I gotta say, I had my doubts. One is that the festival was so big and largely attended, and the other being that it is REALLY hard to unite such a big crowd, and still come off as relevant. I saw the Chilli Peppers get off to a great start, but after the first 30 min, they lost a huge chunk of the crowd - no knock on them, it's just hard to do.

The Kings and My Morning Jacket laid down the guantlet and gave PJ a run for their money, I wasn't sure if they'd be able to top such strong performances by younger bands with such a huge amount of talent and passion.

Now, with such a eclectic audience mix: hardcore fans, casual fans, skeptical indie hipsters, kids going to their 1st rock show, old classic rockers ... how do you please them all? Well, Eddie absolutely captivated everyone with a very clever set list and very well-timed political rants. Nothing he does is by accident - it was clear he thought this performance through. Starting off with a sort of off-kilter choice of an opener was very smart, and than rocking through a mix of old and new showed that they can please the radio crowd but also show the latter day stuff can rock just as hard. Then, leveling some of us hard cores with Education got our attention, so that we wouldn't bitch and moan about coming and joining these other fans (who were great, and as a fan base, we should be more welcoming to them). Immediately after, going through the hits, satiating the large audiences desire to sing along, ending with Alive (do even need to mention the fireworks during Evenflow?), and oging into Betterman. Doing 1 'local' political protest, and 1 'national' political protest was a good way to be relevant to all and connect with this audience. RVM rocked but we knew there was unfinishe business. The crowd was silent and captivated during the whole Thomas Yound moment, and Ben Harper showed up and the song totally worked and mesmerized all fans old and new (alteast from where I was). The RITFW kicked it all off.

I'm telling you, they turned an eclectic and large festival into a true PJ show, and they deserve alot of credit.

Now, I gotta go buy some more MMJ and Kings ...

I wasn't there but watched it on the webcast and I have to agree with pretty much everything you said. During the set I kept thinking to myself, "what a perfect setlist." Not because they were the best songs in their category or the rarest, but because they seemed to flow to each other as perfect as I can remember hearing a set from PJ. Starting off with 4 rocking songs, stopping to talk and then going into a very familiar yet slower song. Building up the tempo to an extreme. Then stopping and talking again, another slower familiar song, then building back up. The setlist seemed "organic" to me in how each song seemed to be perfectly situated within the set. I was highly impressed. On top of that, Ed really let the vocals go much more than I can recall hearing lately and he nailed Even Flow which I don't know if that has happened in 10+ years. Of course he flubbed Lukin but overall the band seemed very tight and frantic at times.

Very, very impressed with the setlist, Ed's vocals, and the show in general.

It makes me think of Reading 06. Big anticipation for first major festival appearance in Europe (with Leeds the previous day), huge crowd, band absolutely delivered. Maybe my favourite 06 show.

It looks a pretty solid set, I'd be more than happy with a set like that at a festival.

my mate was there, he's a "casual" PJ fan, he had to endure listening to them when I shared a house with them, he went to Hawaii last year to see the U2 & PJ show and was blown away by PJ, he's working in Chicago and was undecided about going to lolla, I told him to do it. I spoke to him this morning and he said PJ were awesome! he's so glda he went.

I'll get the webcast d/lded at some point.

Getting to Grant Park at 8 in the morning was a wise idea. Got second row center for the entire day.

My Morning Jacket's set I don't think was even possible to top. They sounded the best that I've ever heard a band sound live. Pearl Jam gave it a shot and came pretty close, though. Crowd energy was great, too, from where I was.

I haven't seen the webcast yet, but I'm sure that it doesn't capture the power that the band's sound had last night. I've never heard Jeff's bass sound so good. Everything was mixed perfectly. Especially for being second row, the vocals were very audible.

Yeah - MMJ was pretty powerful, it was just a great day altogether. What I like the most and which I wish those that didn't go and only read the setlists realize, is that they didn't squander the attention they got from playing their big hits. It felt all planned out, like it was building to something. The band got the attention of the entire audience with their song selections - and made poignant political statements that really resonated with the auduence. Last year, the Chilis lost the audience mid-set when they indulged in just a few too many slow new numbers, and they couldn't really recover. PJ held everyone's attention, and not only held it, but used the moment for something good. Like I said, I had my doubts, but they band really did take a couple of risks that they pulled off. I'll remember it for sure - and it being in Grant Park made it all the more powerful.

