99 Revolutions Tour - Tour Identity Crisis and NY Times Dead-On Review

[HaushinkaSins]

This tour fucking sucks, I sure hope it gets better because I WANTED to go but not really anymore

sorry, but the tour doesn't 'suck' just because they aren't playing all the songs you want them to. its still a damn good show that's worth seeing at the end of the day

[Ryan]

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WE ARE JUST HAVING A DISCUSSION HERE. We are all well aware that we have the fucking honor of being fans of the best band in the world. We also recognize that we are a bunch of over-obsessed, nit-picking superfans that are thrilled that our favorite band still leaves their homes and their families to travel to shit-bag towns to play an amazing high energy 2+ hour show for people. Without a doubt we recognize that. However, we are also more in tune to the subtelties of how this band plays a show, what their setlist is, and WE LIKE TO FUCKING TALK AND OBSESS ABOUT IT. IT IS WHY WE ARE HERE ON A FUCKING FAN BOARD. So, I would humbly suggest that if you are not interested in talking about it and are annoyed by it, then there's no need for you to be in this thread. Rage and love buddy.

I'm VERY interested in talking about it. I also know that like 1% of the people here actually know what it takes to put together a set list. It's easy to say, "they should play (insert obscure song here)," but saying that is throwing away any regard for the audience. And judging by the about amount of rep my last comment got, I'd say that my belief is the one that's in the majority.

[TimmyChunks]

sorry, but the tour doesn't 'suck' just because they aren't playing all the songs you want them to. its still a damn good show that's worth seeing at the end of the day

The two shows I've attended on this tour are in the top five of any I've seen by any band, ever. And I've been to a lot of shows. Lots of nitpicking going on (which, yes, is what we superfans do- we set the bar really, really high). Take it from me, though...the setlist may look just ok on paper, but the show is absolutely, ridiculously good right now. I can't think of any other analogies, so forgive me, but there's a difference between seeing a decription of a rainbow on paper- whoopdeedoo, a few different colors lined up in the sky, just like all the other rainbows- and experiencing the beauty of it in person. Not the greatest analogy, I know...but forgive me, I am still completely exhausted and overjoyed from last night's show.

[scottrowan200]

The dilemma is that most people tht are moaning about the set list are the hardcore fans like most us on form who buy all the albums and crave over green day we go to as many shows as possible and seen the bands same show for over 10 years.

Tho the band are still stuck in AI mode trying to cater for the wannabe fans that only know the hits

The thing most them fans are gone moved on

And there left with the people that are dedicated fans getting the same old show and hits

[HaushinkaSins]

The two shows I've attended on this tour are in the top five of any I've seen by any band, ever. And I've been to a lot of shows. Lots of nitpicking going on (which, yes, is what we superfans do- we set the bar really, really high). Take it from me, though...the setlist may look just ok on paper, but the show is absolutely, ridiculously good right now. I can't think of any other analogies, so forgive me, but there's a difference between seeing a decription of a rainbow on paper- whoopdeedoo, a few different colors lined up in the sky, just like all the other rainbows- and experiencing the beauty of it in person. Not the greatest analogy, I know...but forgive me, I am still completely exhausted and overjoyed from last night's show.

agreed! I STILL have no voice from the Brooklyn show! lol

[Guest]

The dilemma is that most people tht are moaning about the set list are the hardcore fans like most us on form who buy all the albums and crave over green day we go to as many shows as possible and seen the bands same show for over 10 years.

Tho the band are still stuck in AI mode trying to cater for the wannabe fans that only know the hits

The thing most them fans are gone moved on

And there left with the people that are dedicated fans getting the same old show and hits

I was agreeing with you up until you said 'wannabe fans'. Just because they were only around for a short term doesn't make them wannabes. Just means they had a limited interest in the band & have had their music taste evolve. Not exactly a bad thing.

[Rusty Hart]

I hope someday all GDC'ers are in 1 gig, and then Green Day play all their underrated songs for us..

[Abbey.]

Fair enough.

I dont think anyone is minimizing the effort to put together a set list.

Personally I think there's something that was missing at the show that I saw (VA) that wasnt about the setlist. Again, that is me being an obsessive fan that has been to way too many Green Day concerts. What struck me as interesting is that the NY Times reviewer picked up on that as well (at the Barclays Center show), as this unsuccessful attempt to bridge the old and new mixed in with the standard live Green Day schtick that ultimately failed at that show and on this tour overall.

I'm VERY interested in talking about it. I also know that like 1% of the people here actually know what it takes to put together a set list. It's easy to say, "they should play (insert obscure song here)," but saying that is throwing away any regard for the audience.

