04/12/00 - Ed Sullivan Theater: New York, NY (The Late Show with David Letterman appearance) [3m]
set: Grievance
notes: Appearing on David Letterman's birthday, Dave holds up the lovely Binaural vinyl and PJ let loose with a new song. It is NOT, as everyone would have suspected, "Nothing As It Seems," which is slated as the first single, but a real rocker. Ed's playing guitar on this one, a raw performance with Matt driving it and Mike is extremely animated. Mike makes an effort at smashing the guitar and Ed presents it to Dave at the end of the performance. Anyone who had concerns that the new album would be "soft" will likely rethink after this performance! [For those who care, Stone is now wearing cargo pants, Matt is sporting orange and Jeff's got the evil goat hat.]05/10/00 - Mount Baker Theatre: Bellingham WA [125m]
attendance: 1,500
support act: C Average
soundcheck: Insignificance, Light Years, (2 new ones), Untitled/MFC, In Hiding, Red Mosquito, Evacuation, Even Flow
set: Of the Girl, Grievance, Breakerfall, Nothing as it Seems, God's Dice, Light Years, Thin Air, Do the Evolution, Black, Red Mosquito, Daughter/(Hold On), Faithfull, Dead Man (Ed and Jeff only), MFC, Evacuation, Immortality [NOTE: since we are in album blackout, these are guesses based off of lyrics & a copy of the printed setlist we saw after the show.]
enc 1: Corduroy, Wishlist, Insignificance, improv/jam, Go
enc 2: Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: After 'Light Years,' Ed says "Thank you Mount Baker," and "What a fine dump. It's the nicest practice space I've ever had." At the end of 'Thin Air,' he notes, "Well, those were all the good songs." Following 'Black,' there is a mid-stage conference. Stone says, "We're already fucking up the setlist," and Ed responds that that's OK but fucking up the songs is not. 'Hold On' is a Tom Waits song. 'Faithfull' has two notable lyric changes: "the woman upstairs" and "what's a human to do." Jeff comes out with the standup bass and a bow and he and Ed do a beautiful version of 'Dead Man.' 'Evacuation' is introduced as, "This song was written by Matt Cameron"; it seems to take a toll on Ed's voice, as afterwards he's out of breath and comments, "Great song, bitch to sing," and asks the crowd to thank Matt for playing tonight.. Before the encore, there were no "Eddie" chants ... rather "Pearl Jam" chants! :) After 'Insignificance,' there's another mid-stage pow wow and Ed comments on how he hasn't had a drink for a while (since 1:30 that morning) and he's getting a buzz from the wine. Jeff is having bass trouble after Ed announces 'Go' and they go into a fairly involved improv, similar in feel to 'Roadhouse Blues' by the Doors; it falls apart after Mike takes an appropriate solo but then cracks up at the end. Ed returns to the stage alone for the final encore, holding a wireless ukulele behind his back. He tell us he is going to play one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history, and then revises (realizing some folks might not have gotten the sarcasm) and says, no, actually, it sucks. He asks the crowd to be quiet -- "I know you're gonna wanna yell out during this one" -- as he doesn't want to "make a mistake," and then pauses to ask the crowd if the ukulele doesn't make him look taller. He plays a lovely, intricate song - "Soon Forget" (which VERY much reminds us of 'Blue, Red and Grey' by the Who). 'Ledbetter' is a wonderful version. The flying V is back for Mike, as well as a brand new baby blue SG.
Caryn's review
review05/11/00 - Commodore Ballroom: Vancouver BC [106m]
attendance: 1,100
support act: C Average
set: Long Road, Last Exit, Hail Hail, Breakerfall, Grievance, Nothing As It Seems, Light Years, Corduroy, Even Flow, Elderly Woman, Thin Air, Of The Girl, Insignificance, Not For You, Off He Goes, Wishlist, Evacuation
enc 1: Animal, Do The Evolution, Daughter/(The Wrong Child)/(Androgynous Mind), Last Kiss
enc 2: Soon Forget
notes: After 'Hail Hail,' Ed mentions "We have a new record ... it came out yesterday," prompting shouts of "Tuesday" from the crowd. "Oh, it doesn't come out till Tuesday. Let's just play it then." Before 'Even Flow,' Ed says "Let's test out this spring loaded floor." He changes the 'Not For You' lyric to "small my table, fits just one." Ed throws a bottle of water into the crowd and then gives a teasing "take a bottle drink it down, pass it around." Mike rotates between a heavily worn tobacco sunburst Fender Strat, a 57 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, a Flying V with glow-in-the-dark stickers all over it, a silver-sparkle Gretsch Les Paul-style guitar, a white Fender Tele, and and red hollowbody (another Gretsch?). Ed plays one of the new Fender Telecoustics (same as for 'Grievance' on Letterman) for the most part, switching to a white telecaster on a couple tunes ... and, of course, the ukulele ("it's pronounced ookelele" -Eddie) which he faked a guitar smash on before leaving the stage. All members of R.E.M. were in attendance since they were recording in Vancouver, hence 'The Wrong Child' tag on 'Daughter.' About 50 fans waiting around outside were let in, for free, approximately 1/4 of the way into the show.
review
review
setlist scan05/16/00 - Binaural is released
05/23/00 - Restelo Stadium: Lisbon, Portugal [135m]
attendance: 40,000
support act: The Vandals
set: Of The Girl, Do The Evolution, Animal, Red Mosquito, Corduroy, Grievance, Light Years, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Faithfull, Untitled, Last Kiss, MFC, Breakerfall, Wishlist, Thin Air, Daughter, Evacuation, Immortality, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Black, Go
enc 1: Last Exit, Jeremy, Elderly Woman, Alive
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The opening show of the European tour in Lisbon is a total winner with PJ playing really well, looking very happy with the fantastic Portuguese fans in attendance. 'Corduroy' is one of the best ever versions. 'Untitled' (from the Live On Two Legs album) is a different, extended version, after which Matt begins having drum trouble and Ed starts doing 'Last Kiss' by himself. There is no recognizable 'Daughter' tag -- just Ed singing and the entire crowd is singing even when he has ended. Later, Ed forgets the words to to 'Immortality' and the audience helps out. 'Better Man' includes a very small 'Save It For Later' tag. Mike is on fire toward the close of the first set, soloing behind his head, rolling around and falling backward while playing! They return for the encore and the crowd is yelling "EDDIE" and he responds "SUCKS!" which brings that to an end, and the crowd is then singing the chorus to 'Alive.' Ed says that they won't have to sing that one since the crowd has already performed it. Dennis Rodman makes an appearance at the top of the second encore, bringing Ed out onto the stage over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He exits soon, with Ed commenting on how that was the shortest amount of time that Dennis Rodman has been on a Pearl Jam stage ;) Another fantastic show in Lisbon with Mike in a great mood, playing hide and seek behind a speaker and Ed opening his shirt and patting his heart, obviously very moved by the crowd.
