Saturday, April 8th Green Day wrapped up their Spring 2017 Revolution Radio Tour at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. Special guest band Against Me! opened for the punk rock sensation, warming up the early birds while the rest of the crowd piled into the stadium. Let’s be honest though- it wasn’t until after the opening act, when the tech guys blasted Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody that the crowd got their kicks. Apparently, Queen has a knack for rocking an entire stadium without even stepping on stage. Impressive, I must admit (I mean who really expected Freddie Mercury to keep quiet, even if he is six feet under) but the real show left the opening acts in the dust.

While the tour is named after their latest album, Revolution Radio, the song selection for the night was not limited to the band’s latest hits. Green Day started with a few popular tracks from the new album before hitting up American Idiot and backtracking into Dookie and some of their older (though by no means less popular) works. Needless to say, the show catered to both the new generation and the original 90’s fanbase. I don’t think anyone left without their favorite song ringing in their ears. Basket Case, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, When I Come Around, Hitchin’ A Ride, Long View, Know Your Enemy, Are We The Waiting, Minority, Jesus of Suburbia, Good Riddance, and of course American Idiot were all in there. Some of the new songs, particularly Still Breathing and Ordinary World, appeared to take quite well with the crowd. But nobody ever said they had to stick to their own works. A special medley and guest saxophone player, whose wicked solo might’ve stolen the show, blew the crowd away. Shout, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, and Hey Jude were melted together beautifully. And I have to say, Tré Cool’s intro was probably one of my favorite parts of the show. Billie and a turbocharged Tré switched roles for a spell- yes people, drummers are actually allowed to come up the stage. Never underestimate Cool’s ability to get a crowd pumped. The guy’s got the voice of a blues and good old fashioned rock ‘n roll god, and I don’t know many people who can work leg kicks like that.

Those who have been to any of Green Day’s previous concerts know that this is not a kick back and relax kind of deal. Nope, this is a totally interactive, all-inclusive experience. If your fists aren’t in the air, if your lighter arm (or I guess people use their iPhone flashlights now so phone arm?) isn’t trembling, if your throat wasn’t completely shredded by the end of it, then honey you were doing it wrong. You don’t have to be in the pit to go nuts, oh no. In fact, you are expected to scream, jump, and fist pump even if you’re sitting in the very top row of the terrace area- not that anyone had a problem with this. The stadium was jam-packed with hardcore fans that were more than willing to rub up, shoulder to shoulder, and sing in devout unison.

This was, according to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, the whole purpose of the event.  Armstrong gave a short speech in the middle of the tribute medley, stressing that in a world full of hate and negativity unity in this nation we call home was desperately needed. As I’m sure you know, the political division generated by the media and the stiffs up in D.C. has been plaguing our country in alarming degrees in recent times. Armstrong condemned the division and called for an increase in love and compassion towards all peoples regardless of any differences. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a liberal or a conservative,” he said, “…but at some point, you have to have each other’s backs.” The crowd was reminded that everybody has it rough, but  “….any day above ground is a good day” and we can choose to brave the storm together. Genuine gratitude for life and fellows, the need to unite, to transcend political association and media-stimulated biases, to overcome separation, to overcome hatred filled the arena. This wasn’t some kind of preachy tirade; this was the honest to God truth. The masses responded with a roar of whoops and amens. And, as if to prove themselves, the entire body of fans immediately fell into a heartfelt Hey Jude.

While this was probably the biggest highlight of the night, a few other moments are worthy of our attention. Thirteen-year-old Ian, a young fan in the pit, was invited to take the lead on Armstrong’s guitar. Pretty soon, the kid had the entire stadium screaming his name and sincerely rocking out to a simple but fantastic three-chord chorus. He even got to keep the guitar afterward! Another young fan was also invited onto the stage to lead the crowd in Long View. This girl’s energy was infectious. She was bouncing all over the stage, jumping down from the stairs, hugging Armstrong and Mike Dirnt while blowing kisses to Cool, holding out the mic for the crowd while occasionally sharing it with Armstrong, heck she even made a grand exit surfing the crowd. And talk about stage presence! She took that mic and ran like she’d led a million audiences in song. Totally crazy, totally loved.

Another noteworthy moment and the personal favorite had to be when Armstrong called out one of the fans (all in good humor) in the front of the pit who was filming the show. After joking around for a bit, he made a slightly more serious point. “If you’re looking at me through your phone, you’re not looking at me,” he said before throwing the fan a fist bump from afar. After pointing out that there was no point in recording to save the moment for later if you didn’t stop to actually live in the moment, Armstrong beamed as the spectators- myself included- resounded in spirited approval.  Finally, someone people will listen to when they’re told to stop experiencing life in front a screen!

No one could say that this concert wasn’t a success. The energy both on and offstage was incredible. Crowd participation got an A+. Dirnt’s guitar solos got an A++ (obviously). It’s not too often that you see artists who can actually give you a quality live performance. So there you go folks, proof that some people don’t really need Auto tune to sound good. Oh, and the song selection was more than ideal. The guys wrapped things up with an acoustic version of Good Riddance (in case you’re not familiar with the song look up the lyrics. It’s the perfect fit for a touching farewell).

To all those who thought the rock genre was a thing of the past, think again. Green Day fans are still breathing, and you can be sure that our boys gave us the time of our lives.