Why doesn't Green Day ever do full album concerts?

[fatherotti]

I think the only time the band ever plays an album in full is usually during a secret show. They did it at the Fox for 21st CB and they did at the Warfield for American Idiot.

Here's an example of what I mean. Rush themed a tour from their entire Moving Pictures album.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/12/rush_performing.html

Coheed & Cambria also did it earlier this year for their SSTB album (Which I was at btw).

http://www.culturetease.com/2011/01/coheed-and-cambria-announce-second-stage-turbine-blade-tour/

Green Day hasn't played all of Kerplunk in over a decade. Plus I'd really love to see Dookie played in it's entirety some day. What do you guys think? lol

Or how about this? What Coheed also did.

http://www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2011/01/11/752807.aspx

All of their albums over several nights.

[koolkev]

Yeah, I do love when bands do this, it's a way to hear some songs that aren't really popular, and just an amazing expeirience. I can kind of see why the band doesn't do it, maybe because some people would not like the shows as much.... hm....

[a peculiar name]

I have to say I actually like it best when they play songs from different eras. I love hearing American Idiot and then something from Kerplunk.

[Margo 39 smooth]

Bands usually do that kind of thing when they're really old and don't plan on making new music any time soon so they just tour. I think....

[DoodleBob]

Actually they did it one other time. In 2004, Green Day was at the Almost Acoustic Christmas Show.

Billie stated that they were going to play AI straight through in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ5H1fk3keM

Now, everytime that we play the Acoustic Christmas Show, we've always done something special. Whether it's getting naked on stage, to throwing a christmas tree into the fucking crowd, tonight we're going to be playing American Idiot all the way though from the front on the album to the back of the album...

[Hermione]

I think they've played American Idiot all the way through other times haven't they? When they've played the same place two nights in a row?

And I don't think they've ever played all of Kerplunk. In recent years Billie's said in TWO different interviews that he'd like to play the whole of Kerplunk but they still haven't so I'm not sure I believe him . I think they only did it with AI because the album is a story so it's really perfect for it.

I'm quite glad they don't go in for it because I really enjoy having such a variety of songs from different eras. When tickets for the 21st CB tour went on sale (before we knew what the setlist would be like) I deliberately chose to go to the first night at the O2 instead of the second night just in case they played the whole of 21st CB on the second night. I like seeing songs from all the albums and all the traditions that go with them. Having said that it would've been cool to see them play 21st CB straight through since it's such an epic, at least on TV or something. Strange that they did it with AI but not 21st CB.

[greendaytone]

Green Day played American Idiot front to back on about a dozen occasions i'd say. I know they did it at the 2nd night in Hammersmith in London in 2005, and i know of at least 3 done in America on that tour.

I think Green Day will do this in the future, like Hermione pointed out, Billie Joe as hinted he'd like to do it with Kerplunk some time.

[Dylan.]

My Chemical Romance famously played "The Black Parade" in full on their "The Black Parade" tour, performing AS The Black Parade. The last performance of which was released as the fantastic CD/DVD "The Black Parade Is Dead." I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think it's cool that Green Day doesn't do it very often. 21CB is one of those albums that would probably have sounded better live all the way through just because of it's content.

[bollard_11]

I prefer not seeing full album shows, it adds to the unpredictability and excitement of the gig. I'm going to see Metallica hopefully next summer in Download, I know they will be playing the Black album in full. Out of their standard 18 song set I already know 12 of the songs they will play, some of which I don't particularly like or am sick of hearing (ie Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Nothing Else Matters).

As I said that element of unpredictability is what really adds to shows for me

[DoodleBob]

My Chemical Romance famously played "The Black Parade" in full on their "The Black Parade" tour, performing AS The Black Parade. The last performance of which was released as the fantastic CD/DVD "The Black Parade Is Dead." I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Oh god. That was a really spectacular show. I loved how they really got into it.

That'd be cool if Green Day did something like that with AI or 21stCB. But then again, The Black Parade doesn't really require "acting", whereas American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown kind of would. But I guess they could find a way to pull it off.

