Ch-ch-ch changes ...
Well wow, today is a big day. It's the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, as my brother Matt moves to LA today ushering in the age of two Baram brothers both living in So-Cal. Is this town big enough for the both of us? That remains to be seen. All I can say is, it's going to be interesting ...
At the same time, literally, it's a bittersweet time in that some of my good friends here on the West Coast are heading out to start new chapters for themselves in other parts of the country. So, with that in mind, I think a couple of shout-outs are in order to some close friends (not to mention longtime readers of this here blog). So here's to Bradd K. - my friend and classmate both at Solomon Schecter Day School and later at Kingswood-Oxford in Connecticut, who's been living out in Newport Beach for the last couple of years. Bradd recently headed to Chicago for grad school, and I wish "The Kernel" the best of luck over there. Next, another shout-out to Scott C., my Page Program pal here in LA with whom I've shared many adventures, from Page-O-Ween and Knott's Scary Farm to Las Vegas trips and many a movie. Scott C. is soon bound for grad school in Virginia, and again, best of luck to him. Finally, a very special shout out to Ms. Liz L, who I'm pretty sure was one of the first friends of mine to ever read this blog on a regular basis, and who was one of my first real friends I made after moving to LA, and one of my best friends ever since - through many ups and downs and random adventures. Liz leaves LA today to return to the great state of Connecticut, and while I am excited for her, it won't be quite the same here in Hollywood without the girl who not only shares my love for cheesy 80's rock music, but who also shares my September 28th birthday. So good luck to Bradd, Scott, and Liz - if you're reading this, this blog post is dedicated to you guys!
- Anyways ...
I didn't really get the chance to hype it much here on the blog, but last night, I saw GREEN DAY live and in concert! Yeeeeeeeeeeaooooooow!
GREEN DAY Concert Recap:
- Way back in around 2000 or so, I went to the 104-fest in Connecticut and saw a bunch of up-and-coming modern rock bands at an all-day outdoor fest, with the headliners being a double-bill combo of Green Day and Blink 182. Even though Green Day's popularity had faded a bit by that point, to those of us that had grown up with their music, they were easily the main attraction. Even though Blink was on top of the world at that point, their so-so set was easily overshadowed by the sheer force and fun of the guys from Green Day, who absolutely brought the house down. At that point, the kickass live show that Green Day put on was easily the best I had ever seen.
And unlike most bands from that era, the legend of Green Day has only grown throughout this decade. They've transitioned from being a snotty punk-rock band into the Biggest Band in the World. They've gone from singing about teenage angst to railing against the Bush administration and rallying the rock n' roll troops against the ills of the 21st Century. Their music has gotten bigger, bolder, and arguably better with age. While I will always have a soft spot for the Dookie-era stuff, I also can't help but love American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown - easily two of the best rock albums of this decade. So Green Day for me was an absolute must-see band - when I heard they were coming to LA as part of the tour to support their latest album, I knew it was a show not to be missed. The world's greatest rock n' roll band, in their prime, doing what they do best in front of a stadium packed with fans both old and new. It doesn't get much better.
To that end, last night's show did not disappoint. Green Day absolutely shredded through an epic set that encompassed the entirety of their career thus far. They played the old stuff, the new stuff, and everything in between, and played song after song, nonstop, for almost three straight hours. And it was before a multigenerational crowd - kids, teens, twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings. For those who say that no modern rock band has the same kind of wide appeal as the likes of The Rolling Stones or U2, I say they need look no further than Green Day - these guys rock hard, have an incredible catalog of hits, and are still in their 30's. Right now, as far as I'm concerned, they are the reigning Kings of Rock.
The show started out with a number of choice cuts from 21st Century Breakdown - the title track, "Know Your Enemy," "Static Age," "Before the Lobotomy", and more. It's amazing becuase so many bands live and die based on their aging hits. It's rare to see a band that has fifteen years worth of beloved material, where the new stuff is just as great and just as popular as the old. Suffice it to say, there wasn't a clunker all night - every single song, one after the other, rocked and rocked hard.
