Pearl Jam West Palm Beach, FL 6/11/08

Pearl Jam in Florida a first for me. I've been to many shows with PJ and I have to say it's always worth the journey. We got front row seats to the show and had a great time watching Kings of Leon open the show. The crowd was in a great mood and ready to get the show going and the people loved the band. If you've never heard their music its simple rock n roll.

Pearl Jam came out prompt and ready to set their tour off right. Opening with Ten's Ocean. A song I have never heard live. Every song from there to the closer was a sonic dessert. The band was loving life and playing well. It's great to see them mature, the stress and worries of their early days are gone leaving them the joy they had to begin with playing loud and live. This was a free for all tour as it didn't support an album, which meant the band could play whatever they wanted. They seemed to have a nice selection from each of their albums and even pulled out a few rare songs. It was a fun show and I can't wait to see them yet again. Here's the setlist * for song's I hadn't heard live before.


Oceans*
Severed Hand
Save You
Gods' Dice
Given To Fly
Faithfull
Unemployable
Sad
Dissident
Who You Are*
Even Flow
Low Light
Gone
Grievance
Glorified G*
Do The Evolution
Why Go
Encore 1
Inside Job
Better Man
Comatose
Rearviewmirror
Encore 2
It Rains On Me*
No More*
Alive
Yellow Ledbetter

R.E.M. at the Hollywood Bowl 05/29/08 W/The National & Modest Mouse

The National came out first and played a good set. I’m not as familiar with this band as the other two but their live show was great. I can’t wait to give their music a more in-depth listen. Their set included

1. Star a War
2. Brainy
3. Slow Show
4. Able
5. ? In My Beloved Wife? (not sure of the title)
6. Apartment Story
7. Mistake for Strangers
8. Fake Empire
9. Baby We’ll be Fire
10. Mr. November



Modest Mouse came out quickly and planned a fast set that was great. It had a lot of energy and really got the crowd ready for the main act. I’ve seen them twice before and I’ve come to learn that every show is its own. You never know what to expect from this band. Tonight was good, I don’t own all of their stuff but what I have I love and this was a great set which included.

Air Raid
1. Satin in a Coffin
2. Dance Hall
3. Dashboard
4. Fire it Up
5. Trucker’s Atlas
6. King Rat
7. ? Dreamed of Hell and Heaven but I don’t believe in either? (Couldn’t find
this one and I’m not even sure if this is the exact line Isaac sang.)
8. Float On
9. Paper Thin Walls
10. The Good Times are Killing Me
11. The View



I can’t easily tell you how many times I’ve seen R.E.M., but I can say each show is an experience that I’ll always cherish. Every tour/album has its own feel and emotions and this one was no different. The band played a clean set, and I don’t know if it was the feel of this tour or if it was because this was an early show in the tour or the place (Los Angeles) but the band wasn’t as fun to watch and interactive with the audience as in past tours. Saying this doesn’t mean the show wasn’t great but out of all of the tours I’ve seen it was one of the less entertaining ones. There were however some great moments within the show that I will always remember. Among them Ignoreland, and Let Me In. I’ve hear Let Me In a few different times and each one is great, but this time it was amazing. The band gathered around the stand up piano and played the song acoustically. It was private and gave the feeling of being with them in a studio or rehearsal. A private moment they shared with all of us. Here’s the set list

PRETTY PERSUASION
LIVING WELL
KENNETH
SITTING STILL
IGNORELAND
MAN SIZED WREATH
CIRCUS ENVY
DRIVE
ACCELERATE
HOLLOW MAN
FALL ON ME
HOUSTON
ELECTROLITE
FINAL STRAW
I’VE BEEN HIGH
LET ME IN
LOSING MY RELIGION
HORSE TO WATER
BAD DAY
WALK UNAFRAID
I’M GONNA DJ
----------------------
SUPERNATURAL
ONE I LOVE
UNTIL THE DAY
MAN ON THE MOON

Over all I’ll never go back to LA to see a show any show, the crowds there suck rocks, but it was a night I would never trade back. I meet two great security guards. They were twin brothers from Indiana trying to make it big and keeping their hearts from the blood suckers.

Death Cab For Cutie at Thanksgiving Point With Tegan and Sara 05/26/08 SLC, UT

This was my first show at Thanksgiving point, and I have to say besides the staff being rude and unhelpful, the services overpriced and being an hour late opening the doors the venue was great. Rouge Wave was scheduled to open the show, but due to weather they were unable to. Tegan and Sara also had a short set. They came out and played very well. This was my second time seeing them as an opening band, and I have to say they put on a good show. They have always been in a great mood played tight songs and engaged the crowd. I would love to see them headline a show, but they only seem to come to town as a supporting band. Their set was a nice mixture of old and new songs.

1. Walking with a Ghost
2. The Con
3. Burn Your Life Down
4. Speak Slow
5. I Bet it Stung (Dedicated to DCFC)
6. So Jealous
7. Where does the Good go
8. Nineteen
9. Back in Your Head
10. Living Room








Death Cab came out quick do to the time shortage. They played fast and didn’t mess around in-between songs. They were always as personable and pleasant with the crowd and enjoyed themselves. This was my third time seeing them play and I have to say they put on a great show.

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. The New Year
3. Why You’d Want to Live Here
4. Photobooth
5. Long Division
6. Grapevine Fires
7. A Movie Script Ending
8. Where Soul Meets Body (Ben mentioned he needed to practice before coming on stage before trying fancy guitar tricks)
9. Follow You into the Dark (Ben was alarmed by the lack of clothing people were wearing for the temperature outside)
10. I Will Possess Your Heart
11. Cath
12. No Sunlight (Ben said this story is kind of about today)
13. Company Calls
14. Crooked Teeth
15. Sound of Settling
16. Manhattan Marching Band (Once Ben said that this would be their last song the crowd got upset and he said Come on you know we’ll be right back out in a few minutes, which got everyone laughing and screaming)
Encore
17. Title and Registration (Ben jokingly mentioned they had to hurry up and finish by 10 or they’d turn into pumpkins(this was a reference to the curfew the venue has to close by 10pm (It’s outside and surrounded by houses)))
18. Your Bruise
19. Transatlanticism


All in all I loved the show and wished we hadn’t missed Rogue Wave and had more time with each of the bands. I don’t think I’ll go back to the venue by choice but if a band goes there that I like I’ll still go.
Only complaint was that Tegan and Sara didn’t sell any T-Shirts in XL size. What’s that about? Don’t they think fat dudes like their music? Well I do.