11/5/00: Seattle, Washington - Pearl Jam (CD 2001)

The Seattle 11/5/2000 show was the second to the last show of Pearl Jam s North American tour and opens with a few bars from The Who s Baba O Riley , just enough to let the crowd know they are in for a big night. The 71st show of the Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs was played at the Mercer Arena in Seattle, Washington. This also happens to be the hometown of the band, which is as follows:

Eddie Vedder Vocals, guitar
Stone Gossard Guitar
Mike McCready Guitar
Jeff Ament Bass
Matt Cameron Drums

Like the show on 11/6/2000, the crowd is going wild and the band plays a tight but relaxed set, and plays for nearly 140 minutes, which is easily about twice the time that many other bands play.

As I plan to review many of these CD s, I ve devised a bit of a rating system, (with the title of the rating coming from a Pearl Jam song), and while I won t cover each track, this will give readers plenty of information about the CD, so they can decide which one (or ones, if you are me), of the 72 discs that are worth purchasing:

Pearl Gems - Unique and high points of the shows. This would also include the many extended jams that the band plays, as many of the songs reach up to eight minutes.
Off He Goes - Rants or rambles by frontman Eddie Vedder.
Wishlist - Sure, everyone wants to know if the hits are played or left out for rarities, and this will let you know.
Parting Ways - The crowd and how well they reacted to the songs and shows.
Soon Forget - Low points of the show, band, or music.

Okay, onto the review.

Show: - Seattle, WA (Mercer Arena)
Date: - 11/5/2000
Disc Number: 71


DISK 1
---------
LONG ROAD
BREAKERFALL
CORDUROY
WHIPPING
GOD'S DICE
ANIMAL
GIVEN TO FLY
NOTHING AS IT SEEMS
DAUGHTER
MFC
LUKIN
WISH LIST
BETTER MAN
EVEN FLOW
CROWN OF THORNS
BLACK


DISK 2
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DO THE EVOLUTION
INSIGNIFICANCE
RVM
ENCORE BREAK
TIMELESS MELODY
LIGHT YEARS
SMALL TOWN
LAST EXIT
STATE OF LOVE AND TRUST
SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE
LAST KISS
PORCH
PARTING WAYS
YELLOW LEDBETTER


Pearl Gems - Extended versions of songs are often found when Pearl Jam plays, and this show is no different, as the band plays an extended, six minute version of Daughter , with Vedder adding lyrics to the song (as he often does). Of course, the crowd goes nuts when the band plays Mother Love Bone s Crown of Thorns , with Vedder s vocal sounding really good, especially as compared to the wailing version that Andrew Wood recorded when he was alive. Musically, this song sounds much different than the Mother Love Bone version, as the guitars have much more of a chorus effect than the original recording. Finally, there is an extended wail of the guitar toward the end of the track that must last for a minute; this of course, brings the crowd to it s knees.

Another thing that I noticed, even after listening to Even Flow for what would seem like the millionth time, is that this is actually a persons name: Even rests his head on a pillow made of concrete, again . Heck, this whole time I thought Vedder was saying freezing . The band manages to pull this song off in a much faster tempo, and the vibe of the song is definitely loose.

Off He Goes - Vedder addresses the crowd after Animal , telling them that no matter where the band plays, there is no place like home, specifically, the rain, cold, and dark of Seattle. He takes this one further by telling the crowd that while playing in Phoenix and other warm cities, that they took the Seattle weather with them. Vedder also makes a few political comments about Ralph Nader, and dedicates Insignificance to the two people who put the Bush banner up in the back .

Wishlist - Missing from the setlist is Alive , which was played on the final show in Seattle. However, rarities such as Mother Love Bones Crown of Thorns , as well as State of Love and Trust (from the Singles Soundtrack) more than make up for it and Black takes the place of Crazy Mary . Of course, hits such as Even Flow , Daughter , and Animal are played, much to the delight of the crowd.

Parting Ways - The crowd, while enthusiastic, simply doesn t measure up to that of the next night. Sure, they are still a great audience, and sing with many of the tracks (most notably, Nothingman and Daughter ), but there is just something missing. It s almost a sadness, knowing that the tour is going to end in one more night, and the feeling is shared by the band. The crowd joins Vedder in singing Small Town , which he dedicates to people from Fife, Enumclaw, Chehalis, Wenachee, Poulsbo, and even West Seattle .

Soon Forget - As I mentioned, there is noticeable sadness in the air, as the band is nearing its final date of the tour. Still, both the band and crowd feed off of each other, making for an incredible show. The definite highlight of the show is Crown of Thorns , as it stretches into nearly seven minutes, and you can almost hear a pin drop, as the crowd is so moved by the song. The only low point of the show would be Veda s screeching vocals on Do the Evolution , which sound like a herd of mating Banshee s.


Overall thoughts - Another great Bootleg CD from this tour. As a person who lives near Seattle, I can tell you that the city just about declares a holiday when Pearl Jam plays, and for good reason: they are band that does their best work during live shows. True, there are 72 discs in the Bootleg series to choose from, but this show (along with show 72), is one of the better sets that the band plays. Picking up either disc would be an excellent choice. Finally, be sure to listen to these discs using headphones at least a few times to get the full effect of the show, you'll be surprised at what is missed by just listening to this band otherwise.

As always, thanks for reading!