Green Day Concert in Review (and the Relevance of Punk Rock Today)

By Katie Zhao

Period 6 on a random Monday was when the realisation struck me - one of my favourite bands would be taking their world tour to Sydney in exactly a week. With FOMO overtaking the more logical decision of saving money, I knew I had to go. The scrambling of getting last-minute tickets, the anticipation of waiting for one excruciating week to pass and trip to the stadium adorned with bracelets and Billie Joe Armstrong’s signature red tie was an ecstatic lead-up to the concert. 

Formed in California, Billie Joe (lead singer/guitarist) and Mike (bassist) brought punk-rock band Green Day to life in 1987, with Tré (drummer) joining in 1990. You’ve probably heard the iconic line, “Don’t wanna be an American idiot!” made popular in 2004 from their album ‘American Idiot’, selling 23 million copies worldwide and charting in 27 countries. Maybe this isn’t your favourite band - but they were for sure icons in the music industry especially from the 1990’s to early 2000’s. 

Now with context out of the way, let’s get to the concert itself. The energy was insane, with the crowd loud enough to hear way beyond the stadium, from the "Bohemian Rhapsody" sing-along before they came on stage all the way to the final minutes of their nostalgic song "Good Riddance (Time of your life)". As you may have experienced before, there is nothing comparable to the adrenaline rush that a concert brings. Feeling the deep pulse of bass in your chest, singing (or screaming) the lyrics to your favourite song until your voice is gone and comprehending the fact that the artist you listen to every day is right in front of you? Worth every dollar. If you’ve seen your favourite artist live, I'm sure you’ll agree. 

Before I move on, here are only a few of my favourite moments from the day.

• Waiting in line before the show and talking to other fans about which song we’re most excited to hear. 

• The exhilarating moment of the band coming on stage for the first song. 

• Seeing the stadium light up with glowing flashlights in "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

• Sharing a tearful moment during “Wake Me Up When September Ends”.

• Singing along to “Jesus of Suburbia” (all 9 minutes of it). 

• And, of course, cheering as fireworks set off while Green Day did their final bow on stage. 

  
  

This may come across as cliché, but there is something special about being within a crowd of people who are sharing this moment with you - singing together, waving phone flashlights, seeing the band that likely changed our lives. “We just want to be happy right now,” Billie had shared during the show. Green Day was more than just seeing a band play at a stadium - every second was spent in solidarity, a feeling of peace from the outside world (loud as it was) but also in a way, a protest. 

If you’re not familiar with the genre of ‘punk’ music, it’s a fast-moving, non-conforming style of rock that rejects the corporate nature of mainstream rock. In today’s world, this sounds like the opposite of music currently charting in the Hottest 100, so I don’t mind if punk-rock isn’t your cup of tea. However, punk carries something more than just eyeliner-clad singers and noisy electric guitars, it’s a fight against the establishment and capitalism, made up of politically rebellious lyrics and advocacy for the ‘misfits’ in societal groups. This doesn’t mean forcing everyone to share the same political standing, according to Billie Joe: “We don’t want to tell people what to do or what to think. We just want to tell them to think.”  

I’m sure you’ve seen your share of worrying news on social media or TV about the state of the world - people losing their rights, world leaders making immoral decisions, the environment being destroyed. Little impact as they seem to make compared to the scale of these things, Green Day tells us to be unafraid of standing up for what’s good for the world, to advocate for the freedom and acceptance of everyone. Clips from Green Day’s concerts on the internet over the past years show Billie Joe boldly commenting on social and political issues the world is facing, inspiring fans to be more outspoken about their beliefs. “For all the women out there tonight,” he says during a live show, “don’t let any man lay his hands on you!” He also draws attention to the war situation in Gaza, by changing a lyric while singing “Jesus of Suburbia” live to “We are the kids of war and peace, from Palestine to the Middle East”.

Despite being less mainstream in today’s media, the intentions of punk-rock live on. “Punk will never be dead to me,” Billie says. On the topic of mainstream music - he states, no matter what day and age, “Formats are constantly changing, and there are really no rules for the way you put your records out anymore.” 

For me (and for everyone else who went), going to the Green Day concert was a dream come true, something I’ll remember forever. This band - among many others - shows that while we live in the age of Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan (all incredible icons in their own ways), punk-rock still stays relevant in today’s society and will for centuries to come.