Set List: Better Man, Don't Go, Save You, Tremor Christ, Given To Fly, Corduroy, Get Right, Even Flow, I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, Wishlist, Jeremy, You Are, Whipping, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror;
1st encore: Off He Goes, Small Town, Last Kiss, Black, Leatherman, Do The Evolution;
2nd encore: Baba O'Riley

Unbelievable yet again. Not sure quite how you determine which concert is the pick of the bunch on a tour, but this one no doubt would be a main contender. Very tight show with very few hiccups. Mike McCready was simply brilliant with his solos, and is surely one of the best guitarists going around anywhere in the world. Ed worked himself up into a frenzy with plenty of jumps, red wine and smokes. Stone, Jeff, Matt, and Boom were also switched on with flawless harmony and yet again proving the glue of the band.

And wow, what a way to start. Expecting Long Road, I was blown away when the first sounds were that of the opening to Betterman. What an amazing opener. The crowd sang the entire first verse and were so pumped to be hearing this favourite first, only to be blown away when Ed and the band really kicked in. Then straight into a powerful Go, and the entire stadium erupted with delight. The atmosphere was electric. Maintaining the momentum was a rocking version of Save You, which is virtually as good as Go played live. Just a purely amazing and high energy start to the show.

The band then moved into a rarely played live Tremor Christ, giving everyone an opportunity to take a breath whilst soaking it all up. Was good to hear, but my ears pricked up again when Given To Fly began. Such a great song, with Ed using his shirt and his arms as wings. Up next was Corduroy provoking a big crowd singalong and again nicely played. Get Right followed but the punters responded to the sounds of Even Flow. Had a chuckle to myself as Ed kicked himself so hard around the stage that he lost his balance and took a tumble with the mike, but quickly recovered barely missing a beat. And Mike soloing was magical. I Am Mine was another well played singalong song, followed by Love Boat Captain which was fantastic to hear live. It really seems like Boom owns that song.

Mirror ball descending and it was time for Wishlist. I think it was around this time that Ed thanked Melbourne for being the first to protest on mass against the war, which was received with much appreciation from the audience. After this Jeremy was up, the psychedelic You Are, and Whipping. Insignificance was really terrific to hear live, especially with the dropping bombs being so topical. Finally to finish the first set came RearViewMirror. Excellent version and big crowd favourite.

Was time for a well earned breather and at this point I thought that we were now due for some slower songs. And so they did, starting with a beautiful version of Off He Goes. Big cheer for Small Town that followed, with Ed flubbing the lyrics and annoyed shout of "F*CK" as you got the feeling he was trying to ace this concert. Still brilliant to hear live though. At this point Ed made mention of a Drop The Leash banner, which had me momentarily excited until he said with a laugh that he could not remember the lyrics, the tune, or the chorus, only the feeling. Oh well. Last Kiss instead provoking yet another big singalong. Then Black. Majestic and surreal. Just awesome. Leatherman which was another nice surprise, and then Evolution. One spectator broke through the bouncers and got up on stage with Ed protecting him from the ensuing security. Ed danced with him, put the Bush mask on him, and used him to sit on his shoulders for the best part of the song. Was fantastic to watch. The cheeky bugger even got to sing a line. Wow, what a set, and what a way to finish with Baba O'Reilly and the house lights up. Brilliant concert once again. Pearl Jam are still miles ahead of the rest. Keep rocking and see you Thursday.

Corey.

What a brilliant evening! When the chords to 'Betterman' filled the arena, it was rather a shock to the system. The crowd erupted, and you just knew that it was gonna be one hell of a night. Ed didn't sing the first verse, he didn't need too. The crowd managed it beautifully for him. It was a great way to open their first night in Melbourne, the crowd was officially pumped and the band slammed into 'Don't Go,' which was swiftly followed by 'Save You.'

The feeling for the evening was very anti-war. Ed parading a t-shirt that bluntly stated "No War, No Way," He also congratulated Melbourne for being the state with the biggest turnout at last Friday's rally for peace. I think over 100,000 people turned up. This got a huge cheer from the crowd. The night ensured many sing-a-longs from start to finish. 'Wishlist' had it's famous mirrorball effect, with Ed deciding not to sing a last line for the song, instead he played a few extra chords, while the crowd expected him to sing something really amazing, then he just looked around the arena, shrugged his shoulders and ended the song. 'You Are' was absolutely amazing. I'm actually not a big fan of the song, but after hearing it live I may have to reconsider. Ed stuffed up the lyrics in a couple of songs, clearly getting frustrated with himself. He sang the wrong verse in 'Elderly Woman' which was quickly replaced with a huge 'FUCK' and a shake of the head. A few fans towards the back had a huge sign that read 'Drop the Leash,' Ed commented that it was nice to see that there were still dreamers in the year 2003. They then moved on to play 'Last Kiss'.

'Do the Evolution' was a highlight for the evening. A fan managed to get up on the stage, and just started dancing around with Ed, who let the fan wear his George Bush mask. Ed got up on his shoulders at one point, then they had a pretend punch on, much to the crowds amusement. 'Baba O'Reilly' was a magnificent surprise, the houselights came up and the whole arena was jumping around. Ed tried to let the crowd sing a couple of verses, which unfortunately didn't work too well, so he just grinned and took over. It was such a fantastic night. Thanks Ed, Mike, Stone, Jeff, Matt and Boom for a grand night of blissful musical pleasure! Can't wait till Thursday...