I loved KOL and MMJ too (and MMJ especially surprised me since I liked them so much better live than on recordings), and PJ was amazing as ever. But I gotta say, and maybe I'm just gettin' old, but being down there about 20 ft from the barrier was hell and for me it really distracted from the show to have human bodies falling onto me (crowd surfers plummeting) with annoying frequency, one of whom was down for so long I started to think I was going to have to miss the rest of the show because he was going to need rescue intervention... he assured me he was okay and eventually did get up and rock again. But I don't need that kind of idiocy around me when I just want to focus on the band. I think that was my last festival.

Fresh back from the show & Chicago.
I have never seen Pearl Jam in a festival setting. I had heard estimates of 100,000+ and I can believe it. I didn't what to expect other than hits. Why Go was a surprise opener and their whole main set was exceptional. They were very much on. Education was thrown out for the hardcore fans but otherwise lots of radio songs. Hearing so many sing along to Elderly Woman was a treat. I thought they lost a little steam late, particularly on State, but got it back for a big Alive. The encore was a little disappointing. I would have liked to have heard Ledbetter to close but how can I whine too much with this band? And of course Ed peppered the evening with local comments, even a local improv (with pretty good guitars to go along). I would like to see their setlist; it looked like there were a few audibles last night. I had a nice view of the unexpected fireworks too. Given to Fly + Fireworks was particularly super cool.
My complaint is I think I may have outgrown festivals. I would not have went if it wasn't Pearl Jam's only US date this year and I got a good hotel deal. The back drop of the Chicago skyline was excellent but I'm past being packed into a mass like that. Actually I could probably handle that, even on sauna night like it was. But all the people who kept wandering through coupled with all the little groups standing around grabbing away to each other or on cellphones ("Can you see me now, I'm waiving my cup?") got old in a hurry.
And one non-Pearl Jam word, good luck if you ever fly stand by in/out of Atlanta or Chicago during the summer.

you stayed up 2nd row center the entire day??? how in the world did you manage that? The heat was just about unbearable during the middle of the day before it become overcast!

As a fan who goes way back, I could not be happier with last night's show. KOL were a real pleasant surprise, I thought they were great and MMJ was great too especially with the Kids orchastra. I was really impressed with both.

Seeing Perry Farrell introduce PJ as some of his best friends was cool too.

Why go SMOKED as an opener. I thought it was a great choice. The rest of the setlist was perfect for a festival. I like Education being a die-hard but they could have maybe replaced it with a Hail Hail.

I heard an estimate this morning on Chicago radio that they were 150,000 people for PJ's set. I can believe it. It was hot as fuck down there but the crowd was great. It was cool to see the crowd response, especially during Alive. Pretty powerful stuff. Once again Mike McCready looked like he was having the time of his life up there, they all did.

I can't even fathom how long it might be before they hit the road again. One show in 2007 is just not enough for me, but at least it was amazing.

that's incredible. massive. that many people stayed late? wow.

what else are they saying about the show locally?

Well not only that, but I hadn't slept since the previous day. When I got home at 3am from Chicago last night, I had been awake for nearly forty hours. Also hadn't eaten. And smoked a LOT.

ol' Blind Melvana actually had to be rescued due to passing out during Alive. I don't even know if he posts here anymore.

But the heat was horrible. And that first band fucking blew. Dax Riggs. Awful. Lupe Fiasco (and anything featuring Gemini in particular) was enjoyable. Kings of Leon were good, hadn't listened to much of them. There were two songs in the middle of the set that I thought were fantastic, but I don't know the names. Song with Ed was definitely a highlight. MMJ was phenomenal, and I still say best performance of the evening by far. Maybe even the entire festival. They were just ungodly thunderous, and Jim James has somehow gotten even better with his vocals. He's got more power and he's hitting notes in Wordless Chorus that are out of this world. I really could go on for a long time about their set, but I shant.

WOW, 150,000???
I guess I never really turned around? well I did, but I had a group of guys like 6'5 behind us being a human wall...so the view behind them was... blocked haha (must have sucked to be the people behind those guys hahaha.. .but they stayed behind me so )

Other impressions, some of which I said in the other thread already...

