Pearl Jam Live in Poland

Hello,

Yesterday my drive music was the June 15th, 2000 Pearl Jam show in Katowice, Poland. The title of this blog is "Live in Poland", maybe dead in Poland would have been more appropriate. Pearl Jam played a very disinterested, low energy set. There wasn't much of a connection with the crowd either, that may have been due to the language barrier. If Pearl Jam plays a set like that when I see them in Salt Lake I would be very disappointed. Only 10 of the 25 songs from my current dream Pearl Jam setlist were played that night. I'm listening to this CD while I'm writing my blog.

The first four songs they played were blah ballads, that was a very boring start to the show. Pearl Jam should never start off a show with "Release", "Of The Girl", "Sleight of Hand" and "Thin Air". Pearl Jam does gain a bit of life near the end of "Thin Air". They performed 30 songs on that night. If I'd been at that show I would have rather had them play only 26 or 27 songs and skip those first 3 or 4 boring songs. Eddie said in the early part of the concert, "We're going to get all the pretty ones out of the way". He should have substituted "most boring" for "pretty".

On that night songs end abruptly, there's no rhythm in the performance and Eddie seems especially disinterested. Even Pearl Jam classics suffer a less than proper fate. Overall it's a lackluster concert. The show does have some highlights like that night's version of "Black" is especially devestating. Eddie sings a snippet from "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" during daughter. Surprisingly for a Pearl Jam show, those are some of the very few highlights.

I know you thought I was done with Michael Jackson news, but now there is more to report. First of all today is the two month anniversary of his too sudden death. First a disclaimer, what I'm about to write I read on the internet. I can't guarantee the accuracy of this. Apparantally a mixture of drugs administered on June 25th led to Jackson going into cardiac arrest. His doctor, Conrad Murray, administered the drugs to help Michael Jackson sleep. Murray left to make some calls, he returned to find Michael Jackson no longer breathing. Jackson's deathhas been ruled a homocide. Apparantally in the strict legal definition homocide is when death is caused by someone else, but that doesn't mean a crime was committed.

Sports update: This is a great time for sports as MLB heads into the final month of the regular season> The pressure increases with every game now. For instance, in the N.L. West the Dodgers go into Colorado for a three game series with the Rockies. Currently the Dodgers lead the Rockies by three games. This could go two ways, either LA leading by up to 6 games or they could be tied when this series is over. Three of my teams have a semi realistic chance of making the playoffs. Those three teams are the Dodgers, Red Sox and the Braves. Meanwhile the Cubs are going through another "Wait Until Next Season" season. I still love the Cubbies.

A week from this Saturday the college football season kicks off, my favorite team BYU will crush Oklahoma at the new Dallas Cowboys 1.3 billion stadium. (Just kidding, I hope BYU loses by less than 35 points.) VZW has let me have the day to enjoy it. My alma mater Utah will welcome in state rival Utah State by thrashing them on Thursday, September 3rd. 9 days and counting until that game, not that I'm counting down.

Then 8 days later the NFL kicks off the season. My hope is that Dallas does not embarass themselves too much this season. Following the season the Cowboys need to fire Wade Phillips. (Wade what do you have on Jerry that you can keep your job?)

themusicaddict