"This song is not anti-America; it's anti-war," said Green Day's front man Billie Joe Armstrong before launching into "Holiday," the third song from the band's new rock opera, American Idiot, at the Joint on December 7. This was only the fifth time that Green Day had played the opus live in its entirety, and the first and only time on their current tour. But despite the political nature of American Idiot's story and many of the song lyrics, Armstrong's proclamation before "Holiday" was one of only a few moments of social commentary.
For the most part, the evening was about the glory of American Idiot, which the band was clearly happy to be playing all the way through for the first time since its release. Freed from the need to trot out the hits, the trio, augmented by a second guitarist, percussionist and keyboardist, fully explored the theatrical potential of their opus about the decline of American culture as viewed through the eyes of the naïve Jesus of Suburbia and the cynical St. Jimmy.
On record, American Idiot is sometimes disjointed, but live it truly realized its potential, and it's a shame that Green Day aren't playing this version of their show in every city they hit. Seeing the album performed in front of an audience was like finally going to a musical when you'd previously only listened to the cast recording; you finally saw how the songs and the story breathed, how the moments worked together.
The band had the music down perfectly, even the nine-minute, multi-part songs "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming." Every transition was right on the mark, and this was one rock show that really felt like a show. "This is what you call the climax," Armstrong said before "Homecoming," which closed with a burst of confetti, and if you closed your eyes you could imagine the entire cast of the inevitable Broadway version coming on stage for the showstopping number.
After an hour of theatrics, the band came back for a short encore, playing "Longview," the hit that put them on the map in 1994, "Minority," a politically charged tune from 2000's Warning that Armstrong noted had gained meaning recently, and proving once and for all their love for musical theater, a completely straightforward version of Queen's "We Are the Champions" to close out the night. A perfect end to a triumphant night of rock 'n' roll theater.