Show Notes: Incomplete setlist

"OK, I admit it - I've never understood the 'punk rock' thing. Take spit, for instance. Being purposely spit upon is usually considered a terrible insult. It's what brave men do before being shot by a firing squad. But in punk rock circles, it's a tribute. It's manna from punk heaven. Fans come away from punk concerts happy, exhausted and just a little bit damp. Weird, no? The same goes for the way punk rockers tell their fans, 'We love you! You're the best!' in a manner that can't be printed in a family newspaper. There's punk 'dancing,' which to many observers looks like a soccer riot. And let's not even discuss punk 'fashion.' So it was with great interest that I finally had a chance to interview Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day. Considered one of the most influential punk rock bands of the '90s, the trio is among 13 edgy rock bands playing Edgefest at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday. (Bassist Mike Dirnt, who suffered a fractured skull from being hit with a beer bottle following a backstage fracas with a member of Third Eye Blind in LA, is apparently feeling much better.) The band is touring on its latest album, Nimrod. Note the self-deprecating album title. Before Armstrong became fed up with my stupid questions and hung up on me, some remarkable insights were gained into the mind and myths of 'punk rock.' First of all, he explains, there are many 'factions' of punk rock. He insists that his opinion on the matter is just a personal viewpoint. Conclusion: Punk is a personal thing. 'It's about celebrating your insecurities,' Armstrong says. 'A lot of people were into these different things that I wasn't into in school, sports and cheerleading, whatever. I wouldn't want to call myself an outcast. I think I was just more invisible. I wasn't a nerd or anything like that. I just sort of didn't really exist. And punk was a completely different world that I could relate to that no one else could. And I was sort of proud of that. I still am.' Point No. 2: Punk is hard to explain. Says he, 'It's almost like trying to describe a smell. It smells like dirt and Pine Sol. Maybe if you hung out with me and my friends for a couple of days, that would be the best way to understand it.' (Note to self: This is not likely to happen.) Another thing about punk: It need not sound like punk at all. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), the mellow first single from the new album, was such a departure from the in-your-face previous work of Green Day that 'a lot of people didn't even know it was us,' Armstrong laughs. But it's still punk: 'A song like that is so vulnerable, and in a way, that's sort of what punk is. Instead of throwing your insecurities into a closet somewhere and keeping your guard up all the time, it's like celebrating it. Yeah, even Green Day can have a tender moment. I don't really care what people think. I just write my songs and that's it.' 'I put myself on the line as far as whatever credibility is concerned and there was reaction to it. Everybody knows that, the whole sellout thing. But I'm not going to beat some 15-year-old kid over the head to tell him what punk rock means. Or just because some 35-year-old stockbroker bought my CD doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and worry about whether or not he identifies with punk rock. It's just a song. I know what it means to me and sometimes I'm not even sure I know how to explain it.' Conclusion: Analysis of punk is perhaps best (or worst) left to journalists. That goes double for talking about album sales. Armstrong becomes annoyed when asked if he's disappointed that Nimrod didn't sell as much as Green Day's previous two albums. 'What are you, a Billboard reader?' he sneers audibly. 'I don't give a fuck! I write my songs, dude. That's all I do. What do you want me to say?' Just be honest, I reply. Then comes the interview-ending question: Do you think your band is responsible for the punk rock revival in pop music? 'Oh, God,' he mutters. Click ... Hello? Hello? I think I got it now: Hanging up was just Billie's way of saying that he loves me. I wish it could've been in person - he might've spit on me."


"If I could say anything about green day, is that they know how to get a crowd going. The onstage antics of the group is awesome. The location was Edmonton at the Commonwealth stadium for Edgefest 98 (july 8th, 1998). After seeing Billie Joe come out earlier during the Foo Fighter set to moon the crowd, we didn't know what to expect. The reason he came out was because dave grohl said "this song is about Billie Joes sweet ass", the song they dedicated to his "sweet ass" was Big Me... the chorus went "once you get inside Billie Joes ass, everything is fine" and shortly into the song, fans were greeted with a full moon courtesy Billie Joe. Green Day ripped through a 50 minute (somewhere around 50 mins) like true rockers. They sang songs like Hitching A Ride, Basketcase, King for a Day, and Longview. It was great. Billie Joe opened up by swearing like crazy "fuck shit, shit fuck fuck shit, pussy, fuck shit shit fuck", something like that. It was hilarious. Later on billie joe proclaimed himself the "fucking king of rock music". A little bit after that, Billie Joe invited someone from the crowd to play the guitar. BJ asked many fans from the mosh if they could play the guitar, he finally decided to bring this 13 year old kid onstage to play the guitar. And billie joe said to the kid that if he couldn't play, that everyone in the stadium was gonna kick his ass. It turns out the kid could play, and the crowd went totaly fucking nuts!!! Later on they played King For A Day with the crowd screaming king for a day like crazy, it was one of the highlights of the night. Eventually, Billie Joe yanked off his pants to reveal a leopard skin g-string... followed by many hip thrusts and jirating... pure comedy. Nearing the end of the set, Tre light the drum set on fire and many other things followed... but probably the ultimate part of Edgefest was Good Riddance, BJ got his guitar and ended the set perfectly, "i hope you had the time of your life" that was the perfect chorus to a perfect ending."