Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Crocodile Cafe 1998!!
10/10/98 - Crocodile Cafe: Seattle [39m]
supporting: Cheap Trick
capacity: 341 lucky motherfuckers!!
soundcheck: Naked Eye (bits), Angie (snippets), Corduroy, Not For You, Spin the Black Circle, Leaving Here, Leatherman (little vocals), I Got Shit, MFC (Not included inn recording)
set: MFC, Habit, Corduroy, Immortality, Spin the Black Circle, All Those Yesterdays, Leatherman, Leaving Here, Do The Evolution, Soldier of Love
notes: The rumor that had all Seattle a-buzz came to fruition tonight, the last night of Cheap Trick's three night stand. A very rested and relaxed looking PJ (featuring a newly raven-haired Mr. McCready, sporting the MSG I Van Halen shirt) took the tiny Croc stage after a really warm introduction by Rick Nielsen. The set is notable for the fact that 1) no radio hits, and 2) almost all were songs with Eddie on guitar. This has to be the most adventurous setlist in years. 'Immortality' is nothing short of tremendous thanks to none other than one Matthew D. Cameron, who OWNS the song, to the point that the Cheap Trick fans in the audience all noted it after the set as a standout (and were asking what record it was on!). Ed's eyes are closed and he doesn't start to make eye contact until 'STBC,' where he sheds the guitar and breaks out into the trademark Ed shuffle-dance (as best he could in that tiny space - PJ set up IN FRONT of Cheap Trick's equipment). Mike runs up on top of Rick Nielsen's guitar platform during the song as well, to much amusement. After the song ends, Ed remarks to the crowd that the previous song was about vinyl - "Remember vinyl? ... imagine how different it would be if all Cheap Trick's records had been [and he outlines a cd sized square with his hands] ... 'Got my Kiss CD's out' doesn't have quite the same ring ..." [quoting from Cheap Trick's 'Surrender']. Matt sings backup (along with Stone and Jeff) on a super version of 'All Those Yesterdays.' Jeff plays one of Tom Petersson's 12-string basses on 'Corduroy'; 'Leavin' Here' is notable in that the solo order was Stone, *Jeff*, Ed, Mike. Mike further adds to it by running and grabbing a handful of Rick Nielsen's guitar picks and tossing them at the audience (just like Rick does!). 'Soldier of Love' is not on the setlist, but is added at the last minute after a hurried conference. Tight, razor-sharp and perfect, while staying within the 40-minute time slot allotted to the opening bands.
1998 Bootleg Update!!
08/17/98 - Deer Creek Music Center: Noblesville, IN [105m]
attendance: 20,500
set: Long Road, Hail Hail, Brain of J, Last Exit, Given to Fly, Corduroy, MFC, (new Jeremy improv), Immortality, Even Flow, Nothingman, Rearviewmirror, Wishlist, In Hiding, Spin the Black Circle, Alive, Go
enc 1: Better Man/(Save it for Later), Daughter, Do the Evolution, Leaving Here
enc 2: Yellow Ledbetter
notes: The first show of the East Leg of the 1998 US Tour finds the band in EXCELLENT energy and spirits. All the members are spotted sidestage rocking out to Iggy Pop's tremendous opening set, and it seems as though his energy inspired them to kick ass. Ed's hair is shorter, blacker and slicked back, and he greets the audience with, "Okay, fuckers, our turn" (making reference to Iggy's rants at the dead crowd for his set). 'MFC' is prefaced with, "If you ever wanna get out of town, expand your boundaries, the best way might not be a tractor... but if a tractor's all ya have, go for it." Ed sings an interesting improv, based on the structure of the new 'Jeremy,' with the lyrics being, "The President spoke in court today." 'Immortality' is a total Matt Cameron-based jam, so much so that Ed makes a point of giving him props at the end. Stone is absolutely on fire tonight, jumping, thrashing, at the front of the stage constantly. 'Nothingman' is dedicated to the lawn (Ed claiming that that's where he would have been at that show, if he hadn't found a way to sneak down front). During 'Alive,' Ed balances on Pete's shoulders to grab hands down front, and then runs to the left and right side to do the same thing, afterwards applauding the crowd: "Good job, Indy - good job tonight." Prior to the first encore, Ed acknowledges some of the signs in the audience requesting songs, as well as one reading "Ed Lewinsky" and then they play a brief clip of Clinton's speech from that afternoon, follow ed by Ed reading excerpts from it; at the end he comments, "I have one word to say - 'consensual'." 