I’m used to seeing parents and kids at concerts. Of course, 15 years of going to Dead shows will do that.

Except at Sesame Street on Ice they don’t scream “motherfucker” with such joyous abandon.

Maybe not at the performance you attended. We must have seen the second-string.

Enough of that — how was the actual, you know, concert?

you missed a good chance at a Buzzcocks reference in the title — A Different Kind of Tension was one of the greatest albums ever.

Um Bill,

I think TBogg was laying som n-dimensional blog titling on us.

dang me and my n-3 degrees of freedom

It was a great show…as always. We haven’t missed the boys here in SD in about 10 years. Billie Joe Armstrong is everything you want in a front man…sexy, charismatic, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him stage presence and a great voice. It’s amazing that after a 2hour plus show, he can still end it with just an acoustic guitar and a phenomenal version of “Good Riddance”. That being said, if he had yelled “SAN DIEGO” at the top of his lungs one more time for the cheap cheer, we might be swearing off their shows for good.

Mrs. Gilchrist and I went to the Salt Lake City stop on the tour – our first Green Day concert, and it was even better than I’d hoped. I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that the audience age ranged from kindergartners to (near) pensioners. That it was a family scene here in Utah with the abovementioned yelling of Cuss Words was even more fun.

Golly, if I had kids I’d really like them to hop aboard the time machine to Dead Kennedy’s heyday (or King Crimson and New York Rock Assemble, but not until they’re 18ish)……
not diss’n GD but if….

Kids, great grand grand uncle’s mum’s pet cat-dog-mouse, not to mention, molecules, they were all there……

I liked them better when they were called Operation Ivy.

We saw GD on the first go round of AI in 2004/5.

While it’s a known fact that I hate teh Arena Rock experience, I’ll admit it was a decent show. The “family” aspect is not something I cotton to however. I don’t have children and as a rule don’t like children. The last place I want them is at a rock concert.

There. I said it.

Sorry clevelandbob – my 12- and 15-yr-olds are crazy for Green Day, and if they come to NE Ohio we’ll be there. We hit the Gin Blossoms show at the local House of Blues, and not only was it a fantastic show, the kids thought it was the bees knees. If the thought of a ‘family’ outing bothers you, think of those kids drinking, smoking dope and swearing right along with the lyrics with nary a parent in sight – that was me and my peers at our first concerts back in the day. (Although to be fair, Ronnie James Dio didn’t really swear in any Rainbow lyrics, that was my interpretation)

Agreed. You know, it’s funny, after years of complaining that most rock bands just don’t seem to enjoy performing, I see a band that really does — and I start noticing that I would prefer just a bit (a bit mind you) less pandering to the audience. Every song doesn’t need to end with a endless wind-down, some hand waving and exhortations. And I thought that their mid-set walk through of their past hits, while energetic, showed how far they’ve come with their last two records.

Highlights: I liked the King for a Day lark. I really liked the opening 30 minutes and everything they played off American Idiot. Also, he shows a great touch with the kids, even with the profanity.

My 12 yr old son thought the highlight of his summer was a sleepout in the treehouse with his two best friends and his nano and speakers blasting GD at all hours of the night.

Not quite the appreciation of nature I (or the forest creatures) had in mind, but at least his musical tastes are cool.