Members of the multi-platinum rock band Green Day are used to a big stage—basketball arenas, soccer stadiums, and even Broadway. So getting a chance to see the trio at the 1,200-person capacity 9:30 Club was about as intimate and electric as one would imagine.
The last time Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool graced the stage at the Washington, D.C., nightclub was 1997. Nearly 20 years later, the band still exudes the same spunk and take-no-prisoners attitude it possessed in the days of Dookie.
The crowd, which managed to sell out the venue in less than five minutes, was a bit older, but they were no less enthusiastic. Sure, there were more fist pumps than mosh pits, but the audience proved that grownups can still rock out.
Coming out on stage to the Ramones’ classic “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Green Day ripped through a set filled with old favorites like “Basket Case” and “When I Come Around” and previewed some material from their upcoming album Revolution Radio. “Bang Bang,” told from the point of view of a serial killer, was a particularly powerful newbie.
But what made the set special was that it didn’t play out as just a greatest hits rundown. The band reached deep into its catalog with tracks like “2,000 Light Years Away” and “Christie Road” and then complemented those with atypical choices such as “Scattered” off of Nimrod and “Letterbomb” from American Idiot.
As with any Green Day show, there were moments of raw emotion, including a beautiful acoustic cover of “Hey Jude,” a young fan singing “Longview” and stage diving back into the crowd, and Armstrong imploring the audience to start a revolution. (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which presidential candidate he honored with “Know Your Enemy.”)
For the entire two-and-a-half-hour show, the band managed to strike the perfect balance of youthful energy and seasoned experience. The operatic and multi-part “Jesus of Suburbia,” which they saved for their encore set, was a perfect example. The song clocks in at over 9 minutes long and showcases the best of Green Day—lilting melodies set against the backdrop of angsty power chords—while still proving just how much they’ve matured.