What do you think of the American Idiot era?

[Maddy.]

Okay, here's another of my "I-was-thinking-of-this-last-night-in-bed" threads. I've been wondering what it was like during this era. I've never experienced it because I was only 8 years old and not into music yet. So, what was it like for the fans? Did you like the attention they got or did you hate it? How did you feel about all the new fans Green Day got? How did you feel as a fan? What were the shows like, not performance wise but crowd wise?

[Sanity Loan]

GREAT question. I'm interested to hear responses on this.

[bollard_11]

Well American Idiot came out just when I was really getting into music, and it was the first album I bought. It was all so new and fresh to me, I had not experienced any other era so I knew no different.

[Eeefaa.]

Im with Glen here. I didnt know of many other eras, or of much other music, but i could see clearly that they were BIG.

[heartscollide]

I became a fan in the late American Idiot era so I don't really know.

Maddy, you are the queen at making thread

[ifmemoryserves]

Well, I became a fan in the very beginning of the AI era, so I'm not sure either.

But I can say that Green Day was pretty much EVERYWHERE during this time period. Music videos playing all the time, singles on the radio pretty much 24/7, nominated for all the award shows, etc. It was pretty insane, but also cool. Although at times it could be annoying to hear BOBD on the radio for the 7th time that day.

[Holly Ann]

I can't really say anything because I first heard of GD in 2006-07, when that era was just about ending. And I was also rather young, as you said.

They definitely became more ~commercialised in that time though.

[Lauren]

I think the shows were way too scripted... :/

I was watching a show from NJ and I thought "Isn't this just BIAB from a fan's perspective?" It took me 3 songs in until Holiday when he said "The representaive from New Jersey" for me to actually know it was NJ...

[ifmemoryserves]

I think the shows were way too scripted... :/

I was watching a show from NJ and I thought "Isn't this just BIAB from a fan's perspective?" It took me 3 songs in until Holiday when he said "The representaive from New Jersey" for me to actually know it was NJ...

They were. It was the same exact thing every night.

[Armageddon Flame.]

Personally, I have a whole lot to thank the American Idiot era for. Being 11 years old I was going through the whole ''Omg!!! Billy Jo is so hot11!!!!" phase, but underneath that I was discovering something that I had never encountered before, to me at the time(and in a way, still is) was the most dark, dangerous and edgy music I had ever listened to, and it was the first time I really related to a song in my whole life(Homecoming btw). I remember seeing the BIAB version of Holiday for the first time and bam! They were officially my favorite band, and from that moment, I vowed that I will see this band live someday(It wasn't another 5 years till I fulfilled that wish )

Looking back now, it scares me what would have happened if I had never discovered that Album, or moved on to the next "cool thing" with the rest of the band wagon fans. Green Day changed my life. They made me become the person I am today, they've been with me through the happiest and the worst times of my life. I can honestly say they are the best thing to ever happen to me, they're the only thing ever to make me shed tears of happiness, to make me feel like I'm in total paradise, to let me forget about all the shit thats happening in the world, because right now the only thing that matters is the song pumping through my headphones or the being performed infront of thousands of people. So yeah in summary, American Idiot is the reason I am who I am today

For the older fans, I could see it becoming a massive shock, being so big and bombastic. All these new(teenie) fans invading shows, only knowing singles etc. Plus the dramatic change in style, I can completely understand how a lot of the older fans shyed away from them. I can compare it to the underground punk following they lost when they released Dookie but just on a bigger scale. I'd like to think that most of these fans once they got over the initial shock of the eyeliner and teenies, they'd sit down and listen to AI for what it really was, an absolutely amazing piece of artwork. Unfortunately, we all know this was not the case for a lot of these fans

[gdpony]

It was the best era

after not hearing much from the guys, suddenly them being everywhere was awesome! The album was great, the videos were amazing, the shows were breathtaking, and everyone seemed to love them! it was just awesome, I loved the fact that everyone was falling in love with the band that meant so much to me. They were at every award show, late night show, festival ... just all over the place, if you were a fan, it was the best, if you didnt like their music, you'd have probably been sick of them!

if it wasnt for AI I dont think they would be at the same place they are right now.

[Maddy.]

Personally, I have a whole lot to thank the American Idiot era for. Being 11 years old I was going through the whole ''Omg!!! Billy Jo is so hot11!!!!" phase, but underneath that I was discovering something that I had never encountered before, to me at the time(and in a way, still is) was the most dark, dangerous and edgy music I had ever listened to, and it was the first time I really related to a song in my whole life(Homecoming btw). I remember seeing the BIAB version of Holiday for the first time and bam! They were officially my favorite band, and from that moment, I vowed that I will see this band live someday(It wasn't another 5 years till I fulfilled that wish )

