Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show

Concert Review |

Green Day fired up the start of Independence Day weekend — literally.

With flames and sparks shooting from stage, the popular punk band kicked off its world tour Friday night at Seattle's KeyArena. The pops were deafening and the band's energy empowering.

There are few bands that can hold an audience from the front of the stage to the bleeders the way Green Day can. Along with Bruce Springsteen and U2, Green Day is one of those bands you have to catch live at least once in your lifetime.

And lately, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong has said he wants to give Springsteen live a run for his money; Springsteen has been known to play five-hour concerts.

Well, the Berkeley band didn't better the Boss, but the two-hour show at the Key was filled with music that did in fact challenge Springsteen's prowess. Usually, concerts waver up and down in energy, reaching a climax, only to let the audience down, but Green Day kept the intensity up throughout the show.

With nearly two decades of music under their belt, the trio knows what it's doing, and they incorporated all the elements of a stellar show. The always charismatic lead singer Armstrong asked the audience to sing along, call back and even join him on stage. Some lucky fans got to dance on stage and sing along to Armstrong on guitar. One male fan even kissed Armstrong on the lips.

The frontman also threw T-shirts into the audience, and sprayed fans with a large water gun. It was a true party.

Of course, with the KeyArena concert being the first of the tour, there were some kinks. The T-shirt gun only could fire near the front of the stage, so Armstrong threw the freebies instead. His voice also broke a little. And drummer Tré Cool didn't have a mic stand. Instead, a stage hand held a mic for him. But these details were tiny and easily overlooked.

That's because the fans — many who came with their families, two generations strong — were totally under Armstrong's spell. When he asked them to put away their cellphones for the show to be a private affair just for them, they did. When he asked them to wave their arms, pump their fists, clap their hands and shout back, they did.

And to the delight of the audience, Green Day played a mixture of old songs and new. The band started the show with the lead song off their new album, "21st Century Breakdown" and ended with their past hits — "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Minority" and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." Armstrong also sang renditions of "Shout" and "Stand by Me."

Green Day's latest album, "21st Century Breakdown" has received mixed reviews. Compared to "American Idiot," which went five times platinum and hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, "Breakdown" could be described as a letdown. But hearing newer songs performed, like the new single "21 Guns," brought this album to life.

And to top it off, Armstrong told the audience that they didn't miss him half as much as he missed them. The band now belongs to Seattle, claimed Berkeley boy Armstrong.

He also shared the secret to the band's success — play like it's the last day on earth, just like the way we should live.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com