Set List: Of The Girl, Corduroy, Whipping, Grievance, Animal, Gods' Dice, Nothing As It Seems, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Pilate, Last Kiss, Do The Evolution, MFC, (Improv)/Habit, Light Years, Better Man, Even Flow, Porch;
1st encore: Off He Goes, Breakerfall, State of Love and Trust, I Got Shit, Small Town, Leaving Here;
2nd encore: Fuckin' Up, Yellow Ledbetter

I was expecting this show really much but it has been such a long time since I got my fan club tix that you don't really fully understand that you're going to see Pearl Jam in less than one week. When I got them at the Ten Club booth I didn't quite realized how good they were 'til I got to them: 8th row right in the center!!! BIG, BIG THANKS BY THE WAY!!!

After "groopieing" a little and listening to the sound checks, we finally got in the arena. I was surprised that the stage was open, because when I saw PJ in the European tour in San Sebastian, Spain (good boot by the way!): there was a big screen where images were projected (mainly photos from the album Binaural, e.g., stars, and landscape in Nothing As It Seems). Probably because seat were full even in the "back stage pit" up to the top of Molson Center roof!!! I was feeling a lot better with my 8th-row designated place than my 8th-row place in the Spanish pit!!!

The little techs problems for the 5 first songs (feedback, Stone's guitars...) were disturbing at first, but to see the band improvising to minimize it wiped those feelings away!!! They were pros but still having fun and were not stressed by all of this. Corduroy felt like "une tonne de briques" anyways!!!

When they played "Leaving Here" I hoped they weren't!!! I hope I misunderstood Eddie at the beginning when he said: "Welcome to the first show of the last leg of our last tour..."

Highlights: Do the Evolution, SOLAT (as always), Better Man, Porch (all the "crowd-answering-back" process during the solo/improv), Fuckin' up. Lights on for the last songs.

LowLights (not to be confused...): tech problems, pre-show crowd not getting in the "wave", people who don't understand that people are coming to see a show, not a big sign 3 ft x 4 ft with "I GOT SHIT" on it (bring one and be strategic when showing it=lights on!!!), always seem too short ;-), not in Québec City (but Montréal is better than Toronto only)!!!

Overall? They're still the BEST band!!!

À la prochaine (See ya)!
Christian
pestacle@hotmail.com

Neo. (starseed91@hotmail.com):

Like you, reading this, I listen to Pearl Jam a lot. I look forward to their albums, I look forward to their concerts. I look forward to the songs I've heard before, to the songs I hardly hear, and the songs I've never heard. My conclusion after seeing Pearl Jam for the first time in 1997 was that they represent todays' musical standard for combining quality albumwork with the performance experience. The show in Montreal was no different.

Casual and hardcore fans alike could appreciate their genuine respect for their fans. It starts with the music, it follows thru in their fan club, and its seen in their response to the crowds; the response by the crowd in Montreal was humbling to even the hardcore fans like myself.

People wonder why Pearl Jam don't make music videos like every other musical outlet. Seeing them in concert is the music video. You don't experience music by watching spliced up images on television, you *really* only experience the music by watching it played live. Only then do you have your PERSONAL music video of each song, and you remember how sometimes there isn't a solo for MFC cause Stone's guitar cuts out, or Wishlist sounds unique because Eddie forgets the lyrics or because there's a huge silver ball shimmering and twirling in front of you, or that every song sounds better with a McCready solo. I suppose its the greatest gift Pearl Jam could have given all of us. Our own little videos for our favourite songs, which we can shape and share with other fans. So when we talk about Pearl Jam, I tell them about Montreal, someone else talks about Jones Beach or wherever, and in the end its about the music, and how we all hear it differently, but we can all relate to it.

Merci a la compagnie Pearl Jam.