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I live near NYC...

I go to school in upstate NY...

That means everytime I click to get tour dates for my favorite band, I have to hold my breath because most of the time, bands don't come up to upstate NY (and I don't blame them, the place is depressing as hell). Anyways, I was shocked to find that Green Day was coming to Rochester's Blue Cross Arena. After spending a swell $40 on my floor ticket, I waited the month a half for the day to arrive.

I was hoping that maybe the crowd would be a little older, around my age (20) since Green Day really broke through in '94 when I was 10. But, of course, I was confronted with mainly younger kids in tight jeans, trucker hats, and studded belts. No, wait! Security was making kids take off their studded belts. Excellent move! "BUT THAT'S NOT PUNK!!! THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEAR WHATEVER THEY WANT!" Wrong! Studded belts never did anyone any good. Take that shit off!

The set-up was one of those T-barricades, which meant you couldn't really be in the center. I was on the left side right on the rail (which actually proved to be beneficial in the end).

Sugarcult came on and ran through their selection of songs rather quickly. I've always liked these guys more than the average pop-punk bands because they're more of a pop/rock band. Hooks and shiny melodies along swiftly paced numbers that work well.

Sugarcult's setlist:
Stuck In America
She's The Blade
Crying
Memory
What You Say
Pretty Girl
Bouncing Off The Walls

Nothing else special to say about their set.

New Found Glory was up next and the shrieks grew even louder. I think this was the first time the guy with the wheelchair attempted crowd surfing. Chad made a point to comment on how psyched they were to be touring with Green Day, which I thought was a nice, sincere thing to say. They played their hearts out and put all their energy into it, but nothing can hide the fact that they are a studio band.

NFG Setlist:
Truth Of My Youth
Understatement
This Disaster
Hit Or Miss
Head On Collision
Failure's Not Flattering
Something I Call Personality
I Don't Want To Know
My Friends Over You
Intro
All Downhill From Here

Now, onto the main event. I must give the crew on this tour credit because the stage set-ups were relatively quick. Someone in a pink bunny suit came out to do the whole YMCA thing and drink a beer. This excited people who had an IQ of less than 80, but in the end, it seemed pretty stupid. All was forgotten when Green Day hit the stage.

Pummeling through their songs with ferocious intensity, Billie Joe held the audience right in his hand. All of the standard Green Day aspects were in the set. There was the "I said a 'Waaaaaaaay-oooohhhh'" placed in the middle of several songs (most prominent in "Minority"). The "1-2-3" count-offs leading "Hitchin' A Ride." The one-note tease before "Brain Stew." Making a band out of the audience for "Knowledge." And just some good old-fashioned Green Day rockin' out for classics like "Longview," "Basketcase" and "Welcome To Paradise." Interestingly, the band didn't intermix new songs into their old set material, choosing to play 5 right off the bat in the beginning and then using two more near the end of the show. A wise decision, since the new material is a little more mature and has more depth to it than the earlier numbers (which isn't to say it's necessarily better, but just different).

Green Day's setlist:
American Idiot
Jesus Of Suburbia
Holiday
Are We The Waiting
St. Jimmy
Longview
Hitchin' A Ride
Brain Stew
Jaded
Knowledge
Basketcase
She
King For A Day (into Shout)
Wake Me Up When September Ends
Minority
---encore---
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Welcome To Paradise
We Are The Champions
Good Riddance (just Billie Joe on the runway)

Personally, I think it would have been more effective to put "Welcome To Paradise" in the place of "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in the regular set and then for the band to come back out onstage into "Wake Me Up" and go into "Boulevard." It would have made the encore more of a mellow/sophisticated piece while keeping the main set more of a hits collection. Nevertheless, Green Day made NFG and Sugarcult look completely forgettable and proved, once again, that they can blow all these new "pop-punk" bands away.



People who liked this also liked:
Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power LinesMatthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight



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    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 17, 2005 at 9:41 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I saw Green Day open for Bad Religion in 1993 when most of their setlist was from Kerplunk(with a couple of Dookie songs mixed in) and I dont believe that this band has "sold out" or gone "commercial" at all. If anything they have just matured and are just as hungry as they were back in the 90's.

    To everyone who bitches and moans about young kids at the shows, where would music be without new fans? GD's music isnt exclusive to any age group. I'm always glad to see new faces at the shows. Its one less kid obsessed with "Bling" and the latest Usher cd hopefully.

