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Apples in Stereo The
Holmes Brothers |
Green
Day 04.23.2005 / Mellon Arena / Pittsburgh, PA Plus Shade and Camera at Gooski's
Though this was to be a family affair, we still had to rid ourselves of the baby, so the two-hour round trip trek to grandma and pap-pap’s gave me a chance to catch up on American Idiot. The album’s songs become a potent backdrop as one traverses through the exurbs of Pittsburgh and on past the small, depressed communities that just a few months ago overwhelmingly displayed Bush/Cheney yard signs despite their best economic interests. Jesus of Suburbia is out there somewhere. My last and only Green Day show was probably 11 years ago at Fairfax High School out in L.A. and I figured this would have enough cross-generational appeal so as that wifey and I would enjoy ourselves. What I didn’t want was some expensive attempt for some early-teen bonding. The bonus here being that the other parents are taking their kids to Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, etc. so a little punk cred is also in order I guess. There was an initial scare at the door as I was afraid I was losing my flask and camera but it turned out I only needed to ditch some batteries. Fortunately I had a spare set. As we sat down in our seats I realized that we weren’t the only ones bringing the kids and found ourselves surrounded by them. Green Day quickly took the stage and I could tell by the look in the 13 year-old’s face that this would be more enjoyable than seeing a bunch of noodle dancing hippies spinning around in open fields. Hitting the stage to the sound of "2001: A Space Odyssey" the band then tore into four or five straight songs from the new album starting with title song "American Idiot" then segueing into “Jesus of Suburbia.” Under normal circumstances, playing all new material would have people grumbling but with the success and reviews the album has received the crowd’s enthusiasm only increased. Of course they played some of the classics such as “Longview” and “Basket Case.” Billy Joe hijinks included dragging a kid up on stage to shoot a Super Soaker to replacing all band members with willing participants in the audience and letting the lucky guy who played guitar to keep it. Also a familiar crown and cape routine was performed during a cover of “Shout” much to the crowd’s delight. Much of this show was high energy but a favorite moment of mine was during one of the few slower songs played, “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” A great tune and my first realization that cell phone lights are the new lighters. Green Day concluded their almost two hour set with a cover of “We Are The Champions” as confetti exploded throughout the arena. It was a raucous finale that was fittingly capped with a couple song encore and finally concluded with a solo Billy Joe performance of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." After dropping the youngster off at home wifey and I headed over to Gooski’s to catch the last five of so songs by Shade. Although I believe I’ve expressed this sentiment before, I’d like to reiterate that this band fucking rocks and is better than any other local band I’ve seen in years. The interplay amongst band members helps draw you in and pay attention to these guys but it’s their songs that just envelop you. I’d be amazed if the day never came where this band is too big for the smaller bars in the Burgh. But until then I’ll keep showing up. Capping the night was Camera. A decent band that unfortunately performed a notch or two below the steller sat by Shade before them. They have an indy-pop style and are lead by vocalist Shane Sahene, who adds a bit of flair to the stage with his mod hairstyle and spirited tambourine playing. We bolted about halfway through their set and headed over to Larryville for our 5th annual trek to Art All Night. Wifey was being a trooper here, staying out so late when it was I who was doing all the drinking. But since it was my 32nd birthday after midnight she put up with me. |