poster
Caryn's review
order the official live cds from amazon05/25/00 - Palau St. Jordi: Barcelona, Spain [126m]
attendance: 10,199 (capacity 20,000)
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: Timeless Melody [The Las], There She Goes Again (the Las), Corduroy, Insignificance (three times), Light Years, Thin Air
set: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Even Flow, Nothing As It Seems, Light Years, Given To Fly, Insignificance, Daughter/(The Wrong Child), Rearviewmirror, I Got Shit, Thin Air, Black, Better Man, Do The Evolution, Alive
enc 1: Grievance, State of Love And Trust, Wishlist, Elderly Woman, Go
enc 2: Last Kiss, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The band are cheery and in good spirits. Jeff has joined the Pearl Jam Hair Club For Men in that his hair is now a bright orange. Mike is wearing a vintage Queen tshirt complete with rhinestones. In 'Hail Hail' Ed sings, "Are we going to the same place - Barcelona?" 'Even Flow' is introduced as, "This next song is called 'I save cigarette butts for a poor girl." 'GTF' is impassioned; a sweaty tshirt is flung from the crowd and lands right on Ed's mic stand. He picks it up, smells it, and comments "smells great." Mike sings along to himself during 'Insignificance.' 'RVM' is an unexpected surprise and a big crowd favorite. The jam is different, not meandering, but more staccato with a definite melody. Mike runs around behind Matt and comes up behind Stone in all of two seconds, scaring him. At the end, Mike runs back and the guitar goes crashing to the ground; he looks awfully pleased with himself. Ed tells a charming story about going sightseeing and taking photos during the day at one of the Antonio Gaudi buildings: "If he had been a musician he would have been the first Jimi Hendrix" - and that while he was doing that these kids got in his photo, some comments about young love, and then he somehow ties it all into 'Thin Air,' carefully pointing out it was written by Stone. There are different lighting effects, punctuated by two large inflated balloons in the shape of planets on which the nebulae and other backdrops are projected to interesting effect. A fine show, but nothing to write home about.
poster
Caryn's review
order the official live cds from amazon05/26/00 - Anoeta Velodrome: San Sebastian, Spain [129m]
attendance: 13,000
support act: The Vandals
set: Release, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Corduroy, Insignificance, Of The Girl, Jeremy, Light Years, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, Faithfull, Daughter/(Hold On)/(Love Me Two Times), Breakerfall, Rearviewmirror, Better Man, Go
enc 1: Last Exit, Hail Hail, Immortality, State of Love and Trust, Alive
enc 2: Whipping, Last Kiss, Improv, Smile, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Another fantastic crowd helps the band deliver another fantastic performance. 'Jeremy' surprises everyone with its intensity, Mike hopping up and down, exhorting the crowd to jump, Ed with vintage 1992 headshakes and gestures, Stone also jumping up and down to match Ed's intensity. Ed breaks a string during 'Light Years'; Mike's 'NAIS' solo is intense, polished. 'Even Flow' features more classic hand gestures on the "butterflies" lines. Stone fucks up the beginning to 'Daughter' - of all things - TWICE - prompting Ed to introduce him formally: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stone Gossard!" The band returns for the first encore: "What a day, what a place. I have to admit, we went surfing earlier... as soon as we got in the water, this tornado came ... from Seattle, it was lookin' for us." Ed thanks the crowd for singing, and then introduces the band (of all things), specifically Stone: "This is Stone Gossard, his guitar fucked up earlier, *not* him; he's a professional, he came to San Sebastian to rock you in a very professional way..." and then the professional rips into a scorching version of "Last Exit." "Hail Hail' has a lyric change: "Hail hail the lucky ones, I hope you are in love." Ed forgets the words to the beginning of 'Immortality' again and looks to the crowd for cues. The crowd starts singing 'State' before the band kicks in; 'Alive' features yet another band fuckup, prompting Ed to say: "So much for being a professional band..." They return for the second encore with the crowd chanting, and Ed singing along with Matt providing an accompaniment. Ed then says, well, since we fucked up so badly tonight, we'll just keep playing to make up for it, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay? and then asks the crowd to vote: 'Last Kiss' or 'Whipping'. 'Whipping' wins hands down, but we get 'Last Kiss' anyway. After Stone and Jeff switch instruments for what's obviously going to be 'Smile', Stone has bass problems, prompting Eddie to comment sarcastically, "Maybe it is Stone's fault..." and they go into another short bluesy jam like they did in Bellingham.
poster
Caryn's review
order the official live cds from amazon05/29/00 - Wembley Arena: London, England [118m]
attendance: 12,000
support act: The Monkeywrench
soundcheck: Of the Girl (x2), Timeless (x3), God's Dice, I Got Shit, Not For You, Leaving Here, Soldier of Love, Habit
set: Of The Girl, Breakerfall, Grievance, God's Dice, Light Years, Corduroy, Animal, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Nothing As It Seems, Daughter/(The Wrong Child)/(Androgynous Mind), Faithfull, MFC, Wishlist, Do The Evolution, Black, Alive
enc 1: Timeless Melody [the Las], Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Better Man, I Got Shit, Go
enc 2: Soon Forget, Soldier of Love, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Ed's voice cracks at the end of 'God's Dice.' He states afterwards, "It's a new song and I fucked it up." Before 'Corduroy' Ed almost forgets to pick up his guitar. 'Even Flow'is introduced as 'Don't Let the Sun Go On Your Grievance.' Ed sings a couple of lines of Melanie's 'Brand New Key' ("I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates, you've got a brand new key ..."). During 'MFC' Mike goes crazy running and jumping around and throws his guitar over his back at the end. During the last chorus of 'Alive,' Ed jumps down and is held up in front of the crowd. Before the beginning of the first encore Ed describes how he used to think of London as a different planet when he was younger. It was like a place where the gods hung out like Zeus, Athena, etc. and Keith, Pete, etc. of The Who. During 'Rearviewmirror' Mike goes crazy with his guitar again. Ed describes him as "Mike McCready and his flying V. He usually doesn't behave this way," he adds. Ed plays 'I Got Shit' as requested by a fan the previous night at the Borderline (where the Monkeywrench was playing). After 'Go', Ed walks off trying to balance a wine bottle on his head. Ed begins the the second encore saying they're willing to play some more if the crowd's up for it. Ed tells the crowd that Matt referred to the instrument he plays on 'Soon Forget' as a "Grungle-lele." Ed flubs up the last "one more time around." The concert finishes off with a splendid performance of 'Yellow Ledbetter.'
setlist scan
ad/announcement
poster
review
order the official live cds from amazon05/30/00 - Wembley Arena: London, England [122m]
attendance: 12,000
support act: The Monkeywrench
set: Last Kiss [Ed solo before Monkeywrench], Sometimes, Grievance, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Dissident, Nothing As it Seems, In Hiding, Even Flow, Thin Air, Habit, Untitled, MFC, Off He Goes, Daughter/(On a Rope), Not For You, State of Love And Trust, Immortality, Rearviewmirror
enc: Light Years, Do The Evolution, Last Exit, Elderly Woman, Black, Alive
notes: Ed performs 'Last Kiss' solo, wearing the same striped jacket he wore at the Palladium and La Paloma shows, commenting something to the effect that Keith Moon loaned him the jacket. Jeff comes out wearing a white Dick Tracey hat. After 'NAIS' Ed mentions that they played at Wembley last night but tonight was going to be something completely different. Stone exaggerates the end of 'In Hiding' much to the amusement of Ed. Ed dedicates 'Even Flow' to Tom Price, the guitarist of Monkeywrench. Before 'Thin Air,' Ed states that anyone is lucky to have fallen in love and states that the next song is written by Stone about young love. The band adds a very powerful guitar driven ending to 'Habit' and Matt does a GREAT drum solo. Ed flubs up the first line to 'Untitled' which segues into 'MFC.' Ed almost introduces 'Off He Goes' as being from the same album as 'MFC' and then corrects himself. Mike takes off his shirt before 'Daughter' much to the joy of a few female fans. 'On a Rope' is a Rocket From The Crypt song. Ed and Mike practically knock each other over during 'Not For You.' Matt adds an amazing drum solo at the end of 'Immortality.' 'Rearviewmirror' is an absolutely magnificent finish to the set. Ed comes out during the encore and says he has a scar to remember. "Mike hit me with his guitar, the fuckin' prick." Ed mentions that backstage Mike reminded him of a scar that Ed gave him in San Francisco either years ago. Ed jokes that he's on the offensive. During 'DTE' Ed pretends to attack Mike with the microphone stand. During 'Alive' towards the end, Mike runs all over the stage and Ed swings the microphone around.
