Just an FYI: The third leg of Prima Donna’s and the Mystic Knights of the Cobra gig in San Jose is canceled for tonight. If you can head to Toot’s Bar in Crockett, CA at the last moment, you can catch the bands tonight with Bobby Joe Ebola and the Chicken MacNuggits. It’s going to a party at the hometown bar. Warning: liver damage ahead! I’m flying back to NYC today and will miss the shenanigans. Have a great time if you head up there and see you, East Bay, in September!
The MKOTC and Prima Donna tour will continue tomorrow (6/28 at the 16th Street Cafe) in Sacramento. A second show for Prima Donna in the NYC area was added over the weekend. The band will be at the Bowery Electric on July 25th as originally planned and then again at Maxwell’s Bar in Hoboken, NJ on July 26th. See you there!
Green Day Pranks the Bravery, Albany, July 25, 2009
I saw the Kaiser Chiefs twice, and I really like the concept of this band, but I’m still not convinced on its performance in a large stadium. I must say, however, that I was fortunate to see an episode of the British teevee show, “Never Mind the Buzzcocks,” posted by the lovely Kryssi with KC lead singer Ricky Wilson, as the show’s host. I was impressed. Funny stuff. Watch here. Part I. Part II. Part III.
Of the three opening bands, I’d actually like to see the Kaiser Chiefs as the headliner, in a much smaller venue. Unless, of course, their next album comes with full brass orchestration! The prank that Green Day played on them at their last night in New Orleans was almost as swell as The Bravery’s last night in Albany, though without the toilet paper and complete with a New Orleans Brass Band that perfectly complemented Wilson’s voice. He does have a great voice.
Personally, my favorite band of the three was Franz Ferdinand. They were very tight, and musically brave for the most part. Their stage presence was pretty good (but what’s up with the bassist?), and I personally appreciated their style more than the other two. However, all three bands were solid, and I’m happy that I got the chance to see them all.
Franz Ferdinand Opening for Green Day, HP Pavilion, August 21, 2009
Tomorrow night, as Green Day leaves its first round of North American touring (please, there has to be a second North American leg!!!), it’s Franz Ferdinand’s turn to become puppets of the masters. I wonder what’s in store for them?
Hmmm…. we shall see.
Truthfully, it’s gonna be really sad to see Green Day go away for a little bit again.
Just watch out, Franz! They are coming to get you!
In Albany and the two MSGs shows, Green Day entered the stage from backstage. In each of these shows, a recorded version of the first two parts or movements of 21st Century Breakdown, “Song of the Century” through to the title song’s course and repetitive “thuummpp, thuummpp” sound that echoes massively from the recording of Jason Freese’s piano. From there it goes live with Tré kicking in the drums, followed closely by Mike, Jason White, live Jason, and Billie and they are off to the races. (I’m not sure if Jeff plays an instrument here but he kicks in vocals.)
At San Antonio, Green Day entered the stage from the back of the AT&T Stadium.
It took them a while to walk from the back of the stadium around the aisle between the first row of seats and the stadium floor, to the front due to all of the high-fives and saying hi and shit like that (ha, “yo mike, what up!? “yo, man, doing a show!”) and by the time they arrived on stage to where my cohorts and I were at the very front of the barrier, the anticipation was palpable.
“21st Century Breakdown” sounded powerful and self-assured at all my shows, particularly for a slightly difficult and grandiose song with lots of beat and mood changes.
At the recent concert in San Jose, the stop closest to where Green Day hails in Northern California, this opening medley, as viewed below, sounds even more rich and deep and from the heart of a band happy to be back home to the whooping cheers of a hometown crowd.
Oh, and this time, they came up through the pit in the middle of the stadium floor. That takes balls! It’s dramatic the reaction that the crowd has to the band as they march through the crowd. Lucky San Jose!
“Song of the Century” and “21st Century Breakdown,”
Green Day, San Jose, CA, August 18, 2009
Of course, I was not at this San Jose show but from what I’ve seen and heard, it was the “Hartford of the West Coast,” if you will, only ten times more so; (sorry, San Jose AND Sacramento but L.A. took all kicked of your asses and took the the title, even, from reports, surpassing Hartford!). Also, the first highlight of San Jose is “Mother Mary,” which was talked about in an earlier posting. *Found by way of Youtube.
A very special moment happened at the San Jose concert the other night for a super cool woman. Billie Joe serenaded a lady who saved me a spot on the line and at the barrier in San Antonio. She’s an admin at Green Day Community and has been to ten Green Day shows so far this year including the secret shows in NYC and will be at ROCKTOBER as well. She’s at the point in life where she is taking a Green Day holiday after some tough years and regularly finds very cool sunglasses and scarves and whatnots for BJA during songs such as “King for a Day” and “St. Jimmy.” Her name is J’net and she totally deserves what happened to her in San Jose.
This is also the first time on the actual U.S. tour that Green Day has performed Mother Mary or any FBHT songs in full. It’s a capella. Sweet.
Welcome back home to California, boys, welcome back to Cali.
AshCamilleBGreenday live is insane! And notings better than having a crazy ass moshpit dancer like susana with me! Yaaaaay!!! 2 minutes ago from TwitterBerry
And not from California, but a damned good question:
DRainsbergeriiThe hospital was playing “Good Riddence (Time of Your Life)” by GreenDay in the halls today. anyone besides me find that odd? 11 minutes ago from Twidget
Green Day Mind 