Plus, Billie Joe Armstrong is just an amazing frontman. Like I said, he had the massive crowd in the palm of his hand all night. It was definitely the best concert crowd I've seen in LA since I've been here, as people were on their feet, dancing and singing, throughout the entire evening. And a lot of that is due to Billy Joe, who uses every trick in the book to keep the crowd involved. He chants "heeyyy-ohhh's" with the crowd throughout the show to get everyone singing. He fires T-shirts into the crowd, sprays people with a super-soaker, and does stage dives into the front rows. One of Green Day's longtime trademarks, of course, is bringing fans on-stage - sometimes it's just to sing a couple of bars of a song, and sometimes it's to sing the entire song (!), as one lucky kid got to do last night with old-school classic "Longview." Sure, his voice wasn't exactly American Idol-worthy, but his sheer exuberance got the crowd rockin' - it's a party atmosphere, and the building, therefore, gets electric. During "Jesus of Suburbia," the epic punk-rock ballad off American Idiot, a long-haired teen was brought on-stage to play the lead guitar. And man - he rocked! But again, just the coolness of seeing some guitar hero-wannabe kid getting to go on-stage and play with his idols, well, you can't help but smile and let at least a little of his euphoria rub off on you. At one point, prior to "East Jesus Nowhere," Billie Joe brought two kids, maybe ten years old, onto the stage and had them participate in a mock religious revival.
Not only is their tons of crowd participation at a Green Day show, but there's just a whole lot of random fun. Billy Joe stopped to make jokes, rally the crowd, and tell anecdotes. The man didn't let up, he was just a ball of energy for three hours. Not only that, but Green Day got the crowd going by interspersing all kinds of random tunes into the show. At one point, a song seamlessly transitioned into "Shout!" At various times throughout the show, we heard snippets of everything from "Sweet Child O' Mine," to "Free Fallin'" to "Satisfaction."
And the Green Day catalogue did not disappoint. It helps that they have so many great songs with which to fill a show, but like I said, this really was like seeing the ultimate Greatest Hits remix live and in person. After the opening bout of 21st Century Breakdown material, there were a couple of American Idiot tracks like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," but we then got a prolonged batch of old-school Green Day goodness. Almost all the classics were covered: "Basket Case," "Brain Stew," "Longview," "She," and a thunderous rendition of "Welcome to Paradise." There were even some pre-Dookie rarities like "2000 Light Years Away." Finally, they went back to 21st Century and closed out with the smash hit "21 Guns" and then with the album's closer, "American Eulogy." Great stuff, and if the concert had ended right there it still would have been one hell of a show.
But it didn't end, not by a longshot. Green Day stormed back on stage for their encore, and brought the house down with a nitro-infused trilogy of rock anthems. "American Idiot." "Jesus of Suburbia," and then "Minority." Jesus of Suburbia, to me one of the band's modern masterpieces, was particularly sweet to hear live, although, you've got to love Minority's great sing-along verse of: "a free for all, &%#% 'em all!" And again, that right there would have been one hell of an ending. But Billie Joe did indeed come back for a second encore, a short accoustic set that included the crowd-pleasing "Time of Your Life." I don't love Green Day's softer stuff, but we got sooo many kickass rock n' roll songs in this epic concert that it didn't feel like anything too noteworthy was left out. Billie Joe and co. left everything on the stage, and everytime you thought they might be winding down, they just kept plowing through hit after hit. But each song was huge, each song felt special, and you felt like you were getting 110% on each one.
It was definitely a concert to remember, and another sign to me that Green Day is up there as one of the best live bands around. This is the new classic rock, baby, and once again, I'm just glad I was there to witness the awesomeness.
- Alright, I had my one night of rock n' roll glory, and now it's time for some quality (?) time with the fam. My brother has landed in LA, and my dad with him to help him move ... and the universe hasn't imploded ... yet. Stay tuned, folks.
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