is it more special if you were at the show?

I say yes.

good topic, pete.

:/

"When you listen to bots"

is how I read this.

Definitely. I wish I'd been in Tokyo though.

definatly

Yes, but sometimes I am very envious of those at shows I didn't attend. One example would be State College. When I listen to that one I really wish I would have been there.

Indeed. Living it makes it better.

Not really. Being at a show is such a barrage on the senses and emotions that it can never be captured on a CD or a FLAC file. Listening to a boot sure makes me remember a show in all of its glory, but for me it's no different than simply sitting back and thinking or maybe listening to Yield and saying, "This song was so great to hear at...blank." I get more of a rush sometimes listening to boots of shows I wasn't at.

interesting response...

now that I think about it, I do like listening to boots of shows that I've been to more so than those I haven't, but listening to boots of shows i didn't attend is great when you listen for the first time...you never know what lyrics ed will miss or what kind of solo mike will bust out

actualy this does bring up a good point.

Its nice to be at some shows. but to me at least, it seems like not such a big deal. especially if your in a shitty lawn seat or something. I dont care if you dont have enough money to get decent seats. if you dont have enough money to actually see the band, dont buy the ticket in the first place.

besides if the band isnt any better than the studio recording, your just in it for nastalga, which is cool but whats the point otherwise.



then again I never buy boots but sometimes its cool to hear some live stuff.

You can easily compare the sound from the speakers to the soundboard version to see the differences.

Using that same difference in sound, you can guestimate what it would sound like to be at all those other shows.

Many of my favorite boots were not shows I've been at, but the songs mean more if you can attach a tangible memory to the music. I'd say it makes a difference

iv got hundreds of boots, and iv only attended 3 shows. but at the moment iv been listening to the shows iv been to more, especially dublin.


i only got into PJ 5/6 years ago, so its great to be able to listen to loads boots from places like utah 95, or indio CA 93, atlanta 94.. im just glad i can listen to them, im not really too jealous off the people that went to them.

Definetly being at the show. Irvine 1 03 and San Diego 06 mean a lot to me. The highlight of both shows being UNQUESTIONABLY the Long Road speech in SD.

For me it does. I still get excited when I listen to my Gorge boot from last year.

more special; yes
better; not neccesarily

My answer is yes as well.

Mainly because it's fun to re-live how you felt when you were at the show but also because you pick-up things you didn't catch the first time around.

If you didn't attend a show, you can still love and appreciate it...but it's just not the same.

To explain my reasoning, I'd like to propose an experiment...

If you have both Chicago shows from May and didn't attend, listen to these parts and see if they 'do' anything for you.

Night 1
I'm Open w/I Got Id
Baba O'Riley

Night 2
The end of Betterman and all of Save it For Later
The end of Elderly Woman and all of Crown of Thorns

Chances are...you won't pick up on the little things. The things that get talked about on the ride home and give you goosebumps every time you listen.


---the I'm Open/I Got Id thing....people stood around in shock during I'm Open and when it almost seamlessly went into I Got Id it was pretty amazing.

---During Baba, Ed turns it over to the crowd for the "don't cry" part and when we finish singing "teeeeeenaaaage wastelaaaand", Ed lets out a laugh that still gives me goosebumps. He sounds like a mad-man that is having the time of his life. (weren't we all?)

On night 2, Save It For Later was a stand-alone version. I'm not sure if it was on the setlist or not but it seemed like an afterthought. Ed plucking away by himself and everyone else slowly joining in. Very cool and not your 'usual' tag. We'll probably never see it this way again.

Crown of Thorns! At the end of Small Town, Ed says that the next song is a song that they've never played in Chicago...blah, blah, blah, "It's just our thanks to you, Chicago. Thanks for being so good to us. Thank you."

Now....It doesn't come across well on the bootleg but HOLY SHIT did people go insane after the first TWO notes of that song were played. Truly a very special feeling.

I think it does make it more special - you can sort of re-live the moment. However, there are some boots in my collection from shows I was NOT at that are better than the ones I WAS at. But the ones I lived through are more special, for sure....if that makes any sense - lol

Would have to agree with this. I love some of the earlier boots i was at Dublin and Cork 96 for example and really love listening to them.

But some of the shows i havn't been at (curse not being a billionaire) like Tokyo 03 are much better shows in terms of the music and performance