Search - Pearl Jam :: 11/3/00 - Boise, Idaho

Rockin' In Idaho!

Kevin Perry | Seattle, WA. United States | 03/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, technically this show occured in neighboring Nampa, at the Idaho Center. It is a decent-sized arena (15,000 seats approx.), and not a bad indoor venue. This is one of the better releases of the PJ Europe & N. American tours from a performance standpoint. They all are pretty impressive, but the Boise show is a bit more powerful and tighter. Heck, it's the next-to-last gig, so they should be tight. And they are!!! The highlights are throughout the 2 cd's, with notable performances of "Nothing As It Seems," "Animal," "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town," and the whole encore segment.Just a little note out there to listeners that this particular Pearl Jam release is vital. With 71 double CD sets to choose from, it can be overwhelming, but this is reccomended. Features the same great sound as the other releases-nice consistency in that regard, and there is great separation on the speakers between the teo lead guitars, who go off on this Boise november evening. Get it and feel the positive energy!!"

Boise? Who knew?

David R. Finnegan II | Rockford, IL, USA | 11/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the list of the best shows from the 2000 tour, we've got the major cities of New York, Chicago, Seattle, Pittsburgh, and of course, the booming metropolis of Boise, Idaho.



The tension builds throughout a passionate 'Of the Girl', before the crowd is blown away by 'Go'. It's a flawless version of a flawless rock song, and apparently the band agrees: you can find this performance on the 2000 Touring Band DVD, which compiles some of the absolute best of the North American tour. The band barrels forth through Corduroy, Grievance, and Last Exit before pulling out a total shocker... Tremor Christ. On all the bootlegs I've collected thus far, I've only found this song twice. They nail it here. A good, high-energy version of Animal is also to be found, alongside other hits like Elderly Woman and Evenflow. A totally original Betterman tag, similar to the Seattle (#72) tag, is another highlight of the main set.



The energy lags a bit in the encore. Apart from State of Love and Trust, the renditions of their hard rockers leaves something to be desired, but the cover of Cat Stevens' Don't Be Shy makes up for it."

A greatest hits package on steroids...I was there!

Eddie Lancekick | Pacific Northwest | 02/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pearl Jam....Pioneers of a new generation of rock and roll. With the 2000 tour, PJ did something no other band had ever done...they recorded every live performance at every venue on their tour, and made a CD of it. This one I believe is CD # 72 of 73. From taking on Ticketmaster in order to lower ticket prices for their fans to avoiding the Cheap and Fabled "spotlight" that can quickly over market and burn out a band, PJ was the first in many things, humble when powerful, endearing when the industry magazines turned against them after they refused interviews, they're everything a great rock and roll band should be. Many people are turned off by live albums. Even more from a large metropolitan area would be skeptical as to why Boise Idaho, a town of less than half a million people, would be considered even a decent venue. The answer is obvious, though oblivious to the naysayer's: It's not the town; it's the people in it that make for a superb energetic and appreciative audience. I was at this show, and no one caused a riot or even caused a disruption during the show.



