Green Day at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 8/30/05

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Rock
Artist:	Green Day

Where should I start... ok- how about F**KING AWESOME!!!

So I have been fortunate in my life to have seen some amazing concerts (like my first Springsteen show for example), and I seem to always rave about every show when I leave- because I really like live music. But this Green Day show I have decided to dissect- to really explore why I thought it was F**KING AWESOME and deserving of 5 stars.

A bunch of things have to align just right to earn the ever so elusive F**KING AWESOME rating.

1- The band
The band is great. The members each have strong personalities, matched with equally strong musical talent. They are funny, charismatic, punk, anti-establishment, "f' the politicians" entertaining.
At one point they asked people in the audience if anyone played drums, bass, guitar. After questioning some of the audience members, they brought up 3 people who were then handed over each of Green Day's instruments and they proceeded to play one of the songs, while Billie Joe sang (the kid playing guitar was 13- and was given the guitar as a souvenier).
I always worry when I see a live show, especially when the band has been touring for a while, that their voices won't sound good, will be tired or sore. Billie Joe's voice was perfect. On the slower, more quiet songs, on the a cappella solos, he was right on.

2- The album
I have said this multiple times. This album, American Idiot, is a work of genius. When I first heard it was a pseudo rock opera, where each song flowed into the next telling a story from beginning to end (think 'Tommy'), I rushed out to get it, intrigued by a punk band trying to pull this off. This was before they won the MTV VMA for best Rock song/album and before they won the Grammy for Best Rock song/album. I was not disappointed. Musically and lyrically it is amazing. The instrumentation is unmatched to anything I have heard on the radio and each time I listen to it, I feel like I am at a show, a broadway show, if you will, on the grand scale of Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera, but Punk/Rock).
So maybe I am not an accredited musicologist (did I make that up?) but it was my minor in college and I have studied music since I was a tot. Listen to me. Go. Buy it. Now.

3- The venue
Merriweather Post Pavilion is, well, a pavilion. It's in Columbia, Maryland, about 30-45 minutes North of DC. Having to travel was my only complaint of the evening (oh- and the hour long wait in line to enter the venue - oh and how crappy my phone takes pictures). The pavilion has a covered seating area but is an outdoor pavilion with general admission on the lawn. You can bring a blanket, sit out and rock- with a large screen in front of you so you can see everything even though you are far from the stage.
The covered part is really great- wood roof, excellent acoustics.

4- The tickets
So I am on a list to get pre-sale tickets. This means I can sometimes buy tickets at a special time before they become available to the general public. When I have this option, I jump at it because I tend to get great seats. With Green Day's pre-sale it was a no brainer. When I bought them, the website said I got floor, row-whatever, seat-whatever. I was just happy to have floor seats and be covered. Well who knew - I was not only floor, I was in the separate pit area, the area you need a wrist band to get at. The area where the space between me and Billie Joe was filled by maybe 7 people.
Now, at first, when I realized I was in the pit, I was a little nervous- not loving a crowd (and surprisingly young crowd at that). But after 2 quick drinks (did you know they make Watermelon Vodka?), I was fine with it. Plus, I am a fan of the moshing. When properly prepared, it can be a tremendous amount of fun and a good cardio workout.

Did I mention that I was within 10-15 feet of Billie Joe, et al??

[Set list coming when I can find one posted somewhere]

The cover songs they performed- We Are the Champions, Shout (a little bit louder now) and Stand By Me (Billie Joe sang this while laying face down on the stage from an exhaustion caused by running around the stage during the previous song) were brilliant and the crowd loved them. The older hits were all there and, because of them, and my jumping up and down, I don't have to work out anymore this week.

The stage props, lights, fire (and I could feel the heat- yes bragging again about how close I was), Green Day confetti... what more can I say.

Oh- If you are a Republican and/or support George W. Bush, this might not be the show for you :)

Did I mention they played for close to 2 hours straight? Closed with 'Blvd of Broken Dreams' then 'Time of Your Life'....

F**KING AWESOME.

A USA TODAY GREEN DAY CONCERT REVIEW

another review (different show but seems like same songs and antics as the DC show)

and another (different show but seems like same songs and antics as the DC show)