Green Day
12-01-2005
Heineken Music Hall

Green Day: A Californian punk-trio who changed punk forever. The leadsinger/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, who’s talent for songwriting shows off in their new album “American Idiot” (which is by the way NOT an anti-bush album), has changed his style from Converse Allstars to a tie and eyeliner. The bass-player Mike Dirnt still plays complex bass-solo’s, but did dye his hair white. Drummer Tré Cool still looks the same, although he’s never been normal (and now with thick eyeliner and a butterfly-tie).
There is no normal way of describing these 3 extraordinary individuals. Their music might have grown, but it is still difficult to consider them “adults”. And after 6 years of waiting, Green Day is back in Holland. On Wednesday the 12th of January in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam to be exactly, and I got to be there.

I’ve been listening Green Day for more than a year now, and turned into a fan right away. With the release of their new album my hope started to grow. “Would they go on tour and come to the Netherlands?”. They did. 5500 tickets and it was sold out within a week. New and old (skool) fans, ageing between 13 and 30. Everybody who wanted to see them was there.

I left school at 3 on that big day and together with my friends we went by train to Amsterdam. In front of the HMH doors a small crowd of Green Day fans was gathered. We lined up and waited for an hour and a half for the doors to open. Finally they opened, and we entered one by one. Inside we got searched for any weapons or camera’s. We ran upstairs to the foyer where we hang our coats. My heart pumped in my throat and all the water I drank outside seemed to have left my body, because my mouth was dry again. We had to wait in front of a big orange door which would lead to the hall. It opened and I pushed and ran inside. People and bags were lying on the floor, but who cares? I had to get in as fast as possible to find good places. We ended up somewhere in front on the right. We still had to wait for a while and then the support act would start, given by a pop-punk band “New Found Glory”. I wanted to move forward, but that was impossible because two girls blocked my way. But lights went out and Jordan, Steve, Chad, Ian and Cyrus ran onstage. People started to push so it was a bit difficult to breath. New Found Glory played for 45 minutes and then they left. I was tired and completely dried out. We still had to wait for Green Day to begin.

A big pink bunny walked on stage, holding a beer. The stage was bigger because the backdrop was pulled up. Red curtains could be seen on the background, with the American Idiot logo on flags. The bunny started to get a bit drunk, and he started to dance on YMCA which was blasting out of the speakers. He left, lights went out, the crowd went crazy, people started pushing, and one by one Billie Joe, Mike and Tré ran on stage.
The first chords of theme song American Idiot came out of the speakers and the crowd just lost it completely. The pushing was lethal, if it wasn’t for my will to see Green Day I would have fainted.
After American Idiot they played other songs from their new album. We jumped and sang along with all the songs. But we we’re really waiting for some older songs. The red curtains we’re replaced with bright white lights and after the anti-bush song “Holiday”, fireworks were fired off. Green Day had arrived.
Billie Joe walked onto the extension of the stage with “Blue”. “Blue” is the blue fender stratocaster guitar Billie Joe plays all the old green day songs on. Mike had switched his bass for an older type, which I recognised from older music video’s. He started playing the song “Longview”, a track from their topalbum Dookie. The crowd started singing but Billie Joe signed to the audience that it was not yet time to sing. But we didn’t care and continued. Billie Joe went along with that and joined in.

Some of the highlights of that night was when he invited 3 fans on stage. One to play bass-guitar, one to play the drums, and one to play the guitar. The guy in front of me had a sign saying he was a drummer from Sweden. He was pulled out of the audience and i was a bit closer to the stage. The guy that was picked out to play the guitar ran on stage and hugged and kissed Billie Joe. After he was told that he could keep the guitar he kissed Billie Joe again. The drummer came back on stage and asked if he could stagedive. Billie Joe, who turned the “no crowdsurfing allowed-sign” around half an hour before, said yes.
My favourite Green Day song is “King for a day”. It is a very happy track played with extra instruments such as saxophones and trumpets. Billie Joe walked off stage and when he came back he was wearing a big crown. As soon as I realised what was going on I started screaming. They started playing and a trumpet-playing-bee was jumping around. Tré Cool was wearing a big pink had and scarf. Right after that song they did a cover on Shout from the Isley Brothers.
They also played a “We are the champions” cover of Queen, at the end confetti was falling down and there were big explosions on stage.

The show ended with the famous Green Day ballad “Time of your life”. Billie Joe stood on his own on the extension of the stage playing and singing this emotional song in spotlight. At the end they threw some plectrums in the audience. Because I was right in front of Mike Dirnt, the plectrums ended up near me. But I’m not so very good in catching. Luckily this guy saw my disappointed face, and he gave the plectrum he caught to me! Kirsten had a signed drumstick from Tré Cool.

I have never had such feelings I had that night. It was some kind of mixture between intense happiness and panic, somewhere in between I was crying. At the end of the show my feet felt like I had been walking for 7 days in a row. I was totally dried out and I was soaked in sweat. But all these things were compensated by one thing. Green Day! There are no words to describe the exact feeling I had that night. But I really had “The time of my life”.