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Why Are All My Journals About Concerts?!
5 min read
Hey people, I know, I'm a bad person. It's been 2 months since Wembley, and I STILL haven't told you about it, not that most people really care. But, since I saw Green Day in Dallas last night, I figured what the hell, I'll kill 2 birds with one stone...er...journal.
So first off, Wembley. It was both amazing and a disaster. My friend and I met up with people from the Green Day Community during the Friday before, in Camden a few of them came up to me, because they recognized my rather distinct hair style (it's how most people seem to know me anymore). We hung out and had dinner, and around 11:30 headed to the stadium to camp out. It was fucking freezing, and we all huddled around and talked, sang, played Apples to Apples (a silly card game), drank horrible orange juice/vodka, ate candy, and what-have-you. No one really slept though, and as morning came we were all so cold we started walking to McDonalds down the way to get coffee and breakfast, just to warm up. The day progressed pretty normally, and eventually the box office opened. Enter disaster part 1. My tickets ended up being for entrance M/N, but I'd been hanging out at H/J all night, and was the #30 person in line (or somewhere around there). My friend and I managed to swap out our tickets for H/J ones, luckily, and life was good. Our group sat around more, talking, making weird skits with balloons, and reading bedtime stories (based on the GD Tour Program, where Billie is dragged to the pits of hell by fangirls and Mike and Tre save him). Then, about an hour before doors, we go to the rest room. We left our bag with the group, and gates opened early, while we were still in the restroom (you should have seen that line, it was 45 min long). Our friends gave the bag with our tickets and stuff to a security guy, who thought it was lost and found, and so on. You can imagine how horrible this was, being halfway across the world and faced with NOT getting into the concert. I had a panic attack and almost passed out, and nobody even tried to help. In fact, I was told that if I didn't calm down I'd be escorted off the premises. Not fun. We manged to get our tickets, but by this point had lost any hope of barrier (where we would have been). Luckily, the guy who helped us made sure we got Golden Circle bands, so we got into that, which was awesome. I managed to make it to about the 3rd row, end of the stage on Mike's side by the time they came on. I won't go into many details of the show, because it was simply amazing. End of story. The size of it, and the set list were awesome. Mike even saw me and recognized me at one point, since I'd met him only a day before while walking around the West End (he was on a date with his wife and almost ran into me, then we talked about Billy Talent for a bit because of my shirt and I told him I came from Dallas and whatnot). He bowed and pointed to me and smiled, winked, then walked off. It made my night. Other awesome stuff was Waiting, Nice Guys Finish Last, Mike singing/dancing Shout, Dominated Love Slave, When It's Time, and Give Me Novocaine. All in all, it was a great show. My friend Tasha ended up with Mike's cat-ears/devil horns (we call them both) and let me wear them all night, and through the next morning. I gave a guy in the elevator a surprise when I walked in with my pajamas and cat ears on, lol.
And now for the show in Dallas (yeah, long post). I got to the Superpages.com Center around 10 am, and met my friend Kristen. We hung out with a bunch of people in line, doing usual GD concert line-stuff like singing and talking about how awesome GD is, and it was hot as hell. Like, Houston last year was fucking hot, but this seemed worse somehow. The show itself was awesome, though security sucked(seems to be a pattern). I don't really have much else to say, except it was the best setlist I've seen (and I've seen some damn good setlists). I was 2nd row, right in front of Mike (who FINALLY saw me at the end of the show and gave me a pick again
). Billie ran our way a lot too, which was cool. We got Mike AND Jason Freeze to sing shout, though I think Mike did it better in London. Jason however, just...OMG. He was dressed as fat Elvis and sang in that style, it was hilarious. The songs that made my night were Viva la Gloria and Letterbomb, and Who Wrote Holden Caufield, none of which I never thought I'd hear live. Other awesome moments were F.O.D. which is WAY better live (I'm not too fond of the album version to be honest), Paper Lanterns, 2000 Lightyears Away, and part of Words I Might Have Ate with Davey Havok joining Billie, and Whatsername acoustic.
