However, this does not take away from the power of Pearl Jam's performance on this date. They open with the contemplative Long Road and later in the set reprise the playing of "Crown of Thorns", a touching tribute to the beginnings of Pearl Jam and Jeff and Stone's previous band, Mother Love Bone and its late singer Andy Wood.

This is the final night of the tour that Supergrass opens for Pearl Jam, so Ed opens the encore with their lead singer to cover "Timeless Melody" by The La's. This song has been covered by Pearl Jam a handful of times on this tour and is always a treat and well executed.

In the tail end of the show, "Parting Ways" is played for the first time ever with the cello and viola string section and sounds even more powerful than the studio version.

Yellow Ledbetter ends the show, with Mike including some of Hendrix' "Little Wing" in his solo.


In the Shadow, but a Pretty Good Homecoming   November 10, 2001
doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Disclaimer: Owner of all 72 official PJ bootlegs. This second-to-last show in the grueling 2000 world tour, which was also the first of two nights in Seattle, is definitely overshadowed by the famous tour finale the following night (which, by the way, is a little overrated). But this gig is a reasonably solid, though not too spectacular, outing for the band. One major problem is a mysteriously subdued and un-enthusiastic audience, whom Eddie Vedder unsuccessfully tries to rile up a few times. I suspect that the crowd drained a lot of energy out of the band. Meanwhile, Mike McCready is barely present for much of the show, only popping up when he gets to do one of his showcase solos. The unsung hero tonight is Matt Cameron, who is having a great night and rescues his bandmates from the blahs. Poor Mike suddenly roars back to life after the encore break (maybe he got a smoke in), and he really lights up the rest of the band, so the encore section of this show makes up for the underachieving first half. All of the songs in the first encore ("Timeless Melody" through "Porch") are intense and resilient, except for a couple of gaffes in "Last Kiss." Despite the dead crowd, the band throws in many surprises for their hometown friends. This includes "Crown of Thorns" by Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament's pre-PJ band Mother Love Bone (this rendition is more successful than the first time they tried it, in Las Vegas). The guys from opening act Supergrass join in for a jaunty cover of "Timeless Melody" by The La's, while a two-woman string section (which includes Matt's wife April) adds some serious drama to the emotional "Parting Ways."


High Energy P.J.   February 6, 2002
Michael Bond (San Antonio, Tx USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Wow! Pearl Jam storms the stage and goes the distance. (Think AC/DC or Iron Maiden with a more meaningful song catalogue.) The amps must have been set at eleven. 'Nashville 8/17/2000' didn't crunch this much. The set is tight with a varied song selection from pre-P.J. to 'Binaural'. The cover of "Timeless Melody" is a new creature. "Yellow Ledbetter" shined on this outing. Seattle #1 is more fun, than the law should allow.


A great buy!   January 9, 2003
Victor (Seattle, WA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Pearl Jam playing LIVE in their hometown (mine too). I witnessed this very concert live and I'm one of the many in the Key Arena that night that belted every chorus with Eddie Vedder and cheered my heart out all through each song. A very worthwhile experience with one of the best bands of all time. I'd strongly encourage this tour "bootleg." This double album is a SERIOUS Pearl Jam effort with songs ranging from every part of the band's career (even "Crown of Thorns" from the fledgling band Mother Love Bone which included Ament and Gossard pre-Pearl Jam). Very thorough and satisfying set list that rivals the following nights' (Seattle, WA 11/6/00) which was a disc longer with more covers and more hits from "Ten." Great sound and great playing from every member. Cameron never sounded fuller and stronger, Gossard's rhythm was very prominent, Ament and his underlying bass style stood strong, McCready was always there holding place and kicking the best solos around at the perfect times with a strong bellowing Vedder at the mic, as usual. Very commendable for a band that was a day away from the end of the tour. Tired? Doesn't sound like it a bit! Mind you, this concert took place 3 days before the 2000 Presidential Election fiasco so you'll hear Vedder speak his mind between a few songs about Bush. In all, I feel the band was more refreshed on this outing than other live date bootlegs as Vedder commented on "how good it feels to perform with his own house key in his pocket," expressing a mutually bound happiness to be back home playing with their feet firmly rooted in the ground.

A great buy, worth all 5 stars!