ad/announcement
poster
review
order the official live cds from amazon06/01/00 - The Point Depot: Dublin, Ireland [121m]
attendance: 8,500
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: Garden, Once, Brain of J (general consensus)
set: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Animal, Nothing As It Seems, Faithfull, Even Flow, Off He Goes, Elderly Woman, Insignificance, Daughter/(WMA), Rearviewmirror, Alive, Go
enc: Do The Evolution, Lukin, Wishlist, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Garden, Black
notes: Ed is in a chatty mood, proposing a toast to Dublin, mentioning that the crowd had waited two albums for them to come to The Point again. He adds, "That's what we did ... how 'bout you? What did you do? You all grew up. You all became a bunch of thieves. You broke out of prison just so you could come here (a note about a local news story about early release of political prisoners under the terms of the Good Friday agreement). Now you have a taste of freedom ... here's to your new found freedom." Ed dedicates a wonderful version of 'Off He Goes' to the fair people of Donegal, noting "all six of 'em are right over there." After 'Alive,' Ed blesses the crowd with liquid from his wine bottle and Stone comments, "I think tonight was one of those nights where we probably shouldn't have played that song." Before 'Go,' Ed tells the crowd a lengthy story (full of Irish wit and wisdom) about a farmer, his son and his horses, which is a big crowd pleaser. 'Go' finishes with Mike making Hendrix/Townshend type contortions with his guitar while Ed sings lyrics from the Crowded House song, 'Don't Dream It's Over.' At the beginning of the encore Ed tells the crowd, "If you're not goin' we're not goin'." After 'DTE,' Ed mentions that Monkeywrench opened up for them in London and some of the members of that band used to be in Mudhoney and that the next song was written about one of their members, leading to 'Lukin.' After 'Better Man,' Ed says that if the crowd's up for it they'll play a song they haven't played in a long time (and that the band would remember the fact that they tried it out in Dublin), leading to 'Garden' - definitely a treat. (He asks the front row for help with the second verse.) 'Black' is introduced as a tragic little song. At the end of 'Black,' Ed covers himself with black tape, climbs up on the speaker at the right hand side of the stage and jumps into the crowd, where he is treated with superhero respect. A fantastic finish to a great concert. Other highlights: a huge, magnificent Better Man (Ed made it disco!), dancing on the intro of 'DTE', 'RVM' - as good as it's meant to be, while 'Insignificance' and 'Lukin' are powerful. Mike ON FIRE and the solos on 'NAIS' and 'Alive' were stand outs. Songs from Binaural are received like old favorites (although not particularly 'Insignificance') throughout and the Yield tracks never performed in Europe before especially (particularly 'Given To Fly').
review
order the official live cds from amazon06/03/00 - Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC): Glasgow, Scotland [125m]
attendance: 5,800
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: jam (Mike & Stone), Insignificance, Timeless Melody, Leatherman x2, Present Tense, Rival x2, Evacuation, Soon Forget
set: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Dissident, Grievance, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Daughter, Untitled, MFC, Habit, Better Man Present Tense, State Of Love And Trust, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Brain of J, Do The Evolution, Light Years, Elderly Woman, Last Kiss, Once
enc 2: Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: "We've been here once before but that was a long time ago and its great to be back." The band start *again* with 'Sometimes' before launching into a blistering 'Breakerfall.' Ed raises one of the Bugs t-shirts after 'Animal,' and wipes his sweaty brow with it. The crowd are perhaps the most 'lively' yet but too many people are crowd surfing and too many in the crowd surge right and left and are hurting people, which prompts Ed to say after the first chorus of 'GTF', "How ya doin'?" which prompts everyone to cheer. He responds, "I didn't mean for you to yell, but I think that somebody's underneath you all." 'Habit' is introduced as a quiet little number, 'Present Tense' and 'Once' make a very welcome appearance and turn a very good show into a great one. Ed is in fine story telling form, with references to a little old lady he met, how songs have messages and sometimes become prayers, and talking about Mike Scott (from the Waterboys - Irish band - see: 'Whole of the Moon' tags from 1998), which gets a great reception from the crowd. The band play two encores, with the reception on the second occasion prompting Eddie to say 'Be careful, that's enough to give a guy a big head.' Mike makes a rare appearance at the mic at the close of the show and in his very best Scottish brogue says, "Bye Scotland." For the encores, Ed comes back out and tells us all a great story about the last time they were in Glasgow when he met a cleaner called Mrs. Mop who he dedicates 'Soon Forget' to. Worth note is that he says, "The last time we were here, which was a long time ago..." and is interrupted by a lot of playful booing (it was 23rd February 1992 so Glasgow was mildly pissed off about that) and he answers by hanging his head in shame then telling how he had a lot of laundry to do and how much of a mess his house was.
setlist scan
review
order the official live cds from amazon06/04/00 - Manchester Evening News Arena: Manchester, England [132m]
attendance: 21,000
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: Light Years, Timeless Melody x 2, Fuckin' Up, Spin The Black Circle, Blood, God's Dice, Breakerfall
set: Of The Girl, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Light Years, Go, Given To Fly, Evacuation, Even Flow, Daughter, Animal, Wishlist, Nothingman, Better Man, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Last Exit, Once, Black, Timeless Melody, State of Love And Trust, Fuckin' Up
enc 2: Leatherman, Footsteps, Do The Evolution, Garden, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: EVERYONE is on tonight. Ed flubs the lyrics to the second verse of 'Even Flow' AGAIN. Prior to 'Given to Fly,' Ed says they are going to play it "under protest." 'Thin Air' is on the setlist but as Stone gets ready to play it, he breaks a string, and we get 'Wishlist' instead, after which Ed refers to Stone as his "archnemesis." Later, when they come out for the first encore, Ed asks for lights and then he and Stone hug, after which someone throws a half full beer at Stone, prompting Ed to say "if anyone fucks with him I'll kick your fuckin ass!" When they came out for the second encore, Ed said something to the fact that they would only be playing rarities and said about 'Leatherman' that they had trouble learning it because they "couldn't even find it." 'Footsteps' featured the bluesy solo on harmonica, Ed sings the entire second half with his eyes intently closed. During 'Garden' Ed drops the second "I don't show/ I don't share" lines, and holds the last "stone" for what seems to be forever. Apparently only 'Fuckin' Up' and 'Ledbetter' are on the encore setlist; the rest of the songs were audience requests, chosen on the spot by the band!
setlist scan.
