Soundgarden reuniting... and Pearl Jam already has announced 2010 Tour Dates....


I predict a Temple of the Dog Reunion 2010 :)

Interesting.... At least this article from Billboard confirms Pearl Jam will be touring in the Spring and Summer :P

I received this in my INBOX today (via the 930 Club's mailing list)....

Weird. Pearl Jam fought against Ticketmaster's monopoly maybe 15 years ago.....

Concert Fans Beware!

There’s a train wreck about to happen and consumer groups say YOU will be the victim if the two most powerful corporate interests in the live concert business get their way. But you can help stop the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The government needs to hear from music fans now. Tell the Department of Justice that you’re against these monopolies amassing illegal power over consumers, before it’s too late. antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

As a concertgoer you have already felt the pain, and if Ticketmaster and Live Nation get their way, it’ll get worse. In the last 12 years, since Live Nation and its predecessor started its widespread takeover of the concert industry, concert ticket prices have shot up 82% while the consumer price index has gone up just 17%*. We are concerned that if the two concert industry behemoths, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are permitted to merge, the variety and quality of artists coming to local venues will be affected, and your costs could rise further and faster.

Five of the nation’s most prominent public interest groups called on the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation:

“Consumers deserve a fair deal in the entertainment marketplace, not the fewer choices and higher prices that would result from this merger,” said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America

“This merger is an insult to both musicians and consumers,” said James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International

“We cannot envision a remedy that would ease this chilling impediment to competition… In the absence of other effective, expeditious remedies, the proposed transaction should be prohibited.” American Antitrust Institute White Paper

As described by Senator Herb Kohl (WI) in the House Antitrust hearing, “This merger will not only expand Ticketmaster’s control of the ticketing market by eliminating a competitor, but it is also creating an entity that will control the entire chain of the concert business – from artist management to concert promotion and production to ticketing and ticket resale.”

“This merger would be a disaster for consumers. Nothing short of blocking this takeover of the ticket market by two industry behemoths will be acceptable,” said National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg

“As president, I will direct my administration to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement. I will step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare…,” said Senator Barack Obama when he was campaigning for the presidency.

If you agree with the consumer groups and lawmakers, make a difference and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW.

Send a message to the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice telling them you support President Obama’s campaign promise to protect the American public from abusive monopolies.

antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

To learn more, check out:

ticketdisaster.org

Public Interest Groups Call on Justice Department to Block Ticketmaster/LiveNation/Comcast Merger

American Antitrust Institute's White Paper TICKETMASTER - LIVE NATION

Philadelphia Weekly’s cover story “Monopoly Rules”

Signed,

The 9:30 Club, I.M.P., Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jam Productions, Metropolitan Talent, Another Planet Entertainment, Frank Productions, Stone City Attractions, Rams Head Live, The Black Cat ... and independent concert promoters and venue operators nationwide.

*Study by Princeton University economist Alan Krueger

If you are viewing the text-only version of this email, click the following link to email:

On your Best Rock Song Grammy Nomination for "The Fixer"

Watch Pearl Jam on this weeks Austin City Limits! (Check Local PBS listings!)

*note you may have to reload the page to view the embedded file...

The Halloween show had been hyped for months before on the PJ fanboards....

The week before it picked up into almost unseen frenzied levels. They will play every song they know, They'll play until 2am, Bruce Springteen will be a special guest... and all kinds of other rumors picked up at a frenzied past as the date drew closer.

By this point there was no way the show could have lived up to everyone's expectations....
Which is why I try to usually have none (aside from really wanting to hear 1 or 2 specific songs)...

The SEPTA train ride was more packed than Friday due to the World Series game across the street, but it was fun... a ton of people were dressed in costume (including me!)

Picked up 10 Club tickets... this time 12th row on Mike's side... woot!

Beer Tent time.. and another cover band outside the venue! People watching time..... I saw a dude waiting in line dressed as JT from the SNL "Dick in a box" skit; a guy in a banana suit; Bee Girl; guy dressed as Bret Michael's (he gave me a high five when I laughed at him :P); too many Elvis's to count; Jesus; it was fun to see people get into the spirit!

Then it started to rain, so C and I headed inside.

Up first Bad Religion... Guitarist dressed as skeleton... YAY!



Then its Pearl Jam time! (as before full setlist can be found on any other Pearl Jam site).

Here are the stand out moments, probably in a random order :)

Due to someone I follow on Twitter... I was alerted to Balloons up in the rafters....



Opened with Why Go ... so glad they have resurrected this live... its AWESOME!

Pilate!


Rats!! (A person in a Rat costume appeared onstage ... I thnk they were part of the crew.... various members of the crew were in costume)




OUT OF MY MIND!!!!!!! -- as Vedder said "this isn't even a song" . This is a live improv that was released as the Not For You b-side. Only played twice before....It was awesome because I love this song, and thought I would never hear it live :D


** Bathroom Break*** Bathroom situation at the Spectrum was ICKY!

BUGS!!!! w/accordian :D took a few tries but it was cool to see :)



The Final Encore may have well been perfection from start to finish.... but I think at this point most in the Venue knew the Phillies were losing so I think the crowd lost some steam....

