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Green Day takes a "Holiday"
By Raphael Sangiovanni
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When Green Day took the stage at the University of Miami’s Convocation Center on April 15, the venue was literally shaking as eager fans responded explosively to singer Billie Joe Armstrong shouting, "Miami! Are you ready?"
What unfolded after the band immediately burst into the hyperactive hit "American Idiot" was quite possibly one of the most memorable and powerful live performances of the year-- and the 7,200 fans there let the band know it.
Green Day, who is on top of the rock world thanks to the massive success of American Idiot, was top notch as they finally kicked off the first leg of their American tour with contagious enthusiasm. They gave fans a night that was a giant F-U to authority and a celebration of youth and freedom.
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Bearing that in mind, the Grammy Award-winning trio was clearly here to give the fans what they wanted. The evening traced the band’s 15-year journey from booger-loving SoCal punks to mature, powerful rockers with a show that was a spontaneous festival of pyrotechnics, explosions and lighting.
Two bright red fists adorned the top arena and the stage was constantly changing everything, from colors to backdrop curtains to neon signs. It was not much unlike a KISS concert, only grittier and more vulgar.
Black mascara and suits intact, the band blazed through the first half of American Idiot including "St. Jimmy," "Holiday," and the nine-minute rock opera "Jesus of Suburbia."
They also revisited old hits like "Basketcase," "Longview," "Minority," "Brain Stew" and tossed in an extended version of "King For A Day," which included costume changes, crowd participation and a medley of The Isley Brothers’ "Shout."
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The band soon shifted gears and ploughed through ballads "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" over a starry crowd of cell phones and lighters. They went a step further and threw in a cover of Queen’s "We Are The Champions," much to the crowd’s glee.
Meanwhile the band members never let the energy in the room stumble. Drummer Tré Cool kept a manic beat while Mike Dirnt’s bass pumped through the arena.
Billie Joe, with charisma that echoed Freddie Mercury, raced across the stage swinging his guitar, belting his raspy vocals and occasionally rubbing his crotch and moaning.
He reigned over fans like a conductor, encouraging them to sing along and throw their fists in the air. Billie Joe took his interactive approach one step further when he invited three lucky Miami fans on stage to play drums, bass, and guitar on an Operation Ivy cover tune.
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Fans were never left uncared for and that was the spirit of the night. As if sensing the anticipation, Green Day ended the show with "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" and every voice in the Convocation Center resonated.
It was this unifying moment, ending on a soft note, that captured how powerful and incredible this band has become. With one fist in the air, the other on the crotch and their hearts with the audience, Green Day left the Miami fans awestruck.
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