'Better Man' is dedicated in turn to both Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the tag has the melody of 'WMA,' but no words are sung. His parting words are, "Behave like rock stars - not like the President." Crowd was amazing and the band was really happy because of it. (On the written setlist but not played: Porch, Indifference, Present Tense, Off He Goes)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
VFC!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Double Shot From 1998 Tour!!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Sheessel, Germany
06/24/07 - Hurricane Festival, Scheessel, Germany
set: Why Go, Save You, Severed Hand, Grievance, Dissident, Interstellar Overdrive, Corduroy, Faithfull, Green Disease, Given to Fly, Throw Your Hatred Down, Jeremy, Elderly Woman..., Even Flow, Black, Rearviewmirror
first encore: World Wide Suicide, Better Man, Life Wasted, Blood, Baba O'Riley, Yellow Ledbetter
TFT Notes: Pearl Jam headlined the third day of this three-day festival. After five upbeat songs to start the show, Ed says "hello" to all the campers, and gets a loud response. He urges the crowd to take a look at the "beautiful moon in the back row". In the outro to "Faithfull", Ed changes the line "What's a boy to do" to "What's a grown man to do". Ed decribes "Given to Fly" as a Mike McCready song that's "always nice to play in the deep blue sky, underneath it anyway.". "Throw Your Hatred Down" is introduced as a song "by our Uncle Neil ... Neil Young" and contains a energetic, three-phase noisy ending (Ed: "We just wanted him to hear that loud enough in America."). During "Elderly Woman...", Ed sings that "lifetimes they're catching up with all of us." Like other times in 2007, possibly to make it easier to sing, "Life Wasted" is played tuned a half-step lower. Ed sings to the fans during "Black", singing "I'm surrounded by you kids at play / I can feel your laughter, so why do I sear." "Black" ends with "We belong together (2X)/ Maybe we don't belong (2X) / So for the better ... (3X)". The band appreciates the singing at the end of "Black", with Ed mentioning "There's a lot of power up here - a lot of electricity to get the sound and the lights for all the bands that have played over the last few days. Out there, up here, there's wires this thick (holds up hands) to get all this electricity up here, all this power. But there's absolutely more power out there. You have the power and don't you forget it. And we know this because we felt it just now." Ed nods the other bands on the bill, saying "before we continue, there's been kings (Kings of Leon) on this stage, licks (Juliette & The Licks) , and gods (Sonic Youth), so I guess that makes us jewelry." Mike throws the riff of "Voodoo Chile" into the end of Baba, and the show ends with "Yellow Ledbetter".
Friday, January 18, 2008
MSG II 1998!!!
09/11/98 - Madison Square Garden: New York, NY [130m]
support act: Ben Harper
set: Release, Hail Hail, Animal, Even Flow, Given to Fly, Corduroy, MFC, Habit, Faithfull, Daughter/(Beginning to See the Light)/(WMA), Wishlist, Nothingman, Immortality, RVM, Brain of J, Black, Do the Evolution
enc 1: Breath, State of Love and Trust, Off He Goes, Leatherman, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Mankind, Baba O'Riley
enc 2: Indifference (with Ben Harper), Alive
notes: Returning for the encore and yet another sea of "Breath" signs on ever single level of the Garden, Ed tells the crowd they are never satisfied:
"You fucking cocksuckers. [shakes head] You fucking bitch! You know, we come up here as a collective band and we give and we give and you just fucking want more ... and you know what? You deserve it. This is like some kind of organized religion here; I've never seen anything like it. Do you see what's happening? ... the third night in a row, right? [applause] Well, fuck you. We're gonna play it!"