order the official live cds from amazon06/06/00 - Cardiff International Arena: Cardiff, Wales, UK [125m]
attendance: 6,700
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: Sleight of Hand (x3), Pilate (x3), Rival (x2), Leatherman, Timeless Melody, Thin Air
set: Nothing As It Seems, Breakerfall, God's Dice, Animal, Red Mosquito, Insignificance, Corduroy, I Got Shit, Alive, Given To Fly, Better Man, Leatherman, Light Years, Pilate, Daughter/(WMA), Do The Evolution, Once
enc 1: Go, MFC, Elderly Woman, Black, Immortality, Spin The Black Circle
enc 2: Even Flow, Smile, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: "125 minutes and breathtaking." The UK run comes to an end, with perhaps the best show of this part of the tour. 'NAIS' opens, followed by 'Breakerfall' and 'God's Dice' - both of which are quickly becoming live staples. A quiet crowd suddenly becomes alive from 'Animal' onwards. Eddie senses this, telling the crowd "you're singing as good as me." Stone wryly notes that he can't believe they got through 'Pilate' - check out Matt on back-up vocals! - without a hitch. 'Once' provides a fitting close to the show, before the encores, Eddie crashing the microphone stand to the stage floor. 'Spin the Black circle' ensures the momentum is kept up during the second half, with the inclusion of 'Smile' ("a going away song") and ("one more?") Yellow Ledbetter at the show's end providing a fitting finish. A very good show in a comparatively small venue.
setlist scan.
review
order the official live cds from amazon06/08/00 - Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy: Paris, France [130m]
attendance: 16,500
support act: The Vandals
soundcheck: Of The Girl, new song/improv x2, I Got You (Split Enz), Rival x2, Sleight of Hand, Breakerfall, Pilate x2 (if anyone taped this, we're particularly interested in hearing the new song/improv so please contact us)
set: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, God's Dice, Animal, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Evacuation, Alive, Pilate, Better Man, Insignificance, Daughter/(Hold On), In Hiding, Wishlist, Grievance, Even Flow, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Hail Hail, Go, Once, Light Years, Elderly Woman, Black, Fuckin' Up
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: A dull crowd, lots of chanting and singing along and enthusiasm, but a rough, packed pit. The puny Bercy security drag crowdsurfers over people's heads as big Pete tries to tell them how to lift people over instead. It seems like Ed's voice is hurting. He keeps motioning to his throat and asking the crowd to help him sing the chorus of 'In Hiding' (after singing "seeing visions and cracks along the walls, they were upside down" Ed mimes smoking a joint and says, "I was tripping!"). Before 'Pilate,' a fan on the barricade gives Ed a harmonica and he plays a second of 'Footsteps' on it and says, "I just got a musical instrument as a gift either from the people of France or that guy right there. Is this something that you all pitched in for? Either way I'm very moved. Thank you very much." (Ed had given his harmonica to a fan in Cardiff right after playing 'Smile'.) After a particularly hardcore 'Rearviewmirror,' Mike grabs his guitar (an orange-red Strat) by the fretboard with both hands and smashes it to bits gleefully. He even jumps up and down on it. He throws the strap and whammy bar out to the crowd and hands a chunk of the body to someone on the barricade. Returning for the encore, Ed steps on a skateboard and makes a round on stage. "Merci beaucoup! A toast," he says and throws some wine over his head. "Let's play some more." Before 'Once," Ed thanks The Vandals and then starts to say, "the other people I really want to thank ... what's that?" Some people are screaming something to Ed that he couldn't seem to understand. He replies with "Fuck you!" The crowd cheers! He continues, "Everyone in this whole first three rows getting their heads knocked to shit all night and they have been so fucking tough. Everyone give them a big applause. SURVIVORS!" After 'Black,' Ed introduces each member of Pearl Jam in French ("Monseur Mike McCready," etc) to loud cheers and then says, "And I'm Madame Bovary." He intro's 'Fuckin' Up' with, "This is a good one to raise your arms and middle fingers and feel like you're number one." For the finale, Ed and Mike stay on stage, the others left and returned to do 'YL.'
order the official live cds from amazon06/09/00 - Rock Am Ring Festival: Koln, Germany
set: Sometimes, Corduroy, Breakerfall, MFC, Grievance, Animal, Given To Fly, Nothing As It Seems, Even Flow, Not For You, Wishlist, Better Man, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Timeless Melody, Alive, Daughter/(WMA)/(Behind Blue Eyes), Do The Evolution, Once
enc 1: Elderly Woman, Go, State Of Love And Trust, Light Years, Black, Last Kiss, Fuckin' Up
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The crowd is rough at the start but more peaceful and relaxed after 'MFC.' Mike seems to loosen up during the 'Even Flow' solo. Ed takes Mike's cigarette from his mouth and takes a drag, later saying, "That's Mike McCready." Ed grabs for the e-bow but then throw it to the back during 'Wishlist." Ed introduces 'Timeless Melody' with "This one is dedicated to Noel [Gallagher], who couldn't be here...", likely referring to the fact that Liam played without Noel before PJ's set. Mike plays most of the 'Alive' solo behind his head, then running off the stage while Ed does some sort of gymnastics centerstage. Ed introduces 'Last Kiss' as "This is a campfire sing-a-long." He tries some German: "Wie fühlt....Ihr Euch ?" [How do you feel?] "Ihr seid spitze" [You're great.] and "Danke" at the end. Big cheers every time. He told of his "German lesson," and asked how to say "Fuck you" in German, being told "Hmm, well, we say, errr, 'fuck you.'" Big cheers leading to 'Fucking Up.' When the return for the encore, Ed says, "Ha, we're easy ... sometimes." There was heat lightning (that was insane) behind the crowd, and a half moon -- both of which Ed exhorted the crowd to turn around and take a look at. The band, while on fire still, was much more reserved than at any of the previous shows.
order the official live cds from amazon06/11/00 - Rock Im Park Festival: Nurnberg, Germany [120m]
set: MFC, Habit, Corduroy, Breakerfall, God's Dice, Animal, Nothing As It Seems, Dissident, Even Flow, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Alive, Off He Goes, Leatherman, Better Man, Once, Lukin, Insignificance, Improv/New Song, Rearviewmirror
enc: Black, Spin The Black Circle, Do The Evolution, Light Years, Elderly Woman, Leaving Here, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Prior to PJ taking the stage, Liam Gallagher dedicates 'Wonderwall' to "my Pearl Jam friends," most likely referring to hostile PJ fans in the front row. 'MFC' is a surprise opener, the first rocking opener of the tour, and is followed by 'Habit,' which again features no "Speakin as..." line. During 'NAIS' Ed comments "It's beautiful," referring to his view of the crowd. Ed flubs the 'Even Flow' lyrics, but it doesn't matter, the whole band is totally into it, Jeff bouncing all over the stage circa 1992, and Mike's solo is absolutely AMAZING and extended once again. At the end of 'Wishlist,' Ed steps to the mic to add a tag, but instead just plays the chords with his eyes closed, totally into it, and then says "danke." After 'Alive' Ed tells how he remembers "playing it perfectly at a small club in Hamburg on Jeff Ament's birthday, March 12, 1992... Also the last time I took a shower." :) He then goes on to ask for the rain or the moon before starting 'Off He Goes.' Matt Cameron absolutely rules 'Leatherman,' with Stone singing along again. Afterwards, Ed says, "Played that one tonight cause it was written by a German. Uh, about a German... by a Dutchman. This one's about a young Republican," leading into 'Better Man,' which has Ed doing several Townshend windmills. Mike does the behind the head solo during 'Once,' and Ed is completely barking the words to 'Lukin.' Ed points out that the moon has broken through the clouds prior to 'Insignificance,' and then on the "full moon is their skin" line, he stares directly at it, and the song just rocks, a PERFECT version. The improv or new song prior to 'RVM' is a beautiful slow song, with lyrics about kissing a girl on the moon. (If anyone definitively knows what this song is, please let us know. We have the sound file.) After an on fire 'RVM', Mike fakes throwing his flying V out into the crowd. The 'Black' solo is shortened but still beautiful, and 'Spin the Black Circle' is a nice surprise. For the second night in a row, Ed alters the 'DTE' lyrics to "I am the first man to shit my pants." :) 'Light Years' is just beautiful, definitely one of the best versions ever. 'Leaving Here' makes it first appearance of the tour after several soundchecks, introducing it by saying "this song is dedicated to all those German women soccer players." No one in the band knows who is supposed to solo first, but they just laugh it off, and the rest of the song is right on the money. 'YL' closes again, Ed changing the lyrics to "I'd like to stay" and "I'm so glad you stayed." A very intense and focused performance, much more than some fans expected from a festival, with a very happy and peaceful crowd.
