Entertainment For Lively Minds
My night with Green Day
I appreciate that as a signed up member of the Massive I am more than a little old to be attending a Green Day gig. They are a band that has largely passed me by, though I hear their songs on the wireless and like much of the Western world I own a copy of ‘Dookie’, albeit still in mint and largely unplayed condition.
My much younger brother-in-law is a fan. So I found myself sitting (sans tartan rug) at the Odyssey Arena last night, with a great view of the stage listening to the Ramones ‘Rock’n’Roll Radio’ blaring out over the PA. Surely a good omen.
I have never seen a band hit the stage at such speed and sustain that level of energy over the course on an entire set. By the second song they had already dragged a fan from the audience to sing with them and then crowd surf back to his mates. Two songs later an 11 year old boy was delivered up by his parents to act out in a mock baptism. The pyrotechnics were deafening, and the Freddie Mercury-style call and response enthusiastically received.
All of this was set against an impressive diamond vision screen that spanned the width of the stage, and visuals that underscored the political message in many of the songs. There is clearly a relationship between band and audience that can only come from growing up together, but they also clearly appeal to ‘ver kids’. But these are kids who know the words to ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘Satisfaction’ sung as a medley with a cover version of ‘Shout’. (‘Green Day Sing Lulu’ - in all good record shops for Christmas?).
As they played the acoustic encore, the only change of pace, I was struck by the thought that Green Day are a perfect band for our times. They seem to have been able to sustain the energy level of their early career while maturing as songwriters; introducing a political edge into what is essentially now the mainstream but without losing the sheer fun of old fashioned rock’n’roll. They have brought new fans on board but without losing their original following.
In fact if you had to design a band, drawing on all the best elements of what went before, I would say you would end up with something close to Green Day. Certainly it’s a design that involves compromise, that may not appeal to the purist, and while it may not spark a revolution, it does make for a hell of a noise and a great night out.
P.S. Is it alright if I still hang out here and play? I can get that tartan rug out from the cupboard under the stairs.
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Well...........I like them too.....
Shhh......
Saw them at Milton Keynes on the American Idiot tour.
Difficult to underestimate the decent shift they put in in politicising the American youth with that album.....
Green Day
Beneath everything they write, you know, proper songs.
American Idiot is a great album
.
This had made me want to listen to Green Day.
Seriously. All I knew was American Idiot which I thought was fine...
Me too
Well, American Idiot definitely, I've struggled with some of the other albums. But I absolutely love that one and I went for about a year with it blaring out in the car at least once a week, but always with a sense that I shouldn't really be listening to this as their target audience is the teenage boy. There are fantastic songs on it, I love the way that themes run through it and its just brilliantly angry.
On a similar note.........
For anyone wanting to embrace their teenage emo inside, My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade is worth a listen.
good point, Steven
well made
But I still can't stand them. Apart from "Good Riddance", but that doesn't really count as it sounds nothing like the rest of their catalogue.
I'm off to see Green Day at the 02
on Saturday with wife and twins (13). I'm as excited as they are, they are a top band and only the most cold hearted cynic could question their place on rocks current top table. To my boys this is THE most important night of their young lives, in their opinion "Green Day MATTER and YOU don't understand them" and nor should I. I was the same with my dad in 1979 about The Jam, although he never took me to see them, thank the Lord for the plushness that is the O2.
Thanks for the fantastic review I'm off to brush up on all the words, me embarass my boys? Of course I will it's my fatherly duty.
Going on Friday Night
I am looking forward to it. There were some great clips of their LA show on nme.com earlier in the summer.
Off To See Them In Manchester...
...and I'm now a hero in our house for managing to get 6 tickets(you could only get 2 at a time) as my Wife and her neice and nephew and their parents are huge fans.
Was dragged along to see My Chemical Romance and was blown away by the show and reaction of the kids.(for Beatles nuts - their Black Parade uses Sergent Pepper as the template including the uniforms and burlesque/musical hall song). These bands are bringing rock music to the kids and galvanising them to do their own stuff.
Great call & review
Thanks for the great review. For quite a long time now I have liked what I have heard and really should pay more attention and check them out a bit more. I will make sure I do.
I like this one
You'll be thrilled to know
that he still has that guitar ... but not that hair.
Me too!
I'm going to see them at the O2 on Friday and. I Cannot. Wait.
Seen MCR too, and they're ace, as well.
Finally pleased to have discovered Emo Corner on this blog.
and their drummer ...
is Tre Cool.
Ba doom
tisch!!
Welcome To Paradise
Is still a song which makes me jump up and down and shout and think I'm a teenager. Even though I was 26 when it was released. First saw it on TOTP and got all excited.
Green Day, although I'm not a huge fan of all their stuff, are a GREAT band and Steven C unites hammer and nailhead with glorious precision. I must reach for the "up" arrow.
Which I just did and he got two points. Do I now wield superior powers?
That was amazing
Stadium Punk at the O2!! Does that man know how to work a crowd or what?
Saw Stuart Pearce in Starbucks before the gig as well.
Brilliant
They were utterly brilliant at the O2 last night.
Two and a half hours of
tub thumping, crowd pleasing, interactive, commercio-punk, magnificence with a message which was MAKE SOME F***ING NOISE!! Quite brilliant entertainment and the wife and kids loved it too!
Oh,
and the acoustic set at the end with Billie Joe Armstrong on his own was an absolute delight.
I have Green Day to thank...
for getting me back into gig-going after many years thinking I was too old. I saw them at Manchester MEN on the American Idiot tour, and they are still the only band I've seen in that shed to get the entire audience on their feet - in the very first song. The OP's review is spot on, and I'm excited about seeing them again on Friday night.
Also my all-time favourite encore, played after the rest of the band had trashed the stage. Brilliant, brings a tear even now