Set List: Corduroy, Animal, Hail Hail, Brain of J., In Hiding, Jeremy, Do The Evolution, Pilate, Even Flow, Daughter, MFC, Wishlist, Present Tense, Habit ("speaking as a friend of a Missoulian"), Given To Fly, Immortality, Alive; 1st Encore: Better Man, Black, State of Love and Trust, Once; 2nd Encore: Yellow Ledbetter

Sound credit: Jack Long (long@digisys.net)

KJ1NYR@aol.com
I started writing this last night but then the only 2 hours of sleep the previous night caught up with me and I crashed. You all may have already heard about some of this but here's another take on the evening.

It was &%@#ing Awesome. The weather was perfect. The crowd was relatively gentile compared to some places I've been. The setting was beautiful. The music was.... well... what did you expect?

My flight landed late in Missoula.. due to weather delays and heavy cloud cover. But I was greeted with warm sunshine and a bright blue sky contrasting the deep green mountains. I had a strong feeling that the rain they forecast would hold off for us. (That would be me relying on my "Concert Karma" again.) I rented a car from some very nice, very chatty, very star struck Missoulans, who informed me of all the celebrities that were supposedly in town. After a false start finding my hotel (who knew there would be two Holiday Inn's in a town this size!?!?) I checked in and began preparations for the evening. I opened the curtains to find that I had a lovely view of a raging river. When I opened the window I immediately realized that I was directly across the river from the venue because I could hear the music from the radio station broadcast in the parking lot. I threw together my concert necessities and trotted off to find my buds.

At 2:30pm I pulled into the parking lot at Grizzly Stadium and had no problem finding a spot as there were only a few hundred people milling around and surprisingly few cars parked. I doubt there were twenty people lined up for entry to the floor section. As I expected the first five people on line happened to be friends and previous show acquaintances.. always nice to see old friends. I was told that sound check was already underway, we couldn't hear it from the line so I hustled around the venue to catch it. Since I missed the beginning I could be wrong about the songs: Faithfull / Present Tense / Better Man / Pilate / New Song/Improv? / MFC / Jeremy

The stage was at the North end of the venue, which faced the mountains, and you could only hear soundcheck from the South end, with the mountains behind us. The music barrelled up the mountains and then echoed back at us. It was all very surreal since we could not see the band, only hear them. The words and music echoed across the valley, eerily praising the beautiful setting. There was a path up the mountain to the University's giant letter M and people were lining the path all the way up, I'd assume catching a peek of the band over the stadium walls while taking in the music. The band sounded great. Soundcheck ended just after 4pm.

Commercial Interruption: Merchandise was being sold outside the venue. Very convenient for getting your goodies and leaving them in the car so you don't have to carry stuff around. A cool Ames Bros. poster for $10 that had four hunters tracking Big Foot, who is sneaking up behind them. ("Beware Missoula Montana!") The number five seems to turn up a lot when round PJ so I ask myself, is it significant that there are five figures on the poster? If so, who is Big Foot? hmmm Five (!) different types of tee shirts and a thermal, which is the same as they had in Oakland. One of those tiny (baby doll?) tee shirts that are so popular these days with young girls, can't remember the design for some reason. A white tee with the same design on the front as the Big Foot poster. A navy blue one with a small Yield sign (a la Oakland). A black "letterbox" tee reminiscent of the Given to Fly single, statue on the front, blue sky going completely around to the back (nice!) And a simple yet pretty red tee with five (again!) yellow bird silhouettes flying in a vertical line up the shirt, each bird slightly different from each other. How appropriate.

The tee shirts were $20, $22 for the GTF and I think $32 for the thermal. They had the same stickers ($1) and hat ($10?) they had in Oakland and Maui, but a new hat, similar to one I've seen Jeff wear but with a funky plastic Yield sign on the front. Also... and this made me laugh... socks. Yes folks, if you've been on the road for a while, following the band around, camping out, sleeping in your car, not necessarily following your normal hygienic routine, now you have an excuse to change your socks!! LOL Could PJ Boxers and Sport Bras be far behind!!?