[BullwinkleCheech]

I must admit the crowd interaction moments get a bit dull sometimes. It's the same every time. I'd still go for the fun up front, but the setlist is getting a bit repetitive as well :/

[Riotgrrl_GD]

Yup, totally agree. However, I will say that my irritation at this peaked during the first part of the 21CB tour (for some reason it seemed worse at the Boston gig than it had ever been before), and the last two shows I've seen- Mansfield and Mohegan- were much better. Maybe I was in a different frame of mind during these shows, but he may have scaled back a little bit on the hey-hos and 'insert geographic location here" screams. Mohegan was really good- sure, there was a lot of chanting and extending of songs, but the banter felt like it was much less than in recent years, which was good. When the banter starts to detract from the momentum of the set or the songs, it's a bad thing. I didn't feel like we experienced much of either on Saturday.

Remember back during the Insomniac tour when they would blast through the entire set without any of those time killers at all? They were such a different band. It's been an interesting evolution to say the least.

I saw them in Chicago (Rosemont) and Moline this tour and I agree that he has scaled back on the "hey-oh"s and stuff. Granted, those were the first 2 arena shows of the tour... but it seemed more REAL for sure.

My feeling is that Green Day are such a great band with such great back catologue that it is a waste they play the same hits in the same order pretty much every night. They dont even need to start digging out deep cuts to make us die hards happy, just mix the order up a bit and swap some hits for some other hits, theres nothing to say they could sometimes play walking contradiction instead of brainstew, waiting or warning instead of minority, 21st century breakdown instead of Jesus of suburbia. including radio and promotional singles the band have 40-50 singles (source wiki), there nothing to say they could'nt play 20 of these "hits" a night, but mix up which ones in which order. that enough would make the shows seem fresh and revitalised even for us spoilt types that have seen them many times.

I also think the many cover snippets and super long shout has had its day, that is time when they could be pushing their own music, new or old rather than playing other peoples songs, they do have 11 albums now its not like they are lacking the material. even if they insist on playing King for a day still (which by this point must be the most consistent song in their setlist for the past 15 years, that is not a single. so you could argue casual fans my not know anyways) just stop it after 5 minutes and leave those 20 minutes for an old staple, a random deep cut and two new songs for example.

If bands never progress their setlist then they cant really progress themselves. mixing it up is always somehing of a risk but without it you cannot, create new live favourites, boost flagging album sales. etc

If they had decided they couldnt ever go a show without playing Only of you, because it was one of their most popular songs at one point, where would we be now? green day would probably still be playing in basements.

we all know deep down we are never going to hear misery live and we will never go to a Green Day show where they dont play basket case. but theres no reason they couldnt do something "wild" like open with good riddance (I hope you HAVE the time of your life? anyone?) and close with hitchin a ride one time.

"I also think the many cover snippets and super long shout has had its day" Yeah... sorry, I agree.

[Tubbie Head]

I hope someday all GDC'ers are in 1 gig, and then Green Day play all their underrated songs for us..

Now that would be awesome

[Riotgrrl_GD]

This tour fucking sucks, I sure hope it gets better because I WANTED to go but not really anymore

If a Green Day tour was for some reason sucky, I would first question the person who went to the concert, not Green Day. You can complain all you want, but when you're there in person singing your heart out, you end up with a very different opinion

Ahhhhhh, 13 y/o teen angst rears its ugly head! It will pass, I promise

[Ryan]

Fair enough.

I dont think anyone is minimizing the effort to put together a set list.

Personally I think there's something that was missing at the show that I saw (VA) that wasnt about the setlist. Again, that is me being an obsessive fan that has been to way too many Green Day concerts. What struck me as interesting is that the NY Times reviewer picked up on that as well (at the Barclays Center show), as this unsuccessful attempt to bridge the old and new mixed in with the standard live Green Day schtick that ultimately failed at that show and on this tour overall.

That's where I disagree though. I have seen them over 20 times (arenas, small clubs, etc.) and the show has not gotten stale for me at all. I saw them in early March at the 2nd club show here in AZ. It was the absolute best Green Day show I've ever seen in my life. Had I heard every sing they played live before? Yes, I have. But that's what made this show so good. It made me realize how much better and on-point they sound with a healthy, sober Billie. I almost really love the fact that they are playing the same set that they have played for awhile...because it allows everybody to see how much fucking better they are now. It really is beyond words how tight and good they sound. On paper, yes it looks weak. but it is anything but weak in person.

[inthehallwaynow]

maybe the fans are having an identity crisis and dont know how to function properly cause the band they thought they knew wasn't completely that band in reality..and now they are ready and trying to move on with newer shows somehow and we aren't fully there yet..like its almost hard to trust them with our emotions again sorta..just my two cents

[Ryan]

maybe the fans are having an identity crisis and dont know how to function properly cause the band they thought they knew wasn't completely that band in reality..and now they are ready and trying to move on with newer shows somehow and we aren't fully there yet..like it almost hard to trust them with our emotions again sorta..just my two cents

Very well said. It's like I've been saying all along...die-hard fans like us are NOT the fans that make up the majority of their audience at shows. I would say the audience is made up of probably less than 2% "die-hard" fans at each show. These 2% would absolute go crazy, in a good way, if the band busted out Rusty James, Fell for You, and Walk Away...but the other 98% would start wondering what the fuck they were hearing and start chanting "Christie Road." As much as it sucks for the die-hard fans, you HAVE to cater to the masses. You can't completely neglect the flow of the set just to please a few people in the audience.

