It’s becoming a summer tradition to see Green Day perform at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and that’s one we can fully support.
It’s unbelievable to think that Green Day‘s Dookie is celebrating its 30th anniversary and American Idiot is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To mark the two milestones, Green Day has taken to the road and is performing both albums in their entirety. The tour is called The Saviors Tour in honor of their fourteenth studio album which they released in January, so they were sure to include a good number of songs from it too.
Wrigley Field seems to have become the home for Green Day shows and every time they come to town, the fans come flocking. It’s such a great sight to see the Friendly Confines sold out for them, as well as the age range of the fans in attendance. They attract all ages, young and young at heart. Often at these bigger shows, those who are on the field area tend to be on their feet, while those in the stands typically take their seats. This show was completely different. Even those sitting right up in the rafters appeared to be on their feet, all fully engaged with the performance taking place on the stage. It feels great to be standing in amongst a crowd where everyone seems to be having the same level of enjoyment as each other. At one point, people as far as the eye could see were jumping up and down in time with the music, making the whole of Wrigley Field vibrate and shake.
Billie Joe Armstrong is up there with the best of the frontmen. He interacts with the crowd non-stop and is like a ball of energy. For two-and-a-half hours, he sang his heart out with the energy of a 20-year-old. Despite the fact they had to cancel a show just a matter of days before this one due to Billie Joe losing his voice, he sounded great as they rattled through an impressive 37-song setlist, possibly the longest we’ve ever seen! Every now and again in between songs, Billie Joe would start singing a cover song such as John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane,” Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’,” or Cheap Tricks’ “Surrender.” Immediately, the entire crowd accepted the assignment and joined in singing along wholeheartedly. He clearly had them all in the palm of his hand. Mike Dirnt was not one to shy away from interacting and bringing the energy. He was often seen jumping around the stage. Tré Cool also made his presence known from behind his drumkit, raised up at the back of the stage. He did, however, get the opportunity to come up front and center to take his moment in the spotlight as he sang “All By Myself,” which received rapturous applause and cheers.
On previous tours, Green Day has been joined by Chicago’s own Fall Out Boy. This time around, they were joined by The Smashing Pumpkins, another local band. Billie Joe joked that next time they would be touring with the band Chicago. Whoever they decide to add to the bill, there’s no doubt the fans will still come out in force. This was a fun show that was for the ages and truly enjoyed by all ages.
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