Back to the lead in to the show: They started to let everyone into the venue at 5:30pm. I wasn't ready to do the cattle imitation so I strolled around outside. Yak yak yak, so many cool people to talk about PJ with! =) Went inside around 6:30pm. Despite the crowd I was able to scope out a spot on the barricade in front of the stage, about 20 feet left of Stone's position. Side of the stage, not in front of the band but still good enough to see the entire stage. Lots of cool people around me, most of whom have never seen them live. The usual PJ set up. Toys scattered around on the amps, big candles, simple black background replacing the simple white. The chandelier of candles from previous years has been replaced by five (!) huge candle pillars, possibly more than 6 feet tall. They are in the shape of an oil drilling rig or the eiffel tower, topped with BIG candles sitting in bowls like halogen lamps. There were colored lights inside the bowls and this made the candles glow atmospherically in various colors throughout the night, even after the wind had blown all but one of the flames out. Up in the rafters was a huge mirror ball. Gotta love the tried and true cheesy stuff!

Goodness came on around 7:30pm. The crowd was beyond polite. They were actually enthusiastic! And with good reason. I liked Goodness. They seemed happy to be there and I thought they played an energetic set. They definitely had the crowd over in my little corner pogoing all over each other! Mike McCready picked up his Flying V and joined them for one pretty cool song. Fun band, they rocked. And I get to see them again tonight! =)

The entrance... I could see under the stage and about 5 after 9pm I spotted them ascending the backstage steps. Many others also saw them and so the crowd went wild. At both sides of the stage they greeted several backstage people with hugs and big smiles. They looked hyped. This was going to be good. The sun was setting and it was still light out so there were no lights to dim. They just came on out. Most of you saw them on MTV last week. Stone's hair is longer, maybe he'll let it grow long again (fingers crossed!). Mike has blonde hair, kinda short and spikey, he looks good, only chubby in his face, definitely not fat. Jeff had his hat on but it came off during the show and he looked yummy, as usual. (bias? me? nah!) I could only see Matt from his bottom lip up, but he looked happy to be there. Ed was wearing the red and black checked shirt he had on for the Tibet show last week covered by a white jacket that sort of looked like a lab coat and he wore a funky looking pair of glasses. He immediately reminded me of my hippie, pot smoking high school science teacher, ya know, that one who was cool and could relate to the kids and sometimes hit on the girls. ;o)

*THE* show... As I'd expected, the came out hard. They always do when they haven't played live much for a while. Chomping at the bit I'll guess. They just plowed right into the first bunch of songs with no fanfare and no talking. Just get down to business!

Corduroy: The waiting drove me mad. Understatement!! Matt pounds the sh!t out of the drums. They are energized and ready to rock! No time in between... directly into...

Animal: Five five, five against one! One massive crowd of excited people jumping and gyrating all over the place! Several at the barricade with me can't make it and are pulled out. Me and those on either side of me hold our ground and without skipping a beat the band slams into..

Hail Hail: "Sometimes realize that I can only be as good as you'll let me.... Let me!" (he pleads) "Like minded on the run and I raise the cane be wounded... Hail Hail the lucky ones, I refer to those in front yeah" We were lucky. EV says "Thanks" at the end and they roar right into..

Brain of J: Incredible guitar solo. Mikey is on fire! towards the end: "Whole world will be different soon.. Whole world will be believin' (?)... Whole world will be different soon.. Whole world will be relieved... Whole world will be different..." (spoken: "I swear").

In Hiding: Heartfelt. "no longer overwhelmed and it seems so simple now"

Finally a pause. "Well we picked a nice night for music. We got a good [couldn't make it out]" The crowd screams in agreement. No rain all night. Beautiful clear and skies full of stars. Perfect.

Jeremy: We fight to maintain our positions on the wall as the "No Fear" twits try to displace us. We shove them back and threaten to hip check them back to Bozeman if they don't go elsewhere. They do! I get the feeling the band is tired of this one. It was played just a beat slower, not as frantic, which was good given the bodies that were being pulled out of the pit. Ed can't hit the high notes at the end, he holds his throat at one point. Out of practice a bit I guess.