order the official live cds from amazon06/12/00 - Pinkpop Festival: Landgraaf, Netherlands [91m]
attendance: 60,000
set: Corduroy, Breakerfall, Animal, Hail Hail, Rival, Jeremy, Nothing As It Seems, MFC, Habit, Light Years, Lukin, Even Flow, Brain of J, Insignificance, Better Man, Rearviewmirror, Once, Fuckin' Up
enc: Black, Leaving Here
notes: Ed is wearing another Tivoli shirt, like the home-made one in 1992. The band is in a very good mood and Ed is dancing a lot. Ed says, "Is it okay if I speak English, because the only thing I know in Dutch is how to order pot in a cafe. It is nice to be back and thanks for having us. It is much more beautiful then I remember it. [smiles] It is also nice to be out of America for the last couples of weeks ... in America what we do for fun, because we have some kind of advanced culture ... [the crowd boos, Ed smiles] so we have some very futuristic ways of handling our overpopulation problem and that is we give each other guns and kill one another - because it is fucking fun! [Ed makes a shoot sound]. Anyway, here are a couple of songs about killing one another. This is called 'Rival.'" Ed dedicates 'Light Years' to Diane Muus from Sony Music. (She died in 1997 at an age of 33 and knew the band very well.) "So that was about a friend who is fucking up and there is nothing you can do about it! And you just watch'em go down down down. And then, other times you have got friends that don't fuck up at all and are great people. And then you just lose them for some reason. They are of the planet and you never had a chance to say goodbye. I only mention this because there was a person we used to know here and that was Diane and ah, we never got a chance to say goodbye. This is goodbye!' Before "Fucking Up,' he is telling the crowd that Gomez will play in the tent next to center stage and that Moby is coming later. He says, "I've been told that there is another Ed (Ed Kowalczyk from Live) walking around here, but I've been told that I give better Ed than he does" [smiling]. He smashes two tambourines with his head during 'Fuckin' Up' and tosses one to the crowd, and takes photos of the crowd at the end of the song. Later he's smiling and says, "Ha, we're easy ... sometimes" likely referring to the fact that they do an encore for a festival. He asks, "Hey, Brett. Are you there? Can you hear me? Do you have the tape from last night?" Brett responds through the PA and says the tape is probably on the bus. Ed rants about the tape as he needs it because they want to leave right after the show. "Well, if he had the tape I would tell you to pass me over there, so I could get the tape and back again to the stage ... I think I can trust you guys to do that. But oh well ... as you don't have the tape maybe next time. Oh, there is no next time! Oh, well. This song is called 'Black.' Say hello to all my friends in Utrecht." The last 35 minutes of this show was broadcast on Dutch national TV. Dutch FM radio broadcast 'MFC' through 'Black' and featured an interview with Mike.
poster
order the official live cds from amazon06/14/00 - Peagas Arena: Prague, Czech Republic [135m]
attendance: 19,000
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: New Song?, Pilate, Present Tense, Immortality, Sleight of Hand
set: Of The Girl, Grievance, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Animal, Red Mosquito, Pilate, Alive, Present Tense, Habit, Untitled, MFC, I Got Shit, Wishlist, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Even Flow, Go
enc: Sleight Of Hand, Light Years, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Timeless Melody, Do The Evolution, State of Love And Trust, Once, Black, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: An incredibly hot arena but the band is amazing and energetic. Mike is "on" and active with the crowd in front of him. Ed tell of how he watched a film from the last time they were in Prague and how piercingly cold it was, and how tough the Czech people are for enduring the cold last time. This time, Ed says it is "hotter than the devil's asshole in here," and comments how tough everyone is for sticking with them and then raises a bottle of wine and toasts everyone. Mike pretends to put his fingers into his ears while Stone is playing. During 'Once' Ed is all over the stage, standing on speakers and really being very enthusiastic with the crowd. 'Yellow Ledbetter' is played with all the lights on and everyone singing in harmony, everyone a pool of sweat at this point. As the band leaves the stage, Ed takes polaroids of the audience and is laughing and really seemed happy. Ed says this was the best show of the new tour to date. Live concert debut of 'Sleight of Hand' at this show.
poster
review
files temporarily online for:Present Tense, Sleight of Hand (both from soundcheck)
order the official live cds from amazon06/15/00 - Spodek: Katowice, Poland [130m]
attendance: 8,000
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: Porch (several times), Parting Ways, Rockin' In The Free World (may be incomplete & out of order)
set: Long Road, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Animal, Brain of J, Nothing As It Seems, Given to Fly, God's Dice, Present Tense, MFC, Not for You, Better Man, Grievance, Thin Air, Even Flow, Nothingman, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror
enc: Do The Evolution, Go, Rival, Footsteps, Wishlist, Elderly Woman, Last Kiss, Alive, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: The Spodek is simply full with the crowd. After the two first songs, Ed asks if everything is OK with the crowd in front since lots of people were jumping and lots are falling down. A bit later he notes it has been four years since they'd played in Poland and that they'd made a couple more records since then, "... so we're gonna play some of that stuff for you as well," leading to 'NAIS.' The crowd has fun during 'Not For You,' with almost everyone shouting the "this is not for you!" chorus. Before 'Even Flow' was a short
intro/improv including the lyrics, "We're the world, the wicked world. We all are marching to hell...." During 'Do The Evolution,' Ed takes out a monkey mask, puts it on and then puts on his mic stand. Then he stares at the mask singing. He passes the mask to Mike and Mike puts it on and continues to play. Before 'Elderly Woman,' Ed says, "We met a girl called Magda, and later another Magda, and then a few other Magdas ... so I guess this song is for Magda and all the Magdas." Ed has a small mirror and is playing at catching lightbeams in it. 'RITFW' is a big finish, with Ed catching a Polish flag and singing with it on his mic stand while playing the tambourine. He walks from right to left in front of the crowd, pours wine over the crowd, kneels on the stacks and gives the tambourine to a fan. At the very end, Mike simply smashes his black guitar with fury. He uses the neck of his guitar like a hockey stick and smashes Ed's wine bottle. Ed says, "Thank you ... see you tomorrow." He takes three photos with his Polaroid and departs, taking the Polish flag.
poster
order the official live cds from amazon06/16/00 - Spodek: Katowice, Poland [145m]
attendance: 3,000 (capacity 8,000)
support act: Dismemberment Plan
set: Release, Of The Girl, Sleight of Hand, Thin Air, Insignificance, Grievance, Corduroy, Animal, Hail Hail, State of Love and Trust, Evacuation, Daughter/(ABitW)/(On a Rope), Jeremy, I Got Shit, Light Years, Leatherman, In Hiding, Off He Goes, Dissident, MFC, Habit, Alive
enc: Smile, Immortality, Black, Leaving Here, Soldier of Love, Last Exit, Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: [This date was originally scheduled for the Petiofi Csarnock in Budapest, Hungary.]
