The band officially kicks off their Fall 2011 tour with this absolute scorcher of a show in Montreal. Coming a few nights after the epic two-night PJ20 Festival at Alpine Valley, the show has a fantastic career-spanning set, great band…
Main Set: Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Last Exit, Hail, Hail, The Fixer, Amongst The Waves, Severed Hand, Setting Forth, Corduroy, Given To Fly, Insignificance, Daughter/(Blitzkrieg Bop), Glorified G, 1/2 Full, Do The Evolution, Unthought Known, Why Go
encore 1: Even Flow, Come Back, Sleight Of Hand, Down, Black/(We Belong Together), Arms Aloft, Lukin, Porch
encore 2: Better Man, Crazy Mary, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
Show Notes:
Show Notes:
The band officially kicks off their Fall 2011 tour with this absolute scorcher of a show in Montreal. Coming a few nights after the epic two-night PJ20 Festival at Alpine Valley, the show has a fantastic career-spanning set, great band jams, and a totally raucous crowd. Small Town and Last Exit get the crowd revved up immediately before the band delivers a one-two combo of Hail, Hail and The Fixer to keep the energy level high. Ed finally addresses the crowd for the first time after The Fixer, saying that the vibe at the show already feels “really, really good.” Severed Hand is a blast – punctuated by a great full-band jam at the end. Setting Forth is a request of Matt Cameron’s. Killer, but tight versions of Corduroy and Given to Fly follow put the crowd at a fevered pitch. Before Insignificance, Ed shares his appreciation that Montreal’s electrical outlets are the same as those in the USA. Ed thanks the crowd for their singing on Daughter that featured a Blitzkrieg Bop tag. Before Glorified G, Ed takes a moment to point out that Canada has “good singers and less guns”. The first set ends with a great run of Do The Evolution, Unthought Known, and a bopping Why Go.
Even Flow is a perfect encore opener, pulling the crowd right back into things after a short break. Before Come Back, Ed gives a shout out to Mike McCready (rightfully so). Sleight of Hand is a disaster with Ed barely getting through the first verse before finally recovering. Black, with a We Belong Together tag, is a massive singalong. Arms Aloft makes one of its semi-regular 2010-2011 setlist appearances before Lukin and Porch bring the encore to a roaring finish. Before the second encore, Ed says he couldn’t think of a better place to start the tour. “You guys brought it!” he tells the crowd before telling a funny story about how his horoscope that day said to avoid crowds. Better Man and Crazy Mary feel a little standard, but still excellent. McCready shreds his way through the Alive solo. In his final remarks to the crowd, Ed says he can’t believe it’s been six years since they played Montreal but that it won’t be that long before they return and the band closes with a perfect version of Yellow Ledbetter. 2011 was a hugely memorable anniversary year for the band and coming off the heels of PJ20, the band delivered a powerful, intense tour opener in Montreal.