First part....just may have been worth the price of admission for those 5 minutes....

Pearl Jam came out on stage ...Dressed as Devo and performed Whip It! TRULY AWESOME!!



Sweet Lew - Jeff singing and Eddie Basketball dribbling...too funny!


Smile - :)


RITFW - A minute or 2 in and Confetti came shooting out in all directions .... the Spectrum was filled ... and made for some AWESOME pictures.. Then the balloons dropped too cool!






I got a poster :)


So glad I was at this show ..... for all the one-off moments

This show start to finish was amazing. It may be my favorite all time....even counting when I was front row center back in 2000 @ Merriweather :)

The drive up to Philly from DC was not bad... considering it was Friday traffic (Special thanks to EZ-PASS!!!! and my Navigation System.... though DC to Philly is pretty much a straight drive up I-95......)

Anyways... my friend C and I arrived at the venue around 6:30 I think and picked up my tickets.... 7th row center! Haven't been that close in a while ... usually averaging row 12 in DC and NYC shows, so we were stoked!

We wandered around to one side where a beer/drinks tent was set up and got some drinks and proceeded to watch the Pearl Jam cover band that was playing in front of the Spectrum.... Then made our way inside.

Bad Religion was playing and were pretty good... (I admit I only know one of their older tunes...) They finished and it was time to chat with fellow 10 Club members (after so many years.... seated by number you start to see the same people over and over.. which makes it fun!)

You can find the setlist on any Pearl Jam fansite, so I won't go into the whole thing, but they played a good mix.... and the new stuff sounded AWESOME.. especially The Fixer , Got Some, and Unthought Known, I was also happy to hear In My Tree, Off He Goes, Breath, RVM, Mamasan, and Sonic Reducer!!

It really was a perfect night! band and crowd energy was great!!

(Until we got back to the Hotel, and found Friday's with doors locked at 12:40PM.... Late night eating in Philly is a #FAIL)

Next up... thoughts on Philly the city!

Pearl Jam began their 4 date close-out of Philly's Spectrum on Tuesday night, and by Wednesday morning message boards were filled with topics like "Saturday until 2AM..." . It seems Ed Vedder made a comment that by 2AM Saturday night they will have played every someg they know! So teh speculation started ... Could this be true? Will they be playing until 2AM?? People started digging for info. Apparently various Spectrum security staff has confirmed that they will need to stay until 3AM (some policy is in place that security stays around until an hour afterteh show is over).

Currently the longest Pearl Jam show is from 5/3/03 - State College, PA (and I was there!!!!) and clocked in at 3.5 hours. (Though there is some debate that the 3rd Mansfield, MA show is longer due too PJ playing an acoutstic set, then Sleater-Kinney "opening"; then Pearl Jam playing their main set).

Saturday should put the debate to rest!!

Can't wait....updates after I return :D

I was scrolling thru Twitter this afternoon and saw a tweet from @Pearl Jam announcing a Mobile App for Verizon Tour customers :D

So I of course stopped what I was doing and downloaded...

1)It's free :)

2) You can download select songs from this summers tour

3) Wallpaper for your phone (live shots from the tour!)

4) Tour Dates

5) Setlists

AWESOME!

So glad I stayed with Verizon when I upgraded ;)

Philly in less than 2 weeks !!!!!

Sent from my BlackBerry

but its out of stock :(

To the new Pearl Jam album... Backspacer. Available Sunday :)

to Pearl Jam of course! Can't wait to see them in Philly :D

If I hadn't just bought all new windows for my house I would totally be going to Austraila in November to see Pearl Jam, via this travel package...

Traveling for a Pearl Jam tour is not new to me. I have been to New York, Virgnia Beach, Philly, Seattle, (and my local DC shows of course). But many other fans are crazier than me. They do the whole tour, go to Eurpoe, Canada, South America, and Austraila. And Pearl Jam seems to be acknowledging it....with the Introduction of Travel Packages and Special Hotel rates (Fan Club memebers got an email yesterday about Special Rates for the pilgramage to Philly that will be happening at the end of October).

I can't wait to see what the Ten Club puts together for Cleveland 2017 (The first ceremony that J will be eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...)

with an upcoming album release and Tour... this blog may head into a "Pearl Jam Overload" state :D

Enjoy!!

To the 10Club... My love/hate relationship with them continues :) But I am so Happy I got tickets to Pearl Jam's 10/30 show at the Spectrum in Philly!!!!!

Set those DVRs :D

I am a huge Pearl Jam fan. Especially of their live music. Back when I was in college I started collecting many live shows (real bootlegs, to be sure... not the "Official Bootlegs" that the fan club now sells after every tour). I have a crate of Video bootlegs. I also had a large storage bin of cassette bootlegs....perhaps 20-30 shows - each show takes 2 tapes.

I knew I would never be able to sell them on ebay... Pearl Jam offical-dom would be all over my ass... threatening to boot me from the fan club... (so I'd lose my access to awesome concert seats).

I briefly thought of posting them on craigslist. but really who wants tapes anymore?

So last night... I dumped them all in a trash bag :-)