Those who showed a ticket stub from the previous night's show could buy a ticket to the second show at half price! The whole band is in a great mood, smiling throughout the show. A special atmosphere is created from the very beginning of the show, making it feel like they are playing right in your living room. Ed fucks up the lyrics and starts directly with "Oh dear dad, can you see me now...", making 'Release' a very short song but still very intense. 'Of The Girl' and then two more slow songs follow, introduced with, "We'll try and take it easy tonight. Let's get through the pretty ones first..." After each song the band gathers in the middle of the stage and discusses what they will play next. Eddie keeps the other band members from changing their instruments a few times. Mike seems to be very tired and introverted during the first few songs, but still interacts very much with the crowd in front of him. Ed catches a bouquet with a note. He reads it and says, "Oh, they're from a guy" -- 'I'll meet you the show.'" He rips the petals off the flowers during 'Sleight of Hand' while the stage is bathed in blue light. The crowd is hypnotized witnessing something special happening on stage as it seemed like they would go on with slow songs forever but then they changed hitting with five unbelievable rocking tracks in a row !!! Ed dons a gas mask during 'Daughter' (hey, it was only a matter of time). 'Daughter' is breathtaking with Mike playing some short riffs from 'Another Brick in the Wall' throughout the whole song. When Ed starts singing the verse, everyone joins in with Ed encouraging them by pointing at his ear several times. He sings, "The shades go down..." through a gas mask that was thrown on stage by a fan. 'On a Rope' is a Rocket From The Crypt song. Ed omits out the first chorus of 'Jeremy' like the "new" version played on previous tours. He introduces 'Light Years' with, "This song is about ... well, you know what it is about. It means a lot to me and I hope that it means a lot to you as well." After the song he adds, "The next song is also about a dead guy," and then they start 'Leatherman.' Before 'Off He Goes' Ed says, "That's a little song about friendship. About a friend that is an asshole". Then he points his finger at himself saying quietly that he is an asshole. The audience responds: "Noooooo!". Ed catches a t-shirt during 'Alive' and blindfolds his eyes with it throughout half the song. Mike catches a rose and attaches it to his guitar. The audience yells "Smile, smile" between the songs, and they play it as the encore opener. 'Black' and 'Immortality' are just magical, first with Ed burning the cork of his wine bottle and painting his face and arms with it and then the whole band lining up in front of Matt during the end of 'Immortality,' letting everyone see what a great time they are having and how much they still enjoy playing music together. After 'Soldier of Love,' the audience does the "cha-cha-cha" thing from the single and it makes Ed laugh. Ed manages to convince every fan to be silent during 'Soon Forget,' although they start quietly singing along with Ed. Mike tags some of Van Halen's 'Dance the Night Away' onto 'YL.' Ed takes the usual polaroids of the first row and takes one picture of himself which he throws off the stage right in the hand of some lucky fan. The setlist was modified as they played this amazing show.
setlist scan
order the official live cds from amazon06/18/00 - Residenzplatz: Salzburg, Austria [137m; 141m including Ed solo]
attendance: 9,000
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: Leaving Here (only guitars), Walking the Cow (Ed solo), Not for You (only guitars), Trouble (Ed solo)
set: Throw Your Arms Around Me [EV solo]
Sometimes, Breakerfall, Grievance, Corduroy, Animal, God's Dice, State of Love and Trust, Nothing As It Seems, Alive, Daughter/(ABitW)/(WMA), Once, Lukin, Not For You, Light Years, Leatherman, Improv, Present Tense, Rearviewmirror, Go
enc: Do The Evolution, Insignificance, Even Flow, Wishlist, Better Man, Elderly Woman, Thin Air, Black, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Ed performs 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' solo before Dismemberment Plan's set. This beautiful venue is in the middle of the city square and the band clearly loves it. People were watching the show from upper windows and roofs of houses in the area. During the first part of the show, Ed waves to them and makes jokes about them - he also noted that he could see "some older folks" too in the windows and gives them a special wave and greeting. During 'Daughter,' Ed animates the crowd to sing along to the 'Another Brick' improvisation: "So ... don't be shy. Sing with me!" The 'WMA' tag lyric is changed to "white male Austrian." Someone throws something on stage for Mike and he places it on his amp. Ed asks the crowd if they can see the moon (it is a full moon tonight!) because the band cannot see it as it is behind the stage. The improvisation before 'Present Tense is very cool (lyrics: "I left home 3 years ago..when I came back I was all alone...") and is just Ed and Mike solo. (It was suggested this is 'I'm a Boy' but the lyrics don't match up with the Pete Townshend song ... we'll have to wait to hear it.) 'Present Tense' is also started solo by EV and Mike, then the band joins in. Ed drinks from a red wine bottle and sprays some of it into the first rows after 'Go.' Ed is wearing the monkey mask again during the first song of the encores. Before 'Even Flow,' Ed comments about the political situation in Austria, saying that many people had suggested that it would be better for them not to play there and that they weren't even going to mention it [we knew this was coming] as the message is in their songs, but to not play in Austria would be unfair to those who didn't support the government and he proceeds to give a "double fuck you" pointing both middle fingers out! 'Thin Air' is introduced as, "I guess this one is particularly nice under the warm evening sky." Ed smashes the tambourine on his head during 'RITFW' and smashes the mic stand onto the stage at the end of the song. He returns at the end, taking photos and thanks everyone for coming. A great outdoor performance!
poster
review
order the official live cds from amazon06/19/00 - Hala Tivoli: Ljubljana, Slovenia [132m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: Wash (by request of those listening outside), Evacuation, Porch, Soldier of Love, Leaving Here
set: Corduroy, Breakerfall, Hail Hail, Animal, Brain of J, Faithfull, Light Years, Untitled, MFC, Habit, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Spin The Black Circle, Red Mosquito, Black, Insignificance, Grievance, I Got Shit, Wishlist, Do The Evolution, Alive
enc 1: Last Kiss, Better Man, Sleight of Hand, Daughter, Rearviewmirror, Porch
enc 2: Soon Forget, Indifference
notes: The event actually starts a few hours before the concert, with PJ and crew members playing table tennis right outside Tivoli Arena. The crowd is cheering, clearly amused by Ed's entertaining play. At show time, the crowd is great, clearly hungry for PJ who are in Slovenia for the first time. Some crowd surfing, one fight, three girls falling unconscious due to lack of air, but overall none of this drew PJ's attention who are focused on the music. Before 'NAIS,' Ed announced, "... here is a sad song for you ... I guess it's just right after that loss," referring to Slovenia's 1-0 loss to Spain the night before. At the second encore, Ed appears along with something covered by a white cloth, teasing "anyone know what this is? No one?" He uncovers a tambourine and continues, "A friend of ours just graduated from college and it's a big thing for her ... it's a big thing for anybody ... so here is our graduation present for her." He asks the crowd for silence, starts 'Soon Forget,' stops, motions with his finger to his mouth, and continues again, messing up the lyrics in the second verse but the audience loves it. 'Porch' and 'Indifference' make their 2000 tour debut!
