Set List: Release, Last Exit, Brain of J., Hail Hail, Red Mosquito, Given To Fly, Corduroy, I Got Shit, Off He Goes, Even Flow, Faithfull, Daughter/?/I Believe in Miracles, Nothingman, Jeremy Habit, Better Man, Alive; 1st encore: Do The Evolution, Rearviewmirror, Wishlist, Leaving Here; 2nd encore: KKK Took My Baby Away w/Johnny Ramone

Han (hlin@artcenter.edu)
Since I got into the Ten/Vitalogy fan club about a month late, I had to go to the two shows by going through the hideous mess of Ticketmaster, ending up in the nosebleed seats. Not that I'm complaining about that, since Pearl Jam's passionate vibe was felt in every single corner of the Great Western "FABULOUS" Forum. But it still bugged the hell out of me and my fellow PJ addict, Joe, to have to sit behind about four rows of mannequin's that cared too much about their fuckin image than about the music. Enough bitching... "back to the music".

Release. In order to have a perfect set, there has to be a perfect opener. well... this was a perfect set. the guys slowly inched their magic in with the classic song from Ten and started spreading that vibe only PJ shows have. amazing. Red Mosquito and Last Exit set the pace even more, with the latter being a request of mine on the Synergy website. THANKS!!!

Can't remember the order of the songs now... that's how much the two LA shows overwhelmed me. Brain of J, Corduroy, Hail Hail, I got Id, Faithfull, Off He Goes, etc... songs that we've been dreaming of hearing for the past few years... they were done with such conviction. such passion. You know it's fully ON whenever Jeff gets serious air... and he had those silver Nikes that were the same as mine!!! When Given to Fly first started, it sounded like the intro to In My Tree, which is still my favorite song of all times. But when Eddie's vocals started, it sounded as if he wanted to convince me otherwise. Wow!

The pillar songs: Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy, Better Man, Daughter, etc. brought some life into the lame crowd around us, and brought a thunderstorm to the entire Forum. The second Wishlist in two days was just as beautiful as the first, bringing down the mirrorball and sending beams of light swirling all around. The singalongs and the cheers were SO loud that I felt the ground shake. Even after all these years of playing these classics, Pearl Jam played them out freshly. We want to give a thankful salute to Matt, for all the hard work he's done for this tour, learning and propelling all these PJ songs. *bow* We would also like to send out a get-well-soon shout to Jack. Miss you much, Ironman, and a happy birthday to you on the 18th, and the same to Stone on the 20th!

RearViewMirror was like a shotgun, blowing the angst into the audience in ways few bands can match. Do the Evolution justified the desperate need for a moshpit at the Forum. An explosive Habit even got a pregnant lady out of her seat, dancing enthusiastically.

Leaving Here's highlight was Mike's wild burst in the last of four mini-solos. So that's where I lost my voice! Thanks a lot, McCready! :) Eddie dedicated this one first to the ladies, which brought down the house. Then he changed his mind and gave it to the guys, which brought down the... foundation! I've been wanting to hear this song ever since I heard it on the live Berlin broadcast, where the Fastbacks played with PJ.

There's so much more I want to say about my first and second ever Pearl Jam shows. But I think I'll save all of that for a book or two dedicated to this monster of a band. Last but not least, I'd like to thank Eddie and the guys for coming to LA. We missed you all very much and we look forward to seeing you, hearing you, and loving you for years and years and years to come. You guys will ALWAYS be the BEST!!!!!!!

Joseph Neu (mojoe29@pacbell.net)
"A Magical Evening"
In what was my 5th Pearl Jam show in 12 days, the band reached a new high, making this, the second night in L.A., a show for the ages! There were moments in the show where it seemed anything could happen. Moments when the crowd hung on every whisper of Eddie's, or gazed in awe as screamed as if entranced.

The show began w/ the Red dot song being played thru the p.a. The band takes the dark stage and "Release" starts the show. Beautifully done, the band then rips into a blistering rendition of "Last Exit"! It was obvious right away that this night was special. It was like the band picked up where it left off the previous night here in L.A. The band was super charged and sounded in peak form. Then, as if the band had read my fanview from night one, I got my wish: RED MOSQUITO !! This song sounds sooo great live! The "if I'd have known then" part was one of the most beautiful sounding moments I'd ever heard any band playing live.

