Culture
Green Day in Pittsburgh: It’s still worth the time to listen to them whine
By: Nicholas Kobe
Posted on:
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (WOUB) – “Blisteringly efficient and comprehensive” is the name of the game for the Saviors tour. Featuring Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas, The Saviors Tour stop in Pittsburgh crammed classic after classic into one of the most exciting rock shows I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.
While Green Day’s set may be split between ‘94 and ‘04, the supporting acts lean much heavier on the ’90s with both Rancid and The Smashing Pumpkins releasing their most iconic work between 1993 and 1995.
The audience was all in favor of this ’90s love, with Rancid and The Smashing Pumpkins getting more affection than the average openers at an arena show. The exception to that is the Linda Lindas, who because of the lines around the venue and traffic in the city, I was unable to see for enough time to meaningfully comment on here.
Over the last 30 years, Rancid has managed to maintain its punk flair, delivering a blisteringly effective set. Focusing primarily on the big hits from …and out come the wolves.
It was a set that did a perfect job of warming up the crowd by getting people up and dancing and singing along. It’s rare that the third-tier band on the setlist has songs that the whole crowd sings along with, but for Ruby Soho, a strong portion of that stadium knew that chorus. Rancid was exactly as fun as I was hoping they’d be, and left me wishing I had even more time to party with them.
The Smashing Pumpkins are a legendary band in their own right, but one I was not really that invested in before this concert. Unlike my experiences with bands such as Slipknot, Jimmy Eat World, and Kiss, however, The Smashing Pumpkins performance at the Saviors Tour didn’t convince me to dive into the group. Billy Corgan’s signature nasally voice is one of the band’s most instantly recognizable qualities, and it’s “turned up to 11” live. While this may be endearing to some fans, Corgan sounded too much like a caricature of himself for me to take any of the set seriously. The band was all instrumentally solid, with the only real exception being Corgan’s backup vocalist, who I’m sure was doing alright, she was just rendered completely inaudible by walls and walls of sludgy guitar.
Aside from that, there’s not a lot to note. Despite feeling more neutral about the band, it’s clear I was in the minority, considering the excitement in the stands during Zero, Bullet with Butterfly Wings and 1979. Regardless of your feelings on The Smashing Pumpkins, I think you get what you paid for, and the quality you’d come to expect from a band with this kind of legacy. While they don’t go above and beyond, that’s not the end of the world.
Despite the fire, lights, and giant balloons, Green Day to me read as a very careful balancing act. Over the course of a few hours, Green Day has to promote their newest album, 2024’s Saviors while also playing two classic albums 1994’s Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot in their entirety, plus squeezing a few greatest hits in.
That’s a lot of music for a comparatively short time, 34 songs to be exact, but somehow, the band didn’t just pull it off, they made it look effortless.
Note for note, Green Day plays just as well live as they do on record, regardless if the song is 9 months old, or 30 years old. They’re exploding with a kind of energy you wouldn’t expect from a band in their early 50s, which speaks volumes about their ability as musicians. This especially comes through during the loudest and most anthemic moments of the setlist like Holiday, Basket Case and American Idiot, which are bursting at the seams with power that gives them a freshness I didn’t expect, considering I’ve heard these songs five million times.
The fact that Billie Joe Armstrong, and the band, in general, had time to banter with the crowd and take pauses between songs is pretty incredible. I thought the band’s banter was very good, especially bringing fans on stage for Do You Know The Enemy, and the political messaging that felt very at home in the American Idiot set. However, eventually Billie’s constant repeating of the “aaa ooo” Freddie Mercury bit may get old after he does it in literally every other song.
This is a Green Day fans’ concert, which to someone who was shaken to their very core by these two albums at the formative years of my life, was perfect. However, while Green Day plays all the big hits (except 21 Guns) if you aren’t as familiar with the deep cuts of American Idiot or Dookie, certain sections of the concert may drag. While Dookie is the higher energy of the two records, it’s the more repetitive in its sound, and while American Idiot is diverse, it also has a lot of slower songs.
As someone who’s wanted to hear songs like Sassafras Roots and Give Me Novacaine since I was 16, I loved this, but to a casual fan, I can understand why certain parts of the concert may overstay its welcome. In general, though, the fan service for these two albums was fantastic.
Beyond the great visual effects to coincide with each record, outside of the venue, they had the car featured in some of the American Idiot music videos, a giant-themed tour bus to take pictures in front of, and a wide selection of merch.
Another commendable point for Green Day is the Saviors part of the Saviors tour. The crowd seemed very familiar, and at least enjoying the new tracks the band played, which is always impressive, especially considering most people here probably came for their classic albums.
When it comes to classic bands, we all wish we could go back and see them “in their prime.” After seeing two of the best pop-punk albums of all time played impeccably by one of the best bands to ever do it, that’s not how I feel about Green Day.
I think they’re in their prime right now.