Melbourne Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Australia, December 16th, 2005
Arriving at about 10:30am, and the actual doors opening at 4:30 PM meant we had a 6 hour wait ahead of us - but I didnt care.
Surprising I kept myself amused by listening to Green Day's, My Chemical Romance's and Jimmy Eat World's soundchecks. Some of the things I was hearing from Gerard Way from MCR made me laugh.
Bought merch and stayed in that line in the sun.
Hours passed then suddenly everyone got up and ran to the front of the line. But turns out we werent going in yet - some dickhead at the front stood up and made everyone rush. So now it was about 1 and a half hours till we went in. The security was bad - they hadnt even given out wristbands yet. So we went and got them, returning closer to the front of the line.
After a while we got closer and closer and eventually - bang - they let people in. I was about 40/50th person in.
As soon as I scanned my ticket I bolted - hey, I flew over there from Melbourne, I was getting at the front.
The security guards were all like "Stop! Don't run!" Pfft, we still ran.
I got to the front! Right in front of what looked like a confetti machine.
So now only about 2 hours of waiting left! Yay! Hahaha!!
I was standing next to some girl and her little brother - I ended up telling them all about Green Day, and it turns out, the girl - hadn't ever heard any MCR before.
We watched the roadies set up the rest of MCR's set and the security guards started handing out water in cups.
Finally after waiting all that time - My Chemical Romance run out and start to play "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)". I rang my friend Franc and well turns out she didn't really hear anything only me screaming the lyrics.
Turns out their it was their youngest roadies birthday like last week and he won "Cutest guy from Warped '05". His name was Jeff.
When MCR's set was over we had to wait for JEW aka Jimmy Eat World. That didn't seem to take long and up they were.
It brang back memories from that backstage at the Pop Disater Tour DVD - "Riding In Vans With Boys" - I must have DVD kiddies - when the former Blink 182 and of course Green Day headlined it, but enough of that.
I knew 2 songs...
When they were about to finish - BANG! Jim, the lead singer and guitarest did a very Who thing and smashed his guitar! Was cool.
Then it seemed this waiting period toke the longest. They completely pulled away the backdrops of MCR and JEW revealing a fully already set up stage for Green Day!
They were putting smoke and shit everywhere and all these people were climbing ropes and fixing things at the top of the stage. All these flags were going up and down at the back of the stage and 2 HUGE screens at the back of the stage appeared.
After waiting the real background punk songs of bands such as The Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols, New York Dolls dimed and the YMCA blasted - I knew what was coming.
A giant pink bunny costume jumps out!
The people around me were shocked - I was surrounded by teenies...
He chugged his beers and did the YMCA while almost collapsing because he was the drunk pink bunny. With a blast of Blitzkrieg Bop the pink bunny left the stage.
After a few minutes that old 'dun dun dun dunnnnnn dun' song played and one after another Green Day ran on! Fin-fucking-ly!
Billie Joe stood centre with his hands on his girlish hips and Tre' jumping up to his drum kit and Mike stood with his bass almost in front of me.
They started of course with American Idiot - always the crowd pleaser when that's the album more than half of your audience only know.
-American Idiot
- Jesus Of Suburbia
- Holiday
- Are We The Waiting
- (dedicated to The Living End ) St. Jimmy
- Give Me Novacaine
- Longview (finally some good Green Day)
- Hitchin' A Ride
- Brainstew
- Jaded
- Knowledge (Billie looked at me directly to see if I could play bass... If I could - I would've been up there )
- Basket Case
- She
- King For A Day (my fave)/ Shout / Stand By Me
- Wake Me Up When September Ends
- Minority
So okay, they always do an encore....
- I Fought The Law (so okay... This song was extra special... Not only do they like never hardly play it live BUT... Chris Cheney from The Living End came out!!!!!! And played guitar with 'em!!!!)
- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
- We Are The Champions
So okay... They leave again in a blaze of confetti... But something wasn't right... They didn't play 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), how strange I thought... then... They came out AGAIN!
- Homecoming (The song where they all sing - even Tre')
- Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Then after two more shots of confetti printed with 'GREEN DAY' and the heart grenade they actually leave.
So okay, my mum drags me out of the front row and tells me we're going now. Meh, I fill up the cup I have with confetti and we see the lines too long to get out so she yanks me by the arm to some security guard. Other people go through and he asks for passes, mum shows him something and me completely not knowing whats going on - show my wristband.
We walk down some weird thing - then it clicks - we're backstage. FUCKING BACKSTAGE!!!
All these roadies and security guards are getting shouted at and we continue to walk down this ramp when I spot 3 guys....
It was THE LIVING END!!!
I nearly scream and I run down - mum in tow.
Scott spots me first - and my shirt - it happened to be a TLE shirt from Coke Live N Local.
I start to shake and ask for a hug hes like "Sure" and hugs me.
I walk over to Andy next and shake even more - why? Its Andy Strachan!!! He gives the warmest hugs. And he's so short in person
Next Chris is talking to some roadies and shit about going on stage with his mates Green Day "fucking unbelieveable" she smiles, He shakes everybody's hands - including my mums. When he gets to me I ask for a hug which he gladly accepts and says: "We have to keep warm somehow," refering to me before thinking out loud by saying: "He's so warm..." about Andy.
