Ed solo before opening band: Throw Your Arms Around Me
Set List: Can't Keep, Brain Of J., Save You, Do The Evolution, Spin The Black Circle, Green Disease, Cropduster, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Faithfull, Wishlist, Rockin' In The Free World, 1/2 Full, Love Boat Captain, Breath, I Believe In Miracles, Corduroy, Rearviewmirror;
1st encore: Last Exit, Better Man, Down, Black, Blood;
2nd encore: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Last Kiss, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter

Image credit: Jason

The show last night was incredible! Ed started the night before the Buzzcocks with Throw Your Arms Around Me. Actually, he started to play that, but messed up the words and started Parting Ways instead, but messed the first line up for that, too. So, he went back to the first one, and played it perfectly.

After the Buzzcocks played their set, the band started with Can't Keep, and it was great. That goes for everything else they played over the next 2-and-a-half hours. One of the highlights was definitely when Philly set off fireworks at 9:30--right in the middle of Even Flow, while Mike was soloing. The people in the seats probably didn't know why those of us on the lawn were going so nuts at times, or why a "USA" chant started up after Even Flow, but Ed explained a few songs later. The explosions kept going off for Faithful and Wishlist, so Ed commented on them and the band launched into Rockin in the Free World in their honor. The fireworks ended sometime during this song. If they aren't audible on the boot, you'll at least be able to hear the lawn go nuts during the Grand Finale. It was weird, but also really cool. It certainly gave the night a feel that no other PJ show I've been to has had. During the middle solo for RITFW, Mike played behind his head. 1/2 Full and Love Boat Captain were next (both very good), followed by Breath, which I'm lucky enough to have heard twice (MSG2, I'm pretty fortunate).

Photo credit: The Hutson's

They dedicated the next song to Joey and Dee Dee Ramone--I Believe in Miracles. I'd never heard it before, but it was great. Betterman had Ed leading the crowd through the first verse and chorus. Down was another great one. It seemed like it didn't matter that not everyone had heard it before--it's just one of those songs that picks you up even if you don't know it. Black was beautiful all around. Everyone played really well, and Mike again killed with his solo at the end. Blood closed out the first encore, and ED opened the 2nd encore with You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. He nailed it, and the crowd was all singing along. Ed even had us sing the last line alone. Last Kiss was next, followed by a great Baba O'Riley. I thought that might be it, but I saw Stone changing guitars, so I knew there was more. The more turned out to be Yellow Ledbetter. Ed put on an Army soldier uniform shirt and changed the last line of the verse to "My brother's coming home in a box or a bag." They took their bows and left a few minutes before 11:30 to a huge (and well-deserved) ovation.

At one point in the middle of the show (I forget when), Ed introduced everyone in the band. Jeff was last, and the crowd started yelling "Boom." Ed turned to Jeff and said, "Apparently Philadelphia doesn't like you, Jeff," or something like that. Then he acted like he just realized what we said, and introduced Boom, and added that he didn't know what Jeff did to piss us off. It was pretty funny.

Overall, this was an outstanding show. Those going to shows between now and the end of the tour should be excited--it's going to be incredible. So thanks to the band for making a hot day in Camden (it IS in NJ, so there) worth the drive and then some.

Wow! What a show last night! After waiting in the hot sun on a Camden street all day I was totally ready to rock! I was sure to get there early to catch Ed's pre set and he started TYAAM, fucked it up, strummed Parting Ways, fucked it up and went right back into TYAAM! Anyway The boys came out to a lot of applause and broke into Can't Keep! After that they did Brain of J which really caught me off guard, wasn't expecting that at all!

Photo credit: The Hutson's

The hard rocking continued with a triple dose of Save You, DTE, and Spin the black Circle. Two of my favorites from Riot Act followed Green Disease and Cropduster! At this point in the night I was completely drenched in sweat from jumping and dancing and when they kicked into GTF it just continued. Mike's solos on Even Flow were amazing and Faithfull was a pleasant surprise. Wishlist had and extended jam about wishing to be a Democrat that had a chance :) Ed went on to talk a little about the 4th of July in Philly when he said "is that fireworks going off now?" we all cheered and they broke into RITFW mid fucking set! It really got me pumped!!

