No known setlist
Show Notes: Getting In Tune: "Armstrong sensed an importance about the sell-out show and often thanked the crowd for their continued support in Chicago; citing the tour has the best the band as ever had and reminiscing about their first ever visit to Chicago as openers for local punk legends The Effigies."
Bob Nanna: "My pal Nathan just reminded me that it was 20 years ago today we went to our first McGregors show: Sludgeworth, Effigies, and... Green Day."
Mike Byrne: "They played in July of 1990 at McGregors with Sludgeworth and the Effigies..."
Sun Times: "He [Matt Nelson] went on to put together successful concerts at local clubs, including one at McGregor's in Elmhurst, where he booked a band he really liked but not many people had heard of yet - Green Day. ..."He introduced a lot of kids to punk rock through all-ages shows," DeRosa said, recalling, "He booked Green Day at McGregor's when they were a small band touring out of a van."
gdtourvan1990: "Sunday July 8 Part I: The guys slept in the van in Germantown and in the morning we passed through Milwaukee on our way to Chicago for a show that night. When the guys spotted the Blatz Milwaukee Brewery, they had to stop and pay homage not to the beer, but to one of the most dangerous punk bands ever. For instance, that party in Concord that I mentioned in an earlier post; The stage was a tiny patio next to a completely befouled swimming pool and both Aaron and Joey were playing drums along with Annie, Anna, Marshall, Jesse, Robert all packed together. The kids were great, but there were a few jerks in the crowd and in the middle of their set, Jesse gave the whole crowd a shove and only the most obnoxious assholes ended up in the pool! Well needless to say, this sparked a mini riot and I had to evacuate the band; but chalk it up to never knowing what to expect when Blatz would play. The brewery wasn’t offering tours and now it belongs to Leinenkugals. Sunday July 8 Part II: The Chicago show was at McGregors on the northwest corner of W North Ave and Hwy 83 in Elmhurst IL. What was this place? Was it a bar? It had a ridiculous brass railing around the stage. It was an all-ages show, which the guys always made a point of playing; and 80s punk icons The Effigies were staging a reunion, so the place was packed. Were any of the Screeching Weasel guys there? I don’t remember. Green Day returned to McGregors several times in the next few years, so if you think you saw them at McGregors, it probably wasn’t this show. After the show some Illinois nazis started a fight in the parking lot, but since the band had been attacked by nazis at a show in Sacramento in 1989, they had a plan for for this. At the first hint of trouble, Sean was to jump in the van and drive away. Where? Away! And then come back in about half an hour and pick up the guys. You see, on tour, your van is everything. It’s your house and it’s your ride to the next gig. A band can always borrow instruments, but it’s unlikely someone will loan you a van. The McGregors show was the only time we ever had to enact the plan. Everything ended well. McGregor’s is now a vacant lot. At least it isn’t boring condos. Monday July 9: After the McGregor’s show we were invited to stay with a band called 8 Bark who also lived on North Ave; 15 miles away! We arrived at 2047 North Ave. around 3am. Doug came out and asked if we planned to leave the gear in the van, “thing is, thieves around here can just look at a van, how it sits on its tires, and they can tell what’s inside, they can even tell what brand of amps and guitars you got.” So we were advised not to leave the van unattended the entire time we were in Chicago. The first shift, I think it was John and Sean who slept on the bunk. In the morning, some locals were passing a bottle around in the alley and then one of them wandered up and puked on my hood! Now days, if you go around the corner you can get a tasty limited edition Purple Potato Ricotta and Honey something or other. How nice. During the day I drove the guys over to the Sears Tower and they rode an elevator to the top. It was so high up you could almost see the old neighborhood! Later, they went out for burritos with the 8 Bark guys and wouldn’t you know it, some Chicago punks had an opinion about how the Green Day guys ordered burritos! “You guys order a burrito with everything and then tell them what you don’t want on it. The way it’s really done is to order it with nothing and then tell the guy what you want on it. That’s how it’s done” These guys knew just about everything about everything. That night while some of the guys went bowling at Fireside Bowl, where the door was always locked and the shoe rental guy would buzz you in only if he thought you were cool, Aaron and John decided a van in motion was more difficult to rob, so they drove around all night trying to find as many locations from The Blues Brothers as they could. How I would have loved to have jumped a draw bridge or blasted down Lower Wacker Drive at 110 per! Around 3am they parked next to the river in the Loop and ate roasted peanuts. The tour was going well."
Opening Band(s): The Effigies, Sludgeworth, Johnny Chainsaw