I'm still partial to the 2000.

I think 1994 and 1996 are probably tied as best for me, though 2000 is definitely up there.

I like 2003, but it's hard for me to say anything about the pre-bootleg tours.

Either 1998 or 2000.

yup. it's easy to overlook how good this band sounded with Abruzzese behind the kit because we focus on him, the guy that would be ousted but the whole band was on the same mad, savage wavelenght then. it's awesome that they've refined their sound as the years went on too but for me, as far as hard hitting PJ goes, 1994 can't be topped.

This seems as good a place any to state that I think the 1995 and 2003 tours are largely overrated.

wasn't crazy about s/t but the 2006/2007 tour, they were on fire.

96 and 2000 were also amazing.

I should clarify this: I think the band played some fantastic shows on both of those tours (mainly those in Feb/March 1995 and April 2003) but on the whole they're not as consistently awesome as, for example, the 1996 or 2000 tours. They seem less focused, for lack of a more fitting term.

Do you remember when Sunny made that thread about which was worse, the 1996 or 2000 tour, as if they were supposed to represent the nadir of live Pearl Jam? lolmuch

1996-2003 all tied is the answer.

Overall sound of the shows? 1998, unquestionably. Ed still had the range to belt, but had accumulated enough years to project wisdom--though the shorter hair may have helped with that, too. (His short hair on the Riot Act tour made him look like a frat-douche.) The songs were all the right speed, too. I miss that.

Most fun I had watching it unfold? 2003. This was the threshold where there seemed to be enough material for the sets to be really surprising every night, and this was also the first tour that I experienced as part of a fan community. CD trading was still big then, so there was a real thrill surrounding the whole thing.

Best time I've had in person? 2009-2010. I don't care what the boots report; I enjoy these guys more and more every time I see them.

your enjoyment of the last 2 years touring rings true on another level. 09/10 saw the band enjoying themselves more onstage far more than I can remember on previous tours. Stone seemed finally happy to be there and getting into it like he hasn't since the early 90s and I think that did something for the whole band in terms od reinvigourating their performances, and making them enjoy the gigs more, perhaps even despite themselves, knowing certain members hate the whole touring bit.

we could now get into that whole 09/10 were re most mistake ridden, sloppiest of their tours buwe'veve done it to death so let's not.

1998, fo' sho'.

why 2003?

2003 is really good, but when you stack it against the previous tours it doesn't quite match the awesomeness.

I think 2003 was the first time they adopted this touring band philosophy that they still have, but that 2003 was the year they did it best.

Go on...

Well, it was the first year they really did the marathon shows with rare songs popping up here and there. Not to say that pre-03 tours were lame or anything, they certainly werent, but this to me is the first tour where they really went out of their way to make each Pearl Jam show a real experience for the fans. I also think that they were really on their game that tour, many of my favorite bootlegs come from the 03 tour, that 2 week or so run at the end of the 03 US tour could be their best run of all. Now this is just me and I know others disagree, but I also really like the Eddie vs the world aspect this tour had with all the Bush stuff.

Good points, but I think for everything that they tried to do well this tour they did something else that fell flat on its face. The tour was wildly inconsistent, with a few really great stretches and a few not so great runs. Thew new arrangement for In My Tree was played this tour, which sucked. The covers mostly sucked.

There were some stinkers on this tour, but that is going to happen on tour that long, period. You arent going to play 45 excellent shows without a dud thrown in, especially when you play the kind of show this band does. The new In My Tree wasnt great, but I generally like when they re-arrange songs, whether it works or not it's cool to see them try it. The 2003 tour basically got me into live Pearl Jam, which is the reason I became a Pearl Jam fanatic.

There wasn't a bad show on the 2000 tour.