Green Day was celebrated at the Petco Park concert in San Diego – San Diego Union-Tribune

Two musical celebrations took place in downtown San Diego on Saturday evening, just a mile apart. They are memorable for both similar and very different reasons.

Green Day began its sold-out performance at Petco Park shortly after the San Diego Symphony concluded its sold-out performance at the Jacobs Music Center, where the 114-year-old orchestra made its triumphant return after a four-year hiatus from the 95-year-old concert hall. renovation.

The first half of Green Day’s set at Petco Park was devoted primarily to performing all the songs from the Bay Area trio’s breakthrough album, “Dookie,” which was released in 1994 and sold 20 million copies. By pop-punk standards, 30 years is almost a century!

In the second half of the concert, Green Day performed all the songs from the politically charged rock opera “American Idiot,” which sold 15 million copies and became a hit on Broadway when it premiered in 2024. from the band’s latest album ‘Saviors’ – including ‘Dilemma’, ‘1981’, ‘One Eyed Bastard’ and ‘Bobby Sox’ – effectively bridging the band’s past and present.

The lack of more new songs wasn’t due to a creative lull (“Saviors” was released in January). But the focus on “American Idiot” and “Dookie” made sense as a double victory lap for a group whose longevity and resonance far exceeded its members’ wildest expectations.

Unexpected durability

“We love playing music, and you guys have given us the opportunity (to do it) for the last 35 years,” Green Day guitarist and vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong told the multi-generational crowd. (It will be 37 years; in 2027 the band will celebrate its 40th anniversary.)

Themes explored in “American Idiot” include existential angst, rage and the search for love by disaffected youth confronted with limited opportunities in an increasingly polarized country. This still relevant 2004 album also draws some of its fire, highlighting the dumbing down of the cable news media and the post-9/11 invasion of Iraq by a coalition of Western nations led by then-US President George W. Bush’s administration.

Green Day’s “Dookie,” released a decade earlier than “American Idiot,” was inspired by the mind-numbing reality of teenage wasteland life and was a nod to post-teen ennui, sexual identity, masturbation and despair.

But no matter how bleak some of the lyrics are, the best songs on both albums are awe-inspiring and affirm the human spirit’s ability to prevail. They are also a testament to the power of energetic electric guitar chords, dynamic drum hits and gripping vocals to create simple, no-nonsense songs that uplift, entertain and inform.

Green Day delivered on all three Saturdays with its marathon, 38-song, 2 1/2-hour set that also served as a perfect reminder of how much its songs were inspired by, or at least partially transcended, the artists’ music. the Ramones, the Clash, the Measurements and other bands that created the stylistic template on which Green Day was based. There were also nods to other artists, as evidenced by a concert that included fragments of “Free Fallin’ Tom Petty”, “Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp and “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath.

The Petco Park show – which followed opening sets from Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas – kicked off with the high-octane “The American Dream is Killing Me” song “Savior.” It ended with Armstrong performing a delicate, acoustic solo version of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”, a wistful 1997 love song with Green Day that briefly showed that he was quite adept at playing cross-pick guitar “.

The mass singing of “Good Riddance” to an audience of over 40,000 was a poignant highlight of the concert that – with a few exceptions – made nostalgia fresh and alive.

“Very Special”

“It’s something special to celebrate two (expletive) albums,” Armstrong told the cheering crowd after finishing “Letterbomb,” the concert’s 33rd selection.

“Today it is not a political party,” he continued. “We don’t choose sides. We are all united. This is unity. It’s not about saying, “(Fuck you), America.” We want a new America, something that is inclusive for all of us, with love, compassion and joy.”

Then, referencing hip-hop mogul P. Diddy’s recent arrest on sex trafficking and related charges, Armstrong added: “It’s definitely a party, not a freak show. Tonight is a celebration.”

Earlier in the evening, he encouraged the audience to vote and “kick MAGA in the teeth.” Armstrong also congratulated Che Cafe, home of Green Day’s 1992 debut. This intimate, all-ages venue at UC San Diego is still in operation and still student-run. Tuesday will feature a punk rock performance by four bands that are even more unknown than Green Day was 32 years ago at “Kerplunk!” trip.

Another possible local connection, although unlikely, is Joey Harris, who over the years has been a key member of such beloved San Diego bands as the Fingers, Speedsters, Beat Farmers, Comanche Moon, Pleasure Barons, Tighten-Ups and more. Armstrong’s vocal phrasing, delivery and sometimes slightly nasal tone sounded as if he had studied singing with Harris – or was at least an admirer of him. (If so, that’s a good choice!)

The Green Day concert at Petco Park was the last day of the “Saviors” tour in 2024. Armstrong, bassist/vocalist Mike Dirnt (real name: Michael Pritchard), and drummer Tré Cool (real name: Frank Wright) are now in their 50s. But they had no problem achieving and maintaining the fervor and intensity of the band’s two decades-old albums that they were paying attention to.

Two guitarists and a keyboardist complemented the sound nicely. By stadium rock standards, the sound quality was clear and well-balanced. The production — pyrotechnic explosions and bursts of flame, giant LED screens, more pyrotechnics, confetti, more pyrotechnics — mostly enhanced, rather than detracted from, Green Day’s enduring, well-constructed music.

Standout songs include “Longview”, “Basket Case”, “Jesus of Suburbia”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “Bobby Sox” and “Know Your Enemy”, which featured a brief vocal cameo by a randomly selected audience member named Parker. What she lacked in vocal range and control was easily made up for by her infectious enthusiasm.

Each song was performed with admirable verve and precision by Green Day, who could have improved their performance, but happily didn’t. Apart from the fact that Armstrong’s voice cracked once or twice towards the end of the show, there was no indication that anyone in the band was tired at the end of their four-month world tour.

Armstrong was a tireless cheerleader, encouraging the crowd to sing along, jump in the air, illuminate the stadium with cellphone flashlights and, most importantly, celebrate. However, he was quick to react when he noticed two attendees near the front of the stage exchanging blows just two songs into the show.

“Calm down, calm down!” Armstrong said. “There is no reason to fight. Everyone is here to have a good time…”

On Saturday, Green Day delivered just that.

Originally published: September 29, 2024 at 18:19