Run away my son. See it all. Oh see the world.

LOCATION: Waiting to embark on the European Touring Bus, Pistoia
Tonight’s Show: Pistoia (Duomo Square)
Setlist: Interstellar Overdrive/Corduroy, Rearviewmirror, Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Unemployable, Small Town, Dissident, 1/2 Full, I Got Shit, Even Flow, Come Back, Not For You/(Modern Girl by Sleater Kinney), Breath, Given To Fly, Why Go, Comatose, Porch
1st Encore: Last Kiss, Hail Hail, State of Love and Trust, Black, Crazy Mary, Alive
2nd Encore: Last Exit, Do The Evolution, Wasted Reprise, Better Man, Spin The Black Circle, Rocking in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter

After hanging around town all day long, I finally went over to the 10c line because although I didn’t have 10c tickets, I wanted to hang out with Jess and everyone else before they went in. I also wanted to take pictures because this entry was so different from the other venues. Ten Club ticket holders were lined up on a quiet and narrow, cobblestone alley that led them directly into the Square. It was such a sight; right outside the alley were the enormous equipment and stage trucks parked along the very narrow Pistoia streets. I kept wondering what the locals thought. From what I’ve heard, not many bands had performed there before, maybe Phish and REM years ago.

When I found Jess, she said Karen didn’t want to go in with the 10c holders, so she and I traded tickets. While we were waiting to get in, an Italian television crew came by and asked us a bunch of questions. I told them they should interview Jess and so they did. They asked her a bunch of Pearl Jam questions, but then asked her what her favorite Nirvana song was, if she should sing it and what she thought of Kurt Cobain’s death. Whaaaaaat???? Strange. They talked to Dawn, Bowman’s girlfriend, as well but I don’t know if they asked her about Soundgarden or STP.

Once we were let in, Jess, Dolan, Dawn, Bowman and Dawn’s friend, Beth, secured a really nice spot that was the only elevated area. While we all thought the Square would hold 6,000 people, rumors were going around that the exact number that would be there tonight would be about 10,000. Thankfully they all had the same idea as me: no floor. They held a spot for me with them - I was so happy they adopted me! Everyone was up on the railing, and as soon as I got there, they started letting the rest of the audience in. Before I knew it, there were a ton of people surrounding us and pushing their way onto our spot. After that, my view was completely obstructed. We all were completely awestruck with the scenery and we kept saying that we could not believe that Pearl Jam was about to play here. There were cameras set up on windows high above the Square and locals were hanging out their windows getting ready to watch this show.

I was so excited to see Ed come out and do his preset. He played Throw Your Arms Around Me and it was another first for me. I thought it was the perfect choice for a preset, as by this time the sun had just gone down and the skies were super clear with a cool breeze blowing a number flags that had made their appearance again.
MMJ came and went, and by this time, I was really flustered. The view was not great at all, and Dolan and Jess tried their best to get me on the rail, but no luck - there were just too many of us. I saw a girl sitting on a garbage can on the floor and saw that there was just enough space for me to sit with her. The view was just ok - it was enough for me to see Ed and the band but not the entire stage. It was really uncomfortable, but once they came on, I tried to enjoy it as much as I could.
I have to say....like Verona, this show was not what it was thought to be in our minds and in our hearts, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the band and their performance. THEY were awesome and their setlist was great. They opened with Interstellar Overdrive and then went directly into Corduroy. I LOVE Corduroy right at the beginning because of the ‘waiting drove me mad’ line. I thought the band, like nights before, were on fire and were giving us everything they could.

The crowd, however, is a different story. I hate to say this and my apologies if it offends any Pistoians (!!!!) but this audience didn’t deserve the show they got. Many of us felt that most people were there because it was the big thing to do around town, and they only reacted to Ten songs. With other audiences, even if they weren’t as familiar with the later music, they still would really get into it. On top of that, the people around me kept laughing, talking, calling people on their cellphones, pushing each other and horsing around - it really killed the mood. They showed zero respect for the band and for the fans who were drooling over the chance to see our favorite band in such a magical little place. Of course, this does not pertain to everyone in attendance. I could see all our 10c friends up front having a blast, and there were people around enjoying the show. Overall, however, they were flat as can be.

They picked up with the better known songs; Black, yet again, was extraordinary. Because it was outdoors and all the buildings were illuminated in soft lights, it was really cool to see everyone taking out their lighters and singing along against this background. At the end of the song, Ed told the audience that they fixed his broken heart. I had heard they were a little disappointed with some of the audiences at some of the shows (you know how rumors are) and I wondered if when he said this, it was exactly what he had in mind. It took them till the end of Black to fix his heart.
During the middle of the show, I couldn’t take the people around me anymore and the position I was in was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully I had been up already when MY highlight came. I knew they had sound checked Tremor Christ and Breath a few days ago, and since they played Tremor Christ last night, I was really, really hoping for a little bit of Breath. I think he said it was a request (I have to re-listen) and when the opening notes began I was beyond elated! I love Breath so much mainly because of its lyrics. My favorites are ‘If I knew where it was, I would take you there, but there’s much more than this,’ ‘Run away my son, see it all, see the world’ and ‘......life ain’t what it’s worth.’ Ed always encourages Pearl Jam fans to decipher lyrics using their own interpretations, and I see Breath as a wake-up call to everything that’s outside your doorstep. The idea that the life we’re living isn’t what it could potentially be - that its worth so much more; that you have to see the world and experience everything that’s out there, because its more than this mundane life we sometimes live. If the song is amazing on the studio version, it is extraordinary live. We were all very happy to hear it and Jess gave me a ‘first times the best time’ look after it was done.

The rest of the show was great, with the crowd’s excitement ebbing and flowing. At one point (I think it was during Alive), Ed walked over to the left side of the stage and began climbing up. And up. And up. It was awesome seeing him sing up there like that, and the guys behind me thought he was going to jump. Silly boys, Ed’s a grownup now ;)
So that was Pistoia. Great show, not so great crowd. Thankfully, everyone I know really enjoyed it because as Jess said, you just have to tune out the audience at shows like this and focus on the music. We said our goodbyes after Yellow Ledbetter, as I was on my way to The Bus. I told Jess I’d see her in Prague and now I’m about to go on a day and half journey that will take me to the Czech Republic via God knows where.