Billie Joe Armstrong stood on a massive stage erected in the outfield of the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park and let his feelings be known about the owner of the baseball team on the other side of the Bay.
“We don’t take no (expletive) from people like John (expletive) Fisher, who sold out the Oakland A’s to Las (expletive) Vegas,” said the Green Day vocalist-guitarist, using Friday night’s platform of a sold-out concert with 43,000 in attendance to represent his native East Bay. “I (expletive) hate Las Vegas. It’s the worst (expletive) hole in America.”
And Armstrong wasn’t the only East Bay punk icon at the concert who was thinking about the A’s, which were kicking off what is assumed to be their last-ever homestand in Oakland — after more than 56 years in the city — with a game against the New York Yankees on that very same night.
“Oh, I am going to say some (expletive) tonight — (expletive) John Fisher,” said Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen. “His whole family makes money off the backs of Bay Area people and then he wants to (expletive) off to Vegas. (Expletive) him.
“Thank God we’ve still got the Giants.”
The amazing thing about the concert was that — even though it was happening in one of San Francisco’s key landmarks — it really turned out to be a massive celebration of the East Bay, one that many would say felt even more necessary than usual in light of losing the A’s.
And nobody is a better East Bay cheerleader than Armstrong.
“We are East Bay — East Bay for life,” exclaimed the Green Day front man, who was born in Oakland and raised in Rodeo. “Forever — Green Day, East Bay — forever. Can you feel me?”
Oh, most certainly. And the rant against Fisher was only one of many reasons why. Armstrong and his two bandmates — bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool — would actually give the jam-packed crowd some 2 1/2 hours of incentives during their excellent headlining set, capping off an overall 5 1/2 hour concert that also included enjoyable sets from Rancid, Smashing Pumpkins and The Linda Lindas.
“Welcome to the 20th anniversary — wait a minute — 30th anniversary of ‘Dookie,’” Armstrong said near the start of the band’s set.
Yet, it’s understandable why he might be a bit confused. After all, there was a lot of ground to cover and things to keep straight as these Rodeo rockers celebrated the 20th and 30th anniversaries of their two most important albums … “Dookie” and “American Idiot,” respectively.
Kicking off the ample 38-song set with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” — one of a half dozen tunes performed from Green Day’s most recent album, “Saviors” (which is also the tour’s namesake) — the band then launched right into 14-track “Dookie” in its entirety.
Like the multiplatinum breakthrough album itself, the performance was a bit slow to start, as the group waded through the lesser-known tracks “Burnout,” “Having a Blast” and “Chump,” but things then took off once Cool and Dirnt locked into that mesmerizing groove of “Longview.” And then the band just kept rolling through the album’s best material.
“This next song is dedicated to Oakland, California,” Armstrong said as the intro to a fun version of “Welcome to Paradise.”
The trio, which was supported onstage by three touring musicians, finished up the “Dookie” album with “F.O.D.” and then visited some other material (including “Brain Stew,” which may just be the most powerful rocker of the band’s career) before opening up the book on “American Idiot.”
That the nightcap was even better than the “Dookie” opener may be surprising to some, especially those who are familiar with the oh-so bland Broadway musical version of the material. Yet, “American Idiot” is a full concept album — which achieves its maximum potential when it’s heard in one sitting — while “Dookie” is kind of just a collection of songs (some of which are quite good).
Opening with the title track, and continuing through such grand achievements as “Jesus of Suburbia,” “Holiday” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day continued to build momentum and sew together the individual songs in ways that were absolutely fascinating. By the time we reached the finish line of “American Idiot,” with the closing track of “Whatsername,” it felt like we had just completed a very rare rock odyssey, one served up just a day shy of the 30th anniversary of the album’s actual release date (Sept. 21, 2004).
The other bands on the bill also delivered fine sets, with The Linda Lindas — a great young L.A. rock quartet featuring musicians who range in age from 14 to 20 — kicking things off before a still-sparse (but highly appreciative) crowd at 5:30 p.m. Rancid followed with a half-hour set of East Bay punk tunes, then came the Smashing Pumpkins to finish setting the table for Green Day with an hourlong set.
Green Day setlist
1. “The American Dream Is Killing Me”
2. “Burnout”
3. “Having a Blast”
4. “Chump”
5. “Longview”
6. “Welcome to Paradise”
7. “Pulling Teeth”
8. “Basket Case”
9. “She”
10. “Sassafras Roots”
11. “When I Come Around”
12. “Coming Clean”
13. “Emenius Sleepus”
14. “In the End”
15. “F.O.D.”
16. “All by Myself”
17. “Know Your Enemy”
18. “Look Ma, No Brains!”
19. “One Eyed Bastard”
20. “Dilemma”
21. “Minority”
22. “Brain Stew”
23. “American Idiot”
24. “Jesus of Suburbia”
25. “Holiday”
26. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
27. “Are We the Waiting”
28. “St. Jimmy”
29. “Give Me Novacaine”
30. “She’s a Rebel”
31. “Extraordinary Girl”
32. “Letterbomb”
33. “Wake Me Up When September Ends”
34. “Homecoming”
35. “Whatsername”
36. “Bobby Sox”
37. “Suzie Chapstick”
38. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”