[Abbey.]

But I think there is a difference right now between the pre-arena club shows (like the AZ show you recently saw) and the arena tour.

To me, at the club shows, its almost like the music is able to speak for itself. That never gets old or stale for me either. And I agree, they sound amazingly tight. Especially the new songs are perfection live. But the current arena show is a mishmosh of something that I think can be better.

That's where I disagree though. I have seen them over 20 times (arenas, small clubs, etc.) and the show has not gotten stale for me at all. I saw them in early March at the 2nd club show here in AZ. It was the absolute best Green Day show I've ever seen in my life. Had I heard every sing they played live before? Yes, I have. But that's what made this show so good. It made me realize how much better and on-point they sound with a healthy, sober Billie. I almost really love the fact that they are playing the same set that they have played for awhile...because it allows everybody to see how much fucking better they are now. It really is beyond words how tight and good they sound. On paper, yes it looks weak. but it is anything but weak in person.

[scottrowan200]

By wannabe fans I ment those people that know a hand full of songs because of charts that went go shows because it green day and not because they like the band. When I seem blink on this tour sitting next to me were a couple who looked bored the whole show almost sleeping then all the small things come on they sat all clapping signing then went back to bordom

[deadair]

Someone else mentioned it already, but the list is limited to Pearl Jam, Springsteen, and Phish. Everyone else plays fixed setlists. Would it be great if Green Day took a cue from the three bands I mentioned and changed up the setlist considerably from night to night?

Don't forget Radiohead.

[CoronerChik]

Very well said. It's like I've been saying all along...die-hard fans like us are NOT the fans that make up the majority of their audience at shows. I would say the audience is made up of probably less than 2% "die-hard" fans at each show. These 2% would absolute go crazy, in a good way, if the band busted out Rusty James, Fell for You, and Walk Away...but the other 98% would start wondering what the fuck they were hearing and start chanting "Christie Road." As much as it sucks for the die-hard fans, you HAVE to cater to the masses. You can't completely neglect the flow of the set just to please a few people in the audience.

New here but I have been trolling this topic for a while, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I've been to a lot of concerts in my time and, with the exception of Green Day, all the concerts I've ever been to I've attended as one of the 98% un-die hard fans and its sad to say but those few concerts where the band strayed from their hits were, imho, Booorrring! For me, of course Green Day is a completely different story. Billie Joe can come out fart into the microphone and read from the dictionary for 2 1/2 hours and I'd love every minute of it. But to the casual fan, they are just another band, and an arena full of casual fans is not the place to practice new material, especially when your new material has had little to no exposure. Perhaps when they come around on the second leg of the tour, as surely they will, they will incorporate more of the Trilogy.

[Abbey.]

Yay for new GDCer and posting! Welcome!!!

Farting into the microphone and reading the dictionary. Yeah, us sickos would all still pay $75 to watch him do that and love every fucking minute of it. Hysterical!!!

New here but I have been trolling this topic for a while, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I've been to a lot of concerts in my time and, with the exception of Green Day, all the concerts I've ever been to I've attended as one of the 98% un-die hard fans and its sad to say but those few concerts where the band strayed from their hits were, imho, Booorrring! For me, of course Green Day is a completely different story. Billie Joe can come out fart into the microphone and read from the dictionary for 2 1/2 hours and I'd love every minute of it. But to the casual fan, they are just another band, and an arena full of casual fans is not the place to practice new material, especially when your new material has had little to no exposure. Perhaps when they come around on the second leg of the tour, as surely they will, they will incorporate more of the Trilogy.

[Bastard of 1967]

I wish they would move away from playing all the "big hits." Like the reviewer said, they need to take a risk. I wish they would have played more songs from the trilogy, even though they may not have been met with as much enthusiasm. The point of the tour is (supposedly) to support the new albums and make people want to run out and buy them, not to keep playing the same old stuff. I think they have so many songs on the trilogy with potential to be AMAZING live and I'm disappointed that they seem to be playing it so safe.

I get that this part of the tour could just be them easing back into things because they had such a scary time last year, but I'm hoping they can get beyond it. They really are great live and do a great job, but I'd like to see them keep trying to be better and not get complacent about it.

