do people like the '06 versions of present tense compared to the previous tours? specifically, cameron adding drum on the second stanza.

personally i think that on one hand, it adds to the buildup of the song; on the other, i like the previous ones how it went from one guitar to a little bit of cymbal to "jam out" middle of the way.

at the thunder bay show i attended they opened with this song. amazing. i think i prefer the old ones better.

no, i don't like the '06 versions compared to the previous tours

2003 is the year I like for all reasons.

I disagree, I think this song sounded the best it ever has in 2006.

Each to their own, I guess.

I think I agree with this.

I agree. It sounds fantastic with Matt's drumming. The drums are good, if only to help with McCready's timing/rhythm. He always seems to rush this song. It was mainly the chorus that always sounded a little off to me.

The version from the Post-Letterman Webcast is the best one I've heard - that's also to do with the crowd, though.

Still, bloody good version.

all i know is i never expected to hear it EVER, and they played it at cincy. it sounded, and still does, pretty fuckin' good to me. and i absolutely loved the way ed introduced it because it was SO unexpected for me, and i about pissed my pants:
"somebody's been throwin' parachutes...full parachutes....it's been happening like...and uh...it's been happening for like a month now, and uh...i just figured out we got a song called parachutes, an I'm like....sometimes it takes something to hit you in the head, I'm glad it's not a brick, but anyway...well, you know...keep dreamin'...it's good to have dreams.....what we'd like to do, is a song called present tense..."
still pumps me up everytime i listen to the boot because i never ever expected that to be the next song that they played. and the crowd sing along was just too cool for me. and i loved the ending that mike provided. so for me, and i know it probably isn't, and isn't even close to actually being this, but it will always be the best version i've ever heard because i was there.

really? i thought that one really sucked, really sloppy.

It's funny, because in listening to older versions lately before reading this thread, I have come to like the post 2003 versions because of the pace of Mike on the guitar. The older versions are too deliberate.

Hydrogen Peroxide poured into the upturned ear canal is a great wax-buildup remover.

so go use it.

Just taking the piss.

I know that the Letterman version isn't the tightest going around, but I think that the laid back, marginally practised, looser feel of it is a lot of what appeals to me.

The crowd singalong is awesome, and I will admit the fact that I can't listen to it without picturing the front row 10Clubbers faces, rocking out and punching the air, which seriously influences my opinion as well. How can it possibly be a poor version when it provided so much obvious and well documented joy?

Present Tense was probably the highlight of the DC show for me.

That and MOW

I would like to take this post back. I just listened to a 2006 Present Tense and I absolutely hated it. I felt like standing and watching how a big ugly fat bastard rapes your girlfriend. The big ugly fat bastard being Matt Cameron.

Aw, no.

I still think Matt drumming during the second verse is really great - as someone pointed out earlier, Mike seems to have a bit of trouble keeping time when he doesn't have a beat to play against in this song and it just makes the song sound much tighter.

I love the recorded version just as it is, but I think the added drumming really works live.

While I love hearing any version of this song, I'm really not liking the way Eddie no longer sings the low octave first chorus on most of the 2008-2009 versions (really takes away form the impact of the high octave second chorus for me ).

Bias aside, my favourite version is 2006-11-16 (Melbourne). It was right after they played my request (see my avatar ), so naturally I was on a high, thinking how could this get any better when Mike starts to serenade us with one of my other all-time faves.

The sing-a-long was amazing and really comes across well on the bootleg, I recommend you check it out if you haven't already. At the time I was blown away by how it seemed that every single person in the venue knew the words (maybe it was because I was with the diehards up front). Definitely my most memorable PJ concert experience to date

I agree with the people earlier in the thread that the Present Tense from the Letterman thing is the best live version of that song.