Twenty-one years on from when I first saw them, Green Day has finally self-actualised and become the band they were always capable of being. Now global mega-stars, the group's audience has grown from the handful of punters in the smoky, smelly Czech venue that I remember to an audience of 65,000 in Hyde Park for the second day of the British Summer Time festival on July 1, 2017.
And what a bloody fine day it was. The weather was perfect - sunny with clouds - and the crowd, good natured and knowledgible. The line-up was the reason Debs and I chose to attend this day of the festival. There were 18 acts on the bill, but we cherrypicked what we wanted to see, and took a laid-back approach to the day. This is what we ended up seeing:
- We started the day with lunch and a few drinks at the Victory Services Club at Marble Arch.
- The Damned (14h30)
- The Hives (15h40)
- The Orwells (16h40) - a few numbers, while buying beer
- Gogol Bordello (16h50)
- Rancid (18h00)
- The Stranglers (19h00) - I last saw them in 1996, but we decided not to give up our nice spot on the lawn just before Green Day, and so didn't take in their set this time round
- Green Day (19h45)
On June 17, Guns N' Roses did a cover version of The Damned's "New Rose". Although I thoroughly enjoyed the GnR tribute to the London group's 1977 punk anthem, it was great to hear the track from the horse's mouth. I first heard it back in 1978 back in Pretoria when I bought the track as a 7-inch single. Still a bloody magnificent song, and The Damned delivered a very accomplished performance. They were better than expected.
The Hives were a revelation. Vocalist Howlin' Pelle Almqvist opened up their set with a comment along the lines of "We're a European band - you tried to get rid of us Europeans, but we're baaaaaack!" That set the scene for a short by stonking set that left both Debra and me declaring that we needed to see more of this razor sharp Swedish quintet. "Hate to Say I Told You So" is still a tight and brilliantly constructed garage track.
The Orwells hail from Chicago and seemed like angry young men. I can't say anything more than that as they were the background muzak as I bought beer between sets.
I'd seen Gogol Bordello on the Jools Holland show on the BBC some years ago, and they left an impression. However, I'd not listened to them since. For us they were the revelation of the day. The band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music mixed with violin, accordion punk, and some dub tossed in for good measure. Gogol Bordello's set was delivered at pace - energetic, theatrical and emotional. At times it brought tear to my eyes and a lump to my throat, and the Gypsy sound cut deep into my soul, reminding me why I want to remain European rather than being forced to become a Little Englander by Kim Jong May and her acolytes. Passionate music with a sense of tradition and flaunting its roots. "Gypsy punk" - absolutely loved it!
If it was American punk rock you wanted, Rancid was what you'd been waiting for. lthough they've been around since 1991, I didn't know their music. Rancid is apparently credited, along with Green Day and The Offspring, for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the USA and bringing a version of punk into the mainstream. Ska tracks peppered their set, which only cemented their links back to the likes of The Clash back in their heyday. An intense performance by some hardcore dudes. I need to tap into their nine album back-catalogue and learn more.
Prior to the main event, the audience got a bit of singing practice (I'm midfield, just to the right of centre). As I'm writing this, I have tears in my eyes. This is what immortality sounds like!
And then it was Green Day, on the UK leg of their "Revolution Radio" tour. Front-man Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool, thrashed into a caustic rendition of "Know Your Enemy" declaring that, given the state of the world, the night was all about freedom, unity and music making a difference. "No racism, no sexism, no homophobia - and no Donald Trump" - despite their advancing years, Green Day's performance had the whiff of a student protest. But Armstrong is a tireless showman who exudes charm, and whose razor sharp wit must make him one of music’s most likable performers. The band wore their affiliations on their sleeve all the way through to the encore. During "American Idiot" (the band’s protest against the Iraq war) Armstrong flicked the bird and yelled: “Fuck you, Donald Trump!” much to the amusement of the audience...all trying to blank over their own national embarrassment, namely Kim Jong May and her Blukip isolationists.
Despite all the positive audience interactions (including bringing members of the audience on stage to sing and play guitar), it was the relentless rock music and pure joy of the crowd that made the night so special. The band knocked out 27 songs over three hours, their set spanning almost 30 years. All the hits were there and no one in the 60,000 strong audience could have been disappointed. There was definitely something for everyone...including a bit of George Michael’s "Careless Whisper" and even Monty Pythons’ "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." It was all a great deal of fun, and the overall tone of the show harked back to their youthful goofiness. Much needed in these depressing times.
We absolutely loved it and, at midnight, made our way home feeling tired but rejuvinated, and sporting broad grins from ear to ear! I wish all concerts/festivals could be like this.
Here's the full Green Day setlist from Hyde Park.
Oh - and the organizers did a fantastic job of getting 60,000 people into the park and then out again at the end of the night. Security was high, but efficient and good natured. The food and drink facilities were amazing for a festival, and queues were managable. There was even a "craft beer" vendor which was a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous cheap, fizzy lager fountains. The live audio was also exceptionally well managed. Sound engineers had erected "delay" towers (each topped with a bank of speakers) all the way to the back of the park and so audio was perfectly synchronised with the excellent array of large screens that were dotted around the site. Everyone in the park effectively had a front-row seat, without having to brave the mosh-pit. I guess I'm getting old ;-) The organizers of the abysmal Guns N' Roses concert at the Olympic Stadium in London could certainly learn a lot from the BST team.
See my full set of photographs in this album.
Cheers, MAlfaRK ©
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