poster
order the official live cds from amazon06/20/00 - Arena: Verona, Italy [139m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
set: Long Road, Grievance, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Nothing As It Seems, Pilate, Given To Fly, Even Flow, O' Sole Mio, MFC, Habit, Wishlist, Daughter/(Beautiful Way), State of Love and Trust, Once, Lukin, Immortality, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: In the Coliseum improv, Black, Breakerfall, Do The Evolution, Elderly Woman, Better Man, I Got You (Split Enz), Alive, Last Kiss, Porch
enc 2: Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: There is a wide gulf between the audience and the stage, which seems to make Ed uncomfortable. During 'Hail Hail' he steps in front of the monitors to sing, and then falls backward as he walks back. =) Ed does not talk to the crowd until after 'NAIS.' "The last time that we played in Italy, I can't remember if it was Rome, Milan -- we've had two records in between, we've got some stuff to catch up on," and that his plan was, since there was so much space between them and the audience, they would play some extra songs to make up for that space. During 'Even Flow,' Ed and Jeff do a jump in unison! 'O Sole Mio' is not a full version, just Ed fooling around and even singing at the end, "three pounds in a kilo." This leads to 'MFC,' which is introduced as "This is a song written in Italy, with Italians." Stage lights are blinding Ed during 'Habit' causing him to eject "FUCK IT!" and then the band goes into a speeded-up version of the ending. 'Wishlist' is the lighter song and it is just beautiful. 'Daughter' features Beck's 'Beautiful Way' ("The searchlight's on the skyline; around the bend ..."). At the end of 'Once,' Mike runs to the side of the stage and plays it to a fan sitting in a wheelchair. In the middle of 'Insignificance,' all of the lights go off, and at the same time, the band stops playing for three or four seconds, and then restart at precisely the same time. When they return for the encore, Ed makes a comment about being thrown to the lions, and the band vamps into the improv, a spontaneous little ditty about "being in the coliseum," based on Tom Waits' 'In the Colosseum." Ed has the monkey mask again at the start of 'DTE.' Mike solos behind his head during 'Alive.' 'Porch' features the Black Sabbath 'Paranoid' riff. Prior to 'Soon Forget,' Ed says that he's sure a lot has happened in the coliseum in the past, and he's sure blood was involved, but he didn't think that anyone had ever played a ukulele in the coliseum before; he's not even sure that he could play the ukulele, but that he'd try. During Mike's very extended solo at the end of 'YL' (including the Black Sabbath riffs), Stone throws a guitar pick at him to let him know it was time to leave! :-) At the very end of the show, Ed walks to one end of the stage and then the other end of the stage to say goodbye; while he is doing this (it took a while), Mike is behind his amplifiers, playing hide and seek - he'd jump up and down, peeking out from behind the amps.
setlist scan
order the official live cds from amazon06/22/00 - Fila Forum: Milan, Italy [150m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
set: Of The Girl, Corduroy, Grievance, God's Dice, Animal, Given To Fly, Rival, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, Not For You, Thin Air, Light Years, MFC, Present Tense, Daughter/5 minute chant with crowd, Jeremy, Go
enc 1: Nothingman, Sleight of Hand, Better Man, Wishlist, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Do The Evolution, Garden, State of Love and Trust, Black
enc 2: Smile, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Excellent show -- the band is on -- Stone is more animated tonight. Not quite on fire, but definitely on. INCREDIBLE audience. Ed is sporting the striped jacket at the start of the show again. At one point, a soccer ball reaches the stage and Ed plays a bit, with Jeff being the goalkeeper and blocking the ball with his bass. Much singing, much hand-clapping in the middle of songs, many lighters held up, and much yelling "hey, hey, hey" and such. In fact, the audience takes the 'Daughter' tag away from Ed. Just as he is getting ready to sing something, the crowd starts singing/yelling "hey, hey, hey." Ed is taken aback but delighted. He goes with it and starts singing various sounds to see if the audience will repeat, and they do! Then he decides to have a little fun with it and sings at a higher and higher key until the audience cannot follow along. The extended tag ends with Ed dropping to his knees as if to pay homage to the audience. After 'Not For You,' Ed says, "... of course it was not for Italy, this is for you...if you are in love." 'Not for You's' slow ending (played only by Ed and Jeff) leads gracefully into 'Thin Air.' 'MFC' is introduced by Ed saying that the last time he was in Italy he fell in love: "She was beautiful and small ... she had four wheels and was called 'mini'. This is a song about my love for her." 'Present Tense' is played with only Mike and Ed, Stone appearing before the second chorus, and Jeff and Matt after. Ed takes maybe four audience polaroids immediately after returning for the first encore. He then holds up the pictures and says, "These are pictures of the best singers in the world. If you are still good, we will play a lot more. Get comfortable." Ed introduces 'Sleight of Hand' by saying it is a new song that the audience might not know very well. Introducing 'Wishlist,' Ed says that this is one of the best times he has had here. Awesome jamming moment during the ending distortion of 'RVM.' Ed says, "Since this is the fashion capitol of the world, let's try this on," leading to 'Garden.' Before "Smile," Ed comments, "This is how we are gonna feel." Ed throws a harmonica to a specific person in the crowd at the end of 'Smile.' The wrong person apparently gets it and Ed attempts to interfere but then backs off looking satisfied. (The fan who gave up the harmonica got a pick.) He says that it's a long story but that he just saw something beautiful happen. A great version of 'RITFW' ends the show.
order the official live cds from amazon06/23/00 - Hallenstadion: Zurich, Switzerland [133m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
set: Of The Girl, Corduroy, Breakerfall, Grievance, Hail Hail, Animal, Dissident, Nothing As It Seems, Alive, Thin Air, Light Years, Untitled, MFC, Habit, Wishlist, Off He Goes, Sleight of Hand, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Porch
enc 1: Brain of J, Given To Fly, Do The Evolution, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Nothingman, Leatherman, Leaving Here
enc 2: Soon Forget, Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Last night in Milan was all about the crowd, so it would be inevitable that this crowd would be different. The scent of marijuana was in the air and thus a very subdued audience. Mike seemed to be back on tonight. Matt's drum tech, Greg, can be seen playing bongos during the set opener 'Of the Girl,' and even though this is a mellow opener, the crowd are noticeably quiet. Ed makes several comments about this "You guys are really quiet", he says, "it's really nice." The "man" trilogy appears again. 'Off He Goes' is "dedicated to a friend of mine who is here tonight." Stone's guitar is out of tune at the start of 'NAIS' which prompts the song to stop before Ed sings "All this funny tuning", says Stone, smiling, "when we play it next time it will be so much better." True to his word, Ed introduces 'NAIS' after 'Dissident' saying "A song you might have heard before, like four minutes ago." 'Nothingman' is introduced by Ed, but that appears later when they decide to play 'Sleight of Hand' instead. During 'Soon Forget' Ed tells the crowd that this is the ukulele's first visit to Switzerland so it's very excited, sitting over there, interrupting him saying "play me, play me" during the show. :)) Jeremy featured on the setlist but was not played.
