Passionate Rock with Social Punch!
Sep 17 '05
The Bottom Line SEE GREEN DAY! It's a geat show, full of enery, emotion, and a kicks America's sass at just the right time! Review from Sept. 16 Exel Center
Emotional! Powerful! Teen-powered fun! Yeah ... they rocked their sasses off and thrilled everyone from 'Tweens, Teens, Babes, and Dudes ... to Moms and Dad! Yeah it was a bit predictable, F-bomb filled, free-for-all in the pit (ouch ..that was rough last night!) ... but who cares???? It was a great show by a great band. A band for our time, from our time, (i.e. Stones = Old Times ... but still cool!), and it looks like Green Day has the talent and brains to last a while longer.
Last night's Sept. 16th Green Day show at the St. Paul Exel Center was a public outpouring of musical energy by a great "not so punk anymore ... but still kick-sass rock" band!. Billie Joe and his musically "underestimated" Green Day traveling show delivered a high powered, in your face and timely wake up call for everyone to our turbulent social times. Don't take everything he has to say so seriously ... but American Idiot nailed the times we live in. Hey ... I'm as Republican as they come ... but last night George W. was getting an F-Bomb from everyone ... including me! Enough social commentary but what I saw last night was America's ability to come together and just have some all out fun. For all the crap and tragedy going on this world ... I hope everyone who was at the show got as big of a rush out of it as we did and just enjoyed one of the best concerts I have seen in years!
To review the show and the music ... I'm not going to list every song as you can read about that in those "list geek" reviews. From a musical point, I would say they they played a tight show, that was well rehersed, but still full of surprises. (i.e. cool to hear Minnesota Girl ... never recorded or released). They still have plenty of punk aggression flowing through them, but they have become more polished, stage savvy, and not out of control. The bottom line ... they are good at what they do and how they do it. The sound at the Exel is the best in the Twin Cities for a large venue and sitting in a luxury box of course didn't suck. Yeah the floor would have been cool had I been a few years younger and with a different group ... but from Suite 18 ... the sound and site lines were great. (i.e. except for the drunk chick who kept jumping up in front of us ... at least she was cute!)
Cool point of the show ... and I knew it was coming from reading other reviews was the "local band" that Billy Joe forms by bringing a drummer, bass player and lead guitar player up on stage. The drummer came up first ... cool dude who could actually play ... kept the beat great, and got to do an awsome stage dive into the pit. (i.e. jealous I am!) The bass player (i.e. pink wiener!) came up next. First of all any dude wearing a pink shirt who says he can really play rock bass ... Billy Joe what were you thinking????? Anyway the "St. Paul Idiot" could play but he decided to go "WHO" on stage and trash the bass they gave him to play. What a f#&#$^ IDIOT. Security jumped on him and kicked his sorry butt off stage. Yeah real punk move and 10 years ago at a Green Day show would have been cheered but "pink wiener" was mostly "pitied" by those who saw him make an sass of himself. Great move by Billie Joe in taking a kid halfway back on the floor and having him "surfed" to the stage to play guitar. My 11 year old was going nuts wishing it was himself ... but the kid got up their and Billie Joe got him on the ax he was using. He could "kind of" play the 3 chords to keep the song going. Got his props from going out on the runway and then getting in front of "pink wiener" when they were out their together. Cool stuff and I'm sure that kid slept with the guitar that he got to play on stage. What a memory ...
Props to Jimmy Eat World and the "Pink Bunny" for getting the crowd wound up prior to Green Day taking the stage. They were both perfect for the pre-party that was going on throughout the stadium.
OK for all you Mom's and Dad's who may be reading this stuff just to see how much your kids were corrupted last night ... please .... chill out! I didn't see or hear anything that I didn't think my 11 or 8 year old couldn't handle. Yeah the F-bomb was everywhere and their was some butt crack mooning by Billy Joe ... and Tre came off the drums, strutted, and boasted about an erection he hoped he was getting ...but if you let your kids listen to their music ... what did you expect? Hey at breakfast this morning ... we all talked and everyone knows that this was a show, entertainment, with some adult attitude in it. If you care so much about your kids ... go to shows like this with them when they are young, show them how to have a good time, focus on the music, the "experience" and most importantly how to act ... so you won't be worrying about them when they are at Slipknot with their buddies or Jay-Z with their first date. Life is what you teach your kids ... it's not what you let happen to them! Be a parent and they'll love you forever.
As the night ended ... and Billie Joe did a talent filled solo jam mixed into his signature "Good Riddance" my 8 year old curled up in my lap totally tired and ready to sleep. My 11 year old was still swaying his arms with my cellphone still in his hand ... and his 2 good buds were right there with him. My beautiful wife ... who I swear was still 29 last night (i.e. love you!@) was at my side and all was right with the world. Take this advice ... see Green Day with your friends, family, or anyone you love and care about. It's a great show, with great music, and most of all the best money you can spend on a show this summer.
Mike
Maple Grove, MN
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