Walking into the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to the sound of Jet’s latest single “She’s a Genius,” one can’t help but wonder if pop punk superstars Green Day could have picked a more odd band to open for their latest run of shows in Oz. Prancing around the stage in all their ‘we’re The Beatles, right?’ glory, the Melbourne 4-piece are keen to please, playing hits mostly from their stellar debut record Get Born, choosing to neglect the songs from their two lame follow up releases Shine On and Shaka Rock. Playing to a crowd ranging from over excited 13 year old girls to 45 year old punk rockers, Jet are hardly in their element. Nevertheless, they manage to get the job done. They’re not bad, they’re not great, but as most people are absentmindedly tapping their feet and humming along to set closer “Cold Hard Bitch,” the band can leave the stage on a high. As soon as their backdrop is torn down however, the crowd have already forgotten them.

 
A much more suited warm up act soon embarks the stage as eccentric Green Day drummer Tre Cool, wearing a full length pink bunny suit with two beers in hand, stumbles down the runway in the centre of the room. He offers beer to the audience, skulls both bottles down and falls over for about 10 minutes. Even the cynical punks are laughing. It’s completely over the top, but none the less highly entertaining – an omen for what’s about to come.

 
You’ve got to give it to the Green Day roadies, they don’t mess around. In a mere 20 minutes the lights are down and the opening chords of “Song of the Century,” the recurring melody from their latest record 21^st Century Breakdown, are blaring through the speakers to the delight of every single person in the room. Suspense explodes into madness as the lights blare down on singer Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and Cool who waste no time shifting into their latest single “21^st Century Breakdown.” What follows is hit after hit after hit. This stage has seen a lot of great music over the years, yet you’d be hard pressed to find any other group who can command an audience the way this one does. Armstrong tells us to pump our fists in the air, stick up our middle fingers and count 1,2,1,2,3,4! orders which are followed by every single person in the packed out arena. They rip through the set at a level of power and ferocity that only gets higher as the show goes on.

 
The great thing about a Green Day show is that despite having 8 albums under their belt, they always manage to play every song you want them to, and tonight is no exception. They do this by splitting their show into three parts- new, old and American Idiot. To the younger members of the crowd’s sheer delight they power through new hits “Know Your Enemy,” “East Jesus Nowhere” and “21 Guns.” Armstrong then calls upon all the old school fans (and there are plenty) to sing along to classic hits “Hitchin a Ride,” “When I Come Around” and “Brainstew,” while throwing in gems “Knowledge” and “Welcome to Paradise” for the fans who have been around since their humble beginnings on Lookout Records.

 
It’s here things start to get silly. The guys of Green Day are nearing their forties, yet they manage to get away with TPing the audience, dragging kids on stage to dive into the audience and showering the mosh pit with a fully loaded water gun. They even bring three ecstatic members of the crowd on stage to play bass, drums and guitar for one song, with Armstrong christening them the worst band in Australia. To this, the three fans look like all their Christmases have come at once. Green Day then perform crowd favourite “King for a Day,” a slightly odd tune about a cross dressing teenage boy, with Armstrong donning a feather bower, Dirnt a furry tail and Cool a red bra. Somehow through all the mad theatrics, all three members of the band prove themselves to be each a solid musician, with Cool’s frantic drumming style being the standout. His strict yet powerful technique layers each song with an extra boost of energy, livening the crowd even more. However Green Day aren’t just playing music, they’re putting on a spectacle. The band delivers a powerful medley combining “Shout” (Isley Brothers), “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones) and even “Hey Jude” (The Beatles). The diversity in these covers works to showcase the key to Green Day’s longevity; no longer are they merely following the footsteps of Joey Ramone, they’re drawing musical influences from ever increasing places, and it only strengthens and freshens their appeal.

 
You can’t go past American Idiot however, the 2004 Bush bashing smash hit no one saw coming that managed to yank Green Day out of their midlife crisis and put them back on top. It’s the opening chords of “Holiday” that shift the crowd from insane to breaking point. Even the security guards are singing along now. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “St Jimmy,” “Jesus of Suburbia” and the powerful “American Idiot” quickly become the highlight of the show. For a band with such a defining political image, never does Armstrong become preachy. Really, he just says ‘fuck’ a lot. This is a band who are enjoying every second they spend on stage, and as they blast through “Minority” before exiting the stage for an encore of classic “Good Riddance,” their thank yous are filled with a rare and moving sincerity. They look like this is the best night of their lives, yet they get to do it all again tomorrow. Somewhere in the distance, one can year the sound of Good Charlotte and Short Stack hurriedly scribbling down notes. This is how you stay at the top of your game for twenty years.

 
- Katherine Allan