I can't help but think I've been incredibly lucky to see such great shows. Now if only I can hear Homecoming or American Eulogy live I'll be able to die happy (though I could right now anyway)
So first off, Wembley. It was both amazing and a disaster. My friend and I met up with people from the Green Day Community during the Friday before, in Camden a few of them came up to me, because they recognized my rather distinct hair style (it's how most people seem to know me anymore). We hung out and had dinner, and around 11:30 headed to the stadium to camp out. It was fucking freezing, and we all huddled around and talked, sang, played Apples to Apples (a silly card game), drank horrible orange juice/vodka, ate candy, and what-have-you. No one really slept though, and as morning came we were all so cold we started walking to McDonalds down the way to get coffee and breakfast, just to warm up. The day progressed pretty normally, and eventually the box office opened. Enter disaster part 1. My tickets ended up being for entrance M/N, but I'd been hanging out at H/J all night, and was the #30 person in line (or somewhere around there). My friend and I managed to swap out our tickets for H/J ones, luckily, and life was good. Our group sat around more, talking, making weird skits with balloons, and reading bedtime stories (based on the GD Tour Program, where Billie is dragged to the pits of hell by fangirls and Mike and Tre save him). Then, about an hour before doors, we go to the rest room. We left our bag with the group, and gates opened early, while we were still in the restroom (you should have seen that line, it was 45 min long). Our friends gave the bag with our tickets and stuff to a security guy, who thought it was lost and found, and so on. You can imagine how horrible this was, being halfway across the world and faced with NOT getting into the concert. I had a panic attack and almost passed out, and nobody even tried to help. In fact, I was told that if I didn't calm down I'd be escorted off the premises. Not fun. We manged to get our tickets, but by this point had lost any hope of barrier (where we would have been). Luckily, the guy who helped us made sure we got Golden Circle bands, so we got into that, which was awesome. I managed to make it to about the 3rd row, end of the stage on Mike's side by the time they came on. I won't go into many details of the show, because it was simply amazing. End of story. The size of it, and the set list were awesome. Mike even saw me and recognized me at one point, since I'd met him only a day before while walking around the West End (he was on a date with his wife and almost ran into me, then we talked about Billy Talent for a bit because of my shirt and I told him I came from Dallas and whatnot). He bowed and pointed to me and smiled, winked, then walked off. It made my night. Other awesome stuff was Waiting, Nice Guys Finish Last, Mike singing/dancing Shout, Dominated Love Slave, When It's Time, and Give Me Novocaine. All in all, it was a great show. My friend Tasha ended up with Mike's cat-ears/devil horns (we call them both) and let me wear them all night, and through the next morning. I gave a guy in the elevator a surprise when I walked in with my pajamas and cat ears on, lol.
And now for the show in Dallas (yeah, long post). I got to the Superpages.com Center around 10 am, and met my friend Kristen. We hung out with a bunch of people in line, doing usual GD concert line-stuff like singing and talking about how awesome GD is, and it was hot as hell. Like, Houston last year was fucking hot, but this seemed worse somehow. The show itself was awesome, though security sucked(seems to be a pattern). I don't really have much else to say, except it was the best setlist I've seen (and I've seen some damn good setlists). I was 2nd row, right in front of Mike (who FINALLY saw me at the end of the show and gave me a pick again
). Billie ran our way a lot too, which was cool. We got Mike AND Jason Freeze to sing shout, though I think Mike did it better in London. Jason however, just...OMG. He was dressed as fat Elvis and sang in that style, it was hilarious. The songs that made my night were Viva la Gloria and Letterbomb, and Who Wrote Holden Caufield, none of which I never thought I'd hear live. Other awesome moments were F.O.D. which is WAY better live (I'm not too fond of the album version to be honest), Paper Lanterns, 2000 Lightyears Away, and part of Words I Might Have Ate with Davey Havok joining Billie, and Whatsername acoustic.I can't help but think I've been incredibly lucky to see such great shows. Now if only I can hear Homecoming or American Eulogy live I'll be able to die happy (though I could right now anyway)
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London Calling (For the 3rd time)
1 min read
Monday morning at the ass-crack of dawn, I'm getting on a plane. For NYC. And then to London, England <3 To see my favorite band (*coughmancough*) in the world! Green Day at Wembley Stadium here I come!
Just so everyone knows why I disappear, not that I post much...
Just so everyone knows why I disappear, not that I post much...
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American Idiot in NYC
9 min read
Alright, I just got home a few hours ago from my trip. I flew from Dallas to NYC (with my mom) just to see this, and it did not disappoint. I'm seriously still amazed at it- I listened to the soundtrack the entire way home (4 hour flight) re-imagining this in my head. I want to give kudos to everyone who's posted a review here, because you all had the play spot on. I felt as though I'd seen it before.
All in all, the play was fantastic. I am so proud of Green Day and everyone involved for getting it so far, and it's obvious why. As someone who loves musical theater as well as Green Day, it was fun seeing both equally present in the show. Even my mom loved it, and she generally dislikes more adult themed musicals and rock music. I guess I'll start at the beginning (and apologies for my rambling, it's just me)
Warning, spoilers.
