"It's nice to not be doing one of those fucking radio shows!" proclaimed Green Day frontman Billy Joe Armstrong. "It's great to be back here in front of our fans." At this point the near-capacity crowd at UC Irvine's Bren Center on July 21st, 2001, let out a unified roar of approval. Of late, the concert scene has been less that fantastic. With less
money to go around, and fans obviously not willing to pay to see a band headline their own
show when they just came through town on one of While Green Day have become multi-platinum sellers, their commitment to their punk roots have retained their core audience while their heavy hooks and tongue and cheek look at the world have brought in new fans with each album. With a barrage of three minute punk standards - all punctuated by Armstrong's facial expressions and banter between songs - Green Day played through their string of radio hits and also included some tunes that only the more serious fans would know. Through the entire show nearly all the fans, whether the young girls in tight baby-T's and Doc Martin's or the guys with  buzz
cuts and Hurley shirts, sang right along. Bassist Mike Dirnt spent much of his time
surveying the crowd, trading smiles and playful sneers with fans while keeping tight
rhythm with drummer Tre Cool. Favorites like "Longview" from 1994's Dookie
and "Walking Contradiction" from 1995's Insomniac were delivered in true
form, with Green Day sticking pretty close to the album versions. The guys didn't move too
far from the path at any point during the evening, which was fine with the fans.
One of the most notable fans in attendance was Social Distortion's Mike
Ness, who stood just off-stage with a large group of what seemed to be mostly family and
friends of the band. Ness seemed to be enjoying the show as much as any of the fans. Green Day continues to show why they're one of the most popular and respected bands on the punk scene. With fans needing to get as much out of their concert dollar as possible, Armstrong, Dirnt and Cool put on an energetic and fun show that matched the intensity of the fans. Though the band looked like the road had taken a bit of toll on them, these guys are so good at what they do that it didn't make a difference. |
A Night of Punk
Perfection
the many festival tours, many bands are teaming together to
offer fans more bang for their buck. Green Day is an anomaly in these strange times. They,
along with opening band The Living End, packed 'em in at the Bren Center. Not many bands
have earned the level of fan respect that Green Day has.