SEPTEMBER 3, 1998
BJCC ARENA
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMAMain Set...
Release, Hail, Hail, Animal, Given to Fly, Dueling Banjos, Corduroy, Immortality, Wishlist, Go, Daughter, Footsteps, Even Flow, Jeremy, Faithfull, Brain of J, Better Man, Rearviewmirror, Porch
Encore...
Elderly Woman, Leatherman, Do the Evolution, Alive, Black, Baba O'Riley
The venue looked very large from the outside, but the size was due to the fact that the arena was attached to a huge complex. The arena itself was very bare bones...nothing special at all. No suites. Nothing. Bare minimum.
First thing I noticed about the stage that was different than all the other shows was the "Mudhoney" banner that was raised high above the stage. I was surprised by the amount of people who came to see Mudhoney. Let me re-word that: I was surprised by how many people were at their seats in time for Mudhoney. At all the previous shows I have attended this year, hardly anyone showed up at the venue in time for the opening band~person~whatever. We are talking legends here: Frank Black, Iggy Pop, and Cheap Trick. I just thought it was interesting that more people showed up for Mudhoney's set than they did for any of the "legends" that I had seen previously open for Pearl Jam.
Mudhoney put on a good show. I may be incorrect, since Greenville and Birmingham are sort of "blurbed" together in my brain, but if I remember correctly, Mudhoney did play "Overblown"...which was cool to hear. Lukin in a blue striped shirt:-) I took a few pictures of Mudhoney's set, but none seemed to turn out:-(
The crowd in Birmingham was overall pretty young...that is compared to the other shows I went to: especially the two in East Troy. I saw many kids around the age of 10 or 11 with their parents...something I had not seen too much of at the shows earlier in the summer...except at the Auburn Hills show, since my 11 year old brother came with us:-)
Though I had a headache, I was ready for Pearl Jam to hit the stage...I'm always ready for Pearl Jam! A great wave of excitement rushed over my body as the band hit the stage..that Pearl Jam rush---got to love it! :-)
Pearl Jam comes out into the darkness...and we hear the beginning of "Release"---freak out time:-) "Release" is such a beautiful song and I was thrilled to hear it for the second time this year. Of course, after such a "softy", PJ had to rock out...so they pulled a little "Hail, Hail" and "Animal" out of their sleeves. "Given to Fly" came next, with the awesome clouds with the ocean underneath playing on the video screen. Really cool:-) "Given to Fly" is such an awesome song live, and I am thrilled that the band plays this one so much:-)
After "Given to Fly", Ed plays a little of "Dueling Banjos"...of course the crowd freaks---we're in Alabama;-)
The highlight of this show---for me---was the "There was one more thing I forgot to say...1...2...3...4..." This was total freak out point for me (I love my freak-out points of the shows...they rock...hehe)...I wanted to hear "Porch" so badly before the tour ended. I was delighted to say the least:-)
And what a treat...to see "Baba O'Riley" for a second time! This time, they came out with sunglasses...such a cute little touch:-)
After the show, my brain was just buzzing...thinking about what they would pull out the next night in Greenville...and only time could tell:-)
It's Evolution Baybee:-)
Aw yeah!
Here's a Baba pic...as well as a few others...
<< 07 >>
||Back to Pearl Jam Memories Index||Back To Jess' Homepage||
