Search - Pearl Jam :: 26/6/00 - Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany

Attention: Includes several one-of-a-kind moments!

Adam W. Smith | Kansas City | 09/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To be honest, the reason I bought this particular double-CD concert recording in the first place is, first and foremost, the inclusion of "Crazy Mary" (a Victoria Williams cover originally done on the SWEET RELIEF tribute album) and "Baba O'Riley" (a Who cover). I'm incredibly glad I did, mainly because this show is the ONLY recording released from the tour that has either of those songs on it, so it's very much worth it. However, there are many reasons to check this particular one out. The sound quality is, of course, excellent, and the guys play incredibly well. There isn't a whole lot of band-to-crowd banter (there is a nice surprise before "Crazy Mary" on disc 2) on this one, but you get a solid 2 hours plus, at 26 tracks. This is a very fun show with many great crowd-favorite tracks ("Even Flow", "Daughter", "Corduroy", "Elderly Woman...", etc.) and some more obscure ones ("Smile", "Present Tense", "Faithful", their cover of "Soldier of Love", originally introduced by the band to the fans on the LAST KISS single) that will please any die-hard Pearl Jam fan, or even someone who just wants to get a great live document of how tight and rewarding these guys are in concert. Very much recommended -- plus it has "Crazy Mary" and "Baba O'Riley" on it!!"

Off Eddie Goes

Dana P Larkin | Las Vegas, NV USA | 10/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pearl Jam is one of the few groups that can actually sound better live than in the studio. Their raw power and improvisational magic is nearly unmatched in today's prepackaged, industry driven music scene. It is exactly that mold breaking type of live virtuosity that has made it possible for a major record label like Epic to take a chance at releasing 25 live albums by one group with LITTE OR NO NEW MATERIAL. Pearl Jam is quite possibly the only group actively performing that has the kind of varied style and genre busting contrasts that might make such a release possible. However, even a die hard Pearl Jam fan without the $300 necessary to purchase all of these live gems may wonder which one or two to purchse. Granted, approaching such a stack of "new" realeases and trying to decide which one is the one to buy is a daunting task. Many fans will look for a certain set list that includes their favorites, while others will look for content that may be rare or lesser known. Regardless of what your approach is in deciding which of these live albums to purchase, the show from Hamburg will definately fit the bill. From the opening track Breakerfall, one gets the impression that the band is particularly on. Eddie's scratchy voice is almost unearthly as he rips out those gut wrenching lyrics that PJ fans have come to love. Corduroy, arguably the bands best live song and the only one played at all 25 venues, is especially powerful. Guitarist Mike McCready's solo during Corduroy on this night is fast paced and just a bit different from the other 24. Along with staples such as MFC, RearViewMirror and Daughter, all played without too many mistakes or guitar amp outages, the set also includes some very rare songs such as Present Tense, Faithful and Baba O'Riley. In fact, this is the only show during this leg of the tour where the wildly popular Who cover Baba was even played. Perhaps the rarest of the tracks is the cover of Victoria Williams' Crazy Mary. Once again this is the only venue where this song was performed. Interestingly, Victoria Williams is lead man Eddie Vedder's wife. The song is an extremely passionate one and on this night Ed does his wife especially proud by performing perhaps his most stunning rendition of this song to date. With supporting songs like Go, Porch and the soulful Soldier of love (played only two other times on the tour), Hamburg offers the most varied and powerful set list of all the Euro Boots available. The crowd is really into the show and spurs Ed and the boys into a 130 minute whirlwind that spans 26 tracks of pure Pearl Jam evolution.So, even though Eddie states that he'll have to speak english to the German audience because his German is less than adequate, all who hear this performance can see why Pearl Jam's music speaks volumes in any language about a reclusive rock band that is still at the top of its game. Buy this CD before any of the others, it will be the high water mark against which all of the up coming shows are to be judged."

Of course, it's a matter of preference...

orangejulius | Arlington, MA USA | 11/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unless you're a die-hard Pearl Jam fan, chances are you're not going to buy all 25 of these double-live CD releases. But suppose Live On Two Legs wasn't enough, and you're looking for an additional live set from the Seattle boys. One of your choices is Hamburg, June 26, 2000.Pearl Jam focused on newer material during their European tour, so there's no shortage of more recent tracks. The key is finding which live disc has your favorite songs on it. After sorting through the track listings on a good majority of the discs, I found Hamburg to be the best match for me. I'm an old-school Pearl Jam fan... I feel that while they've increased their creativity, they've lost their angst. For me, the old stuff is best. Hamburg deals up a healthy dose of old material. Of the 26 tracks, 9 are from the first three albums, 11 if you include the 'rareties' "Yellow Ledbetter" (from the Jeremy single) and "Crazy Mary" (from Sweet Relief). Also included is an interesting cover of "Baba O'Riley" done without keyboards. It's pretty good, but The Who's original is in no danger of being surpassed. The band blasts from song to song with force, and the overall sound quality of the recording, and indeed several of the other shows I've heard, is outstanding. The only gripe I have about the set is that at some points, it seems rather uninspired. While they continuously rock, it leaves little time for Eddie to interact with the crowd other than some idle banter here and there. The jam during "Porch" is lacking the intensity that it used to have (like that of the MTV Unplugged show). I was also a bit disappointed with the arrangement of "Daughter". Still, these are tremendous musicians at the top of their game, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better live set."