We got to the show around 7:30 and I picked up some stuff from the merch booth, then we headed up the stairs to get our seats. I spent some time reading all the stuff people have written on the walls, but realized after I forgot to sign them...oops. The theater is lovely. I've seen a few shows on Broadway, so I expected this. I was seated in the mezzanine, row D, seat 104. It was a good view, and I could see everything. The show started a bit late because there were so many people showing up, which is great. I was a bit surprised by the crowd, I expected it to be younger, or more Green Day-ish (not saying all GD's fans are young, but it's the trend where I live at least) but there were lots of people who weren't even fans of the band, so it's obviously branching out to a new audience. I liked the use of sound-clips as the curtain rises, it set the mood nicely. And the stage, I'd seen in pictures but it's so impressive. I haven't seen many musicals that utilize a simple stage so well (Rent comes to mind). I did find the posters a bit distracting in a way at first, simply because I wanted to read all of them, but it worked really well. And when American Idiot starts, it's so loud, it was great. I loved the use of the lights and screens, as well as the video projections to get the ideas across, especially in Holiday. The cast were all amazing. As someone else mentioned, Rebecca was still out, but Leslie did a great job. I'd love to see it again with Rebecca to compare the two performances, but that won't be happening for awhile (sadly). Johnny, Michael, and Stark all played their roles so well. Just little things made the characters really come alive in my mind. Like Will's look as Johnny and Tunny are leaving him, and when Tunny is watching the Favorite Son on TV and getting more and more interested. Speaking of Favorite Son, I loved the 'magazines' on the screens with titles like "Meow" and "Woof". Nice bit of subtle humor. Then when Tony hit the stage, all throughout St. Jimmy I was mesmerized. I fell in love with Tony's voice on the soundtrack, and in person it was even better. The way he and Johnny act together was fantastic. Just little things like mirroring each other and mouthing each other's line's to help show how they are the same person. Along those lines, I loved the evolution of Johnny. How he starts looking more and more like Jimmy until the end, and then when the screen show's Jimmy then morphs into Johnny.
Give Me Novocaine was also really great, integrating the 3 story-lines. I didn't expect the first explosion, and jumped a bit. Last of the American Girls/She's A Rebel was fun with the mash up, and Last Night On Earth was beautiful, and I especially liked how they had the St Jimmy artwork on the wall, and Tony stood there in it, so that it was almost his shadow, or so it looked like he had wings. Too Much Too Soon was great, Theo and Alysha were great, and so expressive. I thought it was cool that they used them to talk about Will and Heather's relationship, rather than have the feuding couple singing. It gave other cast members a chance to shine as well as gives an 'outsider's opinion (we all know how we bitch to all our friends about relationships).
Then we get to Before the Lobotomy, which is one of my favorite, if not favorite, arrangements in the musical. It was a bit unclear in the theater to me, but I know from the recording what it's like. I think it also makes a great introduction for Extraordinary Girl (so that it's pretty obvious that he's dreaming/drugged up). Speaking of Extraordinary Girl, I know critics either loved or hated the scene, but I thought it was great. Sure, it's a bit strange in a way, but it adds a very Broadway touch in my opinion. The reprise of Lobotomy was very powerful on stage, as it should be. I think it's one of the more powerful moments in the show musically. Then comes When It's Time. Now, I'll start by saying I really don't know where I stand on this song (I like it in the show, I think it works really well, but I'm not sure if I like it or not). However, the way Johnny does it is really great. "Are you sleeping? Good." It's nice that we see a vulnerable side of him, especially as St. Jimmy's influence is starting to show up more and more. It's just very sweet and heartfelt. I also really loved how Tony was always on stage, just as a presence, and his reaction to this move of Johnny's, and how it helps show that internal battle. It also made me laugh a bit when Whatsername rolls over and Johnny sort of freaks out and stops, then finishes. And suddenly Jimmy is there, snarling, angry, and accusing with Know Your Enemy. The rawness of that bit surprised, me, because honestly I wasn't really sure why it was in the musical from the soundtrack. It makes a lot of sense on stage though. Then how it just goes into 21 Guns, beautiful. St. Jimmy shaking his head, knowing he might loose to her, and Whatsername's feelings for Johnny showing. Then the end, when he decides and yells "St. Jimmy Rules!" (or something like that, I can't remember) and next we see him drunk as fuck and partying with Jimmy (I loved the party hats) during Letterbomb, which is great. One of the funniest scenes was probably when Heather is pushing the baby and carrying shopping bags singing the singsong "Nobody Likes You" for the intro of Letterbomb. I really can't say how much I love the females all singing that song. It really gets the point across, the "fuck you" attitude. Letterbomb has always been a personal favorite of mine, and they nailed it. Then comes Wake Me Up When September ends, also played out very well. Again I love how they bring the 3 stories together, and show how universal the song is. I think my favorite part is how they then went into Homecoming. The use of the TVs showing Jimmy's face, which then became Johnny was a great way to go into the Death of St. Jimmy. Tony did it so well, and I really loved the mourners sitting around who later carried the body away. I am also really REALLY glad they used the bang gun to kill him, because I'm pretty sure somewhere I read that they had him fall off and actually 'die' rather than the humorous way, which to me is more Jimmy. I think if they'd really 'killed' him it made him too material. Then showing Johnny going and getting a job during East 12th St, and really hating it followed by Nobody Likes You, with Will all miserable and alone, the words hitting him hard, and Rock and Roll Girlfriend was fun; I was surprised by the changed words of "Somebody get me a knife" since it's not like that on the recording. Nice touch though. Then how Johnny got a monologue before it went into We're Coming Home. The reuniting of the three was played out well, and different from how I imagined. How Johnny attacked Tunny, and how Will keeps pulling him off. I expected a happier reunion, but how they did it was so much better and more accurate (I speak from a personal experience of a friend going off and breaking their personal beliefs for the military). And of course, Whatsername was a beautiful ending. "She was right, I am an Idiot.". I can't think of a better way for them to have finished the story.
