Not even a weather delay for nearby lightning could tone down the excitement inside Nationals Park on July 29, 2024. Green Day opened the North American leg The Saviors Tour in front of roughly 42,000 fans on a rainy Monday night. The tour set list included Dookie and American Idiot played in their entirety. This means Green Day played a whopping 37 songs late into the night on Monday even after starting 20 minutes late due to lightning.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

Green Day brought along with them three openers to DC. First off was The Linda Lindas followed by Rancid, who’s set was unfortunately cut short due to nearby lightning. Once the sky had cleared The Smashing Pumpkins took to the stage with an abbreviated setlist to get the evening back on schedule. The Smashing Pumpkins opened with The Everlasting Gaze before also bringing out Tonight, Tonight and 1979 before closing with Zero. And the crowd, despite being a little wet, was having a great time. Throughout the set fans could be seen throwing their hands up in the air and pumping their fists in the rock on symbol. The rain did not seem to be putting any damper on the enthusiasm for the evening.

GREEN DAY

Green Day knows how to set the mood before even taking the stage. I am a big fan of artists that have intro songs. And in true Green Day fashion they picked arguably one of the most iconic, and my personal favorite, intro songs: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. When I tell you there is nothing like the feeling of listening to an entire venue, bursting with anticipation, singing the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody, I mean there is truly nothing like that feeling.

After Bohemian Rhapsody, the Pink Bunny, also known as the Drunk Bunny, made its appearance accompanied by a recording of Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones. The Bunny broke out a number of dance moves, with my top-rated one being the worm (an impressive feat inside a mascot suit, let alone in a mascot suit coupled with the humidity and heat that evening). Green Day then had an additional intro which was a multi-song mashup including The Imperial March from Stars Wars which may or may not have sent me into full fangirl mode immediately.

And then with anticipation at an all time high, right on the cusp of overflowing, Green Day took to the stage to rapturous applause. They lead the set with The American Dream Is Killing Me from their newest album Saviors accompanied by an impressive (and hot!) pyrotechnics display before heading into Dookie. Green Day has so much to celebrate too with 2024 being Dookie’s 30^th anniversary, released in 1994, and American Idiot’s 20^th anniversary, released in 2004 – hence why the band is playing both albums in full along with other fan favorites. After finishing Dookie they sprinkled in a number of other hit songs including Look Ma, No Brains! (from Saviors) And Minority (from Warning) before heading into American Idiot.

One thing this setlist highlights is just how impressive Green Day’s discography is and just how much their fans love every bit of it. To release 14 studio albums over the span of 34 years is impressive in and of itself. To then tour and play songs from seven of those on a single setlist is incredible. But the most amazing part… the fans knew every word to every single one. If that does not demonstrate the true impressiveness of Green Day’s body of work, then I don’t know what does.

On top of that, the crowd spanned in age from kids to older adults. You could see friend groups of individuals in their 20s and 30s. You could see parents there with their adult kids and parents there with their young kids. It takes a special kind of musician to be able to bring people of all ages together to enjoy an experience. Green Day is the type of band that can bridge the generational gap with music that is timeless. The issues Green Day sang about in the 90s still ring true for many in the year 2024 and that is not an easy thing to capture in music.

Green Day ended this memorable night with one of, in my opinion, the best songs to end a concert with. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), from Green Day’s fifth studio album Nimrod, is such an epic musical masterpiece and it was the perfect emotional piece to end the night with. And I am sure the lyrics ring true every night for the members of Green Day. While the song is about accepting that people will come into your life and also leave your life, I think the same can be applied to memories and special experiences. Yes, people will be sad the concert is over, but it is better to have gone to the show and enjoyed yourself and be nostalgic for it later than to never have had the experience at all. Green Day performs with a dedication and enthusiasm that makes me 100% confident to say that they really are hoping that fans have the time of their life every night on this tour. And I can also say with 100% certainty that the fans were indeed doing just that.

GREEN DAY’S SETLIST
The American Dream Is Killing Me
Burnout
Having a Blast
Chump
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
Pulling Teeth
Basket Case
She
Sassafras Roots
When I Come Around
Coming Clean
Emenius Sleepus
In the End
F.O.D.
All by Myself
Know Your Enemy
Look Ma, No Brains!
One Eyed Bastard
Dilemma
Minority
Brain Stew
American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia
Holiday
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Are We the Waiting
St. Jimmy
Give Me Novacaine
She’s a Rebel
Extraordinary Girl
Letterbomb
Wake Me Up When September Ends
Homecoming
Whatsername
Bobby Sox
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)