"Ya know I never uh.. ya know.. was fortunate, or unfortunate enough to ever have to go to college or... so this is what it's like?" Crowd roars. "All those majoring in Political Science, raise their hands" (I couldn't see anyone acknowledge and the crowd is quiet.) "Computers, raise their hands" (still nothing..) "you're all just here to learn how to fuck and you know it!" Now the crowd roars!!

Do the Evolution: "Admire my son, admire my clothes" he holds open his shirt to show off his ~spiffy~ tee shirt. Voice still cracking on the high notes but everyone gives this song their all. When the song is over there is a pause and Matt drums a little ditty that sounds like the intro to Paul Simon's "50 ways to leave your lover". He's itching to play.

Pilate: "I believe this next song was actually born in Montana, but I might be wrong" The song sounds good live. Then they kick right into..

Even Flow: The pit starts churning again and we struggle to protect a little girl who is so excited to see them live and doesn't want to leave the front. She's a trooper and stuck it out through the entire show. Not too many bodies going over our heads over here on the side and the people behind us have gotten used to the idea that we're not giving up our positions on the barricade. I'm wearing a leather jacket and with my permission several gals hang on to me for dear life! We are a force of women against the waves of testosterone that would have us out of their way. We shall not be moved. "lead him away, him away yeah" Stone says "Thanks a lot". I see the stand up bass and so I know the next one will be:

Daughter: "the sun goes down... the sun goes down..." No decipherable song at the end, just a moody jam and Ed whispering something into the mic that I cannot make out. He seems in a trance for several seconds. He acknowledges the people crowded on the "M" hill just outside the venue. "People on the hill, can you hear this?.... people on the hill, stand up and move if you can hear this.. we can see ya. This place turns out to be bigger than we thought" more random emoting into the mic, I think he says something like "I'm loving this place". A funky little improv jam ensues and then the opening chords of...

MFC: The crowd was hoping for this one, a fave off the new album. The band kicks the shit out of it! Guitar solos... Go Mikey, Go Mikey! Go Stone! Go everyone! Guitars, Bass, Drums, this song rocks!

Wishlist: Again, a crowd pleaser. "fifty million hands upraised and open towards the sky".... "I wish I was a living being at home behind the sun" pause and the crowd thinks it over but then "I wish I was a president, and I wish I were a [king?] I wish I wish I wish I wish I could [do every-thing!] "if I was a university professor this is what I would tell you... "

Present Tense: "are we getting something out of this.. whole big fucking trip" The build and jam incites the pit again and we hold on for dear life... into the jam Ed sings "much more much more sense... much more sense"

Funky improv between songs. Ed speaks while playing, a few notes, a few words.. "Do you guys realize that you're all famous?... I mean, if you think about it we're all famous in our own.. way.... But no, I mean like.. really.. famous.... Ya see Time Magazine this month?.... I guess if you're from Billings you're famous.... Right now you are the most famous... crank smoking.. degenerates... [demoralized?]... ya know what I always say, if you're gonna do something... be something... be the best!"

Habit: "Speaking as the friend of a Missoulian..." [aif] [wav] (149K) The jam at the end is a fervor of magical noise. The pit is wild. We hold on.

Given to Fly: Matt is beyond words. His drumming is so strong, a true anchor to the band as a whole. I marvel at how well he knows the songs already. This song lifts me up with more than the words. The subtleties of the guitars, the backbone of the bass and the driving drums. My heart lifts with each chord. Those around me feel it too. We hold on to the barricades but we're flying in our souls.

Immortality: A short false start.. has it been a while since they've played this? Always a fave of mine, although it's a sad song that reminds me of the state of music at the time I first heard it in '94. The guitar solo has the perfect touch of pathos and anguish... longing... despair.... then wailing, lifting out of the darkness, fighting back... rebirth...

Alive: Energy is uncontrollable! The crowd is going nuts!

This is the end of the set and they leave us with the crowd chanting in a call and response manner "Pearl .... JAM.... Pearl ... JAM!" The people around me ask me if they'll come back out. Oh yes. They will.

