The first time I watched Green Day perform live was in 1998 at the Brisbane Riverstage.
They were in town to promote Nimrod, the follow up to 1995’s Insomniac and massive break-out album Dookie in 1994.
The crowd was a sea of blue and green hair, melded together in one massive mosh-pit, mostly full of teens and 20-somethings.
More than a decade later the punk-rock stalwarts took to the stage at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
And while the act was bigger, brighter and a lot more polished, Green Day proved their music is just as relevant now as it ever was.
While there weren’t as many punk rock wannabes in the crowd (although still a few), there was an eclectic mix of old and new school fans – and everyone was catered for.
Front man Billie-Joe Armstrong came out pumped and full of energy, interacting with fans from the get-go, before kicking off with 21st Century Breakdown – a track from their latest album of the same name.
They backed it up with Know Your Enemy and less than 15 minutes into the show, had invited one lucky punter up onto the stage.
Following brilliant versions of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Jesus of Suburbia, both concert highlights, came a string of hits for the old school fans (which includes yours truly).
Welcome to Paradise, Basket Case, When I Come Around, and Brain Stew kept us 90s’ kids happy, while Minority, Holiday and recent hit 21 Guns, pleased newer fans.
Green Day did more than just perform the hits though, interacting with the crowd the entire time, frequently referencing Brisbane and Australia (including the obligatory Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi).
Three local musicians were plucked from the crowd and given Mike Dirnt’s bass, Tre Cool’s drums and Billie-Joe’s guitar to perform a track with the singer.
And just in case they hadn’t proved likable enough, they shot a bunch of free band t-shirts into the crowd.
The show wound up with a medley of covers, including AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long, before an intimate encore of When September Ends and Time of Your Life (remember Seinfeld anyone?).
So, while Green Day has no doubt matured in terms of song lyrics and concert production, they’ve kept that “rage-against-the-machine” attitude we all loved back in the 90s.
Put simply – Green Day are still just plain cool.
