Finally, Rachel and I get back to doing what we do best together - going to gigs! This, our first joint one since Kasey was born nevertheless nearly didn't happen as I got a hit of the recent family stomach virus about 3 pm, and needed to lie down for an hour or so before we set off!
But go we did - this was the one Rach had been saving herself for, so I wasn't going to wuss out, so we set off at 5.45, hitting horrible traffic and needing an emergency stop, but still parking up at 7.45. Indeed, the final NEC approach was remarkably painless - it seemed everyone heeded the ticket providers' useful e-mail advice that Green Day were due on at 8, and got there early!
Park'n'rode to the venue - now the LG Arena - from our outlying car park and took our standing spot, about halfway back, in good time for the arrival of... that damned drunken bunny again! Staggering on and chugging beer down to the general delight of the crowd, the pink bunny made a rabble rousing reappearance from the "American Idiot" tour, this time dancing to "YMCA" and the Ramones' "Rock'n'Roll Radio" before the lights plunged at 8.15, heralding the quiet intro "Song Of The Century", which announced the arrival of Green Day to a noisy reception, and into the tempo-change-tastic "21st Century Breakdown" title track.
The thick end of 5 years has passed since the step-change of "American Idiot" marked Green Day out as a band that matter once more, their cartoon ramalama punk being infused with a political commentary as biting and articulate as anyone, and a widescreen song structure sensibility far removed from the amphetamine soundbites of "Dookie" yet still retaining the Green Day identity. And the question, "how do you follow that," has been answered with, "more of the same, really!" Evolution rather than revolution has been the theme of the new CD, which initially rendered it disappointing to my ears, but which, "live", made much more sense. A raucous, singalong "Know Your Enemy" followed, by which time Billie Joe was well into the full-on stadium mass communication antics, screaming, "Birming-HAMMMMM!" at every opportunity and exhorting the frantic young crowd into "hey-oh"s with annoying frequency. Stadium Rock 101 really, but actually, when it's this much fun, I can forgive that...
The antics continued; a couple of kids being hauled onstage for "human sacrifice", fireworks and pyrotechnics galore, water cannons, random yahoos being dragged up because Billie Joe liked their blue hair, some punter being dragged up to sing all of "Longview" and another crowd-surfing from the back of the 16,000 capacity auditorium, you get the picture...
But all this augmented rather than detracted from the rock, with superb renditions of "The Static Age" and "St. Jimmy" early spiky highlights, and "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" as desolate and gut-wrenching as ever, throwing light and shade (and a lengthy pregnant pause - hooray!) into the set. And so easily did the new numbers rub shoulders with the "American Idiot" material, that it wasn't until the karaoke "Longview", 50 minutes in, that they delved beyond their last 2 CDs. And testament to the strength of that material that we really didn't notice!
Similar to the new CD, the stage show was an evolution of the "American Idiot" tour we enjoyed 3 times in 04/05. Some recycled antics and backdrops, but I liked the "Unknown Pleasures" style lines effect on some band close-ups, making Mike Dirnt in particular look like a row of manic duelling cardiographs!
2 hours in, an amphetamine crazy "American Idiot" encore capped an entertaining set, so we left as Billie Joe took the stage for the final acoustic encores, missing them but ensuring a quick exit and home by midnight. Punk rock healed me, as I felt much better after the gig!
Showing posts with label Green Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Day. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Thursday, 9 September 2010
366 GREEN DAY, D-Generation, London Brixton Academy, Saturday 31 January 1998
We set off for this one at 1/4 to 3, so had a quick detour over to Camden with the boys (Ady and Rich), before getting over to Brixton at 6.15. Had something to eat and a couple of drinks, as the queue for this sell-out show stretched around the block (!), so we didn't get in until 8.15, still managing to secure good unreserved circle seats, stage left. So we had a very good view for support D-Generation, who were US trad punk - a bit like the Ramones, Black Flag, etc.- 10 years too late and not too bright, really.
