Punk rock band Green Day promised to blow the roof off Webster Hall Saturday and did just that with a two-and-a-half-hour set full of ’90s favorites and a few new tracks as well.
The sold out show opened with “Know Your Enemy” off of 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown, followed by “Bang Bang” and “Revolution Radio” from the newly released album of the same name.
Fans followed along with every word of the three consecutive songs from the more-relevant-than-ever American Idiot—”Holiday,” “Letterbomb” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”
Then the crowd was in for a treat—twelve ’90s era tunes, including “Longview,” “409 in Your Coffeemaker” and “Nice Guys Finish Last.” Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool and touring guitarist since 2012 Jason White clearly had a blast on stage delivering the songs the audience wanted to hear.
“Say no to racism, no to sexism, no to homophobia,” Armstrong repeated to fully approving cheers and chants.
The band bounced between eras with “Are We the Waiting,” “St. Jimmy,” “Basket Case,” “She” and “King for a Day,” followed by a giddy romp through bits of The Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” The Rolling Stone’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” complete with dueling saxophone and kazoo accompaniment.
One more song from the new album, “Still Breathing,” was followed “Minority,” for which Armstrong broke out the harmonica, and touring member Jason Freese emerged with an accordion.
With as much enthusiasm as ever, the band returned for an encore with “American Idiot” and multi-part “Jesus of Suburbia.”
Armstrong then performed a solo acoustic version of Revolution Radio closer “Ordinary World,” and finally ending the show with the compulsory and beloved “(Good Riddance) Time of Your Life.”
Green Day next hits the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. All North American tour dates are sold out. The band embarks on a European tour this January. They return to NY in March with a show at Barclays Center. Tickets are not yet on sale.
For more about Green Day, check out their website www.greenday.com. For upcoming shows at Webster Hall, see www.websterhall.com.