    For what its worth , I spent 5 years working for a punk/metal venue and saw/worked closely with over 3500 bands during that span( From Fugazi and Agnostic front, to Pennywise, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, AFI, Lagwagon, Further seems Forever, NFG, MXPX, Against Me and many others) and the large majority of these bands want nothing more than to make their fans happy and play what they want. You cant please everyone.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 11:03 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    to the old farts thta have a go at "the amount of young tennagers"....im 18 so that better not be directed at me...and for your info if they wernt listenign to greenday theyde be listening to fucking britney spears and busted so stop beign so high and fucking mighty...im going to the manchester gig tonite

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 10:47 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Lmao, the guy in the wheelchair actually got crowd surfing at the Incubus show the day after. It was hilarious, we didn't laugh at him doing it, we laughed at the thought of him falling off the chair sometime in the process.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 6, 2004 at 10:04 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    i like the bands but not that much. i dont like the new green day. im into the older stuff, but not that much. i dont like trucker hats and i dont see the point of trying to look punk. i dont like how my generation is defining punk and making it a trend. im 13, not all kids are annoying. just the majority.

    Posted by jeff024punk on 2004-12-06 04:39:54
    My Score:

    "One of My Lies. Remember it? Play it. Damn."

    haha seriously.. that would be the day.. and no when i come around? thats impressive.. that was always like there closer for the regular set or in the encore..altho then again.. the last time i saw them play.. they place for well over 2 hours.. but they still played that song every other time i saw them.

    Posted by Chris_xxx on 2004-12-06 03:24:47
    My Score:

    Trucker hats are lame. I don't get them.

    Alright review.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 5:09 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    LAME!!

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 2:01 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    One of My Lies. Remember it? Play it. Damn.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 1:58 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Dear Green Day,

    All I wanted was to put your cd in and have it kick my ass. You gave me an opera. Leave the anti-Bush banter to Anti-Fag and Bruce. You're better than that. Billy, wash the eyeliner off, please. For the love of all things holy, tour with some fucking good bands. What the hell?

    Love, Josh

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 1:20 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    the score is for the new green day record. the review of this show on the other hand is the worst thing i've read in a while...

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 1:14 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "That's an absolutely awful New Found Glory setlist"

    Yeah, I agree here's the perfect New Found Glory Setlist:

    -notfeelingcreative

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 12:07 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    new found glory a studio band?

    you're an idiot.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 12:49 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    yeah seriously i saw this tour and it was all young kids.. when i saw offspring in the spring most of the crowd was much older..thank god..

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 12:54 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This sounds like a really great Green Day show. Sugarcult have gone to hell recently, and NFG suck at life in general. Great review.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2004-12-01 11:49:57
    My Score:

    Why do you morons give such a big shit about what OTHER people think of records?

    Sometimes it's less about the collective opinions of an album than it is about easy exposure.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 10:56 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    yea me too, 1 hr 20 min to Rochester, its long but I only go to extremely good shows to make it worth it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 7:34 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    To the guy who goes to Oswego, I go to Ithaca. Everything is at least 2 hr drive from here, it sucks.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 1:12 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Why are people pissed about New Found Glory not playing songs they don't like. No one should like them.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 1:00 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Someone should review the new Enemy You"

    So fucking do it.

    Why do you morons give such a big shit about what OTHER people think of records?

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 12:37 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Saw Green Day in SF and greatly enjoyed 'em even though, like the reviewer, I am 22 and the crowd was a bunch of young teenagers. Someone should review the new Enemy You.

    - Walter Sobchak

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 11:47 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    to the reviewer

    i know how u feel, i live on long island and go to oswego
    there are good shows in rochester and syracuse though, every once in awhile

    good review - nfg has the worst set in the history of music. ok thats exaggerated but its pretty bad

    -kevin

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 10:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    St. Jordan Elementary.

    -Phil

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 10:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    where do you go to school?

    Posted by theundergroundscene on 2004-11-30 22:14:49
    My Score:

    That's an absolutely awful New Found Glory setlist.

    ONE pre-Sticks and Stones song? Blasphemous.

    And I'm as sick of Green Day as anyone.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 9:08 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Whats up with all the Green Day reviews? Ive never been to a Green Day show and they're getting too repetitive for me. And I second that cutting off of the fingers of Sugarcult (gag) I don't think anyone on this site would disagree with that.

    Posted by Anchors on 2004-11-30 20:49:20
    My Score:

    Somebody should take a meat clever to the fingers of each member of Sugarcult.

    I wouldn't protest.

    Posted by joeg on 2004-11-30 20:33:03
    My Score:

    this is me bitching-------->what its impossible for them to play anything else other than brainstew or king for a day or hitchin a ride? their catalog is fucking huge and theyve played these same songs for 6 or 7 years now. lame.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 8:00 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This band is good and all but i think its kindof weak when the best song they play is a cover.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 7:50 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    hey, what do ya know. same setlist, props, and jokes for the whole tour. blow me, green day.

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