Western Courier

Issue date: 9/16/05 Section: The Edge

Media Credit: www.greenday.com Green Day´s lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong performed hits from the band´s recent album, "American Idiot" during a stop in Moline on Wednesday.

You know that annoyingly energetic eight-year-old who comes to Thanksgiving every year and runs around screaming non-stop, scaring your grandma? Imagine that same kid 25 years older and you've got Green Day's frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.

Armstrong rambunctiously ran, skipped and jumped across every inch of the stage at Moline's Mark of the Quad Cities Wednesday night. He, as well as bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool, kept the energy level through the roof during their entire two-hour set.

Green Day's set got underway with their traditional bunny routine, during which someone in a pink bunny suit came out and chugged beer in front of a chanting crowd. He left the stage as the crowd sang along with the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," and then the lights dimmed and purple light illuminated the stage as the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey" played over the speakers. At the climax of the song, Green Day emerged to cheers of the almost 11,000 fans in attendance.

From the first crunching guitar sound of "American Idiot" until the last strum of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," Green Day had the crowd. Armstrong and Dirnt periodically did the signature jump-kick-land-strum that they've perfected over the last 15 years.

The set had a perfect mixture of old and new songs. Green Day played through the first six songs off "American Idiot" with the exception of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," which was played during an encore.

The first of many huge pyrotechnics went off with a bang at the end of "American Idiot." With the last chord of the song, Armstrong struck an arms-to-the-side pose resembling Jesus on the cross as flames flew 50- feet high behind him. He held the pose for a full minute before introducing the nine-minute "Jesus of Suburbia," dedicating it to anyone from a small town.

Armstrong introduced the third song, "Holiday," by saying "This song is called 'Fuck President Bush,'" which received tremendous applause. During an extended bridge in the song, Armstrong sarcastically recited the Pledge of Allegiance as well.

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