Nov. 14: I Am Mine
Nov. 15: Save You

Here is my fanview of the 11/15 Letterman show with a scanned attachment of my new favorite possession. Hope you enjoy...

I think the best part about reading fanviews are the stories behind how fans are able to get tickets to the small venues Pearl Jam plays. My story goes back to a few weeks before Labor Day. When the album release date was announced, and then moved up, I e-mailed a friend of mine who works for CBS. I asked him to keep an ear to the ground for any announcements on Pearl Jam playing the Late Show. I saw him down the shore Labor Day weekend and he hinted that Pearl Jam might play the Late Show in mid-November, and that he'd keep me posted.

Fast forward to late October. With hopes of not sounding too over anxious, I bit the bullet and e-mailed him for an update. He said the band was booked to perform two tapings on November 14, and that he'd do the best he could to get me a ticket. From this point on, my fingers were crossed.

On Thursday, I scanned my e-mail minute by minute. Around noon, I was told that I had a ticket on hold for the 7:30 taping. I jetted out of work around 5:00, trekked the six blocks to the Ed Sullivan Theatre, and scouted out the scenario. The front of the theatre was desolate as the 4:30 taping was going on. A crowd had gathered at the stage door with hopes of catching a glimpse of the band and perhaps an autograph. I was instructed to get a letter from a stage hand inside the stage door and then to ultimately get my ticket from a page at the front door. Within minutes, I was holding my ticket, which I had waited close to three months to get.

I was the third person in the CBS line, anxiously waiting to enter the show. After waiting for around 45 minutes, listening to the "rah rah" speech on how to laugh and clap, I secured a seat in the first row of the balcony, dead center. I could not have asked for a better seat. The show was tight. The home audience was spared a bit entitled "Will it Float", in which Dave and Paul guess whether or not an object will float. For this show, Dave and Paul had to guess on a huge bag of peat moss, and they both guessed right. The peat moss floated amongst two models, the hula hoop girl from the previous night, and a woman shooting sparks from her body. Now that was entertainment!

The performance by the band, as read in a few fanviews and the message board, was Pearl Jam-esque. Ed, guitarless, hanging and swinging on the microphone, releasing it only to jump around; Mike and Stone, on as always; Boom, the newcomer, playing the organ with the enthusiasm of an ageless veteran; Jeff, in appropriate winter attire (the studio was freezing), and lastly, Matt on target with the beats. The unique part of the performance was the attitude of the band prior to the end of the commercial break while the crew finished setting up. I've always seen the band on tour, but this was different. I was fun to see their motions as the techs were fine tuning their equipment, and as they waited for Dave to announce them. Just chilling with their hands in their pockets, waiting for their cues to begin jamming.

As the show ended, I noticed my brother had also gotten into the show, and he was talking to a lighting guy he knew from the industry. He showed us around the theatre and walked with us onto the stage. We exited the theatre through the backstage door, where by this time, a large crowd had gathered to see the band. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be a celebrity leaving an event, this was it. Although he crowd was upset when they saw it was only me, it was still exhiularating to go through something like that.

Image credit: sced777@hotmail.com

I met my friend at a local establishment minutes after the show. He nonchalantly handed me a manila folder with a piece of paper in it. He was able to meet the band in the green room for a few minutes. I was floored when inside the folder was what now has become my most prized possession, a signed page of the show's script with the signatures of the band. Needless to say this will be framed in my room as soon as possible.

I'm extremely looking forward to this spring when the band comes around again.