Set List: Go, Save You, Spin The Black Circle, Last Exit, Even Flow, I Believe in Miracles by The Ramones, Interstellar Overdrive/Corduroy, Better Man, You Are, Grievance, Wishlist, Green Disease, Daughter/(Hey Ho Let's Go chant), Present Tense, Lukin, State of Love and Trust, Porch;
1st encore: Last Kiss, Love Boat Captain, Down, Breath, Do The Evolution;
2nd encore: Hide Your Love Away, Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fuckin' Up, Rockin' In The Free World with special guests Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart

This was my 3rd PJ show - 1995 with my then girlfriend and now wife who is not a huge fan; the awesome 2000 Las Vegas show which was PJ's 10th Anniversary show and, now, last Friday night.

After the 2000 show, I could not wait to see the band again. It was so good I jokingly told my wife I was going to quit my job and go on the road with the band - following them from town to town ala the Deadheads. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the 6/6 show....

The band came out and the sound was atrocious (at least compared to 2000 in the same venue). It was very disappointing - my two guests agreed. After Evenflow, I knew we HAD to move down from our crappy, second row from the top seats (which I got TWO MINUTES after tickets went on sale. The joys of computer generated "picks"). I was hoping the sound might be better in the lower bowl. We were quickly able to slip by an usher and ended up in some vacated seats which were dead center and in the last row of the lower level. The sound and sightlines were MUCH better downstairs.

I thought the band's setlist was great. Of course, there are always going to be personal favorites which get left out, but what are you gonna do? For me, these favorites would include Alive, RVM and Yellow Ledbetter (more on LB to follow). On the plus side, I loved hearing State of Love and Trust, Breath, You Are and Crazy Mary. Mike was incredible, even if the solos weren't always clearly heard due to the less than stellar sound. In my limited experience, I had NEVER seen Mike so animated - he never stopped running around the stage. Definitely good to see, given his recent digestive problems. Ed was quite upbeat, as well. As a 25 year "local," the whole appeal of Las Vegas kind of eludes me but visitors sure to seem to love it. When Daughter started, I was wondering what it would "morph" into. The Hey Ho chant was a bit of a letdown. I absolutely LOVE the It's OK thing they did on one of the Jones Beach 2000 bootlegs. Did they ever do It's OK again?

On to the encores: 1st encore with Breath and Evolution was awesome. 2nd encore: EV sounded absolutely great on the old Beatles tune. The opening strains of Fuckin' Up started and then stopped. This was a huge tease to me as I love the song and love Neil Young. Instead, we got Know Your Rights which, for me, was a letdown. But, fear not, Matt was just a little ahead of himself and they did, indeed, do Fuckin' Up. And they did it quite well. After that, I spotted Ann (and, later, Nancy) Wilson on stage. They launched into a rollicking version of RITFW which was a total feel good sing-a-long. I wasn't sure if anyone knew how to end the song with the Wilson sisters just going on and on. I'm an old dude, so it was a treat to, once again, see Nancy doing her trademark air kicks. Earlier in the evening, Ann had done a $300 per ticket benefit at a totally hoity Las Vegas resort and it was great to see her scoot back to the Strip to party with a real crowd. I figured it was a rare treat to get BOTH Fuckin' Up and RITFW in the same encore. The only thing which could have made it better would have been to then close with Yellow Ledbetter. There's just something about the opening chords and plaintive vocals which make that song a fantastic "good night."

All in all, a great show. Not quite on a par with 2000, due to the sound but a great evening nonetheless. I'll see them again in a heartbeat and maybe next time my 10 Club membership won't be lapsed and I can get some GOOD seats!

Rob Greene

Awesome show although they seemed less playful and more driven than Missoula. I liked it when Eddie said he was going to use his tax cut to get Bush out of office...once again, no Bushleaguer though. Highlights included a rockus Spin the Black Circle, State of Love and Trust, Porch with Ed using a mirror to light up the nosebleeds...who says low tech can't be hella cool.

First encore opened with Last Kiss but Eddie was spacin' and skipped a few stanzas (partying with Heart backstage??), I loved Down live and Do The Evolution always seems to light up the house.

Second encore was the cover set entirely...Hide Your Love Away, Crazy Mary, Know Your Rights, Fuckin' Up, Rockin' In the Free World...in which Eddie greeted none other than the Wilson sisters from Heart...Ed and Ann on the tambourine (several of which they broke banging them together and then tossed into the audience) and Nancy rippin' guitar backed by Stone and Mike. In the middle of the song, Eddie tripped and fell in front of the drums...he was too excited, I think. I only wish they had done Barracuda!

The journey continues...

Vegas was easily the best show thus far that I've been to on US leg #2. Great setlist, plus a first ever premier of I Believe in Miracles, plus a GREAT version of RITFW with Ann and Nancy Wilson. Very unexpected.

Other highlights for me were the first ever viewings of Interstellar Overdrive, Breath, and Hide Your Love Away. During Fuckin' Up, Mike, Jeff, and Stone all gathered around the drum kit and bowed their guitar necks in unison with the beat, a la' Kiss. A very funny moment, and it really showed how much the band enjoyed themselves that night.

Now a slight break from the tour as I'll be camping for a few days, but next up is KC, so I'll see ya'll there!

Matt