The place erupted at 9.15 for the appearance of the Green Day boys, though; bounding onstage to the entrance music of Devo's excellent "Whip It", and bursting into their MTV-friendly 90's punk rock set with a vengeance. Well-known numbers such as "Welcome To Paradise" and "Geek Stink Breath" were tossed in early on, as Billie Joe Armstrong, a superb charismatic nutcase frontman, led the band through some serious ramalama punk rock riffery, and turned the crowd downstairs into a dervish moshpit. Feet were duly tapped on the balcony, too, although due to heavy-handed security, we couldn't go much further than that. It's a rock gig, we want to dance, you fascists!
Anyway, on the dancefloor, audience participation was the order of the day; Billie Joe exhorting the mosh to shout, "Fuck Off!" at us balcony lot, and for us to reply, "You Suck!"; the band dragging a 16 year old out of the mosh to play guitar, then releasing him to dive back in during the entrance to the splendid "Basketcase"; and Billie Joe putting on dozens of t-shirts chucked onstage. Following a cacophonic ending to encore "When I Come Around" (wherein both drumkit and speaker stack were trashed, rock'n'roll style), Billie Joe ended with a solo rendition of current single "Time of Your Life". We did, thanks. Tremendous entertainment; a superb gig!
The place erupted at 9.15 for the appearance of the Green Day boys, though; bounding onstage to the entrance music of Devo's excellent "Whip It", and bursting into their MTV-friendly 90's punk rock set with a vengeance. Well-known numbers such as "Welcome To Paradise" and "Geek Stink Breath" were tossed in early on, as Billie Joe Armstrong, a superb charismatic nutcase frontman, led the band through some serious ramalama punk rock riffery, and turned the crowd downstairs into a dervish moshpit. Feet were duly tapped on the balcony, too, although due to heavy-handed security, we couldn't go much further than that. It's a rock gig, we want to dance, you fascists!
Anyway, on the dancefloor, audience participation was the order of the day; Billie Joe exhorting the mosh to shout, "Fuck Off!" at us balcony lot, and for us to reply, "You Suck!"; the band dragging a 16 year old out of the mosh to play guitar, then releasing him to dive back in during the entrance to the splendid "Basketcase"; and Billie Joe putting on dozens of t-shirts chucked onstage. Following a cacophonic ending to encore "When I Come Around" (wherein both drumkit and speaker stack were trashed, rock'n'roll style), Billie Joe ended with a solo rendition of current single "Time of Your Life". We did, thanks. Tremendous entertainment; a superb gig!
Friday, 8 January 2010
652 GREEN DAY, New Found Glory, Cardiff International Arena, Thursday 3 February 2005
Following "American Idiot", easily their best album since 1994's "Dookie", Green Day have catapulted themselves back into contention, and we were up for a gig from this seemingly revitalised band of snotty punks. After one false start on tickets, Rachel secured some late-release production tix, so we were all set for this sell-out arena show. Hit the venue at 7 and joined the queue after a slight car park panic, quickly realising I'd be one of the oldest punks in town for this one! A lot of kids - including early teens! - were here, some accompanied by parents who also looked younger than me!
Support New Found Glory were on at 7.30, energetically bounding onstage and pedalling an amalgam of brash nu-metal riffery and surf-skate punk which went down well with the kids but seemed too generic for my tastes, and also suffered from echoey sound in this large hall.
The place filled up as Showtime grew near, then a chap in a pink bunny suit bounded onstage (!), brandishing a Green Day poster and leading the kids in a "Green Day! Green Day!" chant. Then the unmistakable strains of the Ramones classic "Blitzkrieg Bop" hit the PA, with the bunny leading the "Hey Ho Let's Go!" chants. Following this, the house lights went dark, and Green Day came onstage to the "2001: A Space Odyssey" theme and a chorus of "whoo's" from the WWE fans in the audience!
Straight into a venomous "American Idiot", a statement of clear intent which was followed by 3 other numbers from the LP of the same name. Marilyn Manson was right - George Bush getting elected US President is bad for their country, but sure is good for rock'n'roll. This event has obviously inspired Billie Joe Armstrong's bile and vitriol into creating a stunning, varied and important statement. "Jesus Of Suburbia" was typical; musically stealing from such sources as the Alarm's "68 Guns", Bryan Adams' "Summer Of 69" and Bowie's "All The Young Dudes", the message of protest was paramount, vivid and stunningly delivered.
