by Claire Johnson | July 29th , 2024

All images are from Green Days - Saviors Tour in Washington D.C. on 7/29/24.

Photo by Claire Johnson | @clairejellocreative

Green Day was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, the very first year they were eligible, for bringing punk rock into mainstream media focus, allowing the genre to be more accessible to all audiences. Their commitment to staying authentic to their sound and belief systems is one of the main reasons for their popularity and continuing support from fans. Maintaining the mindset of being a rebel with a cause is still very much ingrained into their DNA, while also keeping their music politically-oriented, making up the heart of the band.

Green Day just kicked off their North American leg of The Saviors Tour on July 29, 2024 in Washington DC at The Nationals Park. The tour is in celebration of 30 years of “Dookie” and 20 Years of “American Idiot", both of which will be played in full at every show.

The stadium was full of dedicated, longtime fans as the highly anticipated tour was about to begin. Most tour stops will be treated with three excellent support acts starting with The Linda Lindas, Rancid, and The Smashing Pumpkins. The Linda Lindas gave DC an energetic performance for the packed audience as the first band of the night. The Linda Linda’s established their reputation after making a cameo in Amy Poehler’s movie “Moxie” along with being featured as artists on the movie’s soundtrack. Rancid’s set was cut short after the first two songs due to an inclement weather warning. The entire stadium was evacuated as concertgoers were escorted to wait in the stadium concourse for safety until the storm passed. After a long wait, fans were finally able to return to their seats to resume the rest of the show. Unfortunately, Rancid was unable to finish their set, a disappointment to some fans, but luckily The Smashing Pumpkins were ready to pick up where they left off and entertained the crowd with a variety of their hit songs, including 1979 and Tonight, Tonight.

By the time Green Day was ready to hit the stage, the entire stadium had filled to the brim with overzealous fans ranging all ages, proving Green Day’s incredible reach and influence as well as proving their music to be timeless and resonating with anyone. Billie Joe Armstrong stood center stage as the opening track from their latest album, The American Dream Is Killing Me, filled the stadium. Unsurprisingly, every single word was heard throughout the venue as fans sang along. During the song, pyrotechnics were added to the performance at crucial moments, such as the first notes when the first chorus was sung. As an avid fan of concert production, I was happy to see the pyro being used in almost every song performance. Following the opening song, Green Day immediately started into the “Dookie” portion of the show with Burnout.

Between playing "Dookie” and "American Idiot", Green Day performed other fan favorites such as Know Your Enemy, Minority, and Brain Stew in addition to a few new songs from “Saviors”, like Look Ma, No Brains! and Dilemma. A very special moment occurred during Know Your Enemy as Billie Joe called a fan up from the audience to sing the bridge, making sure to ask them if they knew all the words before handing them the microphone. After the song, they introduced themselves as “Johnson” and the entire stadium started chanting their name. It was undeniably a very special moment for the fan as we all witnessed the nonstop smiling and joy emanating from their energetic cheering as they hugged each member before they returned to their spot in the pit. The band ended their mini break between albums with Brain Stew before beginning the “American Idiot" set.

One thing that was cathartic to witness during this portion of the show was the amount of cell phone screens that lit up among the audience, while people were preparing to record American Idiot. Billie Joe replaced the line “I’m not apart of the redneck agenda” with "I'm not a part of the MAGA agenda,” as the crowd went wild for the lyric change.

To my surprise, all 10 minutes of Jesus of Suburbia were performed and included some fan interaction when someone threw Billie Joe a mask of Trump with the word IDIOT written across the forehead, which also gained attention from other media outlets the next day. Towards the end of the song, Billie Joe had the audience sing the famous long musical note on one of the last lines “Tales from another broken home.” Some other key details to note about the production of the entire show were the visual elements during Holiday, which featured the Black Lives Matter fist accompanied with anti-gun and missile symbols as well as multiple confetti cannons during Homecoming and the encore. During Whatsername, Billie Joe stopped mid-song to help a fan who was struggling in the pit, once again, representing Green Day’s values to look out for one another.

The show was a tremendous start to The Saviors Tour and is sure to break records so make sure to grab tickets while you can! You have until September 28, 2024 to go catch one of their shows in the U.S.