There’s a quote in a bathroom of in an infamous venue in Glasgow that sets out all the awful things about the music industry, finishing with "…and then there’s the bad bits."
..a rather apt description. I was all set to give a review and photos of Green Day’s first return to Scotland after the American Idiot Tour in February 2005, when the usual industry follies got in the way. Along with most of the rest of the press, the guestlist was screwed, meaning that I ended up ejected unceremoniously after 12 and a half minutes. So henceforth this is my own self-indulgent rambling of those minutes instead.. and probably a photo-gallery to follow.
I am a self-confessed Green Day fan of old - even finding affection towards the toned-down ‘Warning’ when it was spat on by purists; decried as ‘pop shiite’, and subject to all the other traditional shrieks of selling out. When American Idiot rolled out, I was not exactly set on fire, so to speak, but felt obliged to go along to see them live anyway. It was Green Day after all - the band that managed the impressive feat of being taken away from the main stage in Woodstock by helicopter in 1994, after starting a riotous mud-fight with the impatient crowd. The same band that trashed Tower Records shops at an in-store performance, shouting ‘this is a fucking Green Day gig..’ as they hurled TVs off of the balcony.
It was a similar emotional situation this time round, with the 2009 recorded offering coming even lower in my estimations than the 2004 offering - I don’t think I even managed a full listen-through. But then, by the same token, I hoped that live it would reclaim some of the credence which I gave them.
Unlike last time, the theatrical show that has become a Green Day concert had extended even further - literally - with a ramp leading out into the crowd. The first ‘song’ was a ten minute medley of something or other - track titles of latter years not being a strong point - with Billie, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt bounding around the stage, and close enough to touch; something people did often - I wouldn’t mind touching a bit of Billie, but apparently it’s frowned upon.
In a throwback to years previous, a rabid local fanboy was pulled from the crowd, before being told to stage-dive. He didn’t need telling twice; he knew the drill, and you got the feeling that every single other person in the arena knew it too.
With that, my 12.5 minutes were up. I would have liked to stay and be proven wrong about the new tracks once played en locus, but it seems that no matter whether you like their music or not, it’s difficult not to appreciate it live. You can also forget that you’re in the worst large-venue in Scotland, with the sound and presence of the Green Day machine still managing to pull it out the bag.
Yeah, it might not be the Green Day of the burned-out, screwed up Insomniac era, or even the dyed hair of the Nimrod era, but if you’re looking to be entertained, this band are one of the best around.
"You only get to appreciate what you do when you're not doing it," says bassist Rob Canning, slurping on a tea. "and now we're back, we're buzzing to go."
PART ONE: WELCOME TO 2008
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Placebo pictures: just in - some photos of Placebo and Brian Molko from last week’s gig at the Glasgow SECC.
Also check out the review here
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who supported green day
who supported green day
????????????
Prima Donna were the support.
Prima Donna were the support.
Green Day SECC Glasgow
Absolutely the best gig I have ever been to ....and I have seen some big fuckoff gigs. Any chance you are selling any of your pics? You werent the guys with the bleached blond hair taking the pics right at the front were you?
ahh that was me indeed..
ahh that was me indeed.. Spotted! I'm difficult to miss.
Fire me over an email to stephen@artrocker.com if you're after any prints.
Cheers!
Must get picture!!!
Got an excellent chance to try out my new camera phone, the photos turned out rubbish and i never really knew half the songs or if i should move to them, but hey! Against Billie's anti-materialistic wishes i bought a £45 hoodie which made my credit card explode! Highlight of the night was Auld Willie takin to the stage and Tre Cool sweating over the pyrotechnics.
Green Day pics playing Glasgow
Some Great photos of them live in Glasgow here, I am buying a print of this guy.What a great night.
www.klogghopper.blogspot.com
Ahh Ross... he's a good
Ahh Ross... he's a good guy.
Awesome pics as well.
Brilliant!
Absolutely the best gig I have ever been to and I've been to lots! I am 48 years old and took my young daughter who has every CD these boys have made. Billie Jo is excellent live - what a man - what a show! The three and three quarter hour gig went by so fast. We travelled for nearly three hours to get there and stayed overnight at the Crown Plaza so it cost a small fortune to see them but it was worth every penny.
Awesome! Can't wait to see them again and I hope they don't leave it too long!
My daughter is only 12 and she knows every word to every single song they have ever made - they are her heroes.
They were brilliant
Been a fan for 14 years and thought this was the best concert ever.
Felt a bit old with all the 10 year olds in the queue and even had a little emo behind me telling me i was too old to come!! i'm 28 for crying out loud!!!
Anyway it was brilliant i was 2 rows from the front and could nearly reach them.. I thought it was amazing.. everything they did. I loved Billie Joe's face when he was popping the t shirts in the crowd.. how happy did he look was like a kid in a toy shop... Aww bless him so cute.. Prefer his black hair though but looked really sexy when he was all sweaty.
What a brilliant night can't talk still for all the singing and screaming i was doing. Roll on 1st Nov when i am seeing them again... yeahhhh Green Day are great!!!
green day`
was the best gig ever , nothing will ever beat it!!! cant believe how good it was ! love you greeendaayyy !!
Hah..
cheers guys. Way to make me feel better about having to leave.
High-viz is definitely a good plan, but given my hair and glasses, I'd need to get some sort of moustache and fake nose as well.
Gig Review
When the warm up act is a drunk man in a pink bunny suit singing YMCA – you know that you are at a Green Day Gig.
High Energy, High Octane Green Day bounded onto the stage and started the show off with a bang (literally) with 21st Century Breakdown. Glasgow reciprocated with a wall of noise and singing along to the new album including “Know Your Enemy” and “21 Guns” as well as old favourites like “American Idiot” and “Jesus of Suburbia”. Lucky fans were dragged on stage to sing and stage dive off into the crowd. Water pistols, water cannons, flame throwers, and fireworks were just the start. Billie Joe (lead singer) armed himself with a t-shirt cannon and shot t-shirts to the back of the hall and a toilet paper cannon to dry off those people he had previously soaked. There were too many memorable moments to mention “King For a Day” saw the drummer Tre Cool dressed in ladies underwear and the rest of the band laying on the floor graduated into cover versions of “Shout”, “Stand By Me” and “Satisfaction” before going back to “Shout” and then finishing on “King for a Day”. After 2 encores Billie Joe walked back on stage armed with just a guitar and did a 3 song acoustic set of “When September Ends”, “Time of your life” and “Last Night on Earth” which was the perfect ending to a great gig. Green Day are still fantastic and still as mad as hatters !!.
Gig
shame you didnt stay - it was fantastic. it got loads and loads better.
GreenDay ARE AWESOME
Considering This Was My First Greenday Concert I Was Blown Away. They Were So Eletric, Me And My Friend Now Have Sore Throats And Were Both Nakerd But It Was So Worth It. I Would Have To Say This, Greenday Were Better Than U2 At Hampden Any Day. Bill Joe Looks So Hot With Blonde Hair!
Billie Joe
Billy Joe looks better with black hair but was still just as gorgeous. I agree the concert was out of this world. I loved every minute of it.
My throat is sore too though :(
Think you need a disguise!
Great night Stephen. I'm 41 and had taken my daughter. We were in the seated area (B) second row from back which provided an excellent view. Must be my age, but I liked it better up there - an unobstructed view and nobody throwing beer over me!
Pity you got ejected. Billy Joe did a wee acoustic set to finish which I thought was a great finish to the gig.
My mate's one of the first aid staff and gets to any gig he likes! Maybe you should try a green hi-viz vest next time!
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