by BuzzPony Staff Writer

Wow… double exclamation mark.  When asked, that is how I summed up the Green Day show last night in Omaha, NE.  This really has to be one of the best shows I’ve seen.  Two things really stuck out about the night’s events.  One, Green Day have an uncanny knack for turning a full arena into a good old school punk living room party.  With the different stage visits from fans either singing or playing along to a song, the t-shirt gun that launched all the way to the far back upper bowl, the water spray guns reaching into the lower bowl and many crowd chanting wars directed and strongly urged by Billie Joe Armstrong.  If you didn’t feel part of the show, then you must have been hanging out in the lobby all night.

 

Throughout the night, Billie worked either “Omaha” or “Nebraska” into multiple song lyrics including during the song Youngblood where the crowd was asked to sing loud and proud, “F*ck you, I’m from Nebraska”.

Second remarkable element of the show was the energy the band brought.  Although this is now 10 months in from when the Revolution Radio Tour first started back in late September of 2016, last night really felt like it could have been the very first night.  For a band that has been together and touring for 28 years, their comradery and excitement for sharing their songs with their fans really shown through.  The sheer energy they put into every song with Billie Joe constantly running the length of the stage, side to side, jumping off risers and still hitting every note was really great to see.

Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass) formed their first band when they were just 14 years old. In 1989, they added a drummer Al Sobrante and changed the band’s name to Green Day. Later that year, the first EP, 1000 Hours, was self-released onto the California punk scene. After signing with independent label Lookout the first full album, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, was released. Shortly after Sobrante was replaced with Tre Cool and the rest is history.

The quote of the night comes from Billie Joe when commenting on the lack of camera phones in the air and urged the crowd to let it remain that way.  He urged everyone to live in the moment now and to not save the moment for later.  The fans kept it in check for a good part of the show, until the first few notes of When I Come Around.  The cell phones were up and ready for that one.

From the opening until the end, it was an action-packed, high-energy, punk rock onslaught of hit after hit with a fully engaged crowd.  If you were not a huge fan of Green Day when you entered the arena last night, you sure left as one.  Thank you Green Day for your stop in our city.

For More Pictures Click Here:  Full Gallery

Photos by:  Brenda Turner Photography