By Cameron Lee
August 27, 2024
It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since California punk rockers Green Day released their major label debut, Dookie. The band that rose from the early ‘90s Bay Area punk scene are widely credited for popularizing the genre in the mainstream, spawning many of the pop-punk bands of the early 2000s. Before they were Green Day, childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and their two other bandmates (bassist Sean Hughes and drummer Raj Punjabi) were known as Blood Rage and then Sweet Children, changing their name shortly before the release of their first EP.
Armstrong and Dirnt– who met in the small town of Rodeo, California– along with drummer Tre Cool (who joined the band in 1990) cut their teeth at the famed Berkeley punk rock venue, 924 Gillman. And while they were chastised in the punk community and banned from playing the venue after signing to a major label in 1993 (they have since been unbanned), their influence three decades later has been astonishing.
Regardless of how many records sold, accolades, or streams, nothing can quite measure musical influence like the multiple generations of concertgoers in attendance at a show. From young punk rockers who may have gotten their intro to the genre listening to the evening’s opener, The Linda Lindas, to boomers who may have caught the Ramones at CBGB in their heyday– it was vast.
On a picture-perfect Monday night at PNC Music Pavilion, The Linda Lindas got the show started precisely at 6:45 p.m., and many had already packed the lawn to get situated for the three-act bill. Like seasoned pros, the Los Angeles punk rock quartet put on a raging performance, bouncing around the stage with vigor. With 16-year-old lead singer and bassist Eloise Wong’s deep growls and 14-year-old drummer Mila de la Garza wailing on the drums, while also providing backup vocals, the band finished their set with “Racist, Sexist Boy.” The song launched the teen band into viral acclaim after a video of their performance was shared by the Los Angeles Public Library in 2021. It’s been a whirlwind few years for the band, who have opened for The Rolling Stones, Paramore, Japanese Breakfast, and now Green Day, also performing at Coachella in 2023. No longer considered a novelty act, The Linda Lindas proved they are a rock band to be taken seriously, or as seriously as they want to be; they still have college ahead of them.
Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman of ska punk band Rancid came up in the Bay Area performing at the same venue (924 Gilman Street) where Green Day got its start. Releasing their self-titled debut in 1993 through Epitaph Records (a label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz), the veteran rockers are often mentioned with the likes of The Offspring and Green Day for popularizing punk in the ‘90s, although their sound was always more ska-leaning. With references to Nature Boy Ric Flair by wrestling enthusiast and guitarist Lars Frederiksen, who shouted a few “wooos!” and even impersonated Flair’s signature strut, the band treated the crowd to their biggest hits “Time Bomb” and “Ruby Soho.”
Like many rock stars of the ‘90s who grew up listening to Queen, Green Day paid homage to the beloved band throughout the night. Prior to the main event, the speakers blasted “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with multiple cameras spotlighting the audience singing along. It was a moment that really highlighted the generations of fans in attendance for the sold-out rock show. Following the intro, Green Day’s signature pink bunny made an appearance warming up the crowd to “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and then a video montage of the band accompanied by “The Imperial March” (Darth Vador’s theme song from Star Wars) and Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”
After a good eight minutes priming the audience for the show, the band members hit the stage around 8:29 p.m. to clamorous applause. Armstrong screamed “Charlotte, North Carolinaaa!,” prior to getting into “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” the first track from their latest album Saviors, one of five songs along with “Look Ma, No Brains!,” “One Eyed Bastard,” “Dilemma,” and “Bobby Sox” from the release that made it into the 37-song setlist.
But this evening was dedicated to their landmark albums Dookie and American Idiot, as Armstrong exclaimed, “Welcome to the 30-year anniversary of Dookie,” following the opening song. They performed the album front-to-back starting with “Burnout,” evoking the smell of mid-grade weed and incense, visuals of lava lamps and blacklight posters, a nostalgic feeling that may have emerged in the minds of those who were teens when Dookie was released in 1994.
While it wasn’t until the fourth track, “Longview,” that the crowd erupted into a frenzy, Armstrong did a magnificent job of keeping the often stagnant audience engaged throughout the night. Utilizing Freddie Mercury’s “Ah-Yo” call-back chant (another nod to Queen), shouting out “Charlotte” and “North Carolina” several times throughout the night, and directing the crowd to jump, wave, and sing along, Armstrong’s energy was commendable.
Multiple cameras switched from Armstrong, Dirnt, and Cool on the big screens with rapid-fire cuts, celebrating all of the band members for this monumental tour stop– also their first in Charlotte since 2005. A short walkway into the crowd allowed Armstrong and Dirnt to be closer to fans, while startling pyrotechnics blasted from the back of the stage before “Welcome to Paradise,” and then periodically throughout the night.
Hands waving side-to-side for the jangle pop-y number, “Pulling Teeth,” the biggest sing-along moments of the night came from “Basket Case,” “When I Come Around,” and the evening’s sentimental closer, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” the lone song from 1997’s Nimrod. The Dookie portion of the show was also highlighted by Armstrong’s acoustic cover of John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane,” along with a hilarious orchestral rendition of “All By Myself” by Cool who was dressed in a leopard-printed robe, performing the famed secret track that follows the song “F.O.D.” on the album.
Transitioning into the second half, Green Day played fan favorites “Minority,” “Brain Stew,” and “Know Your Enemy,” the latter of which was accompanied by an animated Green Day super fan named DJ, who was picked from the crowd.
The band kicked off the American Idiot portion of the show with the album’s title track. The album itself has been described as a “punk rock opera” by the band with protest songs like “Holiday” and “American Idiot,” though there was no political banter on this night. Instead, Armstrong took some time comforting people who may be struggling with mental health issues: ”You are not alone, because tonight is about peace, love, unity, and joy.”
Cell phones lit up the pavilion for the Grammy Award-winning song, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and a somber, “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” but the energy lifted for “Bobby Sox.” With Armstrong standing centerstage with just his guitar and mic, the evening had a fitting end with the melancholic “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” as Dirnt and Cool stepped back out for a confetti-filled final bow and show of appreciation.
Armstrong mentioned during the show, that this tour was “not a party, but a celebration,” and it did feel like one. It wasn’t just a celebration commemorating their achievements, but one that honored the punk genre and its evolution.
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Setlist:
“The American Dream Is Killing Me”
“Burnout”
“Having a Blast”
“Chump”
“Longview”
“Welcome to Paradise”
“Pulling Teeth”
“Basket Case”
“She”
“Sassafras Roots”
“When I Come Around”
“Coming Clean”
“Emenius Sleepus”
“In the End”
“F.O.D.” (with “Jack and Diane”cover)
“All by Myself” (Orchestral version with Tre Cool)
“Know Your Enemy”
“Look Ma, No Brains!”
“One Eyed Bastard”
“Dilemma”
“Minority”
“Brain Stew”
“American Idiot”
“Jesus of Suburbia”
“Holiday”
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
“Are We the Waiting”
“St. Jimmy”
“Give Me Novacaine”
“She’s a Rebel”
“Extraordinary Girl”
“Letterbomb”
“Wake Me Up When September Ends”
“Homecoming”
“Whatsername”
“Bobby Sox”
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
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