Billy Joe Armstrong performing live
As a rule when reporting on something it is considered a huge “no-no” to write yourself into a news story. After all, people want objectivity from a writer when reading an article or even a review. But lets be honest, how objective is any review? Really? So as I report on the utterly amazing Green Day concert from last night; I plan on completely disregarding the aforementioned rule for the sake of accurately capturing last night’s awesomeness.
I make no bones about the fact I’m a music snob. In fact, most of my friends are music snobs and to a person all of them had something less than nice to say about my plans to see Green Day perform. It’s no surprise. The band has grown into some arena punk amalgamation that music aficionados love to hate. But I can’t help wondering why. It seems to me U2 has spent a career being unable to do anything “small” and having acclaim heaped at their feet turning the arena experience on it’s ear. Why is it when Billie Joe and company do the same thing they are labeled as less of a band? It seems silly and is silly.
Of the hundred plus concerts I’ve seen in my life (including Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Nirvana, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, The Who, R.E.M., U2 and The Cure to name a few) last night’s has to rank in my top five experiences of all-time. What’s more, I’ve never attended a show where the crowd was so attentive or involved from start to finish and front to back row.
A roar from the crowd greeted the band as they took the stage. In return Green Day roared back by ripping straight into the title track from their critically acclaimed, chart topping album “21st Century Breakdown”. Front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, could hardly wait to begin his banter with the crowd and in the middle of the song he urged the crowd to climb to their feet and swing their arms. In that instant my eyes were astounded as the entire audience exploded with life. It seemed every person in the Sprint Center was waving their arms in time with the song.
The crowd’s involvement didn’t stop there, in fact, it seemed to grow throughout the band’ impressive two and a half hour set. As the night continued the band pulled fans onto the stage to sing along with them; they played elaborate games of call and response; they played instrumental versions of hits while the crowd played lead singer; and of course, they rejoiced when twenty thousand people clapped in time like an extra member of the band. Despite the incredible showmanship, at it’s core, the night was about the music.
Watching the performance I found myself thinking over and over again, “that’s going to be the highlight of the night”… each time the band did something else as if they were determine to prove me wrong. Whether it was the whisper to a scream build in “Before The Labotomy” or the blasting saxophone and playful breakdown that took “King For Day” straight into a raging cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout” the night was packed full of standout moments.
The band played each song like it was the finale of the night and the set list was a perfect blend of new songs, big hits and old favorites. Despite having played some of the songs for nearly twenty years, there was never a lack of enthusiasm. Billie Joe spent the entire night running from one side of the stage to the other singing and wailing on his Stratocaster with a seemingly endless supply of energy. Behind him Tre Cool pounded the drums like he was still twenty one. And of course Mike Dirnt attacked the bass lines driving the songs forward and shaking the arena’s foundation.
Right now, Green Day is a band at the top of their game. They graciously put on a show for the fans and for fun. Nothing seems to embrace the idea of rock or punk more. My suggestion to you is: whether you are a Green Day fan or not, if you live in one of the cities left on their tour you would be remiss to not grab a ticket and witness the spectacle. Check out the rest of their tour dates. And if you go, make sure you take a nap because it’s going to be a long night… and kind of an aerobic workout.
So there you have it. My review, I might have broken a few rules... that
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