Green Day comes around, celebrating two album anniversaries
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, November 10, 2024


Green Day comes around, celebrating two album anniversaries
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day introduces a performance by the cast of "American Idiot" at the 64th Annual Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday night, June 13, 2010, in New York. (Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)

by Geordon Wollner



NEW YORK, NY.- With a raised eyebrow, a wrinkled nose and lips curled into a defiant grin, Billie Joe Armstrong looked wide-eyed into the crowd at Citi Field in Queens on Monday night and mouthed the words “I love you.” Tré Cool sat, blue-haired and snarling, at the drum kit. Mike Dirnt planted his feet firmly in a wide stance, with his bass at his knees.

Green Day, the long-running California punk band, opened the full United States leg of its Saviors Tour in New York this week, with a bill featuring contemporaries (Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid) and young upstarts (the Linda Lindas). The tour, supporting the group’s latest album, coincides with the 30th anniversary of its breakout 1994 LP “Dookie” and the 20th anniversary of its acclaimed 2004 release “American Idiot.”

Both albums were played in their entirety before a cross-generational crowd that became a pulsing sea of black, red and neon pink. Despite the smothering humidity, there was gelled hair as far as the eye could see. Studded belts sat atop black skinny jeans and red ties adorned black button-down shirts.

The deeply devoted had lined up early in the afternoon. Buttons and pins were traded, stories of adolescent mischief and fond memories exchanged. A teenage fan recounted how her father got onstage with the band once at Warped Tour.

“I’ve waited 10 years for this,” said Elijah Shephard, 19, who discovered “Dookie” in elementary school and was attending his first Green Day show. “‘Coming Clean’ is a big one, because it’s about him coming out as bisexual,” he added of the 1994 track, noting that “Jesus of Suburbia,” from the 2004 album, also had personal resonance, “because coming from a broken home, it’s not an easy thing to deal with. And I think Billie really puts it into nice words.”

For Maddox Thornton, 19, another first-timer, witnessing Green Day in the open air before a crowd of tens of thousands underscored its genre’s enduring power. “Punk went from playing in small clubs, sweaty clubs, for 30 to 50 people, and now they’re selling out baseball stadiums in New York City,” he said, his hands tucked firmly in his pockets. “It just shows this is what punk is.”

Travis Louie, an artist who grew up in Queens, didn’t know Dirnt bought one of his paintings at an art show in California until the bass player mentioned him on Instagram.

“He contacted me and then he asked me: ‘Hey, you want to go to a show?’” Louie, 55, said, laughing in disbelief, with his family seated next to him. “I would have gone to see them anyway. They’re legitimate. They’re the real thing.”

While the six musicians onstage — the trio plus guitarists Kevin Preston and Jason White, and keyboardist Coley O’Toole — stuck to the largely stripped-down sound of Green Day’s melodic punk, the band amped up the visual spectacle for the stadium setting. Sudden bursts of pyrotechnics, cued to nearly every track, sent an orange haze over the faces in the crowd. Towering images ripped from the cover art from both anniversary albums took over the stage. An inflatable airplane made its way across the field and released toy missiles into the eager, outstretched arms below.

Young children wrapped their limbs tightly around the shoulders and waists of adults as they bounced to “When I Come Around.” The mosh pit circled furiously to the end of “Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy” as onlookers headbanged in time with the beat. Signs scrawled with phrases like “Green Day You Saved My Life I Turn 18 Today Can I Play Guitar for You” rose and fell above the heads in the crowd, in hopes that Armstrong would take notice and choose their holders to join him onstage, a Green Day concert tradition.

After 2 1/2 hours, nearly 40 songs and a finale where Cool and Dirnt hit the stage dressed as Deadpool and Wolverine, the crowd staggered off into the night, drenched in sweat and nostalgia. Earlier, Armstrong issued a note of appreciation nodding to one of the band’s hits: “New York is paradise tonight.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

August 9, 2024

Reading Public Museum acquires a painting it missed out on a century ago

Museum of Islamic Art presents landmark exhibition surveying the Islamic artistic traditions of Morocco

Golden Age comics and Star Wars rarities dominated the top 10 at Hake's $2.9M pop culture auction

Holabird announces four-day American Treasures of the Past auction

2 charged with hate crimes in vandalism aimed at museum officials

The world is still catching up to the music of Hector Berlioz

Ordrupgaard acquires two new paintings by Vilhelm Hammershøi

Maeve Turner appointed Head of Gardens and Horticulture at The Frick Collection

Ann Abadie, champion of Southern studies, is dead at 84

19th century photographs offer compelling 'backstage' glimpse

The choreographer bringing hope to the stage and beyond

A decade later, 'The Leftovers' seems almost like prophecy

Green Day comes around, celebrating two album anniversaries

A jingle put Cellino & Barnes on the map. Their split inspired a play.

Niki's early music makes her cringe. Her emotional pop is growing up.

A Nashville block party for a beloved honky-tonk

These Irish rappers know their movie will make people angry

A play About J.K. Rowling stirred outrage. Until it opened.

Why 'The Great Gatsby' and other Broadway shows are turning to influencers

What if all dance forms were considered equal?

With solitude and untouched nature, the quieter corners of the Adirondacks beckon

Top 6 Umrah Deals for UK Muslims: A Pilgrim's Guide

Cryptocurrency Payment Gateways: Bridging the Gap Between Digital Currencies and Everyday Purchases

The Influence of Art on Automotive Design

Top 8 Alternatives to Miccostumes

Check Mailing System and Its Advantages




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful