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European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
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Author:  inglishteecher [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:29 am ]
Post subject:  European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
First, I wasn't there. Just followed the sets as they happened over at the official board. I have no idea which show was really the best. The overall consensus seems to be Amsterdam 2, but I liked Berlin I on paper best.

Sounds like Eddie was on and off sick the entire tour. I smoked for 7 or 8 years. It make you more susceptible to illness and the illness harder to shake. I think Ed needs to quit smoking if he wants to continue performing their older material well.

And it seems like they are becoming a band that understands that performing their old material is what people are expecting. Check it out:
Ten - They played all of it. Oceans showed up once, but everything else made multiple appearances.
Vs. - If you count the WMA tag, they played all of this.
Vitalogy - Aside from the filler, they played all but Tremor Christ, Whipping, and Satan's Bed. I think Whipping is the only surprise there. They really need to consider Tremor Christ a bit more. It's an interesting song, and it would be appreciated by many.
No Code - Everything but Who You Are, I'm Open (never really been done properly anyway), and Around the Bend. Ed plays that last song solo enough now, but it would be nice to see Who You Are pop up occasionally.
Yield - I don't think we'll see No Way (only non-Red Dot song not played) played again until PJ30. Nice to see All Those Yesterdays played. Is Push Me Pull Me becoming common so Ed doesn't have to sing?

Post -2000:
Binaural - It's a fan fave, isn't it? Yet only 5 of the 13 tracks were played, and aside from Insignificance, which was done twice, those were only played once. Really too bad.
Riot Act - Only 6 of 15. Even if you eliminate Arc (that's an Ed solo thing now) and Bushleaguer (Jeb needs to run for this to happen), it's less than half the album. By the way, why do they never play Get Right? It's been nearly a decade.
Avocado - They played 7 of 13. Sadly, they didn't play the album's most interesting tunes - Marker and Army Reserve. I was shocked that Gone didn't get played.
Backspacer - They played 7 songs from it, but 2 of them only got played once (Supersonic and The End) while the other 5 were played at either every show or every other show. I'm fine with SoS being an Ed solo thing, but why no Force of Nature, Johnny Guitar, or Gonna See My Friend?

As far as Lost Dogs go, they played Hitchhiker for the first time ever the second night of the tour, then never revisited it. Alone made an appearance thanks to Brian. Other than that, nothing exceptionally rare. I guess they did some neat covers, if that's your thing.

The positives: The sets are still varied 13 shows, 94 Pj songs, 25 covers. Not too bad.
From the reports, the band seems to be having fun.
It's fucking Pearl Jam.
The negatives: All but abandoning the last decade of work, though that might be in the positive column for many.
Author:  theplatypus [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
I'd like to see "Tremor Christ" open a show. I think that would be cool and unexpected.
Author:  dumbcharger [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
I did my post-Brian fan set list I picked Tremor Christ as the opener.

When will it be my time 10C?!
Author:  cutuphalfdead [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
theplatypus wrote:
I'd like to see "Tremor Christ" open a show. I think that would be cool and unexpected.

Fuck yeah,
Author:  EllisEamos [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
inglishteecher wrote:
Avocado - They played 7 of 13. Sadly, they didn't play the album's most interesting tunes - Marker and Army Reserve. I was shocked that Gone didn't get played.
not playing Gone, Unemployable, and(or?) Parachutes was really surprising to me.
Author:  spenno [ Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
EllisEamos wrote:
inglishteecher wrote:
Avocado - They played 7 of 13. Sadly, they didn't play the album's most interesting tunes - Marker and Army Reserve. I was shocked that Gone didn't get played.
not playing Gone, Unemployable, and(or?) Parachutes was really surprising to me.

Lots of the S/T material went MIA as soon as Backspacer was released, suffering the same fate as most of their post-Yield material.