Looking back now, it scares me what would have happened if I had never discovered that Album, or moved on to the next "cool thing" with the rest of the band wagon fans. Green Day changed my life. They made me become the person I am today, they've been with me through the happiest and the worst times of my life. I can honestly say they are the best thing to ever happen to me, they're the only thing ever to make me shed tears of happiness, to make me feel like I'm in total paradise, to let me forget about all the shit thats happening in the world, because right now the only thing that matters is the song pumping through my headphones or the being performed infront of thousands of people. So yeah in summary, American Idiot is the reason I am who I am today

For the older fans, I could see it becoming a massive shock, being so big and bombastic. All these new(teenie) fans invading shows, only knowing singles etc. Plus the dramatic change in style, I can completely understand how a lot of the older fans shyed away from them. I can compare it to the underground punk following they lost when they released Dookie but just on a bigger scale. I'd like to think that most of these fans once they got over the initial shock of the eyeliner and teenies, they'd sit down and listen to AI for what it really was, an absolutely amazing piece of artwork. Unfortunately, we all know this was not the case for a lot of these fans

I appreciate you typing all this out but it wasn't exactly what I was getting at. Because this is pretty much everyone's point of view.

I want to try and sort of analyse the whole era and how it felt for (older) fans to be a part of it. And.. yeah idk.

It was the best era

after not hearing much from the guys, suddenly them being everywhere was awesome! The album was great, the videos were amazing, the shows were breathtaking, and everyone seemed to love them! it was just awesome, I loved the fact that everyone was falling in love with the band that meant so much to me. They were at every award show, late night show, festival ... just all over the place, if you were a fan, it was the best, if you didnt like their music, you'd have probably been sick of them!

if it wasnt for AI I dont think they would be at the same place they are right now.

Yes, this is the kind of thing that I was presuming would be posted.

Oh, and one more question: would you want it to happen again?

[Guest]

It was a glorious time to be a Green Day fan. As someone who has been a die hard fan since 1994 it was amazing to see them everywhere. Videos, TV shows, magazines, tons of photos, new merch, incredible tour, etc. It was actually an expensive time to be a GD fan too. lol

[gdpony]

Yes, this is the kind of thing that I was presuming would be posted.

Oh, and one more question: would you want it to happen again?

Well I was actually expecting the same from 21CB but it didnt happen bad promotion, bad single selection, and of course the timing wasnt the same as AI's. Of course I would've loved the guys to be everywhere again, they kinda are right now, but because of the musical, not the album.

the alum had the potential, but somehow it failed to be another comercial success.

[Hermione]

It was good because at the time, I had just discovered (and become obsessed with) Green Day and I had no internet. So if they hadn't been on TV and in magazines a decent amount I really wouldn't have got to see much of them at all.

It was frustrating enough as it was, being so desperate to see their videos/live performances/interviews and learn about the history of the band etc, but only getting the chance when they happened to be on TV or in a magazine. In fact I couldn't usually even see them on TV unless I was at a friend's house because I didn't have any music channels at home. So I'm really, really glad they were in the media a lot so I could see them a bit!

Well I was actually expecting the same from 21CB but it didnt happen bad promotion, bad single selection, and of course the timing wasnt the same as AI's. Of course I would've loved the guys to be everywhere again, they kinda are right now, but because of the musical, not the album.

the alum had the potential, but somehow it failed to be another comercial success.

I was expecting the same and I agree

[Angela.]

This was the era where I got into Green Day, but I got into it near the end of 2005, so pretty much the end of the era. So I really can't say anything about new fans. I'm glad about the attention it got.

But I agree with what Lauren said, the shows were so scripted back then. This tour is definitely a lot more laid back.

[Erica.]

I liked this era. It was the album that got me into Green Day. I first heard it when I was ten and immediately made the switch from Britney Spears to real music. I heard the first lyrics that ever made sense to me and the first songs to really make me think. Through this album, I discovered their others and I guess it changed me. I thought differently, acted differently, and dressed differently. I loved it.

[spark in the night]

it was awesome

that was my PRIME Green Day obsession era-- mostly because that was when I first got into Green Day

that was a time when I cared about nothing but Green Day and everything they're associated with (except weed lol )

my parents weren't into Green Day, but my mom did tell me that she remembered when they were huge when Dookie came out, and now they're huge again with AI, so from that perspective I guess they really weren't that big inbetween the two albums.

I used to like seeing them on tv and in newspaper articles and I started my GD memorabilia collection and I had GD all over my bedroom lol

but now that time as passed, I'm also older so that makes a difference too I suppose.

but yeah GD are not as big now as they were when American Idiot came out. Like, they were phenomenal. Which I think is because that album came out at the right place at the right time. It was perfect timing.

[ifmemoryserves]

but yeah GD are not as big now as they were when American Idiot came out. Like, they were phenomenal. Which I think is because that album came out at the right place at the right time. It was perfect timing.

This, exactly. A lot of people say 21stCB "flopped" (for lack of a better word [lol pun]) because of poor promotion. While I know that the promotion for 21stCB was not very impressive...was there good promotion for AI? I certainly didn't hear anything about it. The success of AI was mostly just luck and good timing.

