The Triangle

Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Adam Miller

On a normal day masturbation, bad Freddie Mercury impersonations, a six-foot alcoholic rabbit, and outlandish political awareness don't all fit together, but then again you don't see Green Day everyday. The "American Idiot" Tour placed punk's premier showstoppers back on the stage where they belong, and this time they brought a few friends.

Warped Tour alumni Sugarcult and New Found Glory kicked off the 7:30 gig at the Liacouras Center with some of power-pop punks finest (though somehow we deemed Sugarcult not worthy enough to catch). New Found Glory, however, pulled out the greatest hits catalogue including "Head on Collision" and "My Friends Over You."

Aside from a glowing black-light backdrop, their stage show appeared as though it had just made a detour from the Warped Tour, nothing fancy, just the band. The Florida quintet seemed lively as ever and put on their best, but anyone who knows the touring history of Green Day knows that typically their pop-punk counterparts usually pale in comparison to the main event. It's a simple issue of maturity, something that openers New Found Glory and even 2002 Pop Disaster openers Blink-182 don't possess. Closing with "All Downhill From Here", NFG got the crowd ready to go, even causing a few fourteen-year-olds to think they were in a real mosh pit.

Usually crowd surfing and sing-alongs typify such acts as New Found Glory, which can be a lot of fun. Jordan Pundik, lead vocalist, didn't mind letting the crowd sing more than a few bars of their hit single "Hit or Miss", later diving into the pit and giving a few fans an up and close opportunity to try out their vocal skills. The quality was good, but in the end New Found Glory seems more like an appetizer rather than an entrée.

With "heart-shaped hang grenade" flags raised and techs still finishing out the sound check, someone thought, "Hey, how about a giant alcoholic bunny." So, of course with ten minutes before "Los Dios de Verde" (the Gods of Green) hit the stage, the Easter Bunny proceeded to stumble from backstage, cheer to the crowd, and then crack open a cold one and chug it like none other...only to later be tackled by a five-foot mouse just as he exited stage right.

The show hadn't even started yet, and it was already a good show. The place went black, and the crowd screamed as the opening theme to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" began to build. Before we knew it, Tre Cool, drummer extraordinaire, had crept from the back and slipped into his set, while Mike Dirnt had taken his spot to the extreme right, and Billy Joe of course just took the middle. Once Mr. Armstrong began his short guitar intro, the entire band kicked right into the "American Idiot", poking fun at Middle America.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools