So other than that, how was the rest of the show?
Damn good, thank you very much.
Green Day made news on Wednesday night, Sept. 4, when the punk trio abruptly halted its concert at Detroit’s Comerica Park, rushing off the stage during just the fifth song, “Longview.” The crowd of just under 41,000 initially continued singing the lyrics but fell quiet — with some chants for Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff. A “Show Pause. Please standby for details” message eventually appeared on the video screen.”
Detroit police confirmed that an unauthorized drone had entered the baseball stadium’s airspace, with security calling the band offstage. The man flying it was apprehended and Green Day returned after a 10-minute break, with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong asked fans, “How you doing? We’re gonna pick up where we left off.” He also urged them to put their cell phones away, saying, “Pull ’em out later. Let’s be here right now.”
After finishing “Longview” and tearing through “Welcome to Paradise,” Armstrong added, “Ain’t no mother… that’s gonna stop us, I’ll tell you that.” And later in the show Green Day posted a social media message apologizing for the delay, explaining that, “Stadium security had us clear the stage while they dealt with a potential safety issue. DPD quickly resolved the situation, and we were able to continue. Thanks for understanding.
Green Day did not stop for the rest of the night, delivering a characteristically epic — and excellent — two-and-a-half-hour performance that commemorated anniversaries of the group’s two biggest albums, 1994’s “Dookie” and 2004’s “American Idiot”, by playing both in their entirety. Green Day filled out the rest of the concert with a selection of other favorites, including five from its latest album, “Saviors,” and a rendition of “Brain Stew” that Armstrong teased into with guitar licks from Black Sabbaths’ “Iron Man” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.”
“Tonight is not about a political party,” Armstrong declared during a ferocious “Letterbomb” from “American Idiot,” a topical takedown of the George W. Bush era that remains wholly relevant 20 years later. “It’s not even a party. This is a celebration!”
But there was certainly a party spirit throughout a night that, via opening performances from Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid that affirmed the continuing potency of alternative rock from the 90s. (The Linda Lindas, which came on first, are more contemporary but cut from the same cloth.) Whether it was “Ruby Soho” or “Today” and “Tonight, Tonight” (or the Pumpkins’ cover of U2’s “Zoo Station”), there was nothing at all dated about the performances by musicians well past their mosh days but still fierce of spirit.
That’s been Green Day’s stock in trade forever, from early 90s club appearances to a 2021 show also at Comerica. Wednesday’s concert was filled with the irreverent attitude and boisterous spirit that’s still dear to Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, drummer Tre Cool — all in their early 50s now — and their three adjunct players. The 37-song set was marked by a Boy Scout jamboree’s worth of fire and pyrotechnics, occasional confetti showers and colorful visuals, and it was preceded by the usual hijinks — crowd singalongs to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” the latter led by a crew member dressed in a bunny outfit.
The show did have an interesting kind of restraint, however. There was plenty of energy — the group had the stadium grandstands shaking at several points — but less of the pure schtick Green Day also trades on. The focus was more squarely on the music, the band seemingly more interested in delivering the dynamically sophisticated songs with tight and explosive power — even quieter tracks such as “Are We the Waiting” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” “American Idiot” was particularly strong, with songs strung together in seamless fashion.
Green Day opened with the new, and on-point, “The American Dream is Killing Me” and was quickly into “Dookie,” pulling out deep cuts such as “Having a Blast,” “Pulling Teeth,” “Sassfras Roots,” “In the End” and “All By Myself,” which Cool sang in a bathrobe. The “American Idiot” recitation similarly brought out less-heard material, including “She’s a Rebel,” “Extraordinary Girl,” “Homecoming” and “Whatsername,” with Armstrong substituting “Michigan” in the title line of “Give Me Novocaine.”
Armstrong also brought a young woman on stage to sing part of “Know Your Enemy” with the band, and he used “American Idiot’s” “Holiday,” which he introduced as “an anti-war song,” as a rally call for fans to vote in November. (The Linda Lindas, however, were the only one of the four bands to reference Donald Trump specifically — and, of course, pejoratively).
Green Day finished per usual, with Armstrong alone on stage, singing its 1997 hit “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” as a lullaby-style send-off. He could rest assured that fans did indeed have the time of their lives, and it’s to Green Day’s credit that the rest of the show eclipsed the drama that happened early on.
Top 20 games to watch on the 2024 NFL schedule
Originally Published:
