This was THEE tour of the summer of 2024. A mix of nostalgia and the next generation of rock and roll all in one. This particular show was pushed off a couple of weeks due to Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's vocalist losing his voice. The capacity crowd still showed up at Hershey Park Stadium in Hershey PA as this show was not to be missed. Green Day set out to play both "Dookie" and "American Idiot" from front to back on this tour, playing two hour sets to cover all of their material. The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas were all amazing and provided the best support for this tour.
The Linda Lindas 4 young girls from California with a dream and insane talent opened this mega tour. They have been playing togther for several years and range from 14 to 19 years old. They started to gain major attention when they opened for Bikini Kill in 2019 at the Hollywood Palladium. Amy Poehler was so impressed that she had them record songs for her film Moxie. In 2021 the Los Angeles Public Library posted a video of the band playing "Racist, Sexist Boy" at a "TEENtastic Tuesdays" event. The song was about an experience Mila de la Garza, the band's drummer, had when a schoolmate made a racist comment before the COVID-19 pandemic. The video became a viral social media hit which got the signed to Epitaph Records.
The Linda Lindas played 7 songs in a very quick set. They played a mix of songs off of their first EP and their upcoming release No Obiligation which is set to drop this October. They were energetic and commanded the huge stage set for the evenings closing acts. They looked and sounded like they have been performing together for 20 years. In this day and age when so many bands rely on laptops to play a show, these girls were the raw, real deal.
Next up was Rancid. There's not a person in my age bracket that didn't rock out to their song "Ruby SoHo" at some point in their teen years. Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen have been sharing vocals and guitar shredding duties since 1993, Rancid's co-founder Matt Freeman has been slapping the bass since 1991 and Branden Steineckert been the bands drummer since 2006. The band packed their 30 minute set with 7 songs mostly from their album ...And Out Comes the Wolves.
They opened with "Maxwell Murder", "Roots Radicals" and "Journey to the End of the East Bay". They closed out the night with two of my favorites, "Time Bomb" and of course "Ruby Soho". The crowd was filled punk rockers of all ages. Everyone was out of their seats rocking out the whole time. I really enjoyed the start of my trip down memory lane.
Next up were Smashing Pumpkins. Every time I hear Billy Corgan's voice I am transported back to my junior year of high school where we blasted "Today" while driving around with our brand new licenses. Then in 1995, a couple of months into college, they released their pivotal album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. This album was everything and to me it still is. Getting to hear "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight" absolutely made my night. When bands that you love go through breakups, hiatus' and lineup changes you never know if you'll ever get to hear your favorite songs live and when you do the experience is just that much greater.
Their performance was top notch, backing original members Billy Corgan (vocals, guitar), James Iha (guitar) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums) were Jack Bates (bass), Katie Cole (keyboards, guitar) and Kiki Wong (guitar). The band had several jam sessions and a drum solo where everyone just stared and praised Jimmy. The crowd was enthusiastic and sang along to all of the songs. While Smashing Pumpkins are a mellow band there were still plenty of headbanging fans building the energy for Green Day.
On to the main attraction, Green Day. Another band of nostalgia and memories for me. Another band I never thought I'd get the chance to see live. My first weekend at college in Allentown, PA in 1995 Green Day played the local fair. I made friends with a few girls that lived on my dorm floor and we decided to get tickets to see them. At this time the internet barely existed so tickets had to be purchased over the phone. Somehow the ticket order got messed up and we ended up not going. I'm still upset over this missed opportunity but at least 29 years later I got to see them and be in their photo pit to document the evening.
The front row of the pit was filled with super fans of all ages. Many of them had been to several shows, some had signs and one did end up on stage later that evening to sing part of "Know Your Enemy" with the band. The girl that ended up on stage is also an aspiring photographer and videographer. I did not catch her name but she's going to college to do so, and wants to make music videos. I hope all her dreams come true since mine did this evening.
Green Day opened the night with "The American Dream is Killing Me". The crowd errupted and so did the stage. Mile high flames shot up from behind the band, making this cool eveing extra sweaty. Lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong started the song back with his bandmates Mike Dirnt (guitar) and Tré Cool (drums) on their super wide stage then proceeded to perfom most of the song out on the catwalk getting up close and personal with the fans. I cannot explain how much energy he had and how much happiness flowed from him to everyone else.
Green Day then played Dookie in its entirety then American Idiot in its entirely. The fans danced, sang and jumped on Billie's command. The entire stadium was in awe of the historic night. This is one of those tours where you never know when the band will resurface, it could be years before the band hits the road and the chances of hearing both of these full albums again is probably pretty low.
This whole evening was an epic event to remember. With amazing music and the best fans. Everyone had the best time celebrating a lifetime of punk and rock and roll. Every band contributed to someone's happiness and mental health on this evening and thats worth more than the price of admission.
Absolutely loved reliving the rock shows with your amazing commentary and beautiful pics!!!