Leading to the first playing of 'Breath' since 1994!!! woo hoo!!! With a brief announcement ("same record, different track"), they follow with 'SoL&T.' 'Mankind' is introduced by Stone saying, "Well, since we're playing every song in the catalog..." 'Baba' is intro'd as being a response to "corporate rock bands who make the mistake of trying to cover a real rock song." 'Indifference' is played with an ecstatic Ben Harper (who has been including 'Indifference' at some of his shows). During 'Alive,' Ed makes four attempts to toss his microphone over the vocal monitor rig above his head, and finally gets it over, but instead of just standing there, he proceeds to CLIMB UP THE MIC CORD and hang there for the rest of the song. Possibly the best show the band has ever played in their life. Period. (And they knew it, too.)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
MSG I 1998
09/10/98 - Madison Square Garden: New York, NY [114m]
support act: Ben Harper
set: Long Road, Corduroy, Brain of J, Last Exit, Given to Fly, Animal, Dissident, Jeremy, Daughter/(Mother), Even Flow, In Hiding, I Got Shit, Better Man, Do the Evolution, All Those Yesterdays, Alive
enc 1: Wishlist, RVM, Hail Hail, Black, Elderly Woman, Fuckin' Up
enc 2: Soldier of Love
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
WPB 1998!!!
09/22/98 - Coral Sky Amphitheatre: West Palm Beach, FL [113m]
set: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Brain of J, Hail Hail, Animal, Red Mosquito, Given to Fly, Even Flow, MFC, Improv/Habit, Wishlist, Daughter, Jeremy, In Hiding, Lukin, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Do the Evolution, Porch
enc 1: Last Exit, Leatherman, Better Man, (Angie), State of Love and Trust, Alive
enc 2: Baba O'Riley
notes: Stone is spotted during Rancid's set from side stage; he appears to know all the lyrics. The lead-in music is 'Aye Davanita' again. It is a hot, humid night and Ed jokes about how the humidity is fucking up his hair (he has a serious 'fro thing going on). The improv leading to 'Habit' (sounding much like the 2/20/98 Maui improv musically), includes the lyrics "dropped three times." Instead of a "speaking as ..." line, Ed plays a slow, distinctive guitar riff. Before 'In Hiding,' he comments how the next song has a chorus he'll need help with from the crowd and how he has trouble remembering ... it "must be that pot I smoked last night." During the 'RVM' solo, Ed strikes a pose with one arm to the right while he is looking left, and he's totally still, not moving, but his sweat is pouring down. More effects on the backdrop: clouds on 'GTF;' water on 'Immortality;' lightning on 'Better Man.' During the 'Porch' jam, Ed starts singing "last dance ... last chance." (Donna Summer anyone?) The 'Angie' snippet is a surprise, seeming as if the intent is to play the entire song but they abandon it after Mike and Ed can't quite get it together after the first few notes. Ed tosses the microphone above the scaffolding during 'Alive' (he doesn't climb the cord), and it isn't retrieved but remains looped into the final encore. Before 'Baba,' Ed thanks Rancid and challenges them to play a Who song. Rather than tossing the tambourine into the crowd during 'Baba,' he throws it frisbee-style at the backdrop, and he joins in on guitar for a rousing ending. A rocking show with the band having fun, despite the heat. (On the setlist but not played: 'Black,' 'Go' and 'Nothingman.')
Monday, January 14, 2008
Vedder Wins Golden Globe!!!
In The Present Tense would like to congratulate Mr. Vedder on his Golden Globe win last night!! Ed won the award for best original song for a movie for his beautiful song Guaranteed which he wrote for Sean Penn's film "Into the Wild"
Guaranteed:
On bended knee is no way to be free
Lifting up an empty cup, I ask silently
All my destinations will accept the one that's me
So I can breathe...
Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
Half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know
A mind full of questions, and a teacher in my soul
And so it goes...
Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Holding me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you...
Everyone I come across, in cages they bought
They think of me and my wandering, but I'm never what they thought
I've got my indignation, but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive...
Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere
Underneath my being is a road that disappeared
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead
Overhead...
Leave it to me as I find a way to be
Consider me a satellite, forever orbiting
I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me
Guaranteed
Thursday, January 10, 2008
4/3/1994
04/03/94 - Fox Theater: Atlanta, GA [150m]
attendance: 4,500 (Imagine being one of those lucky bastards)
support act: King's X
soundcheck: (partial list) Go, Better Man, WMA (X2), Manic Depression (Jeff & Stone w/ King's X singer and drummer)
set: Release, Rearviewmirror, Whipping, Even Flow, Dissident, Why Go, Deep, Jeremy, Glorified G, Daughter/(ABitW-II), Go, Animal, Garden, State of Love and Trust, Black, Alive, Blood/(Not for You), WMA, Better Man, Elderly Woman, Rats, Satan's Bed, Once, Sonic Reducer, Porch/(Androgynous Mind), Indifference