Some nights to get the crowd into it, Pearl Jam inserts a classic like "Even Flow" early into the set. But this night, there was no need to jump start the crowd. Everyone seemed to appreciate to song selections and could feel the amazing vibe coming from the band. Eddie in particular seemed driven, almost possesed!

Another highlight was "Off He Goes". It sounded so amazing. This delicate song became a gentle rocker live. "Faithfull" was another gem. And then came "Daughter"! I'm not sure how exactly to describe what happened during the tag. Eddie began this almost primal sounding singing. He was holding notes for so long and raising the dynamics to a fury. W/ the bands support, esp. Matt's, the moment reached an ethereal cacophony!! It was nothing short of spellbinding! Rock n' Roll magic.

Each song took to show to a greater level. Some of the show seemed add-libed. Like in "Habit" when the music stops, usually Ed inserts a little phrase. This night, the crowed filled to void. Ed in turn began to sing softly and strum his guitar quietly. It seemed impromtu! Then on his que, the band kicks in to bring the song back around.

"Jeremy" and "Alive" both sounded especially strong this night. Like I said earlier, each song seemed to build off the previous one. During these two songs late in the set, watching Ed was a thrill. He seemed possessed all night. But the last four songs of the set, he was particularly animated. During "Alive", I thought he was going to freak out completely. For awhile, he had the microphone stand pinned against the monitor and was leaning diagonally into it w/ all his weight. Then later as the song is climaxing, he was sorta stumbling along the stage floor holding his chest as if he'd been driven into a mad, frenzic trance from the passion of the evening!

After Ed's display of emotion during "Alive", I thought we were in for an amazing encore. Especially after the encore we saw in night one here which was fueled by an amazing song collection, and peaked w/ Ed smashing his guitar in a tribute to the Who during "Baba o' Riley". But frankly, I thought the encore could have been better. Not that it was at all bad. But on this special night, I expected them to find a new level. "Evolution" was good. But then they went into "Rearviewmirror", which was well played, but seemed to lose some of the intensity the show had built. I love the song, but I think the evening, and that moment called for something like "Spin the Black Circle" {which wasn't played at all} or "Fuckin' up" or"Rockin' in the Free World". The latter two I've seen played in encores, absolutely bring the evening to a peak!

It's not like I need to see Ed destroy a guitar every night. Quite the contrary. But the encore never really picked up where "Alive" left off for me. I think maybe during the break Ed calmed down some, because he was really trippin' during "Alive"! The encore was nice, but I really felt they shoulda played a couple more songs. The crowd was so great. The evening was so magical. I felt it called for a couple more. Especially since they played eight songs in the San Diego encores. They didn't play "Black" or "Ledbetter" either L.A. night. I think we deserved it! :} The second encore was just one song, by the Ramones. It just didn't feel right, for me at least, watching this night close w/ Stone playing tambourine while Johnny Ramone played guitar. Pearl Jam has too many great songs that they didn't play, I really felt on this night which seemed especially passionate and almost ceremonial, that another song or two was in order.

Anyways, the show all in all was still exceptional. Probably the best I've seen so far this tour, even surpassing the Albuquerque concert where Ed left the stage through the hole he made in it by slamming the mic stand repeatedly. A couple highlights: "RED Mosquito", "Off he Goes", "Daughter" and that amazing tag, "Alive" with Jeff just melting those bass notes while Stone was all smiles watching him play so loose, and, of course, Ed. All the guys were pumped. Mike raced back and forth across the stage a few times. But Ed was truly in rare form. To me, it felt as though this whole tour had led to this amazing night, and Ed was totally ready to put on a show for L.A. that night. It was the closest I've seen to a Morrison-esque performance. He was driven, entranced by his own passion. One moment whimsical, the next deep in the emotion of the moment. He seemed willing to try anything, willing to throw many of the songs up into the wind, to see where it would fly to, and where it may land! I can hardly believe that a band this loose can sound so great and so tight! Cheers to Pearl Jam for an incredible night. Please come back soon!