Set List: Long Road, Last Exit, Animal, Hail, Hail, Go, Red Mosquito, In My Tree, Corduroy, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Lukin, Mankind, Off He Goes, Even Flow, Daughter/(Androgynous Mind), Jeremy, Sometimes, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Alive; 1st Encore: Who You Are, Black, I Got Id, SOLAT, Present Tense, Smile, 2nd Encore: Indifference

Ticket credit: Andrew McDougall, Australia

My Warsaw Experience
by: Gosia Taklinska

Hi Pearl Jammers all around the world,

Here I am. Maybe someone of you have heard of me or have been in touch with me. My name is Gosia (long name Malgorzata or Margaret in English) Taklinska. I'm living in Warsaw (Poland) and, of course, I'm a very big fan of PJ. My crazy huge love of the band turned into a book. I'm the author of the one and only book-bigraphy about Pearl Jam in Poland, of course. My book is called „Roslina” (The Plant) already has bestseller status - 10,000 copies sold out!!! So you can imagine how many PJ fans are in Poland. I've been listening to Pearl Jam's music for more than 6 years. I saw their two concerts - last year in Warsaw and in Berlin. I was waiting for this concert for more than 4 years, but it seemed to me all my life. On the one hand I'm a BIG, BIG fan but on the other one I'm the author of the one and only Pearl Jam's book (biography) and Sony Music employee, professionally responsible for Pearl Jam's promotion in Poland. My expectations were so high, and, please, believe me, it certainly did not disappoint me.

REVIEW

The day of the Pearl Jam concert in Warsaw was double special. It was the 1st of November, so people celebrated All Saints Day. It is nothing like Halloween Day in the USA. It is a very solemn and weepy day when everybody, children and youngsters as well, are attending and tending their forebears graves. On the other hand, this day made a special climate for the concert. Nine thousand people from all around the country (the concert was sold out 2 months before the show) came to the venue (“Torwar” - ice palace, skating-rink) , and this audience was incredible. Around 7 p.m. an unidentified, strange person with a silver hat and jacket with a little sheet of paper in their hand appeared on stage and said in not very good Polish: Hi, I'm Eddie. Then took off the top clothing and it came clear that it was the frontman (or rather: frontwoman) of the support group Fastbacks. The audience was very warm. Finally they finished and my emotions comes to the highest level.

Around 8.45 p.m. the lights went down and I heard first bits of the drum, guitar and this incredible voice. Eddie started to sing Long Road, this beautiful song from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. I started to cry, tears falling down my cheeks. In one moment I cried and I smiled. I was the happiest person in the world. I got really thrilled. After the first slow song, which was played in the almost complete darkness - only some candles on the amps, the lights went on and the guys played faster songs like Last Exit, Animal, Hail, Hail and Go. The audience, of course, started to sing (really every word, it was incredible, you know Polish people are not so good in English) and dance or rather jump. After this fast set Eddie said his first word to the people: “So..... hello. I have been told to speak slowly that you could understand me. Take care of yourselves. The next song is Red Mosquito.” They played Red Mosquito and In My Tree perfectly. Then there was Corduroy - the whole audience sang with Eddie. Then three songs from “No Code” - Lukin, Mankind and Off He Goes. People and the band were like ONE. And in this incredible moment, Pearl Jam played and sang Even Flow, Daughter and Jeremy. It couldn't be better. It felt like every person at the venue (with me of course) drank off every word from Eddie's mouth. It was like 9 thousand throats singing the song - really incredible!!! After this amazing moment, THEY played the beautiful Sometimes to calm down the audience a little.. To contrast with it, they played faster Rearviewmirror, where in the final part of the song Eddie tried to 'scream his lungs out' with all the people of course. And at the end, with all lights on, Pearl Jam sang their biggest hit, “ALIVE”. There was a mystery, there was an ecstasy, there was a magic, there was a ...

Then they got off the stage to the roaring of the audience. Everybody knew that they had to come back and in fact they were back after a short break. Jack started to beat the drums quietly..., Come to send, not condescend.... Everyone sang this beautiful song. Then came the second moment when I cried. They played Black, one of the most beautiful songs, with its incredible lyrics. Then I Got Id and my favorite one from the soundtrack Singles - State Of Love And Trust. And to be honest it was the state shared with all the audience. And it was the end of the first encore.

People didn't leave the venue, just the opposite, they started to scream, stamp and call the band. After a few minutes they were back. They played my favorite song from No Code - Present Tense and then beautiful Smile with Neil Young's spirit in the air. “I miss you already, all days, this is how I feel”. This really was the feeling of Eddie and I felt like this and people around me felt the same. This was what Eddie said after singing this song, and he also promised to come back for sure. A little break. Then there was a real end - Eddie with his guitar and this incredible song Indifference. 'I will light the match this morning, So I won't be alone...' And I won't... It was the end, but I won't be alone, Pearl Jam music will be with me all my life...everywhere...

For sure, it was the best show in my life and believe me I saw many. It wasn't only my opinion (which could not be objective). Every review was enthusiastic, so it had to be a great gig. I've heard that for the band it was the one of the greatest shows during No Code tour.

To compare, I was there two days later in Berlin for the PJ concert and really there was no comparision at all. The band wasn't in this great condition like in Poland and the audience.... Sorry to say that but German audience wasn't so great like Polish. They didn't sing every song, they weren't so warm and... that was my little impression....

Gosia

PS. After concert I had a big pleasure to talk with Jeff and he's fantastic. In fact I couldn't speak I have big stone in my throat. All jammers gave me the autographs with thank for my book. I was so happy...