After curtain the cast all came out and did Good Riddance, which was a nice bonus, and unsurprising (I knew they would, so I was sort of laughing as people were leaving with the lights off). After the show I headed out and the cast came out and signed and talked to fans. Stark Sands talked to me for at least 5 or 10 minutes when I said I'd flown in from Dallas. He was telling me about how much he likes it here and some other shows he did on a tour through here. He was such a nice guy. I managed to get my playbill signed by almost the entire cast, which is awesome. Then I ended up following a few of them (Michael Esper for sure and a few others) halfway across Times Square without realizing it. I was afraid they thought I was stalking them or something, lol. All in all, the show was great and well worth the trip. I only wish I could see it a few more times, so here's hoping it tours one day. And if you actually read this, thanks
All in all, the play was fantastic. I am so proud of Green Day and everyone involved for getting it so far, and it's obvious why. As someone who loves musical theater as well as Green Day, it was fun seeing both equally present in the show. Even my mom loved it, and she generally dislikes more adult themed musicals and rock music. I guess I'll start at the beginning (and apologies for my rambling, it's just me)
Warning, spoilers.
We got to the show around 7:30 and I picked up some stuff from the merch booth, then we headed up the stairs to get our seats. I spent some time reading all the stuff people have written on the walls, but realized after I forgot to sign them...oops. The theater is lovely. I've seen a few shows on Broadway, so I expected this. I was seated in the mezzanine, row D, seat 104. It was a good view, and I could see everything. The show started a bit late because there were so many people showing up, which is great. I was a bit surprised by the crowd, I expected it to be younger, or more Green Day-ish (not saying all GD's fans are young, but it's the trend where I live at least) but there were lots of people who weren't even fans of the band, so it's obviously branching out to a new audience. I liked the use of sound-clips as the curtain rises, it set the mood nicely. And the stage, I'd seen in pictures but it's so impressive. I haven't seen many musicals that utilize a simple stage so well (Rent comes to mind). I did find the posters a bit distracting in a way at first, simply because I wanted to read all of them, but it worked really well. And when American Idiot starts, it's so loud, it was great. I loved the use of the lights and screens, as well as the video projections to get the ideas across, especially in Holiday. The cast were all amazing. As someone else mentioned, Rebecca was still out, but Leslie did a great job. I'd love to see it again with Rebecca to compare the two performances, but that won't be happening for awhile (sadly). Johnny, Michael, and Stark all played their roles so well. Just little things made the characters really come alive in my mind. Like Will's look as Johnny and Tunny are leaving him, and when Tunny is watching the Favorite Son on TV and getting more and more interested. Speaking of Favorite Son, I loved the 'magazines' on the screens with titles like "Meow" and "Woof". Nice bit of subtle humor. Then when Tony hit the stage, all throughout St. Jimmy I was mesmerized. I fell in love with Tony's voice on the soundtrack, and in person it was even better. The way he and Johnny act together was fantastic. Just little things like mirroring each other and mouthing each other's line's to help show how they are the same person. Along those lines, I loved the evolution of Johnny. How he starts looking more and more like Jimmy until the end, and then when the screen show's Jimmy then morphs into Johnny.
Give Me Novocaine was also really great, integrating the 3 story-lines. I didn't expect the first explosion, and jumped a bit. Last of the American Girls/She's A Rebel was fun with the mash up, and Last Night On Earth was beautiful, and I especially liked how they had the St Jimmy artwork on the wall, and Tony stood there in it, so that it was almost his shadow, or so it looked like he had wings. Too Much Too Soon was great, Theo and Alysha were great, and so expressive. I thought it was cool that they used them to talk about Will and Heather's relationship, rather than have the feuding couple singing. It gave other cast members a chance to shine as well as gives an 'outsider's opinion (we all know how we bitch to all our friends about relationships).
