Green Day and Franz Ferdinand
I’ve been a Green Day fan since 1994. I’ve wanted to see them ever since, but it wasn’t until this year that I finally got my chance.
The opening band Franz Ferdinand was a superb choice in my opinion. I’ve been a fan of them for awhile, but never had the chance to catch a concert. So the 30 minute set they put on was a nice preview. “Take Me Out” was, of course, the highlight for everyone. It totally got the crowd into it. As if they really needed any pushing, they were very responsive to FF anyway. I’d definitely love to catch a full concert by them.
The main show started with a man in a pink bunny costume stumbling around the stage as if he was drunk. It was a nice start to the already electric atmosphere to the semi-full arena. As the boys sauntered on stage the crowd erupted and I felt many emotions as I was finally seeing a band I love live.
Of course I had chosen the cheap seats to sit in since I didn’t have a ton of money when tickets went on sale. At first the crowd I was with was sitting but Billie Joe soon got everyone in the arena to stand up and respond. There was numerous crowd participation moments from clapping and singing along to fans getting on stage. It was a great feeling.
Very early on Billie Joe brought a kid on stage during “East Jesus Nowhere” to be “saved”. At the end of the little bit, Billie asked the kid where he was from. He responded, “Sioux City, Iowa” and some of the crowd booed as my group cheered for our hometown. Billie Joe said he was from Oakland, California but tonight we were all from Omaha, Nebraska.
Later as the band launched into “Longview” three fans got their chance to show the crowd what they could do. The first guy brought on stage tried to sing the first verse, except he forgot some of the words. The second lady knew the words and had the stage presence, but lacked the singing. The third choice was a kid that seemed timid at first, but soon took off and took control of the stage. When he was asked where he was from he responded, “Sioux f’ing City!!!” and got a huge cheer all around.
The final song was one of my favorites. “(Good Ridance) Time of your Life” has always had a special spot in my heart since my Grandma passed away. I know it means many different things to many people, but to me it’s just one of those songs that I will always think of her when I hear it. So there was Billie Joe, alone with his guitar playing a song that I had longed to hear. As with most of the songs that night, the crowd was louder than the band and Billie Joe let us sing along as he took a step back.
It was the perfect end to the perfect night. When I was asked how good it was the next day my only reponse was, “the only other band that I’ve seen perform better is U2” And being a hardcore U2 fan, that’s saying a lot. I love this band even more now than ever. I can’t believe that it took me 15 years to see them live. Hopefully the next time won’t be as long a wait.
The opening band Franz Ferdinand was a superb choice in my opinion. I’ve been a fan of them for awhile, but never had the chance to catch a concert. So the 30 minute set they put on was a nice preview. “Take Me Out” was, of course, the highlight for everyone. It totally got the crowd into it. As if they really needed any pushing, they were very responsive to FF anyway. I’d definitely love to catch a full concert by them.
The main show started with a man in a pink bunny costume stumbling around the stage as if he was drunk. It was a nice start to the already electric atmosphere to the semi-full arena. As the boys sauntered on stage the crowd erupted and I felt many emotions as I was finally seeing a band I love live.
Of course I had chosen the cheap seats to sit in since I didn’t have a ton of money when tickets went on sale. At first the crowd I was with was sitting but Billie Joe soon got everyone in the arena to stand up and respond. There was numerous crowd participation moments from clapping and singing along to fans getting on stage. It was a great feeling.
Very early on Billie Joe brought a kid on stage during “East Jesus Nowhere” to be “saved”. At the end of the little bit, Billie asked the kid where he was from. He responded, “Sioux City, Iowa” and some of the crowd booed as my group cheered for our hometown. Billie Joe said he was from Oakland, California but tonight we were all from Omaha, Nebraska.
Later as the band launched into “Longview” three fans got their chance to show the crowd what they could do. The first guy brought on stage tried to sing the first verse, except he forgot some of the words. The second lady knew the words and had the stage presence, but lacked the singing. The third choice was a kid that seemed timid at first, but soon took off and took control of the stage. When he was asked where he was from he responded, “Sioux f’ing City!!!” and got a huge cheer all around.
The final song was one of my favorites. “(Good Ridance) Time of your Life” has always had a special spot in my heart since my Grandma passed away. I know it means many different things to many people, but to me it’s just one of those songs that I will always think of her when I hear it. So there was Billie Joe, alone with his guitar playing a song that I had longed to hear. As with most of the songs that night, the crowd was louder than the band and Billie Joe let us sing along as he took a step back.
It was the perfect end to the perfect night. When I was asked how good it was the next day my only reponse was, “the only other band that I’ve seen perform better is U2” And being a hardcore U2 fan, that’s saying a lot. I love this band even more now than ever. I can’t believe that it took me 15 years to see them live. Hopefully the next time won’t be as long a wait.