#Pearl jam bootlegs rearviewmirror series#

When you received a new batch of shows in the mail, it was like Christmas. ItвЂ™s really just an excuse to geek out and reminisce about the days before Napster, the official bootleg series, and the glut of music available to everyone with just a few clicks. The whole point of the podcast is to relive the days of collecting and trading bootlegs in the 90s. The other day I was having a conversation with Patrick Boegel, my co-host on the вЂњHallucinogenic RecipeвЂќ podcast.

WeвЂ™re truly spoiled as fans (and in turn I am sure weвЂ™re all putting the bandвЂ™s great-great-great-great-great grandchildren through college.)

#Pearl jam bootlegs rearviewmirror series#

The fact that the Vault series is even a thing is awesome. But then again, I put way too much time and effort into listening to and dissecting PJ bootlegs. My personally highly subjective take on the Vault series is that some of the releases have been complete home runs, and a few others have had me scratching my head as to why that particular show was chosen over others (either because I think better shows exist on that tour that I wish had the soundboard treatment, or because a good source already exists in the bootleg community). Personally, I scaled back my purchasing after 2003 to just shows I attended, and then a few other highly regarded shows per tour (Moline, Grand Rapids, etc).ДЄs a supplement to the ongoing live releases, the band also kicked off what they call the вЂњVault SeriesвЂќ, where they release some handpicked shows on vinyl and (usually) digital formats. Minus a handful of shows here and there (more on this later), pretty much every show they have played since 2000 has been officially released. And yet again, like the sucker I am, I shelled out far too much money to get the entire set:ДЄt this point, the band was off to the races. To make matters worse, on my wallet, the band did it again for the 2003 tour. It took me a long time to listen to the entire tour, but after a few months I had listened to the entire series (and while I mostly agree with the Ape/Man designations, I still have a bone to pick with the band with a few omissions). 72 shows in total, including 18 with the вЂњApe/ManвЂќ logo on the back, signifying a show the band thought was a level above the others. I will fully admit to dropping way too much money for the entire set through the Ten Club when they were released as a package deal. Then in 2000, the almost unthinkable occurred: the band decided to release (almost) the entire tour on CD. It was the first official live release from the band, unless you count the Dissident 3CD digipak set from 1994, which contained most of the Atlanta 4/3/94 show (minus covers and new songs), and was never easy to find in its entirety, becoming somewhat of a rarity over time. Pearl Jam first released Live On Two Legs in November 1998, a compilation of performances from that yearвЂ™s tour. ThereвЂ™s also a high demand for vinyl, and in particular limited upcoming releases such as the Live On Two Legs RSD reissue and the special вЂњUpвЂќ and вЂњDownвЂќ editions of Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003. It has changed over the years: tape trading turned into CD-R trading, which turned into mp3 downloads, which turned into torrents, but the demand has always been there. There has been a demand for high quality bootlegs in the Pearl Jam community for going on 3 decades. Live Performances Worthy of a Pearl Jam Vault Release