Then we get to Before the Lobotomy, which is one of my favorite, if not favorite, arrangements in the musical. It was a bit unclear in the theater to me, but I know from the recording what it's like. I think it also makes a great introduction for Extraordinary Girl (so that it's pretty obvious that he's dreaming/drugged up). Speaking of Extraordinary Girl, I know critics either loved or hated the scene, but I thought it was great. Sure, it's a bit strange in a way, but it adds a very Broadway touch in my opinion. The reprise of Lobotomy was very powerful on stage, as it should be. I think it's one of the more powerful moments in the show musically. Then comes When It's Time. Now, I'll start by saying I really don't know where I stand on this song (I like it in the show, I think it works really well, but I'm not sure if I like it or not). However, the way Johnny does it is really great. "Are you sleeping? Good." It's nice that we see a vulnerable side of him, especially as St. Jimmy's influence is starting to show up more and more. It's just very sweet and heartfelt. I also really loved how Tony was always on stage, just as a presence, and his reaction to this move of Johnny's, and how it helps show that internal battle. It also made me laugh a bit when Whatsername rolls over and Johnny sort of freaks out and stops, then finishes. And suddenly Jimmy is there, snarling, angry, and accusing with Know Your Enemy. The rawness of that bit surprised, me, because honestly I wasn't really sure why it was in the musical from the soundtrack. It makes a lot of sense on stage though. Then how it just goes into 21 Guns, beautiful. St. Jimmy shaking his head, knowing he might loose to her, and Whatsername's feelings for Johnny showing. Then the end, when he decides and yells "St. Jimmy Rules!" (or something like that, I can't remember) and next we see him drunk as fuck and partying with Jimmy (I loved the party hats) during Letterbomb, which is great. One of the funniest scenes was probably when Heather is pushing the baby and carrying shopping bags singing the singsong "Nobody Likes You" for the intro of Letterbomb. I really can't say how much I love the females all singing that song. It really gets the point across, the "fuck you" attitude. Letterbomb has always been a personal favorite of mine, and they nailed it. Then comes Wake Me Up When September ends, also played out very well. Again I love how they bring the 3 stories together, and show how universal the song is. I think my favorite part is how they then went into Homecoming. The use of the TVs showing Jimmy's face, which then became Johnny was a great way to go into the Death of St. Jimmy. Tony did it so well, and I really loved the mourners sitting around who later carried the body away. I am also really REALLY glad they used the bang gun to kill him, because I'm pretty sure somewhere I read that they had him fall off and actually 'die' rather than the humorous way, which to me is more Jimmy. I think if they'd really 'killed' him it made him too material. Then showing Johnny going and getting a job during East 12th St, and really hating it followed by Nobody Likes You, with Will all miserable and alone, the words hitting him hard, and Rock and Roll Girlfriend was fun; I was surprised by the changed words of "Somebody get me a knife" since it's not like that on the recording. Nice touch though. Then how Johnny got a monologue before it went into We're Coming Home. The reuniting of the three was played out well, and different from how I imagined. How Johnny attacked Tunny, and how Will keeps pulling him off. I expected a happier reunion, but how they did it was so much better and more accurate (I speak from a personal experience of a friend going off and breaking their personal beliefs for the military). And of course, Whatsername was a beautiful ending. "She was right, I am an Idiot.". I can't think of a better way for them to have finished the story.
After curtain the cast all came out and did Good Riddance, which was a nice bonus, and unsurprising (I knew they would, so I was sort of laughing as people were leaving with the lights off). After the show I headed out and the cast came out and signed and talked to fans. Stark Sands talked to me for at least 5 or 10 minutes when I said I'd flown in from Dallas. He was telling me about how much he likes it here and some other shows he did on a tour through here. He was such a nice guy. I managed to get my playbill signed by almost the entire cast, which is awesome. Then I ended up following a few of them (Michael Esper for sure and a few others) halfway across Times Square without realizing it. I was afraid they thought I was stalking them or something, lol. All in all, the show was great and well worth the trip. I only wish I could see it a few more times, so here's hoping it tours one day. And if you actually read this, thanks
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I'm Going to Wembley to See My Band.
1 min read
My one wish for the year has come true! I convinced my dad to let me see Green Day in London for their first ever concert at Wembley Stadium this summer. I picked up my GA tickets today. I'm. So. Excited. It's gonna be a long 6 months...
Yeah, so there really wasn't a point to this journal. I just had to get that out.
Yeah, so there really wasn't a point to this journal. I just had to get that out.
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The Dirnt Loves Me!
10 min read
Note: I wrote this for the GDC, so references to names an stuff are for people I met
So on Saturday I went to the Green Day concert in Houston. My friend Mike an I left Dallas around 4 on Friday and drove down. Saturday we went to lunch and headed to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch before driving to the Toyota Center. We got to the venue around 12:30, and there were already a few people hanging out. I got to meet a few GDCers while waiting in line (who all yelled out Frustrators Girl! when I went by), and we met up with Kristen (who I'd been talking to a little on the GDC), and the three of us found a shady spot 'in line' and listened to GD while making signs for later on.
Around 2, the line had started picking up and we really started to look for Chris, and ended up finding him. Most people didn't know who he was, so Mike and I were the only two that went up to him. We introduced ourselfs and said we were with the GDC and wanted to know about the soundcheck passes. He said he didn't know if he could get anyone in, because he had a really full list of people who had won them, but if he DID have extra he would come find us at 4. So we went back to where we were waiting and dealt with all the annying line-placement changes (seriously, why couldn't anyone figure out where the line was?) We ended up loosing our original places (sadly), but were still in a decent spot. While waiting we met more people from GDA, and I wish I could remember all your names! I know we met Jose armstrong and a group of girls (I think Atticus Finch was there?)
