It’s been far too long. I had trouble getting tickets to the last Pearl Jam tour, so I skipped it. I swore it would never happen again. Last night I got to see them at Nassau Coliseum. My sixth show, but the first in 4 and a half years. They were so awesome. I wish I could be a tad more … descriptive … but words fail me. They are, without a doubt, the greatest band I’ve ever seen. Everyone I’ve taken to shows with me has agreed that their live shows have no comparison.
Opening with “The Long Road” just completely got me in the mood. I was worried about the seats I got for me and my sister because I got them so late, but we had no problem seeing anything. Unfortunately, the sound wasn’t that great – it gets muffled in the back seats by the overhang. Eventually we walked down to the railing at the front of the section and watched the last hour and a half of the show from there. Nobody bothered us – it was great.
It’s so tough to choose highlights because there were so many great moments. “Even Flow” was probably the best version I’ve ever heard of that song – they continued rocking for well past the normal end of the song. The crowd was screaming along with all of their classics, like “Alive” and “Animal.” The major highlight of the evening is that they played “Crazy Mary”. It’s a Victoria Williams song that they covered for the Sweet Relief album and I never thought I’d hear it live. What an amazing performance. Oh yeah, “Betterman” was absolutely beautiful.
And the best part of their shows is how much better all of their music sounds afterward. I just can’t get enough. And it’s getting me more into their latest album Riot Act. If you order the bootlegs, they even give you the ability to d/l mp3s of the show like an hour after it’s over. I’m going to wait until I know for sure if I’m going to any other shows (more tix go on sale Saturday) before I start ordering. Until then…