These are somewhat random thoughts about the three shows I just saw and where they've left me, I'm curious if anyone can relate at all.

The consensus at least over at the pit seems to be that Vancouver was a phenomenal show, the best except perhaps for crowd energy. Indeed I wouldn't want to deny that it was a phenomenal show, but it had a very weird feel to me. Took a long time to get going and didn't have the organic unity and flow of the other two shows. Both my husband and I were just not feeling connected the first half of the show. It felt kind of pedestrian, just wasn't all coming together to that transcendent place. I got glimmers of the real thing during Even Flow and Corduroy, but it was only with Lukin that it suddenly seemed like the who thing had kicked into 3D and become magical. The rest of the show blew my mind. The first encore especially. Best SOLAT I've ever heard.

In contrast i thought the main sets in Calgary and Edmonton had a terrific, organic flow to them from the very first moment-- the sorts of shows (like most I guess) where the band takes you from the very beginning onto a unique journey for that show, someplace you've never exactly been before. Those two shows had very different vibes but each was a universe onto itself.

Edmonton in particular accentuated what I can only think of as a "psychedelic" aspect of live Pearl Jam that came out for me in all three of these shows to some extent-- a certain multilayered, swirling, floating and enveloping sound. I was finding that in a lot of the Ten songs I hadn't heard it in before, and also Present Tense in Edmonton was the best I've ever heard it and totally exemplified this vibe I'm calling psychedelic. (PT much better for me in Edmonton than Vancouver.)

I think I hear a bit of this same vibe in Ole too, which makes me excited. (NB, I've only heard it once!) It sounded like one-third Backspacer and two-thirds Ten.

I guess overall I'm saying these shows gave me a slightly new vantage point on where the band has been going, in a way I really like live and that now finally is also enabling me to find my way in further to some of the stuff I just hadn't gotten on S/T or (even more so) Backspacer.

I thought this was going to be a one show per thread kind of deal?

There are already threads for each of these shows.

Exactly.

Seriously though, if there was going to be some organizational theme going on in this forum I'd have a thread for every show. Not all made at once, but made as they're talked about. And then a thread for tours as a whole where you can discuss multiple shows in one conversation.

I really wish they would make you a mod, Pete....so you could right all these wrongs like some Pearl Jam forum Superman!

I've resigned myself to the fact that that just won't happen. I've made a conscious decision not to campaign for it anymore too.

That doesn't change the fact that you would be good at it.

But hey, don't worry over it!

Bowling tonight?

No that's tomorrow. Anne and I (and her husband and my brother) always go to Boston Market first too so Tuesday's an all around good day.

I'm glad to hear that you are going to Boston Market again. That was dicey for a while, with the move and all!

Yeah things were in flux, for sure.

Kind of, but as I was saying the existing threads don't seem to include discussions of shows (opinions, observations, impressions). They seem just to unfold in real time to give the setlist, and brief comments on a song's appearance and other random comments. They rarely go on to include post-show discussion but usually end with the close of show.

Sorry chud (as i gather you are called) if I suggested I'd start a thread for each individual show-- I guess I realized I wanted to say something about all three.

I always thought a setlist thread should be the starting point for a general show thread in this forum

You can feel free to add to those threads, and possibly spark new discussion from people who were actually there.

I also don't think the tour forum should really exist.

I couldn't really figure out what it's supposed to be for.

I think this thread is fine - she's comparing and contrasting three separate shows, it wouldn't fit perfectly in any existing thread. Hopefully someone else who went to those shows can chime in and take it from there.

The Tour forum is pointless, I agree.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this thread, and you're right it wouldn't fit in any particular existing show thread. I'm just thinking bigger picture.

I've often felt like that after tours where I've see a run of shows. Sometimes setlists can be thematic or tell their own story but sometimes shows can speak to each other too. And on the night it mightn't be apparent but once you have some time in a row you can see it. Peaks n valleys theory kind of. There's a huge amount of interesting ideas and ways if looking at it but I don't think we can do it until theyve toured a bit everywhere and we've each seen them a few times. Next summer hopefully.

Thanks for saying it wasn't a crappy thread idea. Ive become fascinated by the extent to which even largely the same songs can be made by the band to tell a different story, create a different mood or atmosphere.

I guess not too many people went to these shows, based on the rate and range of follow up posts.
anyway it was great for me. My 10c number doesn't usually land me in the first 20 rows.

OMG. BLASPHEMY!

OLE = god awful