When Chris came back out at 4, we left line to be by him and he told us to wait back for a little while, and took care of the people who had won their passes from some drawing at Verizon. When that was done, he had 2 left, and gave them to me and Mike, and we went into the building.
The took us through security (they wanded everyone TWICE) and then he gave us a mini tour of the building as we walked around it. Then he took us to an area to sit for a few minutes while Franz ended their soundcheck, and then once the guys were on stage he took us down to sit. They started with American Eulogy (and I'm REALLY confused as to why they didn't do it later). Billie speed-sang through the opening, and they would drop out vocals every so often (I think they might have been playing with the mic, cause his mouth was still moving). Mike did Modern World (squee) and instead of shouting "I don't give a shit about the modern world" he said it really slow in a baaaad Texan accent. Then they did King for a Day (parts of it), and 21st Century Breakdown. Billie was screwing around with it and sang "I never made it as Robert Dinero." Strangely they didn't take my sign away for soundcheck (I had the one with the picture of the guys I drew), and I got to wave it. Billie saw it and had them put a spotlight on me. He was like "oooh, it's artwork!" and Tre asked "Who the fuck are those ugly bastards?"
I yelled back "Who the fuck do you think they are Tre?" An then Billie read it (I wanted Who Wrote Holden Caulfield) and told him it was my only request, so he started playing it. But Tre decided he was done with soundcheck and walked off stage, lol.
After soundcheck they took us back to a room with drinks and chips and stuff and we got to chill for awhile and play Rock Band. We got Chris to play with us, and he didn't know what button to push to start. Then Chris wandered off and came back with a box of shirts and gave us all one. He told us we could rip the GD posters off the walls if we wanted them too, so we did. Then, a few minutes before doors opened, we were aloud to go and get our seats/pit. Mike and I were the only 2 with pit tickets, so for like 10 minutes it was just us and the security there. It was weird. We chose a spot that was (it seemed like) right between where Mike and Billie would be, but after changing the set I was exactly centered in front of Mike (which was perfect). We found Kristen and had saved her a spot up front with us, and then Dallas the Menace ended up next to us too, and it was awsome talking to him before it started. Franz came on and did a pretty decent show. I didn't know most of their stuff, but I liked the basslines (if I don't know music I just watch the bassist). Then after a short break, the bunny came out and got us all cheering and shit. He went off and Rock n' Roll Radio came on, followed by Song of the Century. It was fucking amazing watching the guys come out on stage. They went into 21CB, KYE, East Jesus Nowhere. Then they went into Holiday before doing Static Age and Before the Lobotomy. Next was We are the Waiting and St. Jimmy, the Blvd of Broken Dreams. The did Murder City after that and Billie was all "I don't think we've done this one since this tour started. . ." and dedicated it to Dallas the Menace, which was awsome. Then came Hitchin' a Ride, and did a little of Mother Mary, Welcome to Paradise, Burnout (which was one of the best things in my opinion), When I Come Around, Brain Strew/Jaded, Longview (the guy was really fun to watch), Basket Case, and she. Throughout most of that I would yell stuff to Mike while he was playing, and he would mouth back or make faces and stuff. It was really fun interacting with him
And I think he liked me telling him how awsome he was after every bassline. . .haha. It was really funny when he just decided to kick his stand over in the middle of one of the songs too.
They came out for King for a Day. Billie did the police thing, and they all came out in their hats and stuff. Except Mike. . . he only had a tail. So I kept yelling his name until he heard, and he looked at me and asked "What?" And I was like "Your ears? Where are they?" and we kept repeating this a few times until I made a motion to resemble cat ears and he was like "OH! . . .wait a min!" and walked off stage for a minute to ask a roadie about them. I guess they couldn't find them, because he ended up takin the tail off, lol. At some point in the show, they were doing the 30 seconds of songs and they did Crazy Train for my friend Mike, 'cause Billie saw his sign. We would ask Mike (cause he was closer) and he told us to get Billie's attention. Dallas took my arm and wrote 86 on it, and Mike saw it, started laughing, and said no. And then I shouted for Guns of Brixton and Mike was like "Oooh, yeah! But ask Billie..."