order the official live cds from amazon06/25/00 - Freiluftbuehne Wuhlheide: Berlin, Germany [140m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: Crazy Mary (4-5x), Interstellar Overdrive ?, Baba O'Riley
set: Sometimes, Corduroy, Breakerfall, Hail Hail, Animal, Given to Fly, Nothing As It Seems, In Hiding, Evacuation, Even Flow, Light Years, Untitled/MFC, Improv, Habit, Daughter/(Stop Your Sobbing)/(Androgynous Mind), Lukin, I Got Shit, Insignificance, Not For You, Immortality, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Sleight of Hand, Thin Air, Wishlist, Better Man, Do The Evolution, Alive, Fuckin' Up
enc 2: Soon Forget, Indifference
notes: First speaking to the crowd after 'GTF,' Ed points out that it looks like a summer day in Seattle (rather cold and it rained while people were waiting). According to Ed, you start such a day with five or six cups of coffee, "and you don't drink this (pointing to a bottle of wine) until you drink four or five beers." Mike seems conservative all evening, not much running or jumping. After 'Light Years,' Mike talks to Ed and then leaves the stage. Ed says that the next song is a request, and because it's a request by a band member, they have to do it. They start with 'Untitled' and Mike is back on stage when they go into 'MFC.' The 'Habit' intro is dark and focused on the last line, "free at last.' Rather than the "speaking as a child ..." part, Ed sings "I am a doughnut" referring to JFK's "ich bin ein Berliner" quote. The 'Daughter' tag ('Stop Your Sobbing' is a Pretenders song), leads into a shouting contest between Ed and the audience about who will be louder ... and the crowd is very loud. (Ed starts this out by asking if they, "Feel like singing? Loud to the sky. Feels good, I can tell you that.") It opens with a repeated "stop, stop, stop" leading to a chant and the "hey, hey" part, finishing with the "hey, hey, it's OK." When PJ returns for the encore, Ed says he doesn't know how to say "thank you" to the crowd in German. He gets a piece of paper and asks the crowd, "Fühlt Ihr Euch gut?" (do you feel fine?). He says they will do a slow one before they continue, leading to 'Sleight of Hand,' with Mike standing there in a very cool fashion, waiting to join in. For the second encore, Ed returns solo for 'Soon Forget,' commenting on how he got his ukulele in Hawaii but he believes the ukulele originally comes from East Berlin. A rocking show in a beautiful venue.
setlist scan
order the official live cds from amazon06/26/00 - Alsterdorfer Sporthalle: Hamburg, Germany [132m]
attendance: 7,000
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck: Crazy Mary, Whipping, Timeless Melody, Wash (2x) New Song (?)
set: Breakerfall, Corduroy, MFC, Go, Faithfull, Even Flow, Rival, Given To Fly, Elderly Woman, Light Years, Evacuation, Grievance, Present Tense, Daughter/(I Believe In Miracles), Porch, Black, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Crazy Mary, Soldier of Love, Do The Evolution, Once, Smile, Better Man, Baba O'Riley
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: Highlights from the first set include the audience singing the high notes at the end of 'Black' and an outstanding 'RVM' with an excellent solo by Mike. In fact, Mike is very much alive, running around like crazy with his flying V, throwing poses and grinning. The encores are stunning, with them returning and Ed saying, "I don't know what it is about this town, but it's always been very good to this band." He wishes that it could be Jeff's birthday again, referring to the show they gave on Jeff's birthday in Hamburg in 1992. (He seems to reference this every time they play in Germany.) The crowd starts singing 'Happy Birthday' (misunderstanding and thinking it IS Jeff's birthday) with Ed joining in. The band members hug Jeff and congratulate him. Ed continues by saying that since it is such a special occasion, they will do a song they haven't done in a long time, leading to a lovely 'Crazy Mary.' Ed says the next song is a song for dancers ('Soldier of Love'), leading to 'DTE', what Ed also says is a song for dancers. After an amazing 'Baba O'Riley,' the band leaves the stage while Ed is taking photos of the crowd, takes a photo of himself and tosses the polaroid into the audience. The crowd doesn't stop shouting for more so Ed tells the crew to get the rest of the guys back onto the stage. The lights are turned on and a full band version of 'YL' is the last song of this wonderful and magic evening.
setlist scan
order the official live cds from amazon06/28/00 - Naval Museum: Stockholm, Sweden [126m; Ed's set 20m]
attendance: 15,000
support act: Dismemberment Plan
soundcheck (just Ed): Soon Forget (short) Walking the Cow (short), Dead Man (short), Crazy on You (snippets by Mike), Parting Ways (short, several times), Noise of Carpet (shippet), Dead Man (short), Trouble (short), Patriot (full), Around the Bend (snippet), Redemption Song (snippet), Last Kiss (full)
Ed's solo set: Last Kiss, Trouble, Deadman, Parting Ways, Throw Your Arms Around Me
set: Corduroy, Grievance, God's Dice, Animal, Given To Fly, Rival, Elderly Woman, Even Flow, Not For You, Thin Air, MFC, Habit, Present Tense, Daughter/(The Wrong Child), Jeremy, Once, Go
enc: Do The Evolution, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror, Wishlist, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Garden, State Of Love And Trust, Rockin' In The Free World
notes: Ed does a solo set prior to Dismemberment Plan's set! For 'Last Kiss,' one of the crew (Shawn) comes on stage and pretends to sing, but it is actually Ed singing from the side of the stage ;) [Ed wanted to do this because he remembered doing it in '92 and thought it would be a cool thing to repeat. Shawn only had 5 minutes advance warning and didn't really know the song well.] Eight parachutists pass by the venue, doing arial tricks while the entire band watches. Ed interrupts 'Jeremy' with a "happy landings" and comments 'Jeremy' must be the "freeloaders" favorite song so they waited to come in then. 'Go' includes a snippet from Iron Maiden's 'Run to the Hills.' Before the encore, Ed says that Iron Maiden is still in the house and asks the crowd to yell "Goodbye Maiden," and the crowd complies. Ed comments, "There's two Eddies in town," referring to the Iron Maiden mascot, also called "Eddie." A large Nokia air balloon passes by during 'RVM' prompting Ed to change the lyrics to "I seem to look away, when advertisements are flown my way." He acts like he is shooting them down with his guitar, with Matt accompanying with two or three rapid drumrolls (like a machine gun), and tells the crowd that it was their parents checking up on them and directs a "they're fine ... go to hell ... or heaven" to those in the balloon, followed by mumbling something about "which ever one is closer." 'Garden' is dedicated to the space around the venue. Ed says it is the fourth time they've played at that venue; the crowd says it was three times. For 'RitFW,' it is noted that the last time they played there, it was with Neil Young, and the speaker caught on fire! [On the encore setlist and not played: 'Black' (after 'SoL&T'; probably skipped because Mike had guitar problems) and 'Yellow Ledbetter']
poster
ad
order the official live cds from amazon06/29/00 - Spektrum: Oslo, Norway [124m]
support act: Dismemberment Plan
set: Sometimes, Breakerfall, Corduroy, Hail Hail, Animal, Red Mosquito, Given To Fly, Nothing As It Seems, In Hiding, Insignificance, Grievance, Wishlist, Evacuation, Alive, Spin The Black Circle, Daughter/(In the Mood)/(Hold On)/(Androgynous Mind), Better Man, Immortality, Last Exit, Porch
enc : Sleight Of Hand, Do The Evolution, Once, Elderly Woman, Timeless Melody, Black, Fuckin' Up
notes: Totally different from Stockholm, indoors and a slower setlist. 'Immortality' and 'Black' are standouts. Mike is in a great mood, "threatening" to hit his tech with the guitar and flexing his muscles. Ed is watching Mike during each solo appearing to be totally amazed by him. 'Daughter' is followed with snippets from Robert Plant's 'In the Mood' ("I'm in the mood for a melody I'm in the mood for a melody, I'm in the mood").
setlist scan
poster
order the official live cds from amazon06/30/00 - Roskilde Festival (orange stage): Copenhagen, Denmark
set: Corduroy, Breakerfall, Hail Hail, Animal, Given To Fly, Even Flow, MFC, Habit, Better Man, Light Years, Insignificance, Daugther/(Hold On)/(Androgynous Mind)
notes: The show ends early when a crowd surge on wet ground causes the death of nine people.07/02/00 - Werchter Festival: Brussels, Belgium (canceled)
07/03/00 - The Ahoy: Rotterdam, Netherlands (canceled)
Copyright © 2000-2004 Jean Bruns, All Rights Reserved
![[Link to Video Guide]](5hvid.gif){kind=small}