They did take a huge risk -- it was called the trilogy, and it was a bigger commercial failure than Warning. Although the die-hard fans enjoy it, the band clearly has to play to the casual fan when they play live, so they have to go back to the "what works" formula. So they're stuck between what they have been and what they tried to be, but failed to reach, and so now they're also looking for their "take 2" at what comes next.

I have such mixed feelings about this. Because, to my mind - while yes, we all want to hear new songs, it is important that the band caters to everyone at the show, young and old, new fan or old fan. And they do a great job of that. Playing 6 or 7 songs from the trilogy is quite a lot - not in comparison to how many trilogy songs there are, of course, but that is about how many they played off of AI and 21CB during those tours. Same thing. This tour is no different from other tours in that respect. Personally, I absolutely love hearing older songs. You can just feel the entire stadium overflowing with energy, and it is fantastic. While I love the trilogy songs live, the fact remains that not as many people know the music. I would go crazy over more trilogy songs, but the rest of the audience may not. A huge part of the show is the energy you feel from the crowd. It affects both other audience members and the performers, so it is a big deal if a large portion of the audience isn't as familiar with what you're singing.

And you know - when I went to Philly, I had a great time. They were spot on and it was an amazing night. That said, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't think something was amiss. Something most definitely was. And I will probably never know what it was that made me feel that way. Maybe I'm still too worried and wrapped up in the past few months in Green Day world (because I DO think they got back out on the road very fast). Maybe I was just having an off night, I don't know. It was a WONDERFUL show and Billie sounded amazing and the whole band seemed happy. But usually when I leave Green Day shows, I feel more strongly connected than ever to them. The morning after I woke up from Philly, I felt... weird. Nothing was wrong with the show. But it wasn't completely right, either. I don't know what I wanted from them, and I do feel like it is probably just a "me" thing. But thought I'd share. They're the best live band I will probably ever see, don't get me wrong.

I think the interview nailed the "identity crisis" bit perfectly, except I don't think it is a tour identity crisis. It is bigger than that. I think it is a slight band identity crisis we're dealing with, which is perhaps leading to a fan identity crisis as well. The band made the trilogy to let loose and change their image from the political punk rockers they had been known as for a while. Now they've been forced to reevaluate their image again, because of everything that happened with Billie. They're trying to find their footing and figure out their next move while performing in front of thousands of people every other night. We're all on the ride together as we figure out what that next move will be.

If I could "like" that 5000x I would. That was just perfect.

[Ryan]

By wannabe fans I ment those people that know a hand full of songs because of charts that went go shows because it green day and not because they like the band. When I seem blink on this tour sitting next to me were a couple who looked bored the whole show almost sleeping then all the small things come on they sat all clapping signing then went back to bordom

You do realize that that's like 95% of the population at a Green Day concert, right?

[Eduardo Pérez]

Like I said earlier how many big time band plays shows at big arenas and just plays album tracks and ignoring the songs they are known for? I'll wait for the answer...

Do I wish for songs like Panic Song Babs Uvula Who 16 Dirty Rotten Bastard Misery or the other 200 songs they have were played of course but I'd say at least half if not more than half of the people who goes to shows are casual fans who couldn't name those tracks

And of course this tour could just be Billie adjusting to sober life and just wanna focus on the tracks he knows

I think you're right about the people who goes to a concert. If they go to Costa Rica again, I'm certainly not missing the show like I did in 2010, but I'm still worried about the setlist. I know that the Trilogy was for the fans, and that's why I don't give a shit about the people who say that it was a failure. I love the Trilogy, and I really hate the fact that half of the people in a concert will be wanting to hear just Dookie, AI, and maybe some of 21st CB and other big hits. I'd really want they to get the fucking Mystic Knights of the Cobra as their opening so I can hear Nightlife live.

[HolyHandGrenade]

I think you're right about the people who goes to a concert. If they go to Costa Rica again, I'm certainly not missing the show like I did in 2010, but I'm still worried about the setlist. I know that the Trilogy was for the fans, and that's why I don't give a shit about the people who say that it was a failure. I love the Trilogy, and I really hate the fact that half of the people in a concert will be wanting to hear just Dookie, AI, and maybe some of 21st CB and other big hits. I'd really want they to get the fucking Mystic Knights of the Cobra as their opening so I can hear Nightlife live.

I hate to say this, but unless the second leg of this tour proves otherwise, the trilogy and its abundance of amazing songs might get relegated to the level of Warning and 1039/SOSH... so many golden songs buried under the layer of sparkly paint that is the band that made Basket Case, Good Riddance, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

[lbsf1]

From what I have seen on youtube from the shows so far it seems to me that Billie isn't 100% comfortable and used to being sober yet. I think he is just playing it abit safe with stuff he is used to and I think that later in the tour he will start mixing stuff up. Lots of stuff has changed in the past year and I think it will take them a little while to get back into the swing of things and be able to feel comfortable bringing in some new ideas into the shows.