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Carson, CA
When first arriving at the concert one was welcomed by songs such as "YMCA" or famous Ramone tunes. Screens to the right and left of the 16 foot stage showed text messages sent in by fans at the show. Flogging Molly, the first opening act, was greeted by a mediocre response and recognition by about half of the audience. Since it was bright daylight at an outdoor stadium and only about 6:00, the energy wasn't quite up to a level to make it an exhilarating experience. Shortly following was Jimmy Eat World, who played a number of hits that began to make the crowd stir and get excited for what was to come. By the time Jimmy Eat World was finished playing, and after thanking the audience and Green Day profusely, the tenision mounted as the stage was set up for Green Day to perform. When they ran onto the stage they were greeted by an incredible applause that echoed throughout the whole stadium. When Billie Joe began playing those first chords to "American Idiot", the whole stadium went nuts. From that point on, there was no turning back. As Green Day continued on to play "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Holiday", mixing in shouts of "aay ohhh" and a speech from Mr. Armstrong regarding not letting the government control our lives, you could look into the crowd and see 99 percent of the teenagers, 20-somethings, parents, and yes even the 10-year old children singing along to each and every song. After playing "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which was greeted by cell phones and lighters waving in the crowd, and "Homecoming", they broke into older songs such as "Longview" and an extremely entertaining "King for a Day". Tre sang "All by Myself", and Billie Joe made a band onstage, giving a lucky 19-year old an American Idiot guitar and letting a bass player have the fun of a stage dive. Green Day even covered "Shout", which included 110 percent audience participation. After leaving the stage but coming back moments later to perform a three song encore encouraged by the Green Day lights above the stage, Billie Joe stood alone on the stage and played an inspiring "Good Riddance", which was followed by numerous fireworks. The whole show was enhanced by incredible pyrotechnics and wise cracks from Billie such as "My name is George W. Bush. My friends call me asshole." It was an overall amazing experience and an incredible concert. |
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