Breath and I believe in Miracles, which I never heard live before came after a LBC dedicated to a member of The Buzzcocks that requested it and 1/2 Full kicked everyone's ass. A fucking roaring RVM closed out the set and it was just totally great! Last Exit came after a short break followed by Better Man that Ed let the crowd sing the first verse to! Down was just beautiful, I love that song and a lot of people seemed to know the words for it being a b-side! By this time in the night my voice was completely shot and Black just sealed my fate, I actually heard my voice go while singing that one :) An impromptu 'du du du du du du du' started by the crowd at the end Ed really liked and said "here's another sing along for ya" and launched into BLOOD! I was jumping all around and screaming my heart out for this one! First time haring it live and it sounds as good as it did on the earlier boots!

Ed came out and did a solo acoustic version of Hide Your Love Away complete with the Dylan harmonica rack! Crowd sing along Last Kiss and the then a fucking awesome version of Baba O'Riley! Followed by a great YL with lyrics about Afghanistan and the obvious box or a bag. And that's it great Camden show #1 in the bag, best thing is I get to do it all over tonight! :)

Matt
flyersdude50 AT aol.com

Photo credit: The Hutson's

This show was awesome, and it went on through the night, man. Me and my family had to drive about a total of 2 1/2 hours from Chester County to Camden and back. Traffic was insane (but then again, when isn't it in Philadelphia), but it was well worth going through to get to the show. I got to see the pre-show with Eddie in which he came out with his guitar, deciding on the crowd whether or not to play Throw Your Arms Around Me or Parting Ways. The only thing in the show I wanted to hear was one track from Binaural, and that was never fulfilled the whole friggin' show! Oh well.

Then the Buzzcocks came on. That is some true punk rock right there. They're loud, very fast, and it's hard to tell when there's a transition between songs. But, they were probably trying to squeeze in as many songs as they could in a 45 minute set.

About 30 minutes after they left the stage (very abruptly, might I add, as they just walked off the stage after being done with their set), Pearl Jam came on. Now, the Tweeter Center is known for a rough crowd to be in, even in the grass seating. The whole place exploded, and even with a mellow opener like Can't Keep, they were mesmerized, ecstatic, or both. They went right into a bunch of rockers, where out of everyone in my family, I was the only one who knew all the words to these songs; Brain of J, Save You, Do the Evolution, Spin the Black Circle, and Green Disease. Then, they went into a slower song with Cropduster (never got a chance to hear that live before, and it actually sounds better that way).

Then Ed welcomed the crowd, gave a shout-out to the guys in the back (including me) and how much he welcomed them. He didn't know if he was in Philly or New Jersey (haha) but he knew was it was fucking hot outside. Even Flow then came on, and while Mike got into possibly one of the best solos I've ever heard while being in a concert, the guys in the grass seats all got a good view of the fireworks display being held at Veterans Stadium (right across the river from the Tweeter). Grass seats don't suck now, do they?!? They went into Faithfull and Wishlist (Wishlist got off into an improv sort of thing where he said in it the funniest I've ever heard; "I wish I was a republican, but would I be a human being?").

He talked about how he wasn't surprised about the significance of Independence Day in the area, especially Philadelphia. And, seeming to notice it just then, he asked about the fireworks going on outside (well, he had been drinking a bit of wine during the show). They went into Rockin' in the Free World (my dad's favorite in the whole set). Then went into one of my favorite Pearl Jam tracks, 1/2 Full. Then on into Love Boat Captain after thanking the Buzzcocks for being there, and then a good performance of Breath. He mentioned they were next playing a Ramones song, and the crowd went nuts when they starting I Believe in Miracles. They then went right into Corduroy, and then RVM to close it that lasted at least twice as long as the actual album track.

Then the encore came in, he thanked everybody, and went into Last Exit where everybody was jumping around (except my dad, because his hip couldn't take it anymore). Then into a huge singalong with Betterman, Down (very unexpected track), and then Black, another singalong that I just sat down and went into deep thought the whole song. The solo by Mikey was mesmerizing. And then onto a huge rocker (BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD), everybody was going insane, jumping around and craziness everywhere! Good times, good times.

Then came the second encore; Eddie talked about how freedom of speech is getting better in this country, and he went into You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (my dad was surprised how many "young people" knew the words to that song). They went into 2 other cover songs, Last Kiss, and Baba O'Riley (in which at the beginning, he got a new bottle of wine! Everybody cheers!!). And they went into Yellow Ledbetter (best version I've heard in a while), and they all took a bow before they all left the stage.

Well, this beats the pants out of the April 28th show (considering I only heard a bootleg of that one), and this is probably one of the better shows they've done in terms of the crowd. This was only the second concert I've ever been to, the first was seeing Weezer last summer at the Tweeter as well. This concert was so much better than Weezer in terms of just the whole experience in general. Thank you PJ for putting on such an amazing show.