November 2024
By Everett Saldaña, Managing Editor
Even though the three opening bands have played already everybody knows the real reason why they’re here: Green Day, one of the most well-known punk rock bands in America. The stage lights flash on and the crowd roars, anxious in the almost pitch black stadium for the very moment they’ve been waiting for all night. The lights remain aimed at the stage, yet it stays empty. The crowd grows louder with each passing second, just waiting for Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool to appear on stage. Suddenly, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen blares through the speakers and despite the band members not being on stage, the crowd sings along through the whole song knowing what’s to come soon.
Green Day formed in 1987 and have been going on tours since 1990. They have 14 studio albums with their most recent one, Saviors, being released in January 2024. The Saviors tour was announced on November 2nd of 2023 and started May 30th of 2024. While the tour is meant for their newest album, it also celebrates the 30th and 20th anniversary of their older albums Dookie and American Idiot. Because the Saviors album was released so recently, the concert had trouble selling tickets until it was announced that the band would also be playing their most iconic albums. The tour also featured popular bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas which helped boost the ticket sales.
The concert opened with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” the most streamed song on Saviors. However, as advertised, they played Dookie and American Idiot almost back to back. There were a few Saviors songs sprinkled in between. During each album, they had props on stage to match the aesthetic of the album. For example, during Dookie, the iconic plane featured in the album cover made an appearance, flying above the stage and over the crowd. And for American Idiot the recognizable hand with a grenade heart rose from below the stage and towered above the band members. They played some of their most known songs: “Basket Case,” “When I Come Around,” “Jesus of Suburbia,” and of course, “American Idiot.” It’s tradition for Green Day to end their concert with their song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” from their album Nimrod, and this tour was no different.
Some of the most memorable moments were when “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” was playing and Bille asked the crowd to turn on their camera flash to sway with the song which was so fun to participate in (even though I had to use my sister’s phone because my phone had died). While I was in line for merch, there was a guy having everyone sign his shirt and I got the chance to put my signature on it. Another memorable moment was The Linda Lindas opening for the concert. I had never heard of that band before yet hearing their songs provoked so much emotion. They only played 7 songs but just those 7 inspired me to look into more of their songs and albums which I ended up really enjoying.
I haven’t been to many concerts, but out of the ones I’ve been to, this one was the most memorable. The energy all of the bands brought was phenomenal. While the tour has ended in America, I would highly recommend listening to The Linda Lindas, Rancid, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Green Day if you enjoy rock music and didn’t get the chance to see them live!
The Cardinal Post 