Green Day @ Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Words and photos by Scott Rowe

I'm not sure if it's more embarrassing or just shocking, that I have in my collective years of concert going, I have never seen Green Day in concert. I'm going with embarrassing. While they have always been a band I've wanted to see, it just never came to pass. I really wanted to catch them on the Hella Mega Tour, but I was denied for that show and lost out on a huge opportunity to shoot for one of the biggest music publications in the world due to being locked out of one of my email accounts. So, getting my chance to finally mark these guys off of my bucket list was a feat within itself, but doing so on the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot made it feel so much better, even though it was The Saviors Tour and I really haven't listened to Saviors yet, because I still listen to Dookie and that's okay, right?

The best part of this show was being able to listen to Dookie and American Idiot in full, whereas if I caught them on another tour, you would simply get a couple of the hits and some of the quote-unquote filler would have been missed. There is no filler on these albums, so getting to enjoy the full albums was definitely a treat. But of course, when you hear classics such as "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around", you can't help but belt out the lyrics with the other 40,000 in attendance and in my case, think about when I first heard these songs in middle school. Back then, it was a calling for those who were raging against the machine and who didn't quite fit in, an album full of angst. I think Dookie as a whole, still holds true to those sentiments, which makes it an absolute masterclass in pop-punk lore.

To take a quick diversion from the music itself, my god, the production for this show is second to none. Stadium shows really need to be a spectacle, otherwise you should just perform multiple arena shows and do the baseline theatrics that every body does. Not Green Day. Lots of pyrotechnics, amazing stage setup with lots of displays (which are used extensively), and a light show that keeps one wondering what's coming next. Combined with Billie Joe's best Freddie Mercury call and response and a sound that hasn't aged one bit (seriously, this show looked and sounded amazing), you could not go wrong in attending this show and not have a good time. I think it speaks volumes that a pop-punk band could have such longevity and continue to influence a new generation of fans with their extensive catalog of songs that make you feel part of something that's energetic, fun, a bit naughty, and inclusive.

Photos of the show are below: