Green Day's return a triumph
Green Day
The O2 Arena
Getty Images
GUITAR HERO: Billie Joe Armstrong shows off his skills
Thursday October 22 2009
As far as great comebacks go, it's certainly up there with the best of them.
In fact, even after five years and the release of yet another strong album, I'm still quite baffled as to how the hell Green Day ever managed to pull it off.
We are, after all, talking about a group of musicians who, until September 2004, hadn't released a decent album in more than 10 years.
Not only that, but their popularity had also hit an all-time low, and the boys were struggling to fill the larger venues that they headlined in the mid-90s.
That all changed when Billie Joe Armstrong and his manic-eyed companions decided that they wanted to write a rock opera.
And, while the buzz surrounding American Idiot may have fizzled out, it appears that Green Day are still at the top of their game.
Myth
Arriving at the O2 in Dublin last night on the back of their most recent release, 21st Century Breakdown, the band once again proved that their status as one of the most exciting live acts in the world isn't just some myth. No, these guys are the real deal. The Californian trio really have graduated from bleary-eyed princes of punk to bona fide rock stars, and this is a proper rock show to rival the very best of them.
Over the course of two and a half hours, the true star of the show was Billie Joe -- Green Day's very own peroxide-decorated Bono. He's small, he's funny looking, but he's also one cool son of a gun.
Like I said, I don't know how they pulled it off, but something tells me that this triumphant return to the world stage looks set to last for a very long time.
- Chris Wasser
