I saw the most amazing
Green Day concert last night down in Carson. I've been a fan of the boys since '94, and have seen them several times. But last night was...inspirational. Not even this
nasty cold that I developed on Saturday could keep me away from the show which, by serendipty, I had won tickets to while
stuck in traffic on Highland as I drove home on Friday evening.
The stage was monsterous. The fireworks and flames were the stuff of U2 shows. The guys were truly on their marks and really seemed to enjoy themselves. Billie Joe seemed intent on impressing to the crowd a few life lessons (and fuck you's to ol' G.W.) about living in the now and following your dreams. The show was playful, loud, and very entertaining. Plus, they played all my favorite songs. I danced like a maniac as a mosh pit formed to my left. Didn't feel quite up for it since I was sick, but man, did it bring back memories. Even my rock-loathing bf had a good time.
Their concerts have always been strange and entertaining. The first time I saw them was at the now defunct Palace in Hollywood, where I distinctly remember being asked by some middle-aged dad if I'd help him float his daughter over the crowd. Not long after, the requisite bringing of fans onstage to play with them happened, followed by destruction of all their equipment. Then I lost my beeper. My friend Ann and I went back to her place, got stoned and listened to more Bay Area punk rock while she regaled me with tales from when she used to live in the apartment right above theirs in Oakland. She still has Tre's skate deck that he left in the hallway when they moved out.
The great thing about their shows is that there are things they've always done. The crowd is still as oddly mixed as it was at the Palace. The kids who go onstage still get to keep the Guitars. You get the feeling that they're still the same band they were eleven years ago. Even Billie Joe was in awe that they were playing an arena show.
I like bands that don't evolve so much that they alienate the people who made them big in the first place. It doesn't work that way much of the time, and I'd give anything to see bands like No Doubt go back to their wicked ways of the past. But they've gotta keep sucking in the young'ins, don't they?