Me and my 2 friends got their during Kings of Leon's set... damn traffic and finding the entrance to the under ground parking haha... (not to mention getting fucked at the toll booths... I HAD to go through the Ipass, without an Ipass... wonder how big of a ticket ill get in the mail??? any help from any chicagoians haha)

By the time we got down to the stage area... Kings was playing the 2nd to last song... so we got there just in time to see EdVed join them.. (I REALLY like that song anyway... Ed sounds great on it)

We worked our way up as the Kings fans, and others left... got pretty damn close... id say I was about the same distance my 10club seats were last year actuallY... Made friends with a large group of neighbors, and we all decided to buddy up and let NO ONE by us... we were on Mikes side, near the screen, perfect view of the big screen... and could see the stage...

MMJ was good as always... I wouldnt say im a fan of MMJ... and no way would I say they out performed PJ??? Like someone above haha... but they are definetly a GOOD live band... there was a group to my right, who all loved MMJ new every word... anyway..

After MMJ... my buddy Nick, and one of the guys from our group went for a beer run... Al, the other guy, he never came back??? hope your okay Al, hope your buddy found you, hope ya got home man... BIG LOVE to everyone we were standing by... the 5 guys to our back who were all giants keeping, Al, and his buddies, and the 4 latinos who were in front of me... (btw to the group, i was the guy in the blaze orange Sleater Kinney cat shirt) you all were the greatest, Ive almost always been stuck by some asshole at a concert... everyone around me was AWESOME... I was a lil worried about the whole... festival / pushing / shoving / b.s... but this was one awesome F'n Group.....

onto PJ's set

Why Go - ROCKED, I was sure the opener would be a slower song, to draw in the lallygagers / get everone settled...
Save You - My fav song... ill never get sick of it, BUt from where I was standing... ALOT of people knew this song... there was alot of middle fingers in the air for the "Fuck Me's" and any other "fuck" during the night...
the first 4 songs really rocked hard... def got the crowd into it...
then came Small Town... one of my least favs... BUT great festival choice... slow song / mellow everyone down a bit... but everyone singing along... something like NAIS (which id LOVE to finally hear live) definetly would have killed the festival crowd.
Severed Hand and Education were great... Education definetly lost a few of the non hard core fans...
after Education, It SOUNDED, like Bleed 4 Me was coming, I said "hell yeah" as I heard someone else yelling out Bleed 4 ME as those first few notes were hit... but they were stoped after a few quick seconds... and instead came Even Flow... Bleed 4 Me might have lost the crowd... for as awesome as that song is... going to Even Flow probably saved the set... and then a extra long drum solo with fire works to boot... Matt, WAS ON FUCKING FIRE ALL NIGHT btw
Given 2 Fly kept up the 4th of July feel...
Then Ed said something about "having a different song picked... but this one feels more appropriate with the fireworks" as they launch into the Intro of WWS... the Fireworks ended LOLOLOL that was too funny... Wonder what was to be played?
The improv was great... I work at a Mobil right now, im playing that fucker every day LOL (yeah yeah yeah i know, Mobil = Oil = Bad... but Mobil / Exxon does put tons of money to the Save a Tiger fund infact Exxon helped found it I believe... so kiss my Tiger loving ass)
Lukin/Not 4 You was great... Not 4 You is about the only "hit" song I had not heard live in person yet... and being a SK fan, i was really hoping for Modern Girl... (I was at SK's Lolla gig 1 year and 1 day before... and that was SK's 3rd to last show so i was hoping) But the ending they did was rather different... wasnt the normal Not 4 You ending, so was all good
Daughter was fun... Stones extended intro... the ABITW tag was great... as was the Bush inprov...
wow did Mikes guitar sound edgy on State of Love and Trust... was really awesome sounding where i was...
Eds speach during Life Wasted was great
Alive rocked... but they cut off the ending...

Which Ed took care of during the Encore break lol... was pretty cool
Betterman, was expected (another good choice at a festival... as everyone knows this song / good 2 sing along too)
Crazy Mary, was a bit of a shocker really... especially with the long solos... great version, cant wait to hear it on the boots to really listen to the solos... Mike and Boom were really having fun... both smiling as they were going back and forth...

OH YEAH... BTW... anyone else notice this... When Mike was playing the Even Flow solo... camera man was on him... guitars behind his head... Mike turns around, so you could see what he was playing, and they FUCKING SWITCH VIEWS???? then they go back to Mike, and hes got his face to the camera (guitar over his head, facing away) Mike turns around, AND THEY SWITCH FUCKING VIEWS???? hahahaha bastards

Back to the set...
RVM WAS AWESOME, Matt Cameron, WOW owned that song...

