August 10, 2000, Mars Music Amphitheatre; W. Palm Beach, FL
Set List: Of The Girl, Breakerfall, Corduroy, MFC, Once, Animal, Gods' Dice, Given
To Fly, Evacuation, Pilate, Daughter/(WMA), Even Flow, Wishlist, Timeless Melody,
Off He Goes, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Nothingman, Leatherman, Porch;
1st enc: Last Exit, Do The Evolution, Black, Crazy Mary, I Got Shit, Last Kiss,
Baba O'Riley;
2nd enc: Yellow Ledbetter
Andy Lopez:
Photo credit: Ilene Hechtman
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Sun, Fun and Pearl Jam. At least that's what it was for me for two nights in West Palm Beach. Night one the band seemed to play a more mellow, yet amazing set. Things really picked up at the beginning of the first encore. The moments that most stand out in my mind are Mike just seeming so happy up on stage and really connecting with the crowd, smiling, jumping, posing, etc. Ed leaning into Jeff at the end of RVM and finally the whole crowd just waiting to scream "Hello" at the right time. That sent goosebumps up and down my body. By the end of the show I knew we would be in for a treat the second night. And Ten Club, I am forever grateful, I had 7th row!!!!
Day Two: The show got off to a great start with Of The Girl and the night only got better from there. In contrast to the previous night, the set was filled with more uptempo songs from the get go. A few covers were played, The La's' Timeless Melody, The Who's Baba O'Reilly, and Crazy Mary which I had never heard live. We also got a rare treat, the Man Trilogy. Better Man, Nothingman and Leatherman were played back to back to back.
The moments that really stood out tonight were the balloons that were being tossed around in my section (we needed beach balls), the whole crowd helping the band out during Black. Ed changing the lyrics in Given to Fly to "The love we receive is that love that we make." I think he might have been listening to the Beatles that day. The mirrorball coming down during Wishlist made for a really psychedelic experience (I am drug free, however). I think the best song is a tie in my opinion. Better Man, as Ed held that final note for seemed like an eternity and the night capper Yellow Ledbetter. The whole crowd was standing on the chairs (a big no-no at MMA) trying to sing along. I've heard this song hundreds of times and I still don't know all the lyrics...LOL. What I do know is that Mike did an amazing solo to close the night, he even threw in Van Halen's Dance the Night Away in there. The rest of the band just stood off to the side and watched Mike. They did the same during the solo in Black. This was probably the best PJ concert I have attended out of 5 shows in my life. Hopefully the future ones will only get better.
Jennifer Polinchock (RhinoGirl123@aol.com):
First Night:
I went to both shows in West Palm and I must say this band is absolutely incredible live. The band took the stage just as the sun was setting on a hot and humid Florida night. Fitting with the warm temperatures, the first night was filled with mellow, emotional tunes. "Elderly Woman" still strikes me as the most moving song in the Pearl Jam catalog. "Better Man" got the whole crowd singing and on their feet both nights. "Insignificance" and "Breakerfall" deserved a bigger crowd response than they seemed to get from where I was standing. "State of Love and Trust" was a happy surprise in the middle of the show. "Rockin' in the Free World" brought the house down and I heard several people in the crowd comment that this was a fantastic way to send the crowd off on a high note after so many mellow numbers.
Second Night:
The second night, the guys and the crowd both seemed more energetic. A fight broke out in front of me during "Breakerfall" so I missed most of that great song trying to get Security's attention. "Daughter" was a crowd pleaser as always and Eddie ended singing "It's okay" over and over again. Very touching and a fitting tribute to the lives that were lost in Roskilde. I knew what was coming when Ed announced that we needed to pretend like it was a great big campfire and sing along when they started "Last Kiss." Hearing "Porch," "Once," and "Black" brought back many memories. Can those songs really be nine years old? Eddie also informed us that "Even Flow" is actually about a large bat ray that was caught just off the coast of West Palm. Who knew? :^) The trio of "Better Man", "Nothingman", and "Leather Man" blew me away. I've always loved the way "Better Man" seems to tell "her side of the story" while "Nothingman" tells "his." Hearing them together was amazing. Eddie took Polaroid's of the front row at the end and the house lights stayed on for "Yellow Ledbetter." Ed kneeled on the stage and gave Mike the much-deserved spotlight for the guitar solo at the end. Mike's talents amaze me. The two shows complimented one another like matching book ends. All I can say is, I can't wait for the Tampa show!!
Jennifer Polinchock
Kissimmee, FL
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