June 24, 2003 - Columbus, OH - Pearl Jam, Buzzcocks

Venue:  Polaris Amphitheater

My second Pearl Jam concert and an amazing time.

I had a questionable vehicle at the time, so my Dad followed me down to Columbus, just in case there was an issue.  My brother Joe rode down with my Dad, and my buddy Ryan rode down with and was going to attend the concert with me.

Just a couple of months after my first Pearl Jam show, the fan club seats still were based on Seniority in the club, but you could get better seats if you waited in line and picked them up earlier.  Ryan and I stood out in 90+ degree heat for a few hours in the afternoon, behind hundreds of fans, and got some tickets that were about ten rows from the back of the amphitheater.

The Buzzcocks opened and played their asses off, with no breaks between most of their songs.  Pearl Jam took the stage as the sun was going down directly behind the lawn.  Eddie wasn't feeling well and his voice was a little rough throughout the bight.  I saw him laying down on what looked like a mattress on the side of the stage during a solo at one point, but he still gave a great performance and brought the energy.

An Improv that fans have titled 'Lost In Ohio' was really amazing, as was the sing-a-long during Jeremy, and the Neil Young cover 'Fuckin Up'.  Rarities like Evacuation, Red Mosquito, and Footsteps made me very happy, as I was already in the habit of using their shows as another chance to "collect" their songs.

The crowd was sun burned, drunk, and excited.  I felt a splash on the back of my shins late in the show and I was pretty sure that it was vomit from the drunken 50 year old behind me.  Ryan and I went and ate at a Waffle House after the show.  I think it was the first time either of us had been to a Waffle House.

I had a great time over the day and half that we were down in Columbus, but Ryan was just a friend I drug along and he wasn't a Pearl Jam fan.  At Waffle House, he told me he was homesick and was looking forward to heading him.

We had been gone since that morning.  It was really lame of him to have said that and I am still mad about it all these years later.  I don't put up with people not relaxing and enjoying themselves.  It shows a lack of vision and no love for adventure.

It's also just a shitty thing to say to a friend who is obviously enjoying himself on a short trip to see his favorite band.  I don't let people's comments like this get me down anymore.  If they can't enjoy themselves on vacation or away from home, it's not my place to make them have a good time, however, I owe it to myself to not let them ruin mine.