LOCATION: Train en route to Milan
Last night's show: Verona (Arena di Verona)
Setlist: Release, Given to Fly, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Do the Evolution, Severed Hand, Love Boat Captain, Even Flow, 1/2 Full, Gone, Not for You, Grievance, Marker in the Sand, Jeremy, Wasted Reprise, Betterman, Blood
1st Encore: Inside Job, Come Back, I Believe in Miracles, Porch, Life Wasted
2nd Encore: Elderly Woman, My Sharona(My Verona), Once, Alive, Rockin In the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
I have to be completely honest. The show we all thought would be THE show, really wasn't. Every show is amazing - the band always gives 100%, the audience gives their best and every time I see them, I want to see them more. We had all hyped this show up so much, and while it did not, in any way, disappoint, it wasn't what we had imagined. And what else didn't we imagine? The rain that would be pouring down at showtime.
At 5pm, I was getting ready for the show when it started pouring sideways. Although this was a downpour with thunder and high winds, I thought it would be ok because it was early in the evening. It couldn't rain like this all night, could it? We waited for it to slow down a bit and then ventured out to the arena. As we walked over, Warren started freaking out that they would cancel the show. I knew they wouldn't cancel, but feared it would get really delayed.
Once there, I found a covered spot while the guys went to get their 10c tickets. As it turns out, Warren's 10c number is God-like here, and he and Patrick would be sitting in the 2nd row. Now, I ain't gonna lie..... I was dying with envy!! I would be way up there and the guys would be in the 2nd row - come on! At this point, the rain started letting up a bit and we could hear MMJ peforming. We parted ways and they headed through the floor, while I went looking for the nose bleed entrance.
I found my gate and made my way up. And up. And up. When I got to my entrance, my heart sank. There were people crowded all over the rail and I couldn't see a thing. I pushed my way through and realized they were just standing there looking over. I found a spot on a railing and thought I'd stay there. The view really was outstanding. This venue is indescribable.Gladiators played here and it's almost 2,000 years old. The structure is older than America. It was surreal to just be standing in it, let alone looking out onto a stage where Pearl Jam would perform. Towards my left were these gorgeous arcs where you could see the audience's silhouette.
The rain had stopped and I looked out over some empty seats below me. Just then, a security guard approached me and said I couldn't stand there because it was a fire hazzard (I think that's what he said). I just looked at him and shrugged, smiled and pointed to the seats below (God, I wished this worked back home). Next thing I know, he's opening the chain for me and told me to walk down. I kept walking down the aisle expecting to run into a gated area, but nothing at all was sectioned off. I couldn't believe it but I had made my way onto the floor and was now looking for Warren and Patrick. I had memorized their seats and after searching for them for a few minutes, I found them. I couldn't believe how amazing their seats were and I was really hoping I could just stay there with them, hiding from security. I was there through the end of MMJ's set, but when the lights came on, I was found out! I had to leave the guys and began looking for a good spot. I walked over to the right side of the arena, and on the first step right next to the floor was a perfect spot on the rail. It was about 12 rows from the stage, slightly elevated so my view was not obstructed. PERFECTION! Who got the last laugh, boys!?!?!?
We thought they'd open with Wash, but I was so excited to hear Release, as it was the perfect opener for the venue. The rain had started up again, and it began to pour. I know nothing can stop a Pearl Jam show and their fans could care less about rain or shine, but I really think this affected the first hour. The audience wasn't as loud and crazy as the other shows, and I just couldn't feel IT from them. Thankfully, the rain stopped during Not for You, and it was then that the show really started picking up.
The audience was loudest when the most popular songs came on and every time Ed would speak in Italian, they'd get really loud. Before Come Back in the 1st encore, he told the crowd about Johnny Ramone and said the song was about him. It was very moving, and appropriately, they went into I Believe in Miracles right after. During the 2nd encore, they started on My Sharona, and THAT was really cool. Much to the audience's delight, Ed replaced Sharona with Verona (clever, no?!?). The crowd joined him and I thought it was one of the highlights of the night. During Alive, he really stole the show. When the guitar solo came on, he ran all the way up the arena's stairs on the left - I was really concerned he'd slip on the marble, since everything was so wet. The fans were ecstatic and he got really close to all of them. He then ran down, over the stage and up to the right side. I was too far from where he was and everyone crowded around, so I couldn't see him.
Rockin'in the Free World and Yellow Ledbetter were the best songs that night. All the lights went on and the crowd responded like they hadn't all evening, standing on rails and seats and clapping along. Having the lights on was, obviously, different at this venue than at the others. Everything was lit up and the sight of thousands of people dancing and cheering in the arena was something I won't soon forget.
A friend of Warren's somehow managed to see a copy of the schedule for the show. She said they were supposed to perform for three hours, but I guess nature had other plans. That's ok, though, because seeing a show at this arena made up for lost time.
After the show, we went to have dinner and quickly stopped by to say hi to a bunch of fans that had gathered in front of the arena for a post-show meet up. We then headed back to the apartment, but not before buying a bottle of wine to drink on the kitchen's balcony. There, we accidentally witnessed Ivana's neighbor strolling around his apartment in nothing but a tight, black thong speedo, the details of which I will save for another entry.
Like the night before, we had a great time. In Verona, it was all about the setting: the wine, the balconies and now, the voyeurism.
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