For example, Eddie Vedder proves the fact when he speaks to the crowd after the song "Tremor Christ" which came in around 40 minutes or so after the concert had started. Here's exactly what he says: "Good evening, Boise, Idaho ... it's funny because you go around meeting other bands and you know other bands, and you're part of this musical community and they say 'well it really great you guys have been playing 10 years, congratulations and all that and then they say, 'God, you must have played Boise" and you go "Uh" (Vedder pauses here, looking up, the crowd starting to boo a little) I don't think we did. I think we skipped them a couple of times, we cancelled. (It wasn't there fault; the conflict came from a scheduling dispute which the college basketball team ended up winning) Ed continues, "That was when Mike McCready was doing the bookings, so blame him. So now they find out that you've never played here and they say "Hrmph, you're not even a band"....so thanks for hanging in there with us." The crowd went nuts, absolutely nuts with glee and applause. The fact the humble rock star was acknowledging the fans of this town was extremely important to the rest of the show, as the band seemed to make a stronger connection with the crowd, and vice verse. From there, Another Idaho tie in was mentioned as Vedder exclaimed that the song "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" is about Moscow, Idaho. As the word Idaho drones out, the sad tune begins with Vedder saying "IIII Seem to recognize....your face...". This song was extremely moving as Eddie lets the crowd take over part of the singing in which they say "I just want to screammmm....HELLLOOOOO!" It's an amazing feeling on this live album to hear an assortment of over 10 thousand people all sing the lyrics to a song they love. I'm not trying to be biased because I was there, only adding detail for a better description of what was going on that made it a great recording. Okay, enough of my experience at the show, I used that as a starting point to show you just how great this show was. You see, Pearl Jam was closing out the tour and Boise was its second to last stop before the grand finale in the bands hometown of Seattle. Many would think they would be worn down, but Boise, as told by many in the band, from fans, and in hundreds of other reviews and interviews regarding this album, was an adrenalized, memory lane of Past and Present songs from the bands discography that shot through the November night like a cannon. Fifteen tracks complete the first set of what make up CD 1. It opens with the lesser known, newer track "Of the girl". Eddie's Voice despite being usually pretty baritone is clear as ever. The songs were written with a lot of emotion and meaning in message, but it's the singer's delivery of them that makes them believable. I'm not going to dissect every song but talk about them generally and point out some specific parts just here and there. There is a great balance to this show. The sound is not garbage of fuzz; the band interacts and even talks to the crowd at times but doesn't overdo it. The overall sound is perfect. Sometimes live shows sound EXACTLY like the studio album, not giving any new twist of uniqueness to it, others are so much different that we find our favorite songs are gone and replaced by missing words and even more missing guitar parts. With This Live act from Pearl Jam, you get the perfect "in the middle" performance. It's not just like the studio track, but it's also not so decked out in cheated guitar solo's and changed lyrical compositions that it's something unrecognizable. Tracks 2, 3, and 4 really get the ball rolling for the start of the show, as we have the stomach-punched rocker like "Go" and the classic from the Vita logy album "Corduroy" followed by "Grievance". Eddie and the band are starting to realize just how great the show is going, as the relentless Idaho Center crowed of over 12,000 have not sat down since the show started. Vedder, as mentioned, talks to their level, and says it's been a long time coming, whereupon he goes into "Elderly woman/small town". The first CD gets even more powerful as we hear the classics like "Animal" "Better Man" "Even Flow" and "Daughter". The guitars by McCready and crew are very crisp and yet blunt in the intro's, pounding out the studio tracks of their fame with a raw and rich added touch. Vedder introduces the drummer, former drummer of another famous Seattle band, Soundgarden. Again, the monitors and Feedback are put together by a great sound crew as the music gives a "live" feel but doesn't spiral out of control with raging drums and unrecognizable guitar riffs. Unlike some live shows, this one moves at a steady pace, the guitar solo's on the tracks don't get to drawn out and sidetracked. The Bass and Drums actually come though a little more when sometimes during studio recording or especially lives shows these are often the elements that we lose.



The Second CD is just as fun. By now it's been established that every person in the house belongs there, and it gives Eddie Vedder and the other band members a desire to finish the long set as great and epic as possible. 12 songs are on here and again, are a great mix of early classics, later moody ballad types, and innovative tunes from albums like No Code and Wishlist. CD 2 starts off with perhaps their most recognizable hit that starred on MTV.."Jeremy". The band delivers this song with clarity and precision, as the sad parts nearly hush the audience. Again, everyone is still standing, and the background cheers of these people do not take away from the performance, but add to its presence. The uplifting single "Given to fly" follows that. Throughout the show the band is moving around. McCready is jumping now and again, and Vedder takes various stances on stage with the mike stand as he sings the harmonious songs of PJ to us. The Eccentric, off the wall rocker "Do the Evolution" is on here, as well as "Spin the black circle" and "Black". One of the most poignant songs is "RITFW" (Rocking in the Free world). It ends CD 2...and the cover is given a new life as Vedder more or less tells in a melodic, fast pace voice than screams the Neil Young classic. It is here where you will hear a HUGE cheer from the crowd towards the end, as Vedder and McCready, the 90's version of Page and Plant, or Roth and Van Halen, Lean back upon each other at 45 degree angles and continue their performance, their bodies almost making a perfect upside down U in which the center crowers like myself could see the drum setup through.



Keep on rocking in the free world. Or don't. Either way, If you like PJ, you'll love this CD, and if you love their music, you'll cherish it and never really stop listening to it, getting enjoyment from it each and every time."