Article and photos by Kyle Brown

Edited by Erica McNatt

Green Day brought The Linda Lindas, Rancid, and the The Smashing Pumpkins to Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday, September 4th. Taking many fans, including myself, to my past and high school days rocking out to songs from albums that are now celebrating anniversaries.

The Saviors Tour, titled after Green Day’s 14th studio album Saviors, got off to a speedy start when The Linda Lindas came onstage to start the night. Unfortunately, I was unable to make their set, as I had prior obligations, but from what I heard traveling through the crowd throughout the night, the crowd seemed very pleased with what they did. 

Rancid came onto the stage next and sounded just as good live now as they did back in the early 90’s. The band’s raw energy never ceases to amaze me. They mentioned that Detroit was one city they never like to miss each time they tour, saying, “There are two cities we always want to visit, not including our hometown show. Those are Boston and Detroit.” 

Rancid made a heartfelt notion to thank the crowd for allowing them in time after time in the 33 years they have been a band. 

The Smashing Pumpkins hit the stage next, and it was at this point when you could see the fans beginning to pile in the stadium. Smashing Pumpkins’ set was really straightforward, letting the music do the talking. The six-person band didn’t exactly move around very much, but that was okay! They had no reason to. Spread out across the stage, each one had their moment to shine throughout the set. One of those six was newcomer Kiki Wong, who earned a spot with the band this year with a nationwide search that spanned 10,000 applicants. 

Playing hit songs like ”Zero,” “1979,” and “Disarm,” Smashing Pumpkins played an hour-long set that made you want more.  

When it came time for Green Day, the entire venue knew it. As the lights dimmed, music from Queen began and led into the Green Day mascot running around in a Detroit Tigers jersey getting the crowd amped up, even doing the worm. The tour celebrates 20th and 30th anniversaries of the hit albums Dookie and American Idiot, playing both of those albums in their entirety live. 

The band also played a few other songs, like “The American Dream is Killing Me” from their newest album, Saviors.  After breezing through a few songs, the band abruptly left the stage only part way through “Longview,” and a message appeared on the video boards saying, “Show paused. Stand by for Details.” As a restless crowd began cheering for Green Day to come back on, 10 minutes later they did with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong saying, “How we doing! We are going to pick up where we left off!” This was followed by the singer asking fans to put the phones away and to “be here right now.”  It was later said on Green Day’s social media that there was a safety issue that caused the delay, and it was said to have been an unauthorized drone flying near the stage.

Playing to a crowd nearly 41,000 strong, Armstrong and the band jumped right back into the set like nothing ever happened. With hit song after hit song from the 30-year-old album Dookie first, songs like “Welcome to Paradise,” “Basket Case,” and “When I Come Around” received quite the reaction from fans in attendance. A comical factor was added in when “All By Myself” was done solo by drummer Tre Cool. Just after the Dookie set, Green Day brought up a fan to sing a verse of one of the song “Know Your Enemy” from the album 21st Century Breakdown. It was a very special moment for the young female, who mentioned to Armstrong that she happened to sing in a band and covered Green Day songs. 

The album American Idiot ramped up the set to a whole new level I personally didn’t expect. However, as expected during a Green Day show, things got a little political, especially with it being an election year. Armstrong would quip a few one liners into some of the songs, and for the most part, the crowd ate it up. For example, in “American Idiot,” Armstrong sang, “I’m not part of your MAGA agenda.”

Absolute bangers from that album include “Holiday,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “American Idiot,” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and these songs left fans screaming from start to finish. It was easy to see that the crowd absolutely loved this album and for good reason. There is not a bad song on it! 

Green Day never once stopped to talk to the crowd. Personally, I loved that. People didn’t pay hard-earned money to hear them ramble on about things. They paid money to hear their favorite songs from two of the most iconic albums of the modern era. Instead, the band would periodically add in a Detroit reference or ask the crowd to sing for them. Pyro was a huge part of this set, as it was fire galore. From the photo pit and fans in that area, it was warm when that lit, but sitting back in the press box area of Comerica Park, it was something to been seen. The set designer was on point with that. 

Green Day showed everyone that they have no reason to worry about slowing down. The two-and-a-half-hour set, or 37 songs respectively, was done with ease. Armstrong sounded amazing. I heard no voice cracks, no straining of his voice, and the band was in unison as well. They are a well-oiled machine. It was one of my favorite concerts I’ve attended as well. The energy from start to finish was phenomenal. I recommend seeing them while you can. Every band showed why they deserve to be on the big stages of stadium tours. You won’t be leaving disappointed. 

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