to the point: Too many people over love something to the (unhealthy) point where they just lose their stiffy.

I agree with 62s.

I'm afraid it's what happens when a band like that is around for a long time, and has a faithful following throughout their career, the nature of the fans changes because the fans themselves change.
They're a different group, or the fan base has developed into a different group along with the original fans, so the experience of the music when it was all new and exciting is somewhat lost on the newer fans.

I figure they make up for it by turning into what 62strat is talking about.
It's a little sad to me.

I think i'm the opposite of most of the super obssessed fans in that I like hearing the hits at a show I'm at. The rareities are fun on a boot but when I'm there I want the shit everyone sings along to

Having said that, I heard leash twice in 06 and it blew the roof off the place. The band just fucking nailed it and the crowd reaction was huge. It was a wonderful set of moments

I'm not sure I agree on the how close people can get part of the argument. I think that's just a general desire for most people when they go to a show regardless of who they're seeing. I'd like to have seats on the 50 yard line for Giants game instead of the upper deck and would jump down there in a second if I could but I'm also content being further back just as I've been content to see a number of bands from the back lawn areas of a number of venues.

The rarities thing I do agree with and I don't quite understand. There are certain songs that are bigger hits in the Pearl Jam catalogue that I don't listen to that frequently, such as Given To Fly and Daughter. However, when these songs get pulled out live I'm just as excited as if it were any of the other songs they played that night. You get the feeling sometimes that some people have song checklists and if they don't get to mark something new off when they get home from the concert that night then its a mediocre experience. I was at the 9/11/98 MSG show and when Breath was pulled out there was a euphoric feeling that was unparalleled in my PJ concert experiences, but I think it would be fruitless for me to search out that moment at every subsequent show. Part of the reason I still enjoy them so much.

i feel like this post sort of ignores the whole experience of being at the show. people want to get closer because.. who wants to go to a show and be in the back? i'm not sure that has a whole lot do with being obsessed with the band as much as being obsessed with eyesight..

i'm obsessed with the band, admittedly. i have a tattoo for them (not the fucking stickman or anything obvious), but they've been a big part of my life. so yes, i would rather be close than further away. however, i draw the line. there were a lot of ignorant fucks at the vic show, and you know who you are, that found it more important to be 17 inches closer to the stage and push past 10 people, hitting people in the process, spilling beer on them, knocking my girlfriend over, than to be 17 inches further away and not be a prick. so i see where you are coming from here. THAT i will never understand, but if you can get closer and not be KOing anyone, i'll do it. why wouldn't you?

in reference to the 'rarities' or the 'song checklist', i don't think i agree with you. if pearl jam played the same setlist every single show, would you be as excited about going? knowing what songs you're going to hear, in order? doubtful. hell, i'd still go just because i love the energy of being at a show and seeing how into their show they are, but part of the excitement for me is the unpredictability. if that's wrong, i apologize, but i'm not sure anyone in the right mind would be like 'fuck yea i'm going to see pearl jam 10 times and see every song 10 times!'. the unpredictability fucking psyches me up for a show. and when they play a song i haven't seen them play, i get excited. when they played like 80% songs i hadn't seen at the vic, i was VERY excited. it was awesome, i loved it. but a lot of that was because everyone was singing along too, since it was a fan club show. do i think i'm cooler than you because i saw arc? or hard to imagine? or education twice? fuck no. but i'm happy i did.

with all that said, i don't feel let down when they play a greatest hits show or when they're having an 'off' night. they've given us all so much in every single way that people have gotten 'greedy', but it's only a product of their giving.

and the cameras.. i had mine there. i was taking video though, because i wanted to have some to save and remember the show from. the flash photography was fucking annoying though. so i agree with. this asshat in front of me thought it'd be convenient for everyone behind him to have his cell phone in the air for the first 20 minutes of the show, texting the setlist and having his buddy listen to the whole show. i kindly informed him that his bright ass fucking phone was in fact NOT my cup of tea. seriously, fucking watch the show man.

[/end rant]

I agree with a lot of what was said here, but I have a few differing opinions I'd like to share.

I love hearing certain songs live just because of the band/audience connection. I'm talking about Alive, Betterman, Daughter, ect., but I also love hearing rarities at the shows I am at. One of my favorite things about Pearl Jam is that you can go to a show and have no idea what the setlist is going to be like. No two concerts are the same, and they actually use a good amount of songs from their tremendously deep catalogue. It's the rarities (among other things), to me, that separate one show from another. For example, this past tour I was able to to see the band play Crown of Thorns for the first time in the many times I've seen them live, and it was a very special moment for me. I feel like the rarities make each show unique and special.

I also can understand why someone would want to get as close to the stage as possible. As an aspiring singer/songwriter, Eddie is basically my hero. Sure the music matters more than anything, but being close to the band allows me to come to terms with the fact that I am actually in the same arena as the people I spend most of my time listening to through headphones. As in anything, everyone wants to be as close to the action as possible because the closer you are, the more powerful the connection.

Where I agree (and I think this is the main point you are trying to make) is that people should be there for the music and the experience. It doesn't make sense to watch the show through a camera lense, or to make a checklist of songs you've never heard, because that just cheapens the actual experience. As far as fans go, however, I think PJ fans are the best around. The fans are a big part of why I love going to see the band live...pumping my fist with several thousand of you during the outro of Alive, singing the first verse of Betterman, and never getting dirty looks as I dance in the aisles.