Fanviews of Bridge School Benefit
| Index | 2001 Set Lists |
October 21, 2001, Bridge School Benefit; Shoreline Amphitheatre; Mountain View, California
Ara Ajizian: Well, I finally made it to Bridge! Although I've seen PJ many times, I had yet to make it to the BSB. I was pumped to see them play acoustic, and I was not let down. The first night was sweet, but night two was the gem of the weekend. First up was a rocking The Kids Are Alright. The band sounded much tighter already than the previous night. A beautiful Wishlist was next. Talk about a perfect song to play acoustic! Next came yet another new song, this one called "I Am Mine." I was so excited to hear not one but *two* new songs over the weekend! What could be better? Ed intro'd Low Light by saying, "The interesting thing about this next one is that we've never played it live." It was perfect! Jeff's backups sounded sweet, and everything just came together perfectly. NAIS was next, and Mike was on fire! Speaking of Mike, his new song was played again, the spectacular "Last Soldier." It was nice to hear it again, since it's hard to remember a song you've only heard once. Hearing it on Sunday really got it stuck in my head. It reminded me of something REM would play. Very melodic and beautiful. Mike was the star again on Black, just tearing up the solo at the end. I didn't think it was possible to play an acoustic guitar like that, but Mike makes it happen. John Lennon's Gimme Some Truth came next. Ed really makes this song happen. I'd heard him do it solo before, but it sounded even better with the whole band behind him. The highlight of the evening came next, when once again Ben Harper was brought out for Indifference. Although I'd seen PJ 12 times before this weekend, I had never heard Indifference at any of those shows. Saturday's version was nice, but I knew Ed could do better. Sunday, he proved me right. He and Ben delivered one of the best versions of this song I've ever heard! On Saturday, Ed had shied away from the high part--"I will scream my lungs out, til it fills this room," but not Sunday. He sang it as well as he did on the VS. album. Ben Harper was in tears as he and Ed embraced after the song. It was one of my all time favorite PJ experiences, especially since Ben nearly brought ME to tears earlier that evening with his song "Roses From My Friends." It was special for me to see him so emotional after doing Indifference. Soldier of Love closed the set, with Ed laughing at the end because he couldn't hit the high notes! Lay off the smokes Ed!!! I'd have to say that the entire weekend, but especially Sunday's show was definitely one of the best PJ experiences I've had. It was wonderful to hear them do acoustic performances, and watching the screens made it feel like I was watching them do an episode of Unplugged. I highly recommend any PJ fan to see them in this setting at least once. Thanks Pearl Jam!! DizzyGold@aol.com: "F'ing Amazing!!"..I think Ed's words sum it up best. Both shows were absolutely awesome. The fact that they played "Lowlight" was worth the trip from Boston. The new songs kick ass too. I'm really impressed with Mike's songwriting. The version of 'Black' was beautiful as well. They really seemed on tonight. Ed's version of Lennon's "Gimme some truth" was full of spit and venom, with Ed spitting out the last words in disgust. "Indifference" with Ben was haunting with both Ed and Ben really getting into it. One of my favorite moments of the show came when Ed gave his speech about the kids. They are the reason for the show and in my eye the highlight of the shows. Also the fact that Ed hung out 20 mins after their set talking to the kids truly showed how much PJ felt about the kids. It was an incredible weekend. |
Back to Top
