My Concert Experience at Green Day:
In all actuality, the day started at 11:00am, when my roommate Karen and I went downtown to wait for the busses to come in. When we got down there, there were 2 busses there, a red one with a satellite, and a bus with beach scene on it. We sat by the busses on this hill waiting to see someone from one of the two bands. Our luck came as we saw 3 of the members from D Generation walking back and forth between the mural bus and the back door to the arena. After about an hour or so of sitting there, we decided to take off to the record store for a little bit until we could find someone to give us backstage passes.
We came back in about half an hour, and by that time it was about 12:10, and we checked to make sure that there weren't any people in line yet. When we got back to our spot, we saw another member of D Generation, the drummer. We got him to come over and talk to us. He intruduced himself as Michael. We asked him about backstage passes, and he explaimed to us that there wasn't really any thing like backstage passes, and that there was a list that we could get on or something, but he wasn't in control of that. He also informed us that Green Day wasn't even at the arena, they were at their motel, resting. We thanked him profusely for his help. He said that we might come back for the sound check, cuz then the band had to come in, and maybe we could catch them then.
So we took off to a coffee shop for a couple of hours, to waste time before the sound check. We got back around 4:00pm, and we heard the sound check being performed. We tried at that time to find the blue bus, because that was Green Day's, but we couldn't find it anywhere. So, again we went and stood by the two busses to try to figure something out. My friend Slover had spotted us, and we walking to join us just as a guy about 35 years old came up to us from the opposite direction. The older guy asked us a coupla questions about going to a liquor store or where he could get some alcohol. He also mentioned he could get us tickets for our troubles. and since karen and i already had tix, we asked him if he could get us backstage passes. he said yes. So, we ended up taking this guy around in a taxi to fnd a liquor store that was open. unfortunately, this is idaho, and there are no liquor stores open on sundays. so, we did our best at getting him what he wanted, and he wrote our names down on the list.
So we waited. Finally, it was time for the show to begin. I waited in line for about 45 minutes, freezing my ass off, waiting for the doors to open. When we got inside the doors, there were security guards all around searching people for stuff. They took away my chain that my friend Bugg gave me 6 months before he died. I never got it back.
We made our way to the floor, and waiting about 5 feet from the front gates were our friends Bob, Jake, Mindy, etc. We stood around until about 8:30, waiting for D Generation to come on the stage. When they finally did, I was completely squished between one person in front of me, and a whole sea of fucking moshers behind. I can tell you, it was HELL. And that wasn't even the beginning. The crowd surfers started up their routine about 2 minutes into the music. There's no way that you can enjoy a show when you are watching your back, making sure that you're not going to get kicked in the hell by some little asshole.
D Generation played for about 45 minutes, and in that time, I got kicked about 60 times in the head. And these weren't just little bumps, this was like ammo pouring out of the sky kicks. I started beating the shit out of the crowd surfers after the first one kicked me. I'm a mean bitch when it comes to violence. I HATE CROWD SURFERS AND MOSHERS!!! THEY SUCK!!! I figure if people want to mosh, they can go to Metallica, not a Green Day show. fuckers. *as you may see, I am still a little bitter about the whole incedent*.
D Generation finally got off the stage, and we all just stood there, squished to hell from all of the people who wouldn't let up trying to get in the front. And I wasn't letting my place up. And alas, Green Day.
Tré was the first one on the stage, jumping on his drum stool, and holding up his arms as the crowd roared. Tré was in lovely attire this evening, wearing a black Nimrod shirt, red shorts over black sweat pants, and freshly spiked green hair. Mike and Bill came on together. Bill was wearing a *retro* smoking jacket with leopard-print fuzz lapels (the rest was black) over a white button-up collared shirt and a black tie. His pants were also black. Mike was wearing a black jacket over a red shirt and black shorts.
As soon as they were all up on the stage, they blasted into "Going to Pasalacqua". People really started moshing then, and i was thoroughly pressed up against this little preppy girl right at center stage. And, just as i was getting a good long stare at Tré, i got kicked in the head. I started throwing punches as well as i could before the surfers were pulled down by security. I think getting kicked in the head was part of the reason i can't reason i can't remember the set list in order. oh well.
