Green Day’s performance at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California was a triumphant success. The Tuesday show was announced on Monday at noon and tickets sold out in under an hour. Yet the anticipation didn’t stop there.
Fans eagerly awaited entry to the venue, lining up several hours before the doors were even set to open. Especially devoted fans had also taken advantage of the venue’s special”fast pass” option which required a $40 minimum purchase in the House of Blues restaurant in order to surpass the regular GA line.
At eight o’clock sharp, fans were treated to Ultra Q’s dazzling live performance, kicking off with their staple single “VR Sex” from their 2023 debut studio album My Guardian Angel. Jakob Armstrong introduced his Oakland-based band members by name before going on to say that they had “been playing together since middle school.” That much was clear as their onstage chemistry showed a deep level of comfortability and even a sprinkle of banter as the band worked out a technical difficulty mid-performance. All in all, the group delivered a solid half hour set, playing a couple of songs off their new record Empty Eddy which came out last week, including “Meet In The Middle” which inspired a mini mosh pit in the center of the crowd. The band ended up closing with their energetic track “What D’You Call It.”
After a brief intermission, a pink bunny mascot appeared onstage and began hyping the crowd up to the Ramones’ classic “Blitzkrieg Bop.” As the rabbit hopped off stage, the much anticipated Green Day took the stage to roars, clapping and screaming from hardcore fans.
As is customary, the band opened with their smash hit “American Idiot,” prompting crowdsurfing and nonstop cheering. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s vocals remain just as powerfully charismatic as when the band first released the single back in 2004, a whopping twenty years ago! From there, they transitioned into “Saviors,” the anthemic title track from their brand new album which was released back in January.
What made the show particularly special was the fact that they performed the entire record from front to back for the first time, hitting up every song on the tracklist. After “Saviors,” the band played lead single “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” the playful “Look Ma, No Brains,” the romantic “Bobby Sox,” the sassy “One Eyed Bastard,” the introspective “Dilemma,” the hard-rockin’ “1981,” the melodic “Goodnight Adeline,” the dynamic “Coma City” and the undeniably catchy “Corvette Summer.” After the performance of the latter track, Armstrong asked the audience “did you find the cowbell?” before humorously quipping, “it’s on a computer.”
After “Corvette Summer,” the band performed “Suzie Chapstick” which was bolstered by backing vocals which highlighted the melodies that would may have otherwise been drowned out by the powerful guitars. During “Living In The 20s,” Armstrong took a break from guitar to jump around stage, hyping up the crowd while delivering an impassioned vocal performance. “Father To A Son” marked a transition point into the somber with Armstrong trading in his electric guitar for an acoustic and crooning over the delicate harmonies. After the performance of Saviors closing track “Fancy Sauce,” Armstrong bluntly introduced the nostalgia that the crowd seemed to be waiting for, commenting, “Alright, let’s play some old shit.”
The second half of the show was dominated by tracks from the aforementioned American Idiot and Dookie which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. They performed “Burnout,” “Chump,” “Pulling Teeth,” “Coming Clean,” “She,” “F.O.D,” “Give Me Novacaine / She’s A Rebel,” “Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb,” “Homecoming” and “Whatshername” before leaving the stage. The crowd was unrelenting and chanted for an encore to which drummer Tré Cool obliged, taking to the stage solo with a guitar in hand before breaking into a humorous, albeit faithful to the original, rendition of “All By Myself.” The last song of Green Day’s set was the infectious “Minority” which had everyone singing and dancing along. Armstrong even took a moment to work in a harmonica solo which seemed to delight and impress fans.
With all said and done, there is no doubting that Green Day’s performance was electrifying, proving they still got what it takes to put on a truly memorable show for the masses.
Green Day Setlist
1. American Idiot
2. Saviors
3. The American Dream Is Killing Me
4. Look Ma, No Brains!
5. Bobby Sox
6. One Eyed Bastard
7. Dilemma
8. 1981
9. Goodnight Adeline
10. Coma City
11. Corvette Summer
12. Suzie Chapstick
13. Strange Days Are Here To Stay
14. Living In The 20s
15. Father To A Son
16. Fancy Sauce
17. Burnout
18. Chump
19. Pulling Teeth
20. Coming Clean
21. She
22. F.O.D.
23. Give Me Novacaine
24. She’s A Rebel
25. Extraordinary Girl
26. Letterbomb
27. Homecoming
28. Whatsername
Encore
29. All By Myself (Tré Cool Solo)
30. Minority
Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi
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