Reading/Leeds, August 28th, 2004
Well, what can i say??
I can't say I loved Green Day when I heard them about 2 years ago when 'Espionage' being the only track I had heard and being told by a friend also coming to Reading festival that it was unlikely that would be played. A month before we went to see them at Reading, I got 'international Superhits!' and 'Dookie' and loved them both. I can't say my parents did, because those 2 cd's were on constantly 2 weeks before it. So knowing most of the words does actually help :D. So.. time to set the scene :D...
It was a cold winter night. Hold on! Wrong day :)! Let's start again... It was near the end of a fantastic day at Reading festival, having been a Reading festival virgin, it was some experience and having only heard a few of the bands before, I really enjoyed the dropkick murphies, and thought they were going to be the best people i'd have seen at Reading that day.. Was I wrong?? YES!! After seeing '50cent' being bottled/sworn/mudded and evetually portable stooled off Reading stage, with all of us joining in the chants of '50 cent's a wanker', and me occasionaly screaming ' GET A F*CKING LIFE!' as loud as I could. Along with the chants for Green Day during the songs, we all moved closer to try and get a good place for green day.. And we did. After waiting 20 minutes on the floor, we decided to stand up to see what was happening, and just in time. The American Idiot hand went up on the back of the stage, and we all cheered. A couple more minutes, and.. A pink bunny walks on with a Giuness. So he starts to drink it, and everybody cheers, and it's all a good laugh. And then he starts to get people clapping along to him pointing at Tre's drum kit and Green Day run on. The crowd go fucking balestic! Everybody's screaming as loud as they can, and they start playing 'American Idiot'. They play it amazingly, and they get the cheers they deserve, and then they start playing 'Longview' and the crowd seems to be sining along with it louder than Billie Joe.. They play more songs.. I can't really remeber all of it.. It's gonna be kinda blurry of the order but I know they played 'Longview', 'Welcome To Paradise', 'Hitchin' A Ride' and many others from their classic (and in my opionun best) album 'Dookie'. They then start to get creative. Billie Joe says he wants a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist and he gets 2/3. The bassist he gets first, getting them to crowd surf over to the stage... He then asks for the guirarist and something catches his eye.. A sign saying 'PICK ME BITCH' :D. He then has a conversation with this guy, infront of a 100,000 strong crowd, and evetually the guy is asked to come forward.. He runs up to Billie Joe, stands next to him and pulls out an instant camera, taking a photo of the 2 of them next to each other, head to head. Billie Joe then grabs him and gives him a massive kiss and the whole crowd cheers. He gets them to play a song and then the bouncer grabs the guitarsit off and Billie Joe takes his guitar back. He then starts saying bring the guy back and its done. He asks the guy his name...'Barney'.. So they then continue with their playing. Only its not theirs, it's a cover of 'Queens' 'WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS'. With all the crowd singing their hearts out to this! They then play the 'Clash'es 'I fought the law'. After an encore of the crowd chanting Green Day, Billie Joe comes back on his own without Tre and Mike and (i think) an acoustic guitar, which can only mean one thing: 'Time Of Your Life' ('Good Ridance'). So with an amazing crowd of over 100,000 people, with lighters in the air, and arms swinging in time, Billie Joe finishes.. Wait! It was the other way round ;). The crowd of Reading festival finishes off a great year with Billie Joe singing along to Reading's 'Time Of Your Life' and brings it to a heart stopping end.
Worth Going to See them: Most definantly
Worth Loosing your voice from shouting abuse at 50cent and the songs to Green Day... Even better...
My advice: take a camera! And tisueses! You're gonna need them both.....
One hell of a fucking Green Day....
Jesus.....CHRIST :D
Peter
I can't say I loved Green Day when I heard them about 2 years ago when 'Espionage' being the only track I had heard and being told by a friend also coming to Reading festival that it was unlikely that would be played. A month before we went to see them at Reading, I got 'international Superhits!' and 'Dookie' and loved them both. I can't say my parents did, because those 2 cd's were on constantly 2 weeks before it. So knowing most of the words does actually help :D. So.. time to set the scene :D...
It was a cold winter night. Hold on! Wrong day :)! Let's start again... It was near the end of a fantastic day at Reading festival, having been a Reading festival virgin, it was some experience and having only heard a few of the bands before, I really enjoyed the dropkick murphies, and thought they were going to be the best people i'd have seen at Reading that day.. Was I wrong?? YES!! After seeing '50cent' being bottled/sworn/mudded and evetually portable stooled off Reading stage, with all of us joining in the chants of '50 cent's a wanker', and me occasionaly screaming ' GET A F*CKING LIFE!' as loud as I could. Along with the chants for Green Day during the songs, we all moved closer to try and get a good place for green day.. And we did. After waiting 20 minutes on the floor, we decided to stand up to see what was happening, and just in time. The American Idiot hand went up on the back of the stage, and we all cheered. A couple more minutes, and.. A pink bunny walks on with a Giuness. So he starts to drink it, and everybody cheers, and it's all a good laugh. And then he starts to get people clapping along to him pointing at Tre's drum kit and Green Day run on. The crowd go fucking balestic! Everybody's screaming as loud as they can, and they start playing 'American Idiot'. They play it amazingly, and they get the cheers they deserve, and then they start playing 'Longview' and the crowd seems to be sining along with it louder than Billie Joe.. They play more songs.. I can't really remeber all of it.. It's gonna be kinda blurry of the order but I know they played 'Longview', 'Welcome To Paradise', 'Hitchin' A Ride' and many others from their classic (and in my opionun best) album 'Dookie'. They then start to get creative. Billie Joe says he wants a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist and he gets 2/3. The bassist he gets first, getting them to crowd surf over to the stage... He then asks for the guirarist and something catches his eye.. A sign saying 'PICK ME BITCH' :D. He then has a conversation with this guy, infront of a 100,000 strong crowd, and evetually the guy is asked to come forward.. He runs up to Billie Joe, stands next to him and pulls out an instant camera, taking a photo of the 2 of them next to each other, head to head. Billie Joe then grabs him and gives him a massive kiss and the whole crowd cheers. He gets them to play a song and then the bouncer grabs the guitarsit off and Billie Joe takes his guitar back. He then starts saying bring the guy back and its done. He asks the guy his name...'Barney'.. So they then continue with their playing. Only its not theirs, it's a cover of 'Queens' 'WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS'. With all the crowd singing their hearts out to this! They then play the 'Clash'es 'I fought the law'. After an encore of the crowd chanting Green Day, Billie Joe comes back on his own without Tre and Mike and (i think) an acoustic guitar, which can only mean one thing: 'Time Of Your Life' ('Good Ridance'). So with an amazing crowd of over 100,000 people, with lighters in the air, and arms swinging in time, Billie Joe finishes.. Wait! It was the other way round ;). The crowd of Reading festival finishes off a great year with Billie Joe singing along to Reading's 'Time Of Your Life' and brings it to a heart stopping end.
Worth Going to See them: Most definantly
Worth Loosing your voice from shouting abuse at 50cent and the songs to Green Day... Even better...
My advice: take a camera! And tisueses! You're gonna need them both.....
One hell of a fucking Green Day....
Jesus.....CHRIST :D
Peter
