Green Day Bring Their ‘Revolution’ to Brooklyn [Exclusive Photos]
Punk rock fans old and young rushed down Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn last night (March 15) in an attempt not only to escape from the high winds and freezing temps engulfing New York City, but to find shelter at Barclays Center for Green Day's sold-out "Revolution Radio" tour stop, marking the high-flying heroes' second appearance at the prominent indoor arena.
Just moments before the band took the stage, the packed house in attendance was treated to a pre-set playlist consisting of a trio of iconic tracks, including Queen's monumental "Bohemian Rhapsody," Ramones' commanding "Blitzkrieg Bop" and topped off with Ennio Morricone's classic "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" theme. After chants of "Mama, just killed a man!" and "Hey Ho, Let's Go!" were all sung and done, and the band's Drunk Bunny mascot rolled around on stage for a bit, Green Day finally hit the stage at 9PM, catapulting immediately into the first of many songs the band would go on to perform throughout the night, 2009's politically charged anthem "Know Your Enemy."
Sporting his custom built Black Flag guitar, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong shredded his axe way down the stage's elaborate runway, not hesitating to reach out to fans for onstage assistance with "Know Your Enemy." "I need someone to come up right now," proclaimed Billie Joe, "Someone that knows some lyrics!" Eventually pointing to an overly-enthusiastic girl in the audience, "She knows! Ok, get your ass up here, Lets go!" Showing no fear, the young lady hopped on stage, gave Billie Joe a huge hug and boldly belted into the microphone: "Well, violence is an energy, Oh eh, oh eh! / Well, silence is the enemy, so gimme gimme revolution!" Ending with a huge pyro explosion and a stage dive from the eager fan.
"Everybody stand up!" shrieked Armstrong, "Get those hands in the air!" The frenzied crowd obliged as the band dove into Revolution Radio's lead single "Bang Bang." Accompanied by upward shooting sparks and fire, the new album's title-track flooded the venue next, emitting mass cheers and synchronized clapping from the captivated gathering. Wielding a high lumen flashlight, Billie Joe demanded all lights be turned off during the band's rendition of "Holiday" off American Idiot, leaving fans to rely only on the glow of their mobile devices. "New York, Brooklyn ... I see you out there," affirmed Armstrong as he shined his beam across the many ecstatic faces in attendance. Additional American Idiot favorites such as "Letterbomb," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Are We the Waiting" and "St. Jimmy" also peppered the setlist.
Bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool ushered in Dookie debut single "Longview," which Billie Joe sang halfway before declaring: "Oh my God, I just forgot the lyrics," adding, "I need help bad, who knows the lyrics to 'Longview'?!" Thousands of hands were hoisted into the air but only one lucky fan, a daring young buck, got the opportunity of a lifetime to jump on stage and rock out with the punk icons. A similar situation happened during Green Day's depiction of the Operation Ivy song "Knowledge," inviting a lucky female fan named "Maddie" on stage to help strum along to the 1989 hit using Billie Joe's guitar. Armstrong allowed the emotional fanatic to keep the guitar she used as a thank you for her participation.
Other notable songs played included "Basket Case" and "She" off Dookie, "King for a Day" (which the band performed in costume) off Nimrod, and a memorable medley consisting of songs from legendary acts like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Green Day ended their main set with fresh Revolution Radio tunes "Still Breathing" (which featured a mesmerizing glitter waterfall pyro effect) and "Forever Now." The band concluded their two-and-a-half-hour evening with a double encore, featuring "American Idiot" and "Jesus of Suburbia" during the first part, and Billie Joe solo acoustic versions of "Ordinary World" and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" during the second. An epic confetti blast and a final bow from the band finalized the show.
Florida punk rockers Against Me! opened the concert with songs from their 2014 album Transgender Dysphoria Blues, like "True Trans Soul Rebel" and "Unconditional Love," plus tracks from their latest LP Shape Shift with Me, including as "333" and "Haunting, Haunted, Haunts."
Check out our exclusive photos of Green Day and Against Me! live in Brooklyn in our gallery above. For all remaining "Revolution Radio" tour dates, head here.
Green Day Setlist – Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, March. 15, 2017:
01. "Know Your Enemy"
02. "Bang Bang"
03. "Revolution Radio"
04. "Holiday"
05. "Letterbomb"
06. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
07. "Longview"
08. "Youngblood"
09. "2000 Light Years Away"
10. "Hitchin' a Ride"
11. "When I Come Around"
12. "Burnout"
13. "Waiting"
14. "Scattered"
15. "Minority"
16. "Are We the Waiting"
17. "St. Jimmy"
18. "Knowledge" (Operation Ivy cover)
19. "Basket Case"
20. "She"
21. "King for a Day"
22. Medley
23. "Still Breathing"
24. "Forever Now?
Encore 1:
25. "American Idiot"
26. "Jesus of Suburbia"
Encore 2:
27. "Ordinary World" (acoustic)
28. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (acoustic)
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