[Clayish]

It was awesome to see them win awards and be on shows, but, my freaking god, I hated the bandwagon.

The poser fans ticked me off so much. The songs were massacred with overplaying, and some songs(AI and BOBD) I can't even listen to.

[PeaceMucker]

I remember back in the summer of 2004 talking to my friend at summer school when we heard Green Day was recording American Idiot. Green Day had already been our favorite band for 10 years, but it had been almost 4 years since they released an album and we were skeptical whether it would be any good. We came to the conclusion that it would probably suck... but then again, we said the same thing right before Warning came out and we ended up loving that record, so what did we know. I had school the day AI came out, but my dad made sure to pick me up a copy so I had it right after school. That night I listened to it and was instantly relieved and insanely stoked. What a colossal, powerful album. We were definitely wrong.

It seemed to me that for the first couple of months American Idiot spent a fair amount of time under the radar. It just seemed like Green Day fans were the only ones listening to it. The first leg of touring was played to standard sized venues. But all of a sudden in the beginning of 2005 Green Day was getting huge. They were all over magazines, television, radio, and t-shirts. They were suddenly the biggest band in the world. Now I'm not one of those people that is all "I LOVED Green Day before they were big!" because that is just not true. I got into Green Day the first time they got big. American Idiot was the second time Green Day got big. I'm also not one of those people who looks down upon people who got into Green Day because of American Idiot, because that's a stupid pretentious, smug attitude to have. I was however overwhelmed with all these young kids who were going Ga-Ga over Green Day and did not know what F.O.D. stood for. Now the opposite side of Green Day gaining new younger fans, was them losing a lot of older fans. I can't speak too highly of these people. I did my time in the trenches defending Green Day and 2005 was a brutal year for us loyalists. The amount of BS tossed around about Green Day "selling out" once again, and "Green Day's turning EMO" was nauseating.

About Green Day's image, maybe the one thing I didn't totally get was the eyeliner... I wasn't a huge fan, but I didn't really care all that much. BJA's gotta do what BJA's gotta do! They obviously took a political route which I was all for. As an artist you can't censor yourself and if this was the shit that the band was feeling, hell yes, let it be heard. There will always be the people who think music shouldn't be political... This isn't like church and state, it's MUSIC for crying out loud.

So overall, the American Idiot was great for a lot of reasons, Green Day gained a lot of new, awesome fans which spread multiple generations (a feat that few current bands possess) and plain and simple we got a phenomenal album! But I am sure glad it's over with, it was a confusing and stressful time to be a fan and it will sure take a hell of a lot to lose me as one.

.... easily my longest post. :-)

[♥PunkKitty♥]

I got into Green Day during the American Idiot era, but it was late (2007). I first heard one of the AI songs in 2004 or 2005, though, and loved it.

[Bubbles.]

My first albums were Dookie/International Superhits because I started listening to them in like '02, because of my best friend but yeah any way... I remember seeing the video for Boulevard Of Broken Dreams on TV for the first time (strangely enough at my best friend's house), and I was just sitting there like: "", even being so young I was taken aback by how much their image, sound and lyrics had changed... But I loved it.

Sadly... Despite being a fan since 02, I wasn't able to see them live because my mum said tickets would be too expensive and she couldn't afford it.

... So I can't really say anything about the AI era from the seeing them live part.

On the subject of the fan girls/boys... And as much as they annoy me, at the same time I feel like I shouldn't hate them.. Basically because, the day you go to a Green Day show and there's no 12 year old fan girls is the day you start worrying.

They've stopped selling records

I don't mind fan girls/boys when they eventually grow out of that stage and actually start to appreciate Green Day (and not just Billie Joe)... For their music.

But the people that "love" them one minute and then are onto something else the next, piss me off.

But anyway, yeah... All in all, I love(d) the American Idiot era.

It was and still is to this day one of the most incredible albums I've ever heard.

[keefe]

Got me on both sides of the Green Day fan fence. When it came out it was my first time I could say I listened to music. The loud guitars and drums captured my mind, and the intensity and rebel themes inspired me to play guitar and write my own songs. On the other hand, it sparked the whole emo scene and the 'BILLIE JOE IS SEXY!' lines deter me away from them, slightly. Shortly after the release, YouTube came out and that allowed for easy access to see what their concert was like. Bullet in a Bible showed me raw power and amplification and made me dream and desire to play in my own band like Green Day! Nowadays, it's even better everytime I hear a Green Day song, it takes me back to those days when it all began for me

[EvanAsFuck]

I became a fan of Green Day a year or two before AI, at that time i really didn't care much or notice the diference cuase i was pretty young, but now that i look back at it i'm kinda in the middle about it.

On one hand American Idiot was a GREAT album and really sparked Green Days career big time which is all great... on the other hand all of the popularity brought fangirls and guys that would have never found green day if it weren't for the new found popularity, and people who thought American Idiot was the first GD album and weren't "True Fans" persay...

But then again i really don't care much about those people cause I love green day and am a devoted fan and that's all that really matters