Jump to content

Mistake on the Lake: Green Day in Cleveland


Z J

Recommended Posts

Well I've read a couple nice recaps of the weekend and surprisingly enjoyed all of them, so I changed my mind and decided I'd write one as well. Most of it still feels like a bit of a dream, hopefully writing this out'll help me process it. Mine will be pretty brief because I only hung around for the show Thursday. Also I wrote a poem (that I'll also be putting alone in my blog) inspired by my experience at the show.

We’re Broken People





The drum kicks and the guitars hum
Here it doesn’t matter
who you are or where you’re from
All that matters now is that we’ve come
together for this moment we’ll savor forever

Turn out the lights, close your eyes
there’s no heartache here,
just a point in our lives
where we’ve gathered with
the jaded, the anxious, and the broken
but on this night we’re together in this moment
so nothing else matters but the music
in our hearts and before that music even
starts I can feel those broken parts of
everyone in the room

Miscast, outcast, always destined to finish last
But on this day there’s hope because those
that take the stage are reading from a page
in all of our lives so it’s no longer us and them
It’s just Us as one and then the music starts
and we’re not going to stop until the last song
is sung and before this day is done
we’ll know that everyone in this room,
even those we haven’t spoken to,
can sing together, we’re broken people too


So from all of the broken,
from all of the ones still hopin’
from all of those that
still need to use it
Please, from the bottom of our hearts
don’t stop making music



I arrived in the great city of Cleveland around 12:30pm on Thursday. I walked from my hotel to the HOB to sit in line soon after. No sooner did I get in line when a homeless man masquerading as a street comedian approached me to tell me his life story. He recited a list of jokes that read like a 12 year old on google trying to find dirty jokes to impress his friends. He went on for what felt like 15 minutes I gave him a dollar for his slice of pizza and he went on his way (he returned and found me two hours later to show me his pizza). While waiting in line I was lucky enough to meet a few GDCers. Internet sensations Carling (Khaleesi), Kay (Some british TV reference), and Eva (Eva) came by my spot in line and got to meet my dad. It felt like one of those episodes on TV where the characters of one show visit the characters from another. Anyway then we went and took our group picture and I met a host of other GDC people which was equally fantastic and still weird.

Eventually I got back in line to wait. Just before the doors opened some street performer led us in a singalong of Basketcase among other Green Day songs which was cool. After I got in my dad and I parted ways, he staked his claim near the closest beer tap, I went for the pit. I began Jesse Malin's set in the 9th-10th row of people. The floor was TINY and it was clearly going to be packed in. At some point Malin got down by the barrier and we got our first taste of the crush. It was brief but the whole crowd moved forward and you could tell what we were in for. The whole Malin set we could see Billie and his kid (the drummer) behind the stage to our right. He waved at the guy next to me who was waving his Indians hat at him (one that he'd eventually lose on stage). After Malin got off I had managed to slide forward in to about row 6. John Kiffmeyer led Sweet Children on the stage and I didn't really realize he was anything but a stage tech until he started talking in to the mic. Billie and Mike followed and we were off to the races. The crush was on, before the end of the first song I had been scooted forward in to the 4th row dead center stage. Sweet Children had their mics off-center, with Billie's to my left and Mike's to my right, but I knew if I stayed in-between there was a good chance I'd be right in front of Billie for GD's set. It felt like they had barely started playing when Billie stopped because of some commotion to my right. At the time I had no clue who was involved but I saw Ceadog at one point through the crowd grab a guy or something so I was curious as to what happened, especially since I already knew all of the GDCers were in that area. After the pause, they tore through what seemed like the entire catalog. The last song was DEFINITELY going to be Going to Pasalacqua, Billie was doing the little hammer on lead in he does on AAF (and all the time) when John started talking again. Then Billie asked him to say something about the song and John was clearly confused. He tried to say something off the cuff by making a joke about the next song being in honor of the headline act and so because he thought they were playing Green Day, they played it. He also might have used up a lot of the time they had for the set and so maybe Green Day was a planned song but I don't know. It was still an incredible set. I lost my shit when they played Paper Lanterns.


The wait for GD's set was longer than the one between Malin and Sweet Children, but it was capped off with the never dull Bohemian Rhapsody singalong. And as predicted Billie's mic got put right in front of me (3rd row at this point). Green Day's set began like it always does, with 99 Revs. I wasn't surprised but I was worried we'd see a by the numbers set. Well when they went in to Holiday instead of KYE after, I was at ease. This was going to be special (as if it hadn't been already). I can't even begin to describe my emotions when the bass line to Stuart and The Ave came in. I've sung that song to myself in my car for 2 years since the show I saw in Rochester and I NEVER expected to hear it live. I won't go on much about it though because I could go forever and by now everyone knows about GD's set. Anyway I'm so thankful for the opportunity to see my favorite band play in their prime in such an intimate setting.

If you've made it this far, congrats, and I hope that Green Day brings us GDCers together again in the future!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're funny.

When Green Day's in town, even Cleveland is a destination location

Such a nice recap, written by the whitest kid I know :wub:

Ah yes I almost forgot, for all those that were left in suspense, I WON. Managed to out-white Kay.

It's the little things people

But fo real it was great meeting you guys. I was on the verge of dying after that set so I completely forgot to check my phone to meet up with y'all!

Zack is so white that when we met, instead of waving, he gave the Nazi salute.

Again, not joking.

can confirm this actually happened. #HitlerYouth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

idk how I ever thought I could out-white you tbh. You are translucent :lol:

Years of training my friend, years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and I hope to that Green Day brings us GDCers together again in the future!

Especially considering that I'mthe most important GDCer that you still have to meet :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm enjoying just reading the recaps, hopefully you guys can do these GDC get-togethers more often soon. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say hi to you! Glad you had a good time!

with you being a grammar nazi and me being a real one, we could have hit it off. Next time for sure :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I ignore the stuff about the Nazi salute, because this is still a cramp trigger for Germans ;) - but especially the poem is so sweet... :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I ignore the stuff about the Nazi salute, because this is still a cramp trigger for Germans ;) - but especially the poem is so sweet... :)

Haha yeah I s'pose it's easier for me to joke about it so far removed from any of those events. But thank you, I appreciate it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha yeah I s'pose it's easier for me to joke about it so far removed from any of those events. But thank you, I appreciate it!

Yes, probably. Having a family that survived two WorldWars, and since it is still an active issue over here, I still don´t find the ease to deal with it. Though "my" students, young Germans, with whom I sometimes play theatre, have their own mean jokes about Hitler, and show me how to take it easier meanwhile. ;)

Thanks for answering. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...