Gone's only been played once since Backspacer's release - and that was at Philly.
Author:  wtfisaledbetter? [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
I really enjoyed following and reading the setlists and they seemed pretty solid on paper. Not sure if I want to download the audience recordings that have surfaced or wait til the official boots pop up.
Author:  lowlight79 [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
The sets I thought were ok. They still mix it up, but they have a new formula to include a rarity in the main set and then give some fan and radio favorites. The 2nd encores just have no suspense anymore. I think it's time to retire the fixer, I like it but it needs to go. The problem with backspacer is Ed and the Band never got it right live and I don;'t think Ed can sing certain songs live from it . Gonna see my friend should be played more, but Ed can't get the lyrcis right and I guess the band never cared to included it more. Force of Nature is good track, the fact the is disappeared after the 2010 U.S tour mystifies me.
Author:  lowlight79 [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
Double double with cheese!
Author:  spenno [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
I feel like my appreciation for the band has gone into serious decline after the 2006 tour. That was the last time I felt as though they were doing something that I genuinely enjoyed. Even if I wasn't nuts about that album, the songs still sounded great live and the band were playing consistently excellent shows.

I do like a few of the setlists from this run quite a bit, particularly Amsterdam 2 and Copenhagen, but I agree that the encores (and general setlist pacing) have become mind-numbingly predictable over the last few years.

I hope the new album gives them some much-needed focus and drags them out of the self-celebrating funk they've been mired in for the last few years.
Author:  leopold [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
Nice little break down - thanks. I liked these set lists a lot more than the recent Canada tour.

I personally think they should have cracked open at least one new song - who gives a shit if it is all over Youtube - wouldn't that have been a bonus? I don't follow their argument for not playing new songs live. Surely a "great live band" should test material and see how it flies. I was listening to the Orpheum Show this morning and thinking it would be beneficial to do this.
Author:  bmacsmith [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
my interest in PJ is low until a new album comes out. or at least some new songs.
Author:  62strat [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
The fact that they ignore most of my favorite songs and albums.....bleh. Bothers me. I really hope this is due to the whole pj20 celebrate/high five/pat ourselves on the ass lookback shit....

They do a good job of playing classics and throwing the fans a bone but it has become predictable as far as PJ goes.

marker, army reserve, sleight of hand, evacuation, rival, insignificance, tremor christ, who you are, red mosquito, no way,cropduster, all those yesterdays, etc..etc... should be in regular rotation. You know - the songs that make them great.
Author:  SuperNintendoChalmers [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
These days they're teetering if not a full,on nostalgia band.
Author:  Chest Rockwell [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
When fans have been following a band like PJ for 20+ years, it's tough for some things to not become predictable.

That said, PJ needs to take a cue from Neil Young and just not play certain songs, regardless of whether the fans want to hear them.

Songs need time to rest, otherwise they lose their effectiveness. From 94 - 98, Corduroy was special. It had a heaviness to it and was cathartic when played live. Now that Ed and the band are in a much different head space and financial situation, the song has become an obligation to play. They speed through it and Mike does his little outro solo and we're off to the next song in the setlist.

Challenge the audience - PJ fans are smart. They'll "get" it. Find some new covers to lay on us. I've heard RITFW enough to last me a lifetime. Play it when you mean it, otherwise don't play it.
Author:  62strat [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
SuperNintendoChalmers wrote:
These days they're teetering if not a full,on nostalgia band.



Perhaps. However, there were quite a few people who left the alpine shows saying it was the worst show they have ever seen. ALl because they did not play the hits or they played songs that nobody knows. So, thats good.
Author:  SuperNintendoChalmers [ Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
62strat wrote:
SuperNintendoChalmers wrote:
These days they're teetering if not a full,on nostalgia band.



Perhaps. However, there were quite a few people who left the alpine shows saying it was the worst show they have ever seen. ALl because they did not play the hits or they played songs that nobody knows. So, thats good.



That is good.
Author:  spenno [ Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
It doesn't help that it feels as though the quality of their performances has declined at the same time as the setlists became more predictable.

That isn't to say there aren't still good shows (or good individual performances) but they're nowhere near as consistent as they were in 2003 or 2006.
Author:  AndySlash [ Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
spenno wrote:
they're nowhere near as consistent as they were in 2003 or 2006.


if you start playing no more than 13 shows a year you're gonna have a bad time
Author:  spenno [ Fri Jul 13, 2012 3:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: European Tour 2012 - It's Over. Thoughts?
AndySlash wrote:
spenno wrote:
they're nowhere near as consistent as they were in 2003 or 2006.


if you start playing no more than 13 shows a year you're gonna have a bad time

Oh, I'm sure that's a contributing factor - the first few shows of the 2003 and 2006 tours weren't particularly brilliant either.
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