11 reasons why a Green Day show is like no other
[Photos by: GreenDayRancid/YouTube, Green Day/YouTube, Green Day/YouTube]
It’s amiss to call Green Day just a band. They’re a 30-year movement of timeless chords and evergreen lyrics, steering successive generations through years of hapless identity confusion. Simply put, whether you’re navigating high school, graduating college or moving jobs, Green Day and their music give purpose when it’s needed most.
In turn, Green Day concerts are a celebration, simultaneously lifting weights of stress off 20-something thousand shoulders in one night. By the final song, it’s clear: Green Day shows are like no other. As they round out the Revolution Radio tour, we’ve listed 11 reasons why that’s true below.
Read more: Why a Twenty One Pilots show is one of the best concerts you can attend
Their chemistry
[GIF by: Giphy]
To Billboard back in 2009, Armstrong said one of his most famous quotes: “Nobody leaves this band unless it's in a coffin.” Judging from the band’s chemistry onstage, he wasn’t kidding. The members feed off one another—whether it be guitarist Jason White, who has been playing with the band since 1999, or drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990—each bringing their own unique presence to the show.
Generations of career-spanning hits
[GIF by: Giphy]
From 1991’s “2000 Light Years Away” to 2004’s “Letterbomb,” Green Day aren’t afraid to reach into the corners of their 12-album back-catalog (counting each in the trilogy as one) of material for their setlist. The sprawling collection of songs spans generations of hits, making you realize how iconic the band’s music has been over the past 30 years.
Generations of people
[GIF by: Giphy]
Since Dookie flooded mainstream airwaves in 1994, Green Day and their suburban punk attitude have played a subversive role in countless generations. Their shows have become family affairs, full of parents singing along with their kids.
Kids onstage
[GIF by: Giphy]
Quintessential to any Green Day show is bringing fans, almost always kids, onstage to sing, play guitar and rock out with punk heroes. When “East Jesus Nowhere” was a set staple, Armstrong would “save” someone onstage. There’s nothing like watching a tiny kid, who was barely alive when American Idiot released roaring his way through the lyrics of “Longview” or killing chords on “Jesus Of Suburbia.”
Read more: Watch this 11-year-old rock out with Green Day — and Billie Joe lets her keep the guitar
The feeling of community
[GIF by: Giphy]
A Green Day show is a safe place for freaks and outcasts of all ages to unabashedly show off their punk attitude, participate in thrilling mass sing-alongs and simply be themselves.
Billie Joe’s energy
[GIF by: Giphy]
Racing up and down the stage without rest for close to three hours, Armstrong is exhausting just to watch. His wisecracks, speeches, T-shirt cannons, crazy hats, changing vests, infectious enthusiasm and unwavering energy excite the crowd through a 25-plus song set.
Tré’s antics
[GIF by: Giphy]
Holding down the rhythm section in the back, Mr. Cool—with his pink tutu, rambunctious solos, crazed looks and drumstick skills—puts on a show of his own.
Stage production
[GIF by: Giphy]
Green Day’s stage production is what it should look like when a punk band plays stadiums and arenas. Between fire blasts, changing backdrops and confetti explosions, the effects onstage transform a Green Day show from a concert to an experience.
Onstage commentary
[GIF by: Giphy]
Never one to stay quiet about society, politics and the related (he did write American Idiot, for that matter), Armstrong will often voice his concerns onstage to an attentive and encouraging audience. During the Revolution Radio tour, Armstrong emphasized the need for love. He begs the crowd to put away their cellphones and enjoy the moment in person—not through a screen.
Covers
[GIF by: Giphy]
If watching Green Day tear through a cover of Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge” isn’t a great punk moment, nothing is. At the end of “King For A Day,” they perform a rendition of “Shout” while keyboardist Jason Freese brings out his saxophone for a groovy offering of “Careless Whisper.”
The openers
[GIF by: Giphy]
The openers on the first and second leg of the Revolution Radio tour, Against Me! and Catfish And The Bottlemen, are case in point for the awesome acts Green Day bring on as support.
Below are the remaining dates of Green Day’s Revolution Radio tour with support from Catfish And The Bottlemen. Grab tickets here!
09/11 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
09/13 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Read more: Can you pass this tough Green Day trivia quiz?
