The year is 2012. The month, ironically enough, is September. The first of Green Day’s new 3-album project, Uno!, Dos! and Tré!, is about to come out. The band is on stage in Las Vegas, Nevada at the 2nd annual iHeartRadio Music Festival. Front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, is in the midst of a full-blown melt-down.
The band’s set was cut short, which is not uncommon at large events featuring many, high-profile artists. The rock star could’ve handled it like a professional, but instead he handled it like … a rock star. He was understandably frustrated that younger, less seasoned acts were cutting into his stage time, and I couldn’t help but agree when he yelled “I’m not f--ing Justin Bieber!”
Nonetheless, the stunt landed Armstrong in rehab, forcing the band to cancel several promotional events for the upcoming trilogy.
After four quiet years, the gods of pop-punk have once again, earned their fame with their new record, Revolution Radio. Armstrong, 44, drummer Tre Cool, 43 and bass guitarist Mike Dirnt, 43, are just as angsty as ever.
“Bang, Bang”, the record’s first single, is one of the better rock songs of the decade, joined only by the work of some younger bands like Cage the Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, The Struts, The Kills and The Black Keys.
“Still Breathing” has thematic ties to American Idiot’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” with well-thought-out, depressed lyrics.
“Too Dumb to Die,” my favorite from the album, is a nostalgic childhood throwback that captures the sort of forever-young mindset their genre is based on.
“Troubled Times,” on the other hand, carries the weight of the band’s political agenda, which they have never been very discrete about. They made an entire album trashing George W. Bush in ’04. That’s right, the beloved American Idiot actually wasn’t intended for the rich white kids that bought it. However, the result of that success was Green Day expanding their age range, allowing for them to still have a mainstream platform and make the music they want to, in the new world of the 21st century industry.
I’m not here to sell you on the greatness of Green Day. Anyone that’s heard 1994’s Dookie knows they’ve got something special, but it’s more than that. The band still makes art that matters, and they have yet to compromise the kind of music that gave bands like them and Blink-182, who also recently made a comeback, their very first paychecks.
The word “revolution” is thrown around more than it ought to be, but in this case it is appropriate. The ‘90s grunge movement was nothing short of revolutionary for the music industry and for American youth culture.
That movement lives on with Revolution Radio.
Halle Weber is a freshman studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. How do you feel about Green Day? Let Halle know by emailing or tweeting her at hw422715@ohio.edu or @HalleWeber13, respectively.