They ended with 21 Guns and Minority. I was doing all the hand motions with Billie, and sorta air-bassing parts of it (I can't help it) Mike saw me doing that and raised his eyebrows an was like "you play huh?', it was pretty funny. Then they went off and came back a few min later with American Idiot and JoS. Some guy near me asked Mike if he could play bass, and Mike pulled his bass close to him and said "Mine!" and gave him a look like a little kid who didn't want to share. Then came the acoustic part, and Billie did Pulling Teeth, Blood Sex and Booze, and Good Riddence. Truthfully, I didn't even look at Billie for that. He was on the catwalk, and it hurt to try and turn to see him. So I was looking for Mike, who was backstage. He waved to me, and I waved back before he left the stage. Then, to my surprise, he reappeared on the very far side, and I waved again and he waved back and smiled, then started talking to some guy (I guess the stage manager). I saw him hand the guy something and point at me. I pointed to myself and gave him a questioning look and Mike nodded, so I started waving to the guy he gave the stuff too. He came over and couldn't figure out who he was looking for, so Mike kept pointing to me and I kept waving. He finally saw me and gave me and Dallas picks. Mike went backstage again, and stood in a spot where I could watch him and I smiled and waved alot and blew him a kiss thank you. And he made the most adorable gesture in the world in response- I can't even describe it, but it made me melt (yes, I'm a shameless Mike fangirl). Then he pulled Tre over and I saw them talking and Mike would point at me, so I asked him if it was me again and he nodded...I guess he really liked my Frustrators shirt! Right as Billie was ending Good Riddence, Mike waved to me, and help up a water bottle and asked "You want it?" I was dying of thirst (and it was Mike) So I nodded and he walked on stage a little so he could toss it to me (it became known as the Aqua-Dirnt thanks to Dallas, and was passed around a few times until empty, but I kept the bottle). The security guy tried to grab it so I wouldn't get it, but I was faster. For the record- security were dicks. Mike kept tossing picks in my groups general direction and they would pick them up and take them away. And they stopped kids from getting Tre's sticks an stuff...
All in all, the most amazing night ever. Even better than the Hot Tubs when I saw them...but only by a little bit (I met the guys at FBHT, so tis hard to compare). I just say that 'cause Mike personally made sure I got something So I hope everyone else had a great time. I'm really sad more of you guys from the GDC couldn't get into soundcheck- a lot of the people who won weren't hardcore fans. Two girls, before going in, actually asked me which was Mike and which was Tre. I was like "THESE people are here when there are REAL fans outside?" But what can you do?
It was great meeting all of you that I met! I'm sorry I can't remember all your names! Hopefully I'll see you again next time the guys come around.
So on Saturday I went to the Green Day concert in Houston. My friend Mike an I left Dallas around 4 on Friday and drove down. Saturday we went to lunch and headed to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch before driving to the Toyota Center. We got to the venue around 12:30, and there were already a few people hanging out. I got to meet a few GDCers while waiting in line (who all yelled out Frustrators Girl! when I went by), and we met up with Kristen (who I'd been talking to a little on the GDC), and the three of us found a shady spot 'in line' and listened to GD while making signs for later on.
Around 2, the line had started picking up and we really started to look for Chris, and ended up finding him. Most people didn't know who he was, so Mike and I were the only two that went up to him. We introduced ourselfs and said we were with the GDC and wanted to know about the soundcheck passes. He said he didn't know if he could get anyone in, because he had a really full list of people who had won them, but if he DID have extra he would come find us at 4. So we went back to where we were waiting and dealt with all the annying line-placement changes (seriously, why couldn't anyone figure out where the line was?) We ended up loosing our original places (sadly), but were still in a decent spot. While waiting we met more people from GDA, and I wish I could remember all your names! I know we met Jose armstrong and a group of girls (I think Atticus Finch was there?)
When Chris came back out at 4, we left line to be by him and he told us to wait back for a little while, and took care of the people who had won their passes from some drawing at Verizon. When that was done, he had 2 left, and gave them to me and Mike, and we went into the building.
The took us through security (they wanded everyone TWICE) and then he gave us a mini tour of the building as we walked around it. Then he took us to an area to sit for a few minutes while Franz ended their soundcheck, and then once the guys were on stage he took us down to sit. They started with American Eulogy (and I'm REALLY confused as to why they didn't do it later). Billie speed-sang through the opening, and they would drop out vocals every so often (I think they might have been playing with the mic, cause his mouth was still moving). Mike did Modern World (squee) and instead of shouting "I don't give a shit about the modern world" he said it really slow in a baaaad Texan accent. Then they did King for a Day (parts of it), and 21st Century Breakdown. Billie was screwing around with it and sang "I never made it as Robert Dinero." Strangely they didn't take my sign away for soundcheck (I had the one with the picture of the guys I drew), and I got to wave it. Billie saw it and had them put a spotlight on me. He was like "oooh, it's artwork!" and Tre asked "Who the fuck are those ugly bastards?"
I yelled back "Who the fuck do you think they are Tre?" An then Billie read it (I wanted Who Wrote Holden Caulfield) and told him it was my only request, so he started playing it. But Tre decided he was done with soundcheck and walked off stage, lol.
