The Bravery opened the show. I don’t know how many songs or how long the band played, but that shouldn’t be a reflection of the quality of music. I was preoccupied with getting a tour shirt (which is a story for another post – maybe) as well as being anxious for Green Day.
I had not seen Green Day before, even though I had tickets to see them on their last tour. My oldest son was pulling some of his usual crap so we didn’t go as a punishment (those tickets were a birthday present for him). I had been a fan of the band before Dookie had come out, so I was really looking forward to this.
Before Green Day took the stage, somebody in a large pink bunny costume came out and gesticulated towards the crowd. After a few minutes of undulation and wandering around on the stage, the large pink bunny wandered off. A few minutes later Green Day come out and begin playing a few songs from their latest album as well as a couple off of American Idiot.
The stage had two screens, one in front of the other. The front was tiered, in the shape of buildings. At the beginning of the set, the front set of screens, in fact, were lit up as a cityscape with rear screen dark. Then other images were projected on the rear and front screens with images that worked together. It was a very good set up that allowed for some intricate visuals while keeping the stage pretty clear and simple.
Another thing the set had was an inordinate amount of pyrotechnics. I was surprised at how many fireworks were set off. Then there were balls of flame. Sitting at opposite end of the arena I could feel the heat off the flames.
After about 30 minutes Billy Joe said “Who wants to hear some old shit?” The crowd, naturally, went nuts. A number of songs from Dookie, Insomniac and Nimrod were then performed. Hitchin A Ride, Geek Stink Breath, and She are just a few of the favorites that the band tore through. During one song, Billie Joe Armstrong invited a very young (maybe 8 years of age) fan that was at the front on stage, and during Longview a couple of members of the audience were invited to sing. Neither of them were very good, so it was obvious that they were not fake “plants” by the band.
The last third of the show was a mixture of songs from all the major label albums from the band. In a two hour show, there was a heavy emphasis on 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot. A couple of major hits that one might expect were also missing from the set list. I had expected to hear When I Come Around and Nice Guys Finish Last. Still, the set list was quite good balancing out heavy emphasis on the last two albums with plenty of old stuff for the fans. I was surprised and a little disappointed that the only song off of Warning was Minority – and even that was during the fake encore. Warning is my favorite album of the band.
During the song/suite Jesus of Suburbia an audience member was brought on stage to play guitar. Throughout the concert Billy Joe had mentioned that the band was officially from Seattle, simply playing up to the crowd. When he asked where this guy in the audience was from, and the response was California, there was a large jeer and “Boo!” from the audience. Still, Billy Joe brought him on stage after asking if he really could play guitar (“Swear to God?”) and if he knew the song. The end result was worth it, because despite a fumbled chord or two, this guy kept up with the rest of the band for the 10 minutes it took to perform the whole thing. The whole band was impressed, as was the crowd – and rightfully so. Hopefully something nice happened to the guy.
All told it was a great concert – and I’m glad I finally got to see the band. I wish I had the chance to see them in a smaller venue earlier in their career, but the three guys from Berkley seemed to be trying really hard to keep that same intimacy and immediacy despite the arena-sized venue.