2008 Woodie Awards
Green Day rocks Chicago
With Sugarcult and New Found Glory, Green Day performs an entertaining show heavy with political messages
Michele Jeffers
Issue date: 11/10/04 Section: Scene
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On Monday, Chicago bore witness as thousands of angst-filled teenagers emerged from middle-class suburbia fully clad in their mismatched clothing and metal jewelry to unite together in defiance of all oppression and authority.
That's right. These rogues stood tall against the law and proclaimed their inalienable right to go out on a school night. A magnanimous few even allowed their driver's license and credit card toting parents to tag along - as long as they didn't stand too close, of course. Defiance of authority was indeed the name of the game Monday night as Green Day performed with Sugar Cult and New Found Glory at the UIC pavilion.
With the release of its successful concept album, "American Idiot," Green Day has taken its political views on the road on a tour sponsored by Verizon Wireless and MTV2. Attempting to amuse the crowd before the show, Verizon set up large screens that the audience could send text messages and pictures from their cell phones. After witnessing a fair share of messages proclaiming "I LUV BILLY 4EVA" and "I want to make out with a high school girl," Sugar Cult opened the show. It gave an enthusiastic performance in which the lead singer's gymnastic abilities would put many a cheerleader to shame. The set was relatively short, but included radio hits like "Stuck in America," "Pretty Girl" and "Memory."
Next up was New Found Glory, MTV's favorite pop-punk band from Coral Springs, Fla. New Found Glory mostly played songs from its latest album, "Catalyst," including its single "All Downhill from Here." Other songs included "My friends over you," "Understatement" and "Head On Collision." Disappointingly, the only older song played was "Hit or Miss." New Found Glory played a decent set, but its stale on-stage banter left much to be desired.
After being introduced by a beer chugging rabbit, Green Day took the stage with "American Idiot" - a song that lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong feels even more passionately about since last week's election. Banners featuring hand grenades hung from the stage as a symbol of fascism, while the audience raised its arms in unison in support as Armstrong derided the masses blind allegiance to propaganda in the media. Green Day played the first half of "American Idiot" in the order of the album.
That's right. These rogues stood tall against the law and proclaimed their inalienable right to go out on a school night. A magnanimous few even allowed their driver's license and credit card toting parents to tag along - as long as they didn't stand too close, of course. Defiance of authority was indeed the name of the game Monday night as Green Day performed with Sugar Cult and New Found Glory at the UIC pavilion.
With the release of its successful concept album, "American Idiot," Green Day has taken its political views on the road on a tour sponsored by Verizon Wireless and MTV2. Attempting to amuse the crowd before the show, Verizon set up large screens that the audience could send text messages and pictures from their cell phones. After witnessing a fair share of messages proclaiming "I LUV BILLY 4EVA" and "I want to make out with a high school girl," Sugar Cult opened the show. It gave an enthusiastic performance in which the lead singer's gymnastic abilities would put many a cheerleader to shame. The set was relatively short, but included radio hits like "Stuck in America," "Pretty Girl" and "Memory."
Next up was New Found Glory, MTV's favorite pop-punk band from Coral Springs, Fla. New Found Glory mostly played songs from its latest album, "Catalyst," including its single "All Downhill from Here." Other songs included "My friends over you," "Understatement" and "Head On Collision." Disappointingly, the only older song played was "Hit or Miss." New Found Glory played a decent set, but its stale on-stage banter left much to be desired.
After being introduced by a beer chugging rabbit, Green Day took the stage with "American Idiot" - a song that lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong feels even more passionately about since last week's election. Banners featuring hand grenades hung from the stage as a symbol of fascism, while the audience raised its arms in unison in support as Armstrong derided the masses blind allegiance to propaganda in the media. Green Day played the first half of "American Idiot" in the order of the album.