[bass boy]

They did all of american idiot on Story Tellers But it is cool when bands do this. I saw Megadeth play all of "Rust In Peace" and Slayer do "Seasons In The Abyss" and it was fuckin awesome. But the thing is, they normally only do things like this on anniversary tours for the album. Like, when Dookie turns 20 they might.

[Kristen M]

I feel like a full album concert would be boring.. (Well as boring as a GD show can be.)

[fiercecircus]

i agree to disagree. I think full album shows are boring. the bouncing souls have been doing this, and really? I prefer going and hearing a whole bunch of different bouncing souls songs. I mean, really, does anyone want to hear Maniacal Laughter front to back? I'd rather they play whatever songs they feel like, throw in some new and some old. And really, if i ever saw them and they DIDN'T play "Kate is Great," i think i would be horribly horribly let down...

I like the GD albums that run together and you listen to all in one shot. But... if i am going to see them i'd rather they play a whole bunch of different stuff. Y'know, the stuff you expect, and then maybe some stuff you don't expect... etc. I like not knowing what the next song is. Granted GD keep the beginning and the end of the sets the same (and during the AI period played the exact same thing every night) but i like the surprises in the middle.

(the only band that was able to pull off the whole album thing well was They Might Be Giants, when they used to play "Flood" in its entirety in the early '00's. And even then, i didn't care about some of the songs. The other thing that made it bearable was that it was a short enough record that they could play other songs before and after the album songs too.)

[PleasedToMeetMe]

I would LOVE to see Kerplunk live.

[koolkev]

Green Day played American Idiot front to back on about a dozen occasions i'd say. I know they did it at the 2nd night in Hammersmith in London in 2005, and i know of at least 3 done in America on that tour.

I think Green Day will do this in the future, like Hermione pointed out, Billie Joe as hinted he'd like to do it with Kerplunk some time.

Yeah. They've done it before on the AI tour, but do you know if they did 21CB straight through other than at the Fox Theatre?

[uhleckseee]

I was sure that when Kerplunk and 1039/SOSH got re-released that they would do a show or a couple of shows playing these albums all the way through. I recently saw Queens of the Stone Age live in August where they played their self-titled album in its entirety (with added extras afterwards) because of a re-release....

I'm sure time will tell. This band loves variety, and so do the fans. I love the old stuff, I love the new stuff. Give me a mix and I'm perfectly content.

[fiercecircus]

I would LOVE to see Kerplunk live.

Yeah- it's mostly a solid album. I really don't care about "No One Knows" though...

(see? there's always ONE song...)

[greendaytone]

Yeah. They've done it before on the AI tour, but do you know if they did 21CB straight through other than at the Fox Theatre?

not afterwards. They played most of the album (if not all) at the 3 small shows just prior to the fox theater.

[Brigister]

They did it sometimes, for example they did many full-American-Idiot concerts. I'd love them to do some 1,039/SOSH-Kerplunk concert, they barely play those old songs.

[crackjawfan]

now that the fox show has become such a hit i think they will probubly do it on there next tour a few times. i wouldn't be suprized if they wind up doing a show where they play all of amereican idiot and 21CBD both back to back or in the opposite order and then threw in there old songs cus i mean there sets are already 3and a half hours long so it wouldn't be impossible

[classof12]

I think it won't be fair on old fans that they played the full new album, I mean, asuming GD concerts last about 3 hours and that their last CD was more than an hour long, that means that just 1 hour and a half (with guitar changings and the stuff they do between songs) is left for the rest of their discography...with is a little time for more than 8 albums, that way they'll only havbe time to play some singles from every album...and that won't be fair on people who have been listening to GD for years and want to listen to their favorite band playing their favorite songs.

[Holly]

It would be pretty great to hear some of the albums, older ones in particular, in full. But on the whole, I much prefer the mix they usually have.

[Shoot That Fucker Down]

VH1 storytellers years back played AI front to back.

[Gwen Stacy]

I think it would be great if they did a full album (preferably Kerplunk, my favorite). Most of their albums are only about 13 or 14 songs on average so that's only about one third of a Green Day concert so there would still be time to do other songs and still make it unpredictable and not boring

[StuckWithRob]

They could open up then play an album in the middle section (like Kerplunk or Dookie). That wouldn't be out of the question. They play loads of songs from American Idiot and Dookie at every show anyway.