Hello fellow PJ fans. I have a question.

Why is it that, when playing live, PJ always ups the tempo/pace of their songs? Of course, this takes very little away from the songs themselves as they are amazing pieces of art and even more amazing when experienced live, but why not take the time to play them in the pace they used during the studio recordings?

There are certain songs especially that I really wish they'd slow down, take their time and play right, like Come Back, Black, and other songs whose tempo are slower than most other PJ songs (on a side note, those are my favorite two Pearl Jam songs).

I know other bands speed up the tempo of their songs for live concerts too, as I've noticed in recordings and shows I've been to. But I've also been to shows where the band takes their time and plays in the same tempo their songs were originally written in (Sigur Ros, Finger Eleven).

I realize that playing this way probably enables them to fit more songs into the setlist, but I think I'd almost rather them take their time with their songs and subsequently drop a song or two from the setlist.

What are your thoughts on this?

Hello and welcome to the board

It's an interesting question this - could be the adrenaline pumping, perhaps? I'm no musician so have no idea what playing to a crowd could be like.

IMO Juvenal hit the nail on the head.

There's alot of energy, almost a high, from playing live. I don't think they would be able to get through a tour if they didn't get off on playing to tens of thousands of screaming fans.

They snort blow off hookers asses before every show, but its mainly the red bull.

On most of their songs I think this is a good thing. But I agree on songs like Come Back, Off He Goes, Black and their likes. Personally i would love to hear these in slower, easier versions.... maybe acoustic would be a way to go?

But just to make it perfectly clear, I'm not complaining!!

To be fair, I'm holding out for a completely slowed down, mellow and acoustic Lukin

Lukin needs to be played absolutely as fast and loud as possible

black isnt slowed down?

Yah it does.....
As loud and fast as it is still the "acoustic" version from benaroya is freaking sweet!

As for tempo i always figured the songs are amped up b/c of the energy of the crowd and band etc and so they can squeeze an extra song or 2 in the setlist....personally i like the tempo of PJ's shows... im bias too cuz ive seen them acoustic a few times..well as acoustic as they get i guess so ive seen a bunch of the aforementioned songs (black,off he goes etc) slowed down to the album tempo...

i'm not sure if i totally agree with.. IE. -all or none-. Albany 2003.

Songs benefitted the most from faster pace:
Even Flow
Severed Hand
STBC

Slower pace:
Black
Footsteps

Some live songs have relatively the same tempo as the studio version. Some songs when played faster don't really sound like need to be played faster in the first place.

-Sunny

having played in a band myself... we also always played our songs much faster live than on tape. Don't know how it comes.

Corduroy, Severed Hand and World Wide Suicide are all definitely played way too fast. Lukin too in fact, I prefer the tempo of the album version a lot better which is how it was played live 1995-1996 anyway.

Spin The Black Circle needs to get a bit more energy though, that one slows down too much live these days. You can NEVER play that one too fast.

i agree on that one


however, i would like them to slow down on even flow, get the groove back. don't get me wrong, fast even flow rocks, but it's been played fast for a while now, so i think it's time to slow it down a little and see what happens.

that's what i'd like to see anyways

i don't like severed hand played as fast as its been played. Especially the final verse by Ed, it should be slowed down

i really don't know why they do it, but i think they do it more now than ever

Brain of J is much faster on stage and i really like it! It pumps hard as fuck!

true...i guess there are several songs which benefit from this (a few for my taste)

the only song i'm reminded me of is Light Years, i really wish they would have slowed down a bit to give the song more feel.

they brought up the tempo for In Hiding as well, but i felt it was to the benefit of the song, concerning the atmosphere.

Oh, I Got Shit needs to be slowed down live. I much prefer the album tempo to the live tempo

GTF is sped up way fast. Listen to the studio version. It is almost a different song.

I don't think any of the songs sped up make them worse though.