The problem with being at the very front of the crowd, besides the kicking of my head and the moshers, is that you can't really hear the music. The amps are to the side of you, and you can't hear hardly anything except for the drums. i couldn't hear mike doing backup vocals at all. anyhay, here's what i can remember from the setlist: Nice Guys Fnish Last, Hitchin a Ride, The Grouch, Scattered, Jinx/Haushinka, Good Riddance, Prosthetic Head, Geek Stink Breath, No Pride, Brainstew/Jaded, Chump/Longview, Welcome To Paradise, Basket Case, She, F.O.D., 2,000 Light Years Away, Knowledge, Going to Pasalacqua, Paper Lanterns, The One I Want, and I Want To Be Alone. That's 21 songs in about an hour and a half.
About halfway through the concert, i could no longer breathe, which is always the best. i love lack of oxygen to the brain. So, I tried to make my way through the crowd as best as i could. I finally reached the seated part of the arena, and sat for the next 2 songs. I couldn't see anyone but Bill because the amps were in the way, so i moved to a spot where i could sit and enjoy the rest of the show. The show came to an end, and people started chanting,"We want more."
This, however, got no responce from the band, who had already left the stage. So, we started shouting, "Green Day, Green Day," etc. The crowd was pleased as the band once again adorned the stage. They played a couple more songs, and after, they just went crazy. Bill was sitting next to an amp, absentmindedly strumming chords, and trying to get as much feedback as he could. Mike finally went stage left, got as many water bottles as he could, and started quirting water over the audience. Tré was doing the same thing, only he started with beer. Then they went even more nuts. Mike threw his bass(not the same one you see in the videos and stuff)* up into the air as Tré went about smashing his bass drum onto his ride. Bill was still playing the chords into the amp. When Tré got sick of smashing his beautiful green drums, he found a dolly on the side of the stage(used for moving amps?), and proceeded to slide across the stage on it. He almost fell into the audience more than twice. Mike, for the most part, had disappeared from the front of the stage, but i could see him at the side of the stage, fucking with the soundboard. I think he was trying to help Bill in blowing all of our eardrums out. Tré left the stage, and then Mike, then Bill decided to do a solo. He played the last song of the show. Good Riddance.
After going to the bathroom to see how thrashed i was, I waited for the rest of the crowd to leave before settling into a seat to wait for instructions for the passes. There were about 10 of us gathered there for about 15 minutes, until a guy(a roadie?) came up to tell us that the after-show thing had been cancelled. I was pissed. And I mean pissed.
I stormed outside to find their bus to complain or something. On the way to the corner, a coupla jock-looking guys went by us and told us that Green Day was in their bus around the corner, and, if we hurried, we might be able to catch them. We quickened our pace to a run, and when we reached the corner, we caught sight of the bus leaaving. To our luck, the light they were heading to was turning red, so when the bus had come to a stop, we raced to the far side of it and banged on the door. hard. Karen dropped to her knees and pleaded, but to no avail. the light turned green, and they took off without a second look. As they were leaving I flipped them off. It was an involuntary reaction. It wasn't really my fault. Karen saw what i was doing and pushed my finger down. I raised the middle one of my other hand. I was really pissed.(as if you couldn't tell)
Well, I figure I wouldn't have been so pissed if they had to play in Seattle the next night. They need their rest, right? But, they had two full days off before they had to play again. And, I wasn't able to get my chain back. I think they're still my favorite band. I'm not quite sure, though. I realized that they have changed a lot since the Gilman days. I guess i had realized that when they stepped on the stage. I'm still not quite over the incident. The music was great, but I'm not too sure about the attitudes. The whole thing just makes me really sad. I guess I'm more sad than mad over the whole thing. Anyways, it was the best and the worst day of my life so far. I hope you enjoyed my point of view of the show. If you want to mail me with your comments, go fer shit.tilt@geocities.com. oh, and FYI, I'll have a scan of the pass and misc stuff as soon as possible. later.
*author's note: Bill had more than one `Blue' in a rack next to the stage. There were like 3 or 4 of them in there, all looking the same. Neat.

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this was completed on the 9th of december, 1997 at 12:43 am
written by Devlyn Swenson
if used in another page, please notify the author at tilt@geocities.com.

thank you

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