California punk trio Green Day are currently on the second European leg of their 21st Century Breakdown World Tour and I was lucky enough to see them live at London’s Wembley Stadium last night. There is something undeniably exciting about Wembley Stadium but as we took our seats at the beginning of the evening and I looked around the vast stadium, I had to wonder whether Green Day would be able to carry such a large stadium.
We arrived just in time to see support act Joan Jett and the Blackhearts take the stage. It feels strange to think that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts could be supporting another band considering how huge they have been over the years and I can remember standing on a wall with other nine-year-olds belting out “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” when it came out in 1982. I had expected a washed out version of an aging rocker and I was absolutely proven wrong. Joan Jett’s voice is as powerful and unique as the day she first hit the stage in 1975 and I was really impressed by her vocal range. The highlight of the set was “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” which was followed by “Crimson and Clover”.
One of my mates asked whether the former song was a cover of the Britney Spears version and I incredulously insisted that it was not. Confused, he asked when the Joan Jett version had come out and simply could not believe it when I told him. Such was the power and energy of Joan Jett’s performance, assisted no doubt by how good she looks at 51, that he had not realised that these were veteran rockers.
The interval leading up to the Green Day set was quite eventful. There was, of course, the hilarious Drunken Bunny. Nobody knows who the Drunken Bunny is but his drunken, slapstick routine certainly helps to pass the time. My suspicion is that all of the band members act as the Drunken Bunny, alternating between shows.
We had taken seated tickets and were seated in the Club Wembley tier on the bend. These are normally reasonable seats but the first thing we noticed was that there was a massive lighting tower blocking our view of the centre stage. One tip about Wembley is that if you are unhappy with your seats or your view is obstructed, you have to complain about it on the night. It is written on their terms and conditions and they simply do not entertain complaints written after the event. We complained and were moved a further two section towards the front of the Stadium which was brilliant.
Article comments
1 - Alex
Great read, but just a pointer - Wembley 'Stadium', not Arena... that'd be the decidedly smaller building over the road.
I'm also surprised that you didn't feel they could carry a stadium crowd at the start of the night considering they've been playing headline gigs in stadiums all over the world for years now.
Still, a great read covering a brilliant show.
2 - Danny
I was also at the gig and myself thought it was a freaking amazing show. This is a really detailed and a great review.
3 - Tom C.
Joan Jett Rocked big time. Amazing talent. Green Day were awesome.
4 - Lou
Absolutely amazing gig!! I travelled from Scotland as the SECC date was sold out in next to no time. In retrospect, I'm glad as I believe that the Wembley gig was far, far better than the SECC will be.
I was, however, ever so slightly disappointed as this was basically the same gig I saw at the MEN back in October. I thought they'd change their set a bit for the Stadium Tour! Having said that we also had our 10 year old daughter with us at her first ever gig - and what a gig!!!
Have to agree with Alex, would question anyone who didn't think they'd carry a stadium tour given their past history!
5 - Songbird
Great article! Have never seen Green Day live but they have always been on my list of bands to see live. Wembley Stadium (nor Arena for tht matter) are not the greatest venues for concerts, but no matter- saw U2 there and will see MUSE this August...
6 - Charlotte S
I was at this concert i thought it was fucking amazing!!!!!
Billie Joe Armstrong you are fucking gorgeous!!!!!!111
7 - Dee
I believe those two other 'explosive songs' were Waiting and Burnout.
8 - laura z
im still in shock at how amazing that concert was. I also agree with charlotte s..billie joe is fucking gorgeous, he is ultimate sex god and they are all amazing musicians. I'd go and see them a million times over :D
9 - ED PAUL
PITY FOR THESE GUYS THAT THEIR BEST SHOW IN 25 YEARS WAS A SINGLE DATE IN A HALF EMPTY STADIUM (SEE THE PICTURES) MUSE WILL PLAY IN FOUR YEARS 4 WEMBLEY STADIUMS.
THEY BETTER GOT TO MOVE TO THE LONDON FORUM TO GER A SOLD OUT :)
10 - Sarah Bransby
I was at Wembley concert of Green Day on the 19th of June 2010.
It was one of the best concerts i've been to... and i saw Green Day in Dublin last year in October, but this Wembley Concert out shone the one in Dublin.. This i'll never forget.. :-)
11 - Jordan
Here are some photos of their gig last week at Connecticut. http://moment.me/n/1142305