After 5 numbers and a bolshy "Longview", the mood changed, as if Green Day felt they made their point so decided to have some fun. The audience participation ranged from sing-along's and "whoa-hoh" chants, but extended to dragging 3 kids onstage to take over their instruments, before a blistering "Basket Case", accompanied, as was much of the set, by a searing lightshow, flame-throwing pyrotechnics and fireworks blasts from the stage. Spectacular, true, but perfectly paced as well. Following more "whoa-hoh"s (a little too many for my liking) and a punked-up version of Lulu's "Shout", the lights dimmed for a gut-wrenching "Wake Me Up When September Ends", dedicated to Johnny Ramone, and my highlight of this set.
Following a 1 1/2 hour set, encores were capped with a superb "Time Of Your Life", which underlined the excellence of the set, as did Billie Joe's exhortations to the audience to take control of their own destinies. From being a band that we had no interest in, "not any more," as recently as last year's Reading Festival, Green Day have capped a remarkable revival. They matter again.
Support New Found Glory were on at 7.30, energetically bounding onstage and pedalling an amalgam of brash nu-metal riffery and surf-skate punk which went down well with the kids but seemed too generic for my tastes, and also suffered from echoey sound in this large hall.
The place filled up as Showtime grew near, then a chap in a pink bunny suit bounded onstage (!), brandishing a Green Day poster and leading the kids in a "Green Day! Green Day!" chant. Then the unmistakable strains of the Ramones classic "Blitzkrieg Bop" hit the PA, with the bunny leading the "Hey Ho Let's Go!" chants. Following this, the house lights went dark, and Green Day came onstage to the "2001: A Space Odyssey" theme and a chorus of "whoo's" from the WWE fans in the audience!
Straight into a venomous "American Idiot", a statement of clear intent which was followed by 3 other numbers from the LP of the same name. Marilyn Manson was right - George Bush getting elected US President is bad for their country, but sure is good for rock'n'roll. This event has obviously inspired Billie Joe Armstrong's bile and vitriol into creating a stunning, varied and important statement. "Jesus Of Suburbia" was typical; musically stealing from such sources as the Alarm's "68 Guns", Bryan Adams' "Summer Of 69" and Bowie's "All The Young Dudes", the message of protest was paramount, vivid and stunningly delivered.
After 5 numbers and a bolshy "Longview", the mood changed, as if Green Day felt they made their point so decided to have some fun. The audience participation ranged from sing-along's and "whoa-hoh" chants, but extended to dragging 3 kids onstage to take over their instruments, before a blistering "Basket Case", accompanied, as was much of the set, by a searing lightshow, flame-throwing pyrotechnics and fireworks blasts from the stage. Spectacular, true, but perfectly paced as well. Following more "whoa-hoh"s (a little too many for my liking) and a punked-up version of Lulu's "Shout", the lights dimmed for a gut-wrenching "Wake Me Up When September Ends", dedicated to Johnny Ramone, and my highlight of this set.
Following a 1 1/2 hour set, encores were capped with a superb "Time Of Your Life", which underlined the excellence of the set, as did Billie Joe's exhortations to the audience to take control of their own destinies. From being a band that we had no interest in, "not any more," as recently as last year's Reading Festival, Green Day have capped a remarkable revival. They matter again.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
666 GREEN DAY, JIMMY EAT WORLD, Taking Back Sunday, Hard Fi, Milton Keynes Bowl, Sunday 19 June 2005
How appropriate that after 25 years of gigs following the Devil's music, No. 666 should be Green Day, the feisty bastions of punk recently "reborn" with their excellent "American Idiot" CD.
So, despite U2 at Twickenham yesterday, we were off again in scorching heat at midday, this time driving the whole distance and parking up in the Bowl car park "A" opposite the venue. So, into the huge grassed amphitheatre-type arena for 2.30, meeting up with friends at the top of the bank stage left, whiling away the afternoon chilling and catching some rays!
First band on, Hard Fi, finally joined us at 5 to a disproportionate welcome from the amazingly young crowd (whole families were here - this was a punk rock family day out!). Late replacements for Orange County identikit punks Simple Plan, Hard Fi peddled an innocuous Britpoppy noise out of kilter with the vibe of the day. Odd, but they still went down well. Taking Back Sunday, next up, also rocked the kids but their blend of shouty emo and spiky but samey punk failed to move me. No tunes to rub together!
