Heads up, losers: At a couple secret shows in San Francisco, Green Day previewed their upcoming tour, playing recent rock opera 21st Century Breakdown in its entirety ‘mdash; all three epic acts and 18 tracks, from start to finish. Any other band nearing mid-life crisis might crash and burn in dusty glory, but let’s face it: Green Day ‘mdash; even with guyliner ‘mdash; kick ass.
They’ve come a long way. Pot-smoking ‘green days’ at Berkeley and masturbation anthems have been treated with politically charged variants on the Bush-bashing theme. The latest streamlined ditties aren’t quite Rage Against the Machine, but they pack enough punk to satisfy enthusiasts. And with tracks like ‘East Jesus Nowhere’ ‘mdash; decidedly riotous celebrations of Bible-bashing ‘mdash; lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong packs enough controversy to fuel a pumped-up performance. Add a killer mosh pit, a hormonally charged crowd and a few whiffs of Mary Jane, and you’re set to thrash out the night.
Green Day will perform live at the Cox Arena on August 20.