The Night Green Day Saved My Soul

I have often compared rock and roll to religion, and I feel that going to a live show is a lot like going to church, only a lot less depressing. I've been to countless shows but never before have I felt the way I did during Green Day's massive set in Orlando. Pardon the cheesy cliche, but watching Green Day play live is truly a life-changing experience. For nearly 2 and a half hours, Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre (along with their fantastic back-up musicians Jason White, Jason Freese, and Jeff Matjka) were full of boundless energy and humor, and knew exactly how to control the crowd. From sing-alongs to toilet paper guns to fireworks and huge flames, nothing beats a Green Day show.

Before I get to Green Day, I wanna talk about their fantastic opening act, Kaiser Chiefs:


I have liked Kaiser Chiefs ever since they released their first album "Employment" back when I still lived in Germany. Getting into cool bands from other countries that aren't popular in America was one of the perks of living in Europe, so when Kaiser Chiefs came on stage I was one of maybe 10 people who were actually excited to see them perform. It's a shame that Kaiser Chiefs don't have a big fan base here in the US because they are an incredible live act and deserve some attention. I sang along to all their songs while people looked at me strange wondering why I knew all the lyrics. Regardless of the crowd's disinterest with the band, I thoroughly enjoyed the set and would love to see them headline one day.

Here's Kaiser Chiefs' setlist:

Never Miss a Beat
Everyday I Love You Less and Less
Ruby
You Want History
Everything is Average Nowadays
I Predict a Riot
Take My Temperature
Oh My God

Now, back to Green Day:


Believe it or not, despite being a fan of Green Day since I was in 5th grade, I had never seen them live until now. I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time and would always miss their show when they came to my town. But things would be different this time after being denied a chance to see their huge American Idiot Tour in 2004-2005. From what I've seen from YouTube videos to the live DVD "Bullet in a Bible", it was obvious that the American Idiot Tour was fantastic, but compared to this tour, there's no competition. The 21st Century Breakdown Tour (named in honor of their newest album) is so huge that Green Day could take this act to stadiums (like they did with American Idiot) and play in front of 500,000+ people, but I am really glad they decided on arenas for this tour. The closeness of the stage and the interactions the bands has with the crowd add an intimacy that a stadium show can't. The show was huge, full of grandiose spectacle and effects, but was completely intimate, which made it a unique experience.


I could go on and on for ages about how amazing this show was, but I'll just list some of the completely awesome and crazy moments from the show:

• Billie Joe bringing a kid up on stage to "be saved" during "East Jesus Nowhere", and afterwards telling him to "get the fuck outta here"
• The pyro during "Hitchin' a Ride" that nearly melted my face off
• The whole bit where Billie Joe told the story about giving Ricky from Kaiser Chiefs a tattoo with a needle and pin ink, and explaining that the anal sex afterwards was great
• The sparks raining down form the ceiling during "21 Guns"
• Tre wailing during "Shout", then throwing the mic down on the ground and then throwing a stick at Billie Joe, which prompted Billie Joe to throw his shoe at Tre
• Billie Joe spraying the audience with a Super Soaker, then with a toilet paper gun, and then shooting t-shirts all over the arena
• All the mini cover songs they did, with songs from The Kinks, The Doors, Metallica, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Motley Crue.
• Jason Freese dressing up like Michael Jackson and his amazing saxophone skills
• Billie Joe screeching in falsetto, which caused Tre and Mike to crack up laughing
• Billie Joe dressing up like the "Disney World Police", declaring all the underage sex and marijuana smoking to be legal
• Everyone dressing up during "King for a Day", which included Mike dressing up like a pink cat and Tre wearing a bra
• All the fireworks that made me feel like I was in a war
• Billie Joe's intimate and awesome acoustic encore

It would be redundant and tedious for me to say how mind-blowing and breathless Green Day was, but I really can't find any other way to describe what it was like to watch them play live. This show was special to me because Green Day was one of the first bands I ever got into and mean a whole hell of a lot to me (as described in my post called "What Green Day Means to Me"). Green Day was always there for me, and it feels great to finally get a chance to be there for Green Day.

Here's Green Day's setlist:

Song of the Century
21st Century Breakdown
Know Your Enemy
East Jesus Nowhere
Holiday
The Static Age
Before the Lobotomy
Are We the Waiting
St. Jimmy
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
You Really Got Me (Kinks Cover)
Hitchin’ a Ride
Brain Stew
Jaded
Longview
Basket Case
She
King for a Day
Shout
21 Guns
Minority

Encore
American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia

Acoustic Encore
Christie Road
Waiting
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

(Special thanks to the Orlando Sentinel from which I stole all the great pictures!)