Somehow I managed to reach the age of 26 and had never seen a real concert. The big reason was because there were so few bands I felt passionately enough to want to see.
Well last year, with my love of Green Day, a band I loved as a kid, revitalized by a good friend and fellow fan, I decided to remedy than and snatched up tickets to see them play in Brooklyn in January—and convinced this friend to go!
But it wasn’t quite meant to be. I had the amazing “luck” of finding out the tour was postponed through an article in the paper the day after hurricane Sandy. (I rarely read the physical paper, never the entertainment section)
It was rough going, wondering when it would be rescheduled (“what if it’s during GDC?!”) but finally I had a new date. Which was tangled up with my friend’s schedule for moving away from the east coast. (“You better be here for the concert bro!”). On the plus side this new date was during the week of my birthday! Then, we managed to arrange everything but I spent the week sick and terrified of how my ailing body might fail to keep me pumped during the show.
We made it anyway. Perfect timing and dedication to a friendship lead to two long-time fans who had never seen their favorite band live to show up at the Barclay’s Center last night and see MAGIC happen. I forgot about being sick and was able to sing, dance, jump, scream, and go appropriately nuts all night long!
Plenty of professional reviewers have already recounted the evening. With Billie Joe’s return from rehab, there is lot’s to comment on. But here are my thoughts…
- Definitely glad I picked a band of whose catalog I’m very familiar with. Even so, they managed to play some very old songs even I hadn’t heard before!
- I actually wish I’d taken more pictures and videos. Even though at the time I was thinking it was lame and I should watch the show with my eyes. Since the show I’ve been bummed I don’t have more to help me relive the awesome time I had.
- I’m glad I bought the tickets on stubhub instead of ticket master because the seats were great
- I’m curious about energy in the general admission standing room but overall I’m glad I had a seat to sit my purse and coat on and a view with minimal amounts of jostling to see the stage
- The band did a great job playing new, old, and middle years music to keep the diverse crowd happy
- It’s very cool how you can hear everything when you get up to go to the bathroom!
- I’m so glad of the company I was with. There is no one I’d have rather been there with!
- Omg they played “Hey Jude”!!
- In retrospect, it was odd they ended with Brutal Love instead of Time of Your Life. But at the time, it felt fitting.