After soundcheck they took us back to a room with drinks and chips and stuff and we got to chill for awhile and play Rock Band. We got Chris to play with us, and he didn't know what button to push to start. Then Chris wandered off and came back with a box of shirts and gave us all one. He told us we could rip the GD posters off the walls if we wanted them too, so we did. Then, a few minutes before doors opened, we were aloud to go and get our seats/pit. Mike and I were the only 2 with pit tickets, so for like 10 minutes it was just us and the security there. It was weird. We chose a spot that was (it seemed like) right between where Mike and Billie would be, but after changing the set I was exactly centered in front of Mike (which was perfect). We found Kristen and had saved her a spot up front with us, and then Dallas the Menace ended up next to us too, and it was awsome talking to him before it started. Franz came on and did a pretty decent show. I didn't know most of their stuff, but I liked the basslines (if I don't know music I just watch the bassist). Then after a short break, the bunny came out and got us all cheering and shit. He went off and Rock n' Roll Radio came on, followed by Song of the Century. It was fucking amazing watching the guys come out on stage. They went into 21CB, KYE, East Jesus Nowhere. Then they went into Holiday before doing Static Age and Before the Lobotomy. Next was We are the Waiting and St. Jimmy, the Blvd of Broken Dreams. The did Murder City after that and Billie was all "I don't think we've done this one since this tour started. . ." and dedicated it to Dallas the Menace, which was awsome. Then came Hitchin' a Ride, and did a little of Mother Mary, Welcome to Paradise, Burnout (which was one of the best things in my opinion), When I Come Around, Brain Strew/Jaded, Longview (the guy was really fun to watch), Basket Case, and she. Throughout most of that I would yell stuff to Mike while he was playing, and he would mouth back or make faces and stuff. It was really fun interacting with him
And I think he liked me telling him how awsome he was after every bassline. . .haha. It was really funny when he just decided to kick his stand over in the middle of one of the songs too.They came out for King for a Day. Billie did the police thing, and they all came out in their hats and stuff. Except Mike. . . he only had a tail. So I kept yelling his name until he heard, and he looked at me and asked "What?" And I was like "Your ears? Where are they?" and we kept repeating this a few times until I made a motion to resemble cat ears and he was like "OH! . . .wait a min!" and walked off stage for a minute to ask a roadie about them. I guess they couldn't find them, because he ended up takin the tail off, lol. At some point in the show, they were doing the 30 seconds of songs and they did Crazy Train for my friend Mike, 'cause Billie saw his sign. We would ask Mike (cause he was closer) and he told us to get Billie's attention. Dallas took my arm and wrote 86 on it, and Mike saw it, started laughing, and said no. And then I shouted for Guns of Brixton and Mike was like "Oooh, yeah! But ask Billie..."
They ended with 21 Guns and Minority. I was doing all the hand motions with Billie, and sorta air-bassing parts of it (I can't help it) Mike saw me doing that and raised his eyebrows an was like "you play huh?', it was pretty funny. Then they went off and came back a few min later with American Idiot and JoS. Some guy near me asked Mike if he could play bass, and Mike pulled his bass close to him and said "Mine!" and gave him a look like a little kid who didn't want to share. Then came the acoustic part, and Billie did Pulling Teeth, Blood Sex and Booze, and Good Riddence. Truthfully, I didn't even look at Billie for that. He was on the catwalk, and it hurt to try and turn to see him. So I was looking for Mike, who was backstage. He waved to me, and I waved back before he left the stage. Then, to my surprise, he reappeared on the very far side, and I waved again and he waved back and smiled, then started talking to some guy (I guess the stage manager). I saw him hand the guy something and point at me. I pointed to myself and gave him a questioning look and Mike nodded, so I started waving to the guy he gave the stuff too. He came over and couldn't figure out who he was looking for, so Mike kept pointing to me and I kept waving. He finally saw me and gave me and Dallas picks. Mike went backstage again, and stood in a spot where I could watch him and I smiled and waved alot and blew him a kiss thank you. And he made the most adorable gesture in the world in response- I can't even describe it, but it made me melt (yes, I'm a shameless Mike fangirl). Then he pulled Tre over and I saw them talking and Mike would point at me, so I asked him if it was me again and he nodded...I guess he really liked my Frustrators shirt! Right as Billie was ending Good Riddence, Mike waved to me, and help up a water bottle and asked "You want it?" I was dying of thirst (and it was Mike) So I nodded and he walked on stage a little so he could toss it to me (it became known as the Aqua-Dirnt thanks to Dallas, and was passed around a few times until empty, but I kept the bottle). The security guy tried to grab it so I wouldn't get it, but I was faster. For the record- security were dicks. Mike kept tossing picks in my groups general direction and they would pick them up and take them away. And they stopped kids from getting Tre's sticks an stuff...
All in all, the most amazing night ever. Even better than the Hot Tubs when I saw them...but only by a little bit (I met the guys at FBHT, so tis hard to compare). I just say that 'cause Mike personally made sure I got something
So I hope everyone else had a great time. I'm really sad more of you guys from the GDC couldn't get into soundcheck- a lot of the people who won weren't hardcore fans. Two girls, before going in, actually asked me which was Mike and which was Tre. I was like "THESE people are here when there are REAL fans outside?" But what can you do?It was great meeting all of you that I met! I'm sorry I can't remember all your names! Hopefully I'll see you again next time the guys come around.
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