The Encores... They shortly come back out. Ed starts by saying: "Thanks a lot, I don't mean to be condescending, I mean it honestly on behalf of the whole band, I think this is a great place to start a tour and I think we'll make it a [seasonal] thing... (crowd screams) And it's all because of Jeff, so, there's your thanks right there... Jeff Ament... from Montana" crowd approves. "now uh, I just met someone from the crowd, he's been standing in the front and he brought a sign and it got our attention and uh he's going to ask for your attention and the attention of one person uh specifically and.. but.. he's got something to say... uh, and we're all going to listen and his name is Wayne, so let's give him a hand and then a moment of silence, okay?" Crowd goes wild. Wayne thanks the crowd and talks about one girl who has been in his heart for a long time. He then thanks the band by saying "Who else would do this? Pearl Jam.. they're the best!!" The crowd, especially the gals, go nuts. He takes out a ring and Ed, standing to Wayne's side, gestures comically "For Me?" Wayne makes a comment that he shouldn't have paid for the diamond because standing in the mosh pit he could have pressed one himself. He then asks his girlfriend to marry him. (her name is Kelly btw! hmmm, my first love was named Wayne!) Ed comments "She's standing in the very back, he spent so much money on the ring she's sitting in the last row up there... but uh, good luck and this is.. (Wayne nervously whispers to Ed to remember the song.. Ed pats him reassuringly) .. yeah, I got it... (LOL)... so we wish Wayne and Kelly good luck.. whatever the future holds... and we dedicate this one to them..."

Better Man: Enthusiastic rendition, after which Ed says "Good luck Kelly, hope you say yes!"

Black: The crowd sings along and all the Wonder Women who've been braving the pit around me flick their bics and sway as best we can in the crush. He sings "laid spread out before me" and "revolved around her sun" (I've seen/heard him sing "soul" from time to time but I watched him carefully tonight, he sang "sun") The band is jamming at the end and Ed keeps vocalizing, but we only get a tiny bit of sof "we.. we belong together" he fades the song out by repeating "together, together". It's an emotional moment.

Stone says: "Alright, we're gonna play a couple more songs for ya... fuck it" The band huddles center stage and tries to decide what to play. Excellent choice IMHO...

State of Love and Trust: Rock my world, I love this song. Pure Energy. The pits are churning again and bodies are flying over us. Guitars are wailing, drums are pounding, the bass is my heartbeat. There are not enough adjectives to describe it all. Directly into....

Once!!! My first PJ song that I ever heard and always a fave live. Ed growls the lyrics and again I am enthralled with Matt's drumming. He *OWNS* this song! The guitar solos also amaze me, those flying fingers... Wow. "I got nothing to say but.... thanks"

As the music crests in a wall of sound and noise and energy.. "thanks, buh bye"... then as the others walk off stage "Thank you, good night and good bye... appreciate it... see ya next time" The crowd starts to chant "Ed-die Ed-die Ed-die"

2nd Encore: Stone comes out and says "it's freakin' rainin' isn't it?" (it isn't, the sky is perfectly clear) Jeff comes forward: "there's a couple of people I want to thank... uh, I wanna thank my dad.. my mom.. tomorrow's father's day, happy father's day.. and uh.. I wanna thank a guy that's probably not going to get any thanks from anybody except for me and that's Truxton... who uh, kinda made this all happen and made me believe that he could pull it off and he did so.. thanks." Ed: "And one more thank you to Matt Cameron... [back there]... "hit it" he gestures to Mike.

Yellow Ledbetter: Not the best rendition I've experienced live but still moving, how could it not be! Mike wails at the end. It's a lengthy solo. He goes really soft for a few bars and then does a little ditty ala the Who. They go offstage. Me and all around me are satiated and leave with a high that cannot be duplicated by pharmaceuticals. We made new friends and new PJ fans tonight. There was some point in the evening when Ed came to the edge of the stage and stood right in front of me but for the life of me I can't think of what song that was. Cool though. Couldn't ask for a better evening. But of course, then there's tonight.

Note: Security is incredible at this venue. Cheerful and caring. They not only rescue dozens who've had enough and catch hundreds who surf to the front, they keep filling water bottles for those who have them and spraying water into the mouths of those who don't. I can't say enough good things about these guys.