The evening didn’t start well; we hit a traffic jam about halfway out of Austin that seriously impeded our progress and put us into a time crunch. Unfortunately, due to traffic I missed the opening band Franz Ferdinand, although from all accounts I heard they were good.
So here we have Green Day, the band that brought “punk rock” to the masses. After their massive hit album Dookie they had a slew of mediocre albums but have recently become media darlings once again.
Having seen Green Day in ’89 play for about 40 people, this was the first time I’d seen them live in 20 years. The crowd was unbelievable, the AT&T Center is a huge venue and it was packed. Packed full of screaming, squealing adolescent brats in the latest Hot Topic gear.
Billie Joe and company came running out also dressed in the latest Hot Topic fashions. They opened up with hits from their latest album 21st Century Breakdown. Although the critics love the album and the crowd seemed to eat it up, I found the music to be pedantic and their stage antics were straight out of the Jonas Brothers playbook.
There were two other guitar players, one of them behind the scenes and I’m not exactly sure that Billie Joe was actually playing guitar most of the time. He was busy trotting around the stage and up and down the ego ramp à la Joe Jonas. I was actually surprised he didn’t have one of those headphone mics on.
To be honest, the show and music is straight up pap for so-called disaffected middle-American suburban kids. There’s just enough swagger to thumb their nose at authority while in reality they go along complacently with the status quo.
I walked out about half-way through the show. I’m told they did play some of their hits from the Dookie album (which wasn’t a bad album). Predictably they closed the show with “Good Riddance,” which you may recognize as that song from countless TV dramas, also known as “Time of Your Life”.
The masses love these guys, but then again these are the same people that bought 10 million Kelly Clarkson albums. Call me jaded, but I just wasn’t buying what they were selling.
DOWNLOAD: Green Day - Good Riddance (MP3) or Follow us for more Green Day MP3s (Twitter)
Deastro + Max Tundra - 11/27
Doug Fir
Morrissey + Doll and the Kicks - 11/30
Roseland Theater
Portland Cello Project - 12/4
Aladdin Theater
Passion Pit - 12/7
The Crystal Ballroom
There was definitely a guy surfing in a wheelchair. I tried to capture it with my camera, but it was a total blur. He came over the barricade 3 times. The first time, he came over AFTER his wheelchair.
by Jill Rachel on Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 03.24 pm from the entry: Motorhead + Reverend Horton Heat + Nashville Pussy - Showbox Sodo (Seattle, WA; Oct. 02,2009)
Sick I was mixing the original in my dubstep mixes, but this just kicks it up. Thank you!!!
by Dre Ja Vu on Thu Nov 26, 2009 at 09.13 pm from the entry: Ginuwine's "Pony" Deconstructed Through Dubstep (Remix)
feelin it, thanks!
by jo on Thu Nov 26, 2009 at 05.00 pm from the entry: Ginuwine's "Pony" Deconstructed Through Dubstep (Remix)
lil wayne has a fukken song for everythingg(((: in lovee, high competition, everythingg.
**and i be with my dawg like im mutha fukken hunting
by a.d.kinchhh(: on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 02.48 pm from the entry: Lil Wayne's No Ceilings Mixtape
it’s beyonce’s sister.
by colin on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 12.36 pm from the entry: Solange takes on Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet"
Am I supposed to know SOlange?
by max on Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 11.51 am from the entry: Solange takes on Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet"
this may be your best review yet, colin. and that includes the pixies and modest mouse pieces. nice work! i’m also digging these photos.
by josh on Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 04.54 pm from the entry: Girls + Dominant Legs - Doug Fir (Portland, OR; Nov. 18, 2009)
