When I was a teenager, Green Day was a discovery and it was early enough in their careers that I was able to soak up the two albums that preceded their commercially successful “debut” Dookie. They then became a mainstay for me and my disc player with the next few records. Then as a young adult they became a reminder of everything I loved about them while showing a different side of themselves with their rock opera American Idiot. This year as a parent of a teenager, the band reopened my eyes to so many great songs and albums throughout their career with their fourteenth studio album, Saviors. Taking a matured approach on the same music they’ve always made but in my opinion monumentally taping together numerous generations of fans while celebrating what was fun for them making punk rock in the first place.

My one and only previous experience seeing Green Day live was an annual radio fest in Atlanta (99x Big Day Out 2000) a big brother task I was charged to chaperone my youngest sister to, I’ve now in my adult years have become eternally grateful to have had with her. That year’s headliners included Stone Temple Pilots and Papa Roach and Green Day was just in the afternoon slot on the main stage. That said, It was definitely one of the more memorable acts during the one day fest that left Tre Cool’s drum kit on fire and Billie Joe Armstrong serenading us with “Good Riddance,” clearly still a favorite set ended for the band all these years later and technically so is fire as pyro has a hand in the current evening’s festivities as well.

All the rest of the good stuff that occurred on this Saviors tour begins before our favorite Bay Area punk trio even with the stage with their openers. The Southern California all female quartet, The Linda Lindas, who emulate A LOT of the same energy I recall from my own teenage experiences of Green Day and are releasing their sophomore album, No Obligation in October on Epitaph truly set the stage followed by personal old school favorites Rancid and Smashing Pumpkins.

Regardless of my personal opinions of Billy Corgan, my inner teenager was overjoyed getting to finally see them live. All of it the perfect setting for the main event in almost an assimilated two act theater experience in a baseball stadium setting that celebrated both pivotal albums to this point in the trio’s longstanding career while injecting catalog favorites disguised in brief intermissions. I can confidently say at this point in my life, Green Day is an institution. So much I can go on and on about the evening’s experience and sadly my one regret from the show was not getting to pick up the Cub themed patch. If they haven’t made a stop through your town I highly recommend seeing them.

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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. (“Jack & Diane” intro)
All By Myself (Orchestral version)
Know Your Enemy
Look Ma, No Brains!
One Eyed Bastard
Dilemma (“Free Fallin” intro)
Minority (“Surrender” bridge)
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

Encore:
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)