Hours afterwards I still shake and to this day - cannot believe I met The Living End and finally after 10 years of being a Green Day fan - saw 'em.
Surprising I kept myself amused by listening to Green Day's, My Chemical Romance's and Jimmy Eat World's soundchecks. Some of the things I was hearing from Gerard Way from MCR made me laugh.
Bought merch and stayed in that line in the sun.
Hours passed then suddenly everyone got up and ran to the front of the line. But turns out we werent going in yet - some dickhead at the front stood up and made everyone rush. So now it was about 1 and a half hours till we went in. The security was bad - they hadnt even given out wristbands yet. So we went and got them, returning closer to the front of the line.
After a while we got closer and closer and eventually - bang - they let people in. I was about 40/50th person in.
As soon as I scanned my ticket I bolted - hey, I flew over there from Melbourne, I was getting at the front.
The security guards were all like "Stop! Don't run!" Pfft, we still ran.
I got to the front! Right in front of what looked like a confetti machine.
So now only about 2 hours of waiting left! Yay! Hahaha!!
I was standing next to some girl and her little brother - I ended up telling them all about Green Day, and it turns out, the girl - hadn't ever heard any MCR before.
We watched the roadies set up the rest of MCR's set and the security guards started handing out water in cups.
Finally after waiting all that time - My Chemical Romance run out and start to play "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)". I rang my friend Franc and well turns out she didn't really hear anything only me screaming the lyrics.
Turns out their it was their youngest roadies birthday like last week and he won "Cutest guy from Warped '05". His name was Jeff.
When MCR's set was over we had to wait for JEW aka Jimmy Eat World. That didn't seem to take long and up they were.
It brang back memories from that backstage at the Pop Disater Tour DVD - "Riding In Vans With Boys" - I must have DVD kiddies - when the former Blink 182 and of course Green Day headlined it, but enough of that.
I knew 2 songs...
When they were about to finish - BANG! Jim, the lead singer and guitarest did a very Who thing and smashed his guitar! Was cool.
Then it seemed this waiting period toke the longest. They completely pulled away the backdrops of MCR and JEW revealing a fully already set up stage for Green Day!
They were putting smoke and shit everywhere and all these people were climbing ropes and fixing things at the top of the stage. All these flags were going up and down at the back of the stage and 2 HUGE screens at the back of the stage appeared.
After waiting the real background punk songs of bands such as The Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols, New York Dolls dimed and the YMCA blasted - I knew what was coming.
A giant pink bunny costume jumps out!
The people around me were shocked - I was surrounded by teenies...
He chugged his beers and did the YMCA while almost collapsing because he was the drunk pink bunny. With a blast of Blitzkrieg Bop the pink bunny left the stage.
After a few minutes that old 'dun dun dun dunnnnnn dun' song played and one after another Green Day ran on! Fin-fucking-ly!
Billie Joe stood centre with his hands on his girlish hips and Tre' jumping up to his drum kit and Mike stood with his bass almost in front of me.
They started of course with American Idiot - always the crowd pleaser when that's the album more than half of your audience only know.
-American Idiot
- Jesus Of Suburbia
- Holiday
- Are We The Waiting
- (dedicated to The Living End ) St. Jimmy
- Give Me Novacaine
- Longview (finally some good Green Day)
- Hitchin' A Ride
- Brainstew
- Jaded
- Knowledge (Billie looked at me directly to see if I could play bass... If I could - I would've been up there )
- Basket Case
- She
- King For A Day (my fave)/ Shout / Stand By Me
- Wake Me Up When September Ends
- Minority
So okay, they always do an encore....
- I Fought The Law (so okay... This song was extra special... Not only do they like never hardly play it live BUT... Chris Cheney from The Living End came out!!!!!! And played guitar with 'em!!!!)
- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
- We Are The Champions
So okay... They leave again in a blaze of confetti... But something wasn't right... They didn't play 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), how strange I thought... then... They came out AGAIN!
- Homecoming (The song where they all sing - even Tre')
- Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Then after two more shots of confetti printed with 'GREEN DAY' and the heart grenade they actually leave.
So okay, my mum drags me out of the front row and tells me we're going now. Meh, I fill up the cup I have with confetti and we see the lines too long to get out so she yanks me by the arm to some security guard. Other people go through and he asks for passes, mum shows him something and me completely not knowing whats going on - show my wristband.
We walk down some weird thing - then it clicks - we're backstage. FUCKING BACKSTAGE!!!
All these roadies and security guards are getting shouted at and we continue to walk down this ramp when I spot 3 guys....
It was THE LIVING END!!!
I nearly scream and I run down - mum in tow.
Scott spots me first - and my shirt - it happened to be a TLE shirt from Coke Live N Local.
I start to shake and ask for a hug hes like "Sure" and hugs me.
I walk over to Andy next and shake even more - why? Its Andy Strachan!!! He gives the warmest hugs. And he's so short in person
Next Chris is talking to some roadies and shit about going on stage with his mates Green Day "fucking unbelieveable" she smiles, He shakes everybody's hands - including my mums. When he gets to me I ask for a hug which he gladly accepts and says: "We have to keep warm somehow," refering to me before thinking out loud by saying: "He's so warm..." about Andy.
Hours afterwards I still shake and to this day - cannot believe I met The Living End and finally after 10 years of being a Green Day fan - saw 'em.