Encore Break 2... I saw some stage hands come out and tape down sets... I was like, FUCK YEAH theyre gonna play a few more... as one of the girls near us was saying she heard that they blocked off a 4 hour window just for PJ, as she heard that on the Message Pit... so i was thinking, wow maybe it wasnt just a stupid MP rumour hahaha...

turns out it was the words to No More War... for Ed and Ben.
what a great moment though... the vets face was priceless... people like him need MORE mic time... some idiot near me was yelling out "Led EV talk" all I could think was "WHY? When did Ed serve in Iraq???"
anyway, The songs great... I actually wrote a song years ago, that the chorus was "No war NO more" Ed you bastard you stole my lyrics (totally kidding, as id be totally honored if you did )
RITFW... WOW
I love the song anyway... and love PJ usen it for a closer... but that version for one, sounded f'n great especially considering what was goign on... the guitars were just so RAW and on fireeeeeeeeeeeeee Hendrix style... but the love fest on stage... and the crowd... Dennis Rodman??? As the crowd started to clear... one of the guys in our "group" came over and said "It doesnt get any better then that boys..." I right away though... well... Toledo 04 definetly topped it... ya cant beat PJ and NY doing RITFW after all... But Chicago, Lollapalooza 07 Just might be my 2nd best "concert" experience ever (behind Toledo 04 of course)

And I know I said it above... but much love goes to that great group of friends (even though Al's the only one i know the name of) you all made that concert what it was... if wed have had an a-hole in the group... its amazing how much better a concert is when your sourrounded by friends.

My brother and I are both 6'2 and we were standing in between guys that wer probably 6'7. I kind of felt bad for the people behind us, but oh well.

Yep, I doubt Radiohead will get that many next year.....

Yep, I doubt Radiohead will get that many next year.....

great review. thank you HUGELY

ok...i just got back...what a weekend...my first ever pj show

first of all, sunday was the most exhausting day of my life. the people who got there early in the morning and stayed up front all day are fucking CRAZY..it had to have been over 100 with the humidity all day. we got there right before lupe fiasco (who i thought was great btw and im not even from chicago and had no idea who he was), left right before kings and came back about 10 minutes before their set and stayed there the rest of the day...we ended up really close, about 10 rows back. SO BRUTAL. Kings of Leon were FANTASTIC, i had never listened to them before but their set has convinced me to buy a record of theirs. i was rather underwhelmed personally by MMJ, i have Z and am from kentucky so ive heard about them for awhile now, but i just found myself extremely bored during their set. it may have been the fact that it was really really really fucking hot all day and i was really anticipating PJ, but their set just seemed to drag on and on. The youth choir was great and they definitely play with a lot of energy, but none of their songs really jumped out at me like a few a KOL's

PJ set was everything i couldve asked for and more. i came in saying if i saw last exit, blood, or red mosquito i would leave happy...and i saw none of those and left ecstatic. this was my 10th concert and i have never been at a more energetic show..the fireworks during even flow were simply awe-inducing. I have never been more pumped in my life than when i heard matt kick off the intro to why go..i was really hoping they played it and fucking freaked out when they did. overall, just an awesome setlist but i kinda feel like i missed out on a little because i was so excited that i put all my remaining energy into singing along to all the songs at the top of my voice (especially the Alive set closer..man that was intense) and by the time they came back out for betterman i was EXHAUSTED and severely dehydrated. As much as it pains me to remember this, when eddie came back on stage and said "they only paid us enough to play up till about 20 minutes ago, but we're gonna keep on goin" i was really thinking 'please just end the show'. i felt like i was about to pass out/throw up and i didnt know what exactly would've happened to me had i done that in the mass of people. i feel robbed because through the last 5 songs of the show i was just standing there like a zombie.

ill be damned if ever go to another GA show. to much trouble and pain..but for my first PJ show it was well worth it. my feet and legs and neck (headbanging) are all fucking killing me and i have to work at 8 in the morning but you know what? i just logged in to see that the lolla show is already available for download so ill get to relive the whole experience again tomorrow without the heat and exhaustion.

thank you pj for putting on such an awesome show. maybe we can do it again sometime

ps..FUCK BP!!!

Jump on the internet and pay through the IDOT website. Otherwise, you WILL get a ticket and it WON'T be cheap.

was that Lance Armstrong onstage during RITFW?