I wouldn’t consider myself a closed-minded individual. Through my years in government service, I’ve learned that no one has a monopoly on good ideas. The best and most creative solutions can come from unexpected places.
I have, however, railed a bit in this space about the lack of qualitative value in much of the new music that’s popular today. I still stand by nearly all of what I’ve written. But now and again, I find (or am introduced to) an artist that I wouldn’t have ever thought of following.
Case in point is the band Green Day. I am the Take Stock mentor for a wonderful and talented student named Dakota. He sings and plays guitar, he has had stellar roles in high school and community theater productions, and is an all-around great guy. We first met when he was beginning eighth grade; he’s just started his senior year at MHS. And he’s a fan of Green Day.
Rewind the clock to several months back when Dakota’s mom offered to buy Dakota tickets to see Green Day for his birthday. It just so happened that the nearest stop on their latest tour was Truist Park in Atlanta — the Braves’ baseball stadium. We made travel plans that included Dakota’s friend Adrian and Adrian’s dad Arjen. The plan involved a rented minivan, two nights in a hotel near the stadium and 26 hours of driving in a 63-hour window of time.
Seeing as how I was going to see Green Day live, I thought I would buy some of their music to have on my phone and listen to in advance of the concert. I am so glad Dakota introduced me to their music.
I’d never heard much Green Day except for hits like “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” I discovered that this band has a catalog of music spanning 30 years … and that I have been missing out on some really cool tunes.
I had avoided a lot of punk rock throughout the years, as I found what I’d heard to be just a lot of two- or three-chord songs played at uber-adrenalized tempos of 150-180 BPM. While Green Day’s music has all the energy associated with punk, there’s a musicality there that most other punk bands don’t (or can’t) approach. Not only that, there’s a social conscience and messages that transcend the anger of a lot of other punk.
What Green Day has that many others don’t is simple: really good songs played really well. Mike Dirnt is an amazing bass player. Tré Cool is one of the most amazing rock drummers ever — how he keeps up that intensity for a 2-½-hour show is the stuff of legend. And singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong is a frontman on the level of a Bruce Springsteen or Mick Jagger. Together, the band is a well-oiled unit, with a well-rehearsed tight show that is still loose and spontaneous.
Augmented by a keyboardist and two additional guitarists, the band easily recreates its arrangements on stage. And Armstrong keeps an entire stadium audience on their feet and dancing for the entire show, even all the way to the back rows of the upper deck. The concert we all saw in Atlanta was — seriously — one of the best rock concerts I’ve ever attended.
If I’ve piqued your curiosity about Green Day, here are some places to start. During the concert we just experienced, the band played two entire albums: “Dookie” and “American Idiot.” Either of those is a really good place to start. I’d also recommend their brand new album, “Saviors.” And there are a few good greatest-hits-style compilations as well.
Finally, I’d like to thank Dakota for the opportunity to take that trip to Atlanta to see one of my new favorite bands. I really did have the time of my life.
– Catch John live Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, this Friday at Lorelei with Jade Storm, Saturday at the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West with Gary Hempsey’s band, and Sunday afternoons at Skipjack Tiki. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus.com • johnbartus.hearnow.com