However this accusation could never be levelled at Jimmy Eat World. We went onto the arena floor for their set - again, as per their Bristol set last week, Jim Adkins took the stage at 7.35 with the opening couplet of "Futures", but this time the band were straight on afterwards and straight into "Pain", then the awesome "Bleed American". The sound was a bit iffy for their set but this was only a minor detraction from another set of powerful, punchy and tuneful emo-punk pop-rock. JEW have raised their game considerably on this tour and now have consistency to add to their stunning tunes, "A Praise Chorus" was again a highlight, as was the Buffalo Tom-esque closer "Sweetness", before which Jim rallied the crowd by saying, "you guys really have no idea how badly Green Day are going to hand you your ass tonight!"
Meandered back a little to get a better view of Green Day via the big screens at the back and sides of the stage, as, pre-empted by the "Blitzkrieg Bop" drunken bunny and the "Nature Boy"/ moon landing theme again, Green Day took the stage. They were straight on it again, ripping into another vitriolic "American Idiot", Billie Joe Armstrong exhorting the crowd to sing, "so loud, every fucking redneck in America hears it!" They'd certainly have heard the climactic fireworks eruption at the end of this number - a great advantage to the outdoor venue!
A brilliant, sinewy "Jesus Of Suburbia" followed, sweeping through its 4 parts with gusto, the audience hanging onto Billie Joe's every movement. I know U2's Bono (whom we'd seen yesterday) has the reputation of being the ultimate audience mass communicator, but tonight Billie Joe held this audience in the palm of his hand, knocking Bono's performance yesterday into a cocked hat. All 65,000 of us were Billie Joe's bitches tonight!
The set followed the same pattern as their recent Cardiff gig - statement of intent powerfully made, then the cartoon punk rock fun and frolics. The "let's form a band" segment was particularly memorable, as Billie Joe dragged a 14 year old kid in identikit "mini-me" clobber up to play the guitar riff, before being given said guitar at the end! Their version of "Shout" was the only really unnecessary moment in an otherwise totally fat-free, brilliantly planned and expertly delivered set. Rat Scabies lookalike drummer Tre Cool, strong-arm bassist Mike Dirnt in his low-slung Johnny Ramone pose, and hyperactive centre of attention Billie Joe made for a stunning visual spectacle in themselves, never mind the frequent pyrotechnics!
After a near 2 hour set which simply ripped by, a strident, awe-inspiring "Homecoming" and a solo "Good Riddance", followed by the inevitable fireworks display into the inky sky, completed a quite remarkable resurrection for Green Day. On the strength of the last 2 nights' shows, the mantle of "Ultimate Stadium Band" may just have changed hands!
Note for future Bowl gigs though - parking in the car park was the right thing as they cordoned off the local streets afterwards, but getting along the A-roads back home was slow - not home till 2.15 a.m. D'oh!
So, despite U2 at Twickenham yesterday, we were off again in scorching heat at midday, this time driving the whole distance and parking up in the Bowl car park "A" opposite the venue. So, into the huge grassed amphitheatre-type arena for 2.30, meeting up with friends at the top of the bank stage left, whiling away the afternoon chilling and catching some rays!
First band on, Hard Fi, finally joined us at 5 to a disproportionate welcome from the amazingly young crowd (whole families were here - this was a punk rock family day out!). Late replacements for Orange County identikit punks Simple Plan, Hard Fi peddled an innocuous Britpoppy noise out of kilter with the vibe of the day. Odd, but they still went down well. Taking Back Sunday, next up, also rocked the kids but their blend of shouty emo and spiky but samey punk failed to move me. No tunes to rub together!
However this accusation could never be levelled at Jimmy Eat World. We went onto the arena floor for their set - again, as per their Bristol set last week, Jim Adkins took the stage at 7.35 with the opening couplet of "Futures", but this time the band were straight on afterwards and straight into "Pain", then the awesome "Bleed American". The sound was a bit iffy for their set but this was only a minor detraction from another set of powerful, punchy and tuneful emo-punk pop-rock. JEW have raised their game considerably on this tour and now have consistency to add to their stunning tunes, "A Praise Chorus" was again a highlight, as was the Buffalo Tom-esque closer "Sweetness", before which Jim rallied the crowd by saying, "you guys really have no idea how badly Green Day are going to hand you your ass tonight!"
Meandered back a little to get a better view of Green Day via the big screens at the back and sides of the stage, as, pre-empted by the "Blitzkrieg Bop" drunken bunny and the "Nature Boy"/ moon landing theme again, Green Day took the stage. They were straight on it again, ripping into another vitriolic "American Idiot", Billie Joe Armstrong exhorting the crowd to sing, "so loud, every fucking redneck in America hears it!" They'd certainly have heard the climactic fireworks eruption at the end of this number - a great advantage to the outdoor venue!
A brilliant, sinewy "Jesus Of Suburbia" followed, sweeping through its 4 parts with gusto, the audience hanging onto Billie Joe's every movement. I know U2's Bono (whom we'd seen yesterday) has the reputation of being the ultimate audience mass communicator, but tonight Billie Joe held this audience in the palm of his hand, knocking Bono's performance yesterday into a cocked hat. All 65,000 of us were Billie Joe's bitches tonight!
The set followed the same pattern as their recent Cardiff gig - statement of intent powerfully made, then the cartoon punk rock fun and frolics. The "let's form a band" segment was particularly memorable, as Billie Joe dragged a 14 year old kid in identikit "mini-me" clobber up to play the guitar riff, before being given said guitar at the end! Their version of "Shout" was the only really unnecessary moment in an otherwise totally fat-free, brilliantly planned and expertly delivered set. Rat Scabies lookalike drummer Tre Cool, strong-arm bassist Mike Dirnt in his low-slung Johnny Ramone pose, and hyperactive centre of attention Billie Joe made for a stunning visual spectacle in themselves, never mind the frequent pyrotechnics!
After a near 2 hour set which simply ripped by, a strident, awe-inspiring "Homecoming" and a solo "Good Riddance", followed by the inevitable fireworks display into the inky sky, completed a quite remarkable resurrection for Green Day. On the strength of the last 2 nights' shows, the mantle of "Ultimate Stadium Band" may just have changed hands!
Note for future Bowl gigs though - parking in the car park was the right thing as they cordoned off the local streets afterwards, but getting along the A-roads back home was slow - not home till 2.15 a.m. D'oh!
Friday, 18 December 2009
678 GREEN DAY, JIMMY EAT WORLD, Flogging Molly, Los Angeles Home Depot Center, CA USA, Sunday 9 October 2005
We'd also sorted tix for this gig before we hit the US West Coast on our honeymoon, a home-state gig for the triumphant Green Day, climaxing their world tour which we'd seen twice already this year. But hey, we're in LA, so are they, so why not?
So Rachel and I took a drive from our downtown hotel to the Home Depot Center, a smart purpose-built stadium forming the home of LA's footy team (real footy, not this gridiron nonsense!) the LA Galaxy. Parked up, got our will-call tix and found our way to our allocated spot, which was a grassy knoll behind the far goal facing the stage. A bit far away, but hey, we're guaranteed a good view!
Took in first support Flogging Molly, a punkish thrash through a fiddly-diddly Irish sound, like the Pogues on fast forward. Fun but I couldn't manage a whole pint of it! Took a wander around and bought quite the smallest "big dog" for tea - more of a poodle than a leonburger - then back on the bank as Jimmy Eat World came on at 6.45. Opening with the "Futures" refrain, they then romped through strident, powerful versions of recent singe "Pain" and a tough "Bleed American". Clearly in a hurry, an early and excellent "A Praise Chorus" got us going, although it took the popular "The Middle" to really spark the still-sparse crowd into life.
(Here's a thing - the gig purported to be sold-out, and whilst the seats got full for Green Day, the floor was barely 2/3 full even for the headliners! Fire regulations must be really strict in the US!)
Anyway, back to JEW - their set seemed totally short, over in about half an hour, with "Sweetness" the climax of a short but sweet sampling.
Took another walk, blagging a free t-shirt from the KROQ sponsor stand, which hosted an impromptu appearance from the drummer of Slayer, there with his wife and son! Also got pretzels and chatted with a couple of Green Day first-timers, warning them what to expect.
We knew of course - the drunken pink bunny tottered out as the PA played "YMCA" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" before Green Day took the stage at 7.45, bursting into "American Idiot", complete with the sing-along chants and fireworks climax. This is the third time we've been party to this extraordinary show this year but it doesn't get tired. Yet again punk rock went stadium with style and substance, yet again the theatrics were justified and complemented rather than overshadowed the rock, yet again Green Day themselves seethed with venom and righteous vitriol, yet again Billie Joe Armstrong held the audience totally in the palm of his hand!
However, this one seemed to matter more to the band - back in their home state and determined to end their world tour on a high, Green Day were on it from the get-go and their power and musicianship overpowered the theatrics and pyrotechnics. A haunting "Wake Me Up When September Ends", dedicated to the heroes of Hurricane Katrina, was a standout moment in the set, and the final encore "Time Of Your Life" ended a brilliant night fittingly - just as the same song had ended our wedding reception!
No "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" tonight, oddly, and a slightly reshuffled set, but once again a supreme 2 hours entertainment from a punk rock band at the height of their powers and becoming increasingly comfortable at stadium level. We sprinted out at the end of "Time Of Your Life" and beat the traffic away - good thing to as the drive from South to Central LA was 45 minutes! That's how big and sprawling this place is!
So Rachel and I took a drive from our downtown hotel to the Home Depot Center, a smart purpose-built stadium forming the home of LA's footy team (real footy, not this gridiron nonsense!) the LA Galaxy. Parked up, got our will-call tix and found our way to our allocated spot, which was a grassy knoll behind the far goal facing the stage. A bit far away, but hey, we're guaranteed a good view!
Took in first support Flogging Molly, a punkish thrash through a fiddly-diddly Irish sound, like the Pogues on fast forward. Fun but I couldn't manage a whole pint of it! Took a wander around and bought quite the smallest "big dog" for tea - more of a poodle than a leonburger - then back on the bank as Jimmy Eat World came on at 6.45. Opening with the "Futures" refrain, they then romped through strident, powerful versions of recent singe "Pain" and a tough "Bleed American". Clearly in a hurry, an early and excellent "A Praise Chorus" got us going, although it took the popular "The Middle" to really spark the still-sparse crowd into life.
(Here's a thing - the gig purported to be sold-out, and whilst the seats got full for Green Day, the floor was barely 2/3 full even for the headliners! Fire regulations must be really strict in the US!)
Anyway, back to JEW - their set seemed totally short, over in about half an hour, with "Sweetness" the climax of a short but sweet sampling.
Took another walk, blagging a free t-shirt from the KROQ sponsor stand, which hosted an impromptu appearance from the drummer of Slayer, there with his wife and son! Also got pretzels and chatted with a couple of Green Day first-timers, warning them what to expect.
We knew of course - the drunken pink bunny tottered out as the PA played "YMCA" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" before Green Day took the stage at 7.45, bursting into "American Idiot", complete with the sing-along chants and fireworks climax. This is the third time we've been party to this extraordinary show this year but it doesn't get tired. Yet again punk rock went stadium with style and substance, yet again the theatrics were justified and complemented rather than overshadowed the rock, yet again Green Day themselves seethed with venom and righteous vitriol, yet again Billie Joe Armstrong held the audience totally in the palm of his hand!
However, this one seemed to matter more to the band - back in their home state and determined to end their world tour on a high, Green Day were on it from the get-go and their power and musicianship overpowered the theatrics and pyrotechnics. A haunting "Wake Me Up When September Ends", dedicated to the heroes of Hurricane Katrina, was a standout moment in the set, and the final encore "Time Of Your Life" ended a brilliant night fittingly - just as the same song had ended our wedding reception!
No "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" tonight, oddly, and a slightly reshuffled set, but once again a supreme 2 hours entertainment from a punk rock band at the height of their powers and becoming increasingly comfortable at stadium level. We sprinted out at the end of "Time Of Your Life" and beat the traffic away - good thing to as the drive from South to Central LA was 45 minutes! That's how big and sprawling this place is!
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