…away. So I thought my first real post should be about something fun I’ve done and right now, it doesn’t get much better for me than seeing Green Day. Sure, over the years I enjoyed their songs about smoking pot and masturbating as much as anybody, but then I heard their current album American Idiot. It’s a brilliant rock opera with catchy tunes, and lyrics with real substance- an ambitious attempt that actually succeeds. I was blown away the first time I heard it and suddenly became a little obsessed with the band. I was totally bummed to learn they’d be playing in Los Angeles while I was working in Albuquerque… until I discovered they were performing in a much smaller amphitheatre in Albuquerque the night before my week started. WOOHOO!

Ticketless, I arrived at Journal Pavilion early to find hordes of people desperate for tickets and no sellers. I panicked for awhile then made my way to the end of the parking lot hoping to catch people just out of their cars. I finally found someone with a ticket to sell and paid way too much for a lawn ticket. But hey, I was getting in. I always seem to have a freakish effect on the weather for outdoor concerts and this was no exception. Lightning was streaking all over the place and I swear, as soon as Billie Joe sang, “Hear the sound of the falling rain,” the sprinkles turned into a torrential downpour. Everybody else scrambled for their jackets while I thoroughly enjoyed the warm soaking.

I’d watched some Green Day concert footage before, but I had no idea how fun and funny the guys would be, on top of being top notch performers. At first I was a bit disappointed they didn’t play American Idiot from front to back and only played about half the album, but I was very pleased that at the end, they’d played all but two of my old favorites- even a few that I love but weren’t big radio hits. They worked the crowd (short audio) and sprayed the audience with a firehose (slightly redundant after the rain, but still fun. Speaking of which, “Redundant” was one of my favs they didn’t play). They brought some people onstage to play as the band and liberally insulted George W. to the delight of everybody.

I hadn’t been to a concert in a while, but I was prepared with my two lighters. When they started “We are the Waiting,” I tried like a fool to start my lighters in the wind and rain before realizing everybody else was holding up their cell phones. How come I never got that memo?

After two hours, they announced the next song would be their last and I was desperately praying for it to be “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”… instead they did their rendition of Queen’s, “We are the Champions.” It was great, but I was a little bummed. When it was over, everybody left the stage except Billie Joe and he answered my prayer. I have to admit, I got a little misty eyed.

My post-concert euphoria lasted through the week. Then I heard Green Day was putting on a “secret” show at the Wiltern in LA the following Tuesday, with tickets going on sale only on the Internet at 10 am Monday morning. As soon as I finished Sunday’s show, I hopped in my car and headed to my sister’s house near Phoenix. As 10 am approached, I was hitting the refresh buttons on three computers like a madman but instantly the tickets were all gone. I tried for half an hour like a doctor refusing to declare a guy dead even though he has no pulse and his guts are all over the table. I checked Craigslist and saw that scalpers had already posted available tickets at $250 a pop. I finally accepted the fact that instead of seeing the show in the intimate Wiltern Theatre, I would have to watch the show along with millions of others on the not-so-intimate AOL Internet telecast. Two hours later, I should have been sleeping after pulling an all-nighter, but I was still awake and decided to give Ticketmaster another try. By some miraculous luck, a couple of tickets had opened up right at that moment. I was faced with a screen telling me I had to fill in every detail of my life in two minutes or I’d lose the tickets. I was actually shaking I was so nervous! But I got through it in time and was officially going to the Wiltern.

I had planned to drive back to LA that night but my sister convinced me that with no sleep for a couple days, I should stay the night at her place. It’s a good thing she did, because the next day, my tire totally blew out in Blythe. It was very lucky it happened where it did, after two days of driving through the barren desert. I started to change the tire myself (dressed in my sarong and flip flops) when two guys stopped to help. As appreciative as I was for the assistance, they didn’t look like the kind of guys I’d want to meet in a crowded park much less standing alone on a freeway overpass with lots of cash and half my belongings in the back seat of my car. But apparently my Forencic Files debut wasn’t meant to be. Thanks to those two sweet guys for taking the time to help and for not killing me when you had the chance.

I made it to the theatre early because it was general admission seating (well, standing) and found my place at the end of the long line. After about 45 minutes of waiting, some guy passed through the line yelling, “If you have a camera phone, take it back to your car now. It will not be allowed inside.” I looked at all the people behind me and decided there was no way I was losing my spot to take my phone back. So I stuck the phone in my strapless top, figuring they probably wouldn’t search there. I got to the entrance and, luckily, the door people must have assumed the one protruding nipple was a result of the cold and not an antenna sticking through my top. Phew! Made it.

Once inside, I found a spot at the back of the second tier, an excellent location compared to being on the lawn back in New Mexico. Opening the show was The Network, a heavily-costumed new wave band. While the group has been hyped as major rivals of Green Day, rumor’s always had it that they’re actually the guys from Green Day in disguise (having seen them, I confirm it as truth). Yes, Green Day opened for Green Day. I’m not too into their music as The Network but it was fun watching the lengths they went to to try to conceal their voices and identities, realizing that it really didn’t matter since many people in the audience thought they were just another unknown opening band. In any case, it was a rare treat to see The Network perform.

FINALLY, the real Green Day hit the stage and I was thrilled to actually see their faces without the help of a big screen. Halfway through the first song, Billie Joe said he wanted more people to come down to the pit. ZOOM! I think I left a puff of smoke taking off so fast. Two seconds later I’m down in the pit 10 feet from bassist Mike Dirnt. The joy was short-lived, though, when some meathead bouncer told me I had to leave because I didn’t have a wristband. I argued with him for a second, telling him the lead singer told people to come down but he said they were clearing everybody out. He turned around and I ducked into the crowd off to the side. As soon as he was gone, I made my way to the middle of the pit, where I stayed for the rest of the show (check out my pics). Apparently, other non-wristband-wearers weren’t so deft in eluding the bouncers, because the pit was quite roomy and I was able to rock out to my heart’s content. Surprisingly, there was no “moshing” in the pit, perhaps an indicator of Green Day’s changing audience (BTW- EVERYBODY had a camera phone).

I was stoked they played the American Idiot album from beginning to end. I always thought it was a bit odd they ended the album with “Whatsername,” as it seems anticlimactic following the epic “Homecoming.” For the concert, they closed the show with “Homecoming” and then did “Whatsername” in the encore along with “Longview” and “Minority.”

The fact that I was so close to the stage hearing the tale of the Jesus of Suburbia all the way through was awesome, but at the same time, I felt like the show wasn’t as much about the live audience as it was about the Internet telecast (which I later spotted myself on- I’ll soon be adding “Green Day Concert Footage” to my resume). Drummer Tr? Cool didn’t do his goofy rendition of “All by Myself” nor did Billie Joe do his hot little self stimulation routine and he skipped his tradition of surprising a guy with a kiss. The show was about half as long and didn’t include nearly as much crowd interaction nor did it contain some of the really fun numbers they did in New Mexico (”King for a Day” and a cover of “Shout” stand out). They’re great performers and still put on a fantastic show, but I have to admit, I actually had more fun in Albuquerque. I do feel fortunate to have attended both shows, because between them, I got to hear the old and new songs and The Network and feel like I truly enjoyed the full Green Day experience.

If you haven’t seen them live